How the Pope tried to save the Vlasovites: Where did the Wehrmacht's henchmen go in the USSR after the Great Patriotic War

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In the history of the Soviet state during the Second World War, there is a place not only for heroic deeds. Betrayal and complicity to fascism at times acquired a mass character. The formation of the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) can be called a dirty spot in Soviet history. Citizens who were opposed to Soviet power united in this structure and joined the Wehrmacht troops. Well, the victims of repression and their family members had every reason not to support the Soviet regime. But why in history their names have remained as a symbol of bloodthirstiness and lack of principle. Did they manage to escape after the war and where did they seek shelter?

Andrey Vlasov: from heroism to betrayal

His name became a household name, and those who joined the movement he headed were called "Vlasovites". It is he who can be called the most scandalous military leader in the entire Soviet history. Andrey Vlasov is a careerist and an exemplary traitor.

He was born in 1901, his father was either a non-commissioned officer, or an ordinary peasant. There is no more accurate data on his early period of life. The family would have many children, and Andrei is the youngest of 13 children. It was his older brothers and sisters who supported him during his seminary studies. He also entered a higher educational institution as an agronomist, but the Civil War interrupted his student days. He became a soldier before being a student.

In the military field, he quickly made a career. It is not surprising that there was an acute shortage of educated and literate people. Vlasov first became a company commander, and then moved to the headquarters. There he stayed, doing staff work, led the regiment's school. He was in good standing and his career went uphill year after year.

Its unit was one of the first to face the Germans at the very beginning of World War II. He again showed himself to be on the winning side and he was promoted to Kiev. There he, among other armies, fell into the "cauldron", but part of him was able to break through the encirclement and reach the Soviet troops.

The general is entrusted with command of the army in one of the main directions - Moscow. He managed to stop the enemy troops in front of Krasnaya Polyana, and then go on the offensive. Vlasov by this time had already become practically a celebrity, they wrote about him in the newspapers. But this popularity led to the fact that the Vlasovs began to patch many holes in the defense. Which led to this ending. More precisely, it created favorable circumstances for betrayal.

The events that took place in the spring of 1942 became fatal for Vlasov. The 2nd Shock Army wedged into the German defenses, but the Germans closed the ledge and the Soviet fighters were surrounded. The supply was also blocked. Repeated attempts to retreat were unsuccessful. The losses were enormous, but the Soviet command did not lose hope of rescuing the soldiers.

Vlasov was sent on the spot to get acquainted with the situation. By this time, the situation was already critical. There was no food or ammunition. Horses and belts were eaten. The army commander was in serious condition, he was urgently evacuated to the rear. Vlasov, despite all his objections, was appointed to his place. The main argument was that Vlasov had a lot of experience in getting out of the encirclement.

But Vlasov could not do the impossible. Attempts to break through were unsuccessful, the weakened soldiers did not die of wounds, but of exhaustion. He gave the order to go out covertly in small groups, while the Germans fired.

What happened next to Vlasov himself is not known for certain. Most likely, he tried to break through to the point where food was stored. I went to settlements on the way, asked the locals for food. In one of the villages, he came across the house of the headman, who immediately handed it over to the Germans. By deceit, he locked him in a bath, promising food, shelter and lodging for the night, and summoned the Nazis.

However, there is a version that Vlasov initially wanted to surrender to the Germans. But she does not stand up to criticism. After all, for this it was not necessary to wander through the forest for more than two weeks. Vlasov was sent to a camp for officers in Vinnitsa. Vlasov was far from the first general to be captured. Therefore, no one paid special attention to this circumstance and did not cherish special hopes on its account. They conducted routine interrogations with him and forgot about it.

However, after conversations with a former Russian officer who specifically carried out a pinpoint check among the captured Soviet command, Vlasov suddenly agreed that communism is evil and must be fought against. Vlasov wrote a note about the need to create a Russian liberation army and readiness to lead it. But such a proposal did not cause delight. It was 1942 and the German side was counting on victory without any additional armies created.

