| Belarusian Central Rada |
Article Index for Belarusian |
Website Links For Belarusian |
Information AboutBelarusian Central Rada |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BELARUSIAN CENTRAL RADA | |
| history of belarus | |
| military history of the soviet union during world war ii | |
| short-lived states of world war ii | |
| world war ii politics | |
| short-lived states | |
| belarusian | |
|
The Belarusian Central Rada ( from 1943-1944. It was a Collaborationist government established by Nazi Germany . The state was similar in political formation to the Lokot Republic , a temporary political creation of the '' Wehrmacht '' in Russia in the period to 1944. The puppet state consisted of several adminstrative divisions called ''Hauptgebieten'':
The ''Hauptgebieten'' were subdivided further into Kreisgebieten. When Belarusian territory originally came under Nazi German control, the "Generalbezirke of Belarus" was established, including Navahradak , Polesia ''Voivodas'', Hłybokaje and Vilejka districts at north of the Koch s Ukraine , Smolensk and all of Belarus. In 1942, the German civil authority was extended to Minsk , Słucak and Barysaŭ . The rest of Belarus remained under military control. The purpose of this political organization was to encourage local support for German forces. The administration used ancient local Belarusian national symbols and traditions. For example, the symbol chosen for Belarusian '' Schutzstaffel '' (SS) legions was an ancient double cross of '' Efrasinnia Polackaia '', with two bars equal in length and parallel to each other. This "nation" had its origins in July 3, 1941, during the '' Reichskommissariat Ostland '' period. The German administrator in the Belarus area, ''Generalreichskmomissar'' Wilhem Kube , had his command center in Minsk , along with subordinated Kommissars in Minsk and Baranavičy . Ivan Jermačenka , "Herr Jawohl", a Belarusian collaborator who was the leader of "self-help" Belarusan groups that supported the Nazi regime. Kube announced that Jermačenka had been named the "Advisor on Belarusian affairs". In June 1943, the Nazi Germans organized a local ''Vertruensausschuss'', composed of native ''Kreisaltester'' (district chief) of districts and others six notable locals under presidency of Wraslaw Iwanowsky , the " Alderman " of Belarus. In 1943, Kube was killed by his Belarusian mistress, who planted a bomb into his bed. General Reinhard Gehlen suggested in his memorandum to the German High Command that steps be taken to appeal to the Russian people to join Germans in the fight against partisans. So, General Kurt Von Gottberg , who was assigned Kube's post, decided to offer Belarusian collaborators a limited form of national autonomy. Radasłaŭ Astroŭski , who was at that time a mayor of Smolensk, was selected by the SS to head the new regime. Astroŭski became the head of the local government "cabinet" Rada . The SS established a special test for its Belarusian collaborators: only those who assisted the '' Einsatzgruppen '' (special task forces) would be permitted to become part of the civilian administration, to be established in the wake of the advancing troops. Sometime in spring of 1940, Dr. Franz Six , a former professor of political science and head of the ''Vorkommando'' (SS forward unit) for ''Einsatzgruppe B'', made contact with the local branch of the Belarusian "self-help" organization in Warsaw and put together a task force of some thirty to forty trusted Belarusians to serve as guides, administrators and informers. Among them were Stanislau Stankevich , who later ran the city of Borisov , Emmanuel Jasiuk , who was assigned to the city of Klecak , and Jury Sabaleuski , who administered Baranovichi . Astroŭski was to organize the counties around Minsk and then follow the invasion forces to Russia . In a moment of optimism, the SS had designated Dr. Six's unit ''Vorkommando Moskau''. Six nominated two of his Belarusian collaborators to organize each city and town under military occupation. In Minsk, Astroŭski formed a municipal government subservient to Nazis, while Franz Kushel put together police forces. The SS equipped polizei with black uniforms and red armbands labeled "Polizei". Borisov was under control of Stanislau Stankevich . He ruled Borisov, a town of some 15,000, more than half of them Jews, through Belarusian police force garbed in black SS-type uniforms with the white-red-white of Belarus on their armbands. Emanuel Jasiuk , was the wartime mayor of Klecak In December 1940, German authority was confirmed in this political organization by the ordinance of ''Zentralrat'' (Central Council), and named "''Weissrutenische Zentralrat''". The principal function was to recruit from the local population the Belarusian "Interior Guard" (BKA) as a native collaborationist police service, the origin of next Belarusian volunteer units in ''Wehrmacht'' and Waffen SS legion. Astroŭski organized the Belarusian home defense corps (BKA) from 20,000 men in police battalions. he present a list of ministers for a Belarusian Central Council (Rada), to the Germans, and petitioned for authorization to organize collaborators in each province and districts. Dmitry Kasmovich , the police chief of Smolensk area, established an expanding ring of fortified villages around Smolensk. One of the most powerful weapons in the collaborationist arsenal was religion. The SS established an Autocephalous Belarusian Orthodox Church independent from Moscow Patriarch . The church's priests had considerable influence with the peasantry, and they actively supported the Nazi cause. In late June 1944, Minsk Opera House was filled with 1,039 delegates from all Belarusian provinces. Joachim Kipel was the president of the Second All-Belarusian Rada Congress. While Belarusian peasantry initially often supported the Nazi , the brutality and arrogance of the liberators had soon turned most of the Belarusian population against them. An unprecedented guerilla war against Nazi control was started and coordinated by the Soviet Union . Soviet agents infiltrated every institution of the collaborators. Massive sabotage acts took place. In Belarus and Poland , the ''Wehrmacht'' introduced the '' Panzerkampfwagen '' PzKpfw VI " Tiger II " or '' Koningstiger '' tanks. The first time the Tiger II saw action was in May 1944 near Minsk, followed by another action of " Panzer Abteilung 501 " commanded by Oberstleutnant Von Legat in July 1944 at Sandomierz in Poland. The new tanks and the older PzKpfw VI " Tiger I " PzKpfwV " Panther " and " Sturmgetzchutz "s, fought in the last defensive actions to provide cover for the withdrawal of authorities, local supporters and last Axis units from these territories to East Prussia n and Polish lands under German control. The SS assigned a special train that carried 800 collaborators and their families to Germany on June 28, 1944. Astrouski left two days later since he was organizing evacuation. These ancient Belarusian BKA security police forces was were absorbed into " 30.Waffen-Grenadier-division Der SS-Russiche No 2. This infantry division was formed from the remnants of the " 29th Waffen-SS Division , which included Belarusian and Ukrainian units. The Germans had set up an officers' school and issued uniforms with " Waffen Sturm-brigade Belarus " designation. Orders were issued for Belarusian forces to be absorbed by Vlasov 's Russian Army Of Liberation ; but Astroŭski opposed this. He also sabotaged the idea of the "Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia", since he did not wanted to align himself with Russians. Others members of the Belarusian police were recruited by SS Colonel Otto Skorzeny for training in Dahlwitz , near Berlin , to make special undercover strikes and operate behind enemy lines. These units were known as " Black Cat ", and led by Michas' Vitushka . They operated in Belavezha Forest against Soviet forces in anti-communist guerrilla operations in 1945. The temporary nation was ended in 1944 when the Red Army drove the retreating Nazi German forces from Belarus. At the end of 1945, Astroŭski held a special meeting of the "Belarusian Central Committee" which decided to dissolve the government in order to avoid being sent back to Belarus as war criminals. BELARUSIAN VOLUNTEERS IN GERMAN FORCES
German Commanders and officers linked with Belarusian cause
Belarusian anti-communist commanders
Belarusian political chiefs
Belarusian political movements
Belarusian political news
SEE ALSO
|
|
|