Bielaruskaja Krajovaja Abarona
Encyclopedia
Biełaruskaja Krajovaja Abarona (Belarusian Land Defence; BKA) was the name of the armed forces
of The Belarusian Central Rada
from February 23, 1944 to April 28, 1945. The Belarusian Land Defence was formed under the control of Governor-General
Curt von Gottberg
with the help of German special services. In indispensable cases, the help of administrative governments and public organizations like SBM
was used.
On March 6, 1944, after preliminary preparation, the general mobilization
of all healthy men born between 1908 and 1924 into the BKA started. About 500 to 600 men from each region (Uezd) were recruited.
On March 26, all personnel belonging to the BKA gave their oath: "I swore, that sleeve to sleeve with German soldier, I will not drop my weapon until there is peace and security in our farms and cities, until in our Motherland the last enemy of the Belarusian people will be destroyed." That day in Minsk
, at 8:30 AM, in Freedom Square, Minsk, in the presence of SS and Police Leader
Curt von Gottberg
, the President of BCR and BKA General staff accepted this oath from cadets of the First Minsk Officer School BKA. Analyzing the mobilization
, the president of Belarusian Rada Radasłaŭ Astroŭski noted, that: "Germans invoke commissions and for different payments/bribes, free people of mobilization, and because of that, accepted the solution to preserve former mistakes, not to suppose Germans". He also noted that partisans can dive in BKA, and all personal structure with Sicherheitsdienst needed inspection.
On March 31, BKA battalions received their personal numbers. All officers from Russian
, Polish, and Red armies not older than 57 years and Unteroffizier
s not older than 55 years except serving in government
, police
, were drafted into BKA. Invoking was controlled by Police and SD commandant
s. The main assignment of BKA was antipartizan operations, and later at front with Red Army. Belarusian Central Government (Rada) BCR sent the BKA throughout Belarus except Pripyat river
region and town Lida
area; Brasław, Wołożyn, Miadzioł, Volost center Kozłowszczyzna and in Minsk region Uzda
and Iwenec weren't patrolled by the BKA.
After evacuating Rada to Königsberg
, and soon to Berlin
in November 1944 for updating and tutoring officers for BKA, the 1st personnel battalion BKA was formed. Battalions of BKA on Belarusian territory mainly were used in anti-partisan operations and later on the front with Red Army
, but BKA didn't exist after Soviets entered Belarus
. BKA retreated with the Germans to the West
.
The BCR formed under occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany
exists today in the US and president Radasłaŭ Astroŭski worked till 1960. Most of its members, as members of other organizations, received political asylum
as immigrants. In April and May 1945, most of the BKA and SBM
submitted to Russian Liberation Army
surrendered to the Allies, knowing that in their motherland a long and difficult death by NKVD
awaited them. Later propagandists hold that the Belarusian Liberation Armies 1st personnel battalion in Berlin in fact was a reserve for the 30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Russian)
. Eleven its officers, including B. D. Rahula and others entered the 1st Grenadier Sturm Brigade SS "Belarus", formed in Nazi Germany
; it was sent to the Battle of Monte Cassino
, and acted against the II Corps (Poland) of General Władysław Anders (Anders Army
). BKA soldiers were not trusted by the Germans, which explains why Russian Liberation Army formations weren't sent to the Eastern Front
, and combat at Western Front
.
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
of The Belarusian Central Rada
Belarusian Central Rada
The Belarusian Central Rada was nominally the government of Belarus from 1943–44. It was a collaborationist government established by Nazi Germany within the occupation and colonial administration of Reichskommissariat Ostland.- Timeline :...
from February 23, 1944 to April 28, 1945. The Belarusian Land Defence was formed under the control of Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
Curt von Gottberg
Curt von Gottberg
Curt von Gottberg was a Nazi official and military commander. Beginning in October 1942, within a few years he had personally combined the highest civil and military powers in occupied Belarus: from March 1943 as representative of the HSSPF for central Russia, and from October 1943 as the acting...
with the help of German special services. In indispensable cases, the help of administrative governments and public organizations like SBM
SBM
SBM may stand for:* School business manager* Screaming Bloody Murder, a 2011 album by rock band Sum 41* Super Bit Mapping* SBM Offshore, a Dutch-based oil services company* Sheboygan County Memorial Airport's IATA code...
was used.
On March 6, 1944, after preliminary preparation, the general mobilization
Mobilization
Mobilization is the act of assembling and making both troops and supplies ready for war. The word mobilization was first used, in a military context, in order to describe the preparation of the Prussian army during the 1850s and 1860s. Mobilization theories and techniques have continuously changed...
of all healthy men born between 1908 and 1924 into the BKA started. About 500 to 600 men from each region (Uezd) were recruited.