So what was the reason for Vlasov's transition to the side of the Germans? Heavy captivity? The general was in a special camp for officers, the conditions of detention there were acceptable. Fear of death? But up to this point, Vlasov had shown exceptional courage in battles. Vlasov himself argued that ideological differences were the main reason. But Vlasov was never offended by the Soviet regime, no repression, persecution, on the contrary, an excellent career and high positions.

In 1942, the German side had every chance of winning, and the ambitious Vlasov could decide that this was a chance to take his warm place under the sun in a world where there would be no USSR. The German side decided to give Vlasov the role of a propagandist. It was supposed to be a semi-legal Russian committee that would publish calls for surrender. But the party members did not approve of the game on their "territory" and over time the Committee was disbanded. Other roles for Vlasov have not yet been found. If, in fact, the ROA was created on paper at the end of 1942, then the formation of troops began later.

By that time, Stalin became aware of Vlasov, his indignation knew no bounds. As a result, Vlasov almost found himself out of work. In Moscow, it had already been outlawed, but the Germans had not yet gained a foothold. Hitler and the German command still did not support the idea of creating a separate army.

The next year Vlasov spent in search of patrons, married a widow - the woman of the deceased SS man. But the case, about which he was advocating, did not budge. The decisive role in this issue was played by the deterioration of the position of the Wehrmacht. Vlasov's proposal now looked, if not encouraging, then real. The formation of the Russian Liberation Army began in 1944.

It was possible to collect three divisions, one did not own any weapons, the second did not have any serious weapons. Only the first division was fully equipped and had 20 thousand people. Legally, the ROA was not an army of the Wehrmacht, but fought as its ally. ROA never operated in the occupied territories, because at the time of its creation, the Soviet army had already liberated all the occupied territories and was on the outskirts of the German borders.

The widespread opinion about the atrocities of the Vlasovites in the occupied territories is most likely due to the fact that they began to call any accomplices of the Germans that way.

ROA existed for five months and during this time took part in the battles only twice. Simply put, Vlasov, with the transition to the German side, finally buried not only his officer's honor, but also his military career.

After the war

It is clear that after the end of the war, none of the Vlasovites was eager to go to the USSR. With all their might, they wanted to stay in Europe or leave for the United States. But the allies of the USSR repatriated them along with the rest. Only in France did the ROA soldiers want to be tried as war criminals, without sending them to the USSR. But as a result of negotiations, the countries came to the conclusion that the Vlasovites would still be sent home. For many, this decision saved their lives, because in France they would have faced the death penalty.

In the USSR, the Vlasovites, along with other traitors and traitors to the Motherland, were settled in special settlements. They had to work for many years in order to atone for their guilt before the country with unbearable physical labor. Before the special settlements, the ROA soldiers passed through filtration camps, then they were evenly distributed throughout Siberia. A separate camp was prepared for the ROA officers. It was located near Kemerovo at number 525. It was believed that this camp was one of the most severe places of detention. The mortality rate here exceeded the norm.

Control over the Vlasovites in the camps was especially tough, and the guards were afraid not only of escape. They were carefully isolated from the rest of the prisoners so as not to spread their pernicious influence. There were enough fugitives among the ROA soldiers, for this they were prompted by the terrible conditions of detention. During the seven post-war years, almost 10 thousand former Vlasovites died in the settlements.

The attitude towards the latter was clearly worse than towards the rest of the prisoners. They were fed worse, their rations were cut. At the same time, they had to work on a par with the others, fulfilling the norms.

Where did Vlasov go? He planned to get to the Americans, according to his calculations a new war was to break out, now between the USSR and the USA. But he did not have time to reach the allies, he was detained by Soviet troops. Although its transfer to the USSR would also be a matter of time. The American authorities would have sent him to the Union anyway. Vlasov was too key figure to guarantee him a shelter. In addition, he did not represent any significant force. The game was not worth the heat of relations between the countries.

Vlasov and several of his associates were brought to Moscow. At first, they wanted to conduct an open show trial over the traitor and defectors. But there were serious concerns about the fact that there are already a lot of ROA soldiers in the camps, ambiguous reactions could begin in society. It was decided to make the investigation closed, there were no publications in the newspapers. The general's end was inglorious.

Without trial and investigation

The Red Army, while the war was still going on, dealt with the ROA soldiers without trial or investigation. Having gone through the war, they fiercely hated both fascism and traitors. They could not forgive them for the fact that while their fellow citizens were shedding blood, they sided with the enemy, seeking protection from him and raised weapons against their fellow countrymen. The Vlasovites, after the fall of the Wehrmacht, scattered like cockroaches, who in what way, looking for political asylum. Often the Vlasovites, during the battle, shouted, they say, "do not shoot, your own", and getting closer, opened aimed fire. This and other examples of unprincipled combat were the best demonstration of their nature.

However, hiding the Vlasovites would mean ruining relations with the victorious country, the one that has just clearly proved that it would be more correct to reckon with it. After the end of hostilities, the Union demanded that the rest of the countries extradite the fugitives, including the ROA soldiers. After the Revolution of 1917, many Russians settled abroad, especially representatives of the intelligentsia. Representatives of the Russian emigration defended the ROA fighters. Apparently, seeing in them people of similar moods. Demonstrations were held.

The Orthodox Russian Church, which worked outside the USSR, even wrote a letter to the Pope. She asked to protect the Russians, who are being sent to the slaughter, because in their homeland they will not have the sweetest fate. The Pope heeded the prayers of the faithful and protested against the extradition of the Vlasovites to the leadership of the USSR. However, his written demands were considered, and at that time echelons with ROA soldiers were leaving for the USSR. Almost all countries did this.

Historian Alexander Kolesnik, in his book dedicated to General Vlasov, claims that all Vlasovites, even before their return, were sentenced to death in absentia. Persecution of their relatives and arrests began. The historian, in his research, relies on the archives of the NKVD, Hitler's speeches. He claims that those Vlasovites who, by hook or by crook, tried to stay abroad were subjected to especially severe persecution. They could get even with them on the spot.

Most countries have joined in deportation. Germany, Italy, and then France and even Switzerland, which until recently tried to maintain neutrality, betrayed the fugitives to the USSR. By the fall of 1945, more than 2 million people had been issued. According to the historian, the Soviet authorities did not stand on ceremony and arranged executions right at the place of extradition. The firing squads worked for days.

In the small Austrian town of Judenburg, the Cossacks - accomplices of General Vlasov were transferred. The firing squad worked without interruption. The sounds of the shots were drowned out by the working engines, and those who tried to escape were destroyed from machine guns.

But there were also states that did not surrender those who fled to the Soviet state. Liechtenstein, with an area of less than 160 square kilometers and a dozen police officers in the army, said it was providing political asylum. The USSR exerted pressure, threatening that this would put an end to further diplomatic relations. But the head of the local government firmly stood his ground, they say, he is not a murderer.

Of course, Liechtenstein could not save many. The refugees were kept at the expense of the state, with the support of the local population. Other documents were prepared for him. They then migrated to Argentina. However, the exact number of the Vlasovites who survived according to this scheme is not reported anywhere.

Meanwhile, in the USSR, by the 50s, the ROA soldiers (of course, those who survived until that time) had practically no restrictions. True, they still could not move to big cities and even live close to them. But still, the Vlasovites could well begin to live an ordinary life.

The special settlements were disbanded after Stalin's death, during the period of general amnesty. Many Vlasovites received new passports with different names. Apparently trying in this way to wash away the shame to which they doomed themselves. To fight against your own people, even justifying it with hatred of the political system, is disgusting. And Vlasov's sudden desire in captivity to fight against Stalin and his regime, calling himself a patriot, does not in any way convince him of sincerity. A careerist and upstart who rose to the rank of a Soviet general, nevertheless, he did not have a single drop of patriotism and loyalty to his people, like millions of other ordinary soldiers and home front workers, who brought Victory closer with blood and sweat, at the cost of their own lives.