On March 26, all personnel belonging to the BKA gave their oath: "I swore, that sleeve to sleeve with German soldier, I will not drop my weapon until there is peace and security in our farms and cities, until in our Motherland the last enemy of the Belarusian people will be destroyed." That day in Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, at 8:30 AM, in Freedom Square, Minsk, in the presence of SS and Police Leader
SS and Police Leader
SS and Police Leader was a title for senior Nazi officials that commanded large units of the SS, of Gestapo and of the regular German police during and prior to World War II.Three levels of subordination were established for bearers of this title:...
Curt von Gottberg
Curt von Gottberg
Curt von Gottberg was a Nazi official and military commander. Beginning in October 1942, within a few years he had personally combined the highest civil and military powers in occupied Belarus: from March 1943 as representative of the HSSPF for central Russia, and from October 1943 as the acting...
, the President of BCR and BKA General staff accepted this oath from cadets of the First Minsk Officer School BKA. Analyzing the mobilization
Mobilization
Mobilization is the act of assembling and making both troops and supplies ready for war. The word mobilization was first used, in a military context, in order to describe the preparation of the Prussian army during the 1850s and 1860s. Mobilization theories and techniques have continuously changed...
, the president of Belarusian Rada Radasłaŭ Astroŭski noted, that: "Germans invoke commissions and for different payments/bribes, free people of mobilization, and because of that, accepted the solution to preserve former mistakes, not to suppose Germans". He also noted that partisans can dive in BKA, and all personal structure with Sicherheitsdienst needed inspection.
On March 31, BKA battalions received their personal numbers. All officers from Russian
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, Polish, and Red armies not older than 57 years and Unteroffizier
Unteroffizier
Unteroffizier is both a specific military rank as well as a collective term for non-commissioned officers of the German military that has existed since the 19th century. The rank existed as a title as early as the 17th century with the first widespread usage occurring in the Bavarian Army of the...
s not older than 55 years except serving in government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, were drafted into BKA. Invoking was controlled by Police and SD commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
s. The main assignment of BKA was antipartizan operations, and later at front with Red Army. Belarusian Central Government (Rada) BCR sent the BKA throughout Belarus except Pripyat river
Pripyat River
The Pripyat River or Prypiat River is a river in Eastern Europe, approximately long. It flows east through Ukraine, Belarus, and Ukraine again, draining into the Dnieper....
region and town Lida
Lida
Lida is a city in western Belarus in Hrodna Voblast, situated 160 km west of Minsk. It is the fourteenth largest city in Belarus.- Etymology :...
area; Brasław, Wołożyn, Miadzioł, Volost center Kozłowszczyzna and in Minsk region Uzda
Uzda
Uzda -History:The town was first mentioned in 1450. From 1938 it had the status of "urban-type settlement" and received its town status in 1999.-Geography:...
and Iwenec weren't patrolled by the BKA.
After evacuating Rada to Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
, and soon to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in November 1944 for updating and tutoring officers for BKA, the 1st personnel battalion BKA was formed. Battalions of BKA on Belarusian territory mainly were used in anti-partisan operations and later on the front with Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, but BKA didn't exist after Soviets entered Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. BKA retreated with the Germans to the West
West
West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west....
.
The BCR formed under occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany
Occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany occurred as part of the German invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 and ended in August 1944 with the Soviet Operation Bagration.- Background :...
exists today in the US and president Radasłaŭ Astroŭski worked till 1960. Most of its members, as members of other organizations, received political asylum
Right of asylum
Right of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries...
as immigrants. In April and May 1945, most of the BKA and SBM
SBM
SBM may stand for:* School business manager* Screaming Bloody Murder, a 2011 album by rock band Sum 41* Super Bit Mapping* SBM Offshore, a Dutch-based oil services company* Sheboygan County Memorial Airport's IATA code...
submitted to Russian Liberation Army
Russian Liberation Army
Russian Liberation Army was a group of predominantly Russian forces subordinated to the Nazi German high command during World War II....
surrendered to the Allies, knowing that in their motherland a long and difficult death by NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
awaited them. Later propagandists hold that the Belarusian Liberation Armies 1st personnel battalion in Berlin in fact was a reserve for the 30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Russian)
30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Russian)
The 30th SS Grenadier Division was a German Waffen SS infantry division formed largely from Belarussian, Russian and Ukrainian personnel of the Schutzmannschaft-Brigade Siegling in August 1944 at Warsaw, Poland. The division was moved by rail to southeastern France by mid-August 1944 to combat the...
. Eleven its officers, including B. D. Rahula and others entered the 1st Grenadier Sturm Brigade SS "Belarus", formed in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
; it was sent to the Battle of Monte Cassino
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
, and acted against the II Corps (Poland) of General Władysław Anders (Anders Army
Anders Army
The Anders Army was the informal yet common name of the Polish Armed Forces in the East in the period 1941-1942, in recognition of its commander Władysław Anders...
). BKA soldiers were not trusted by the Germans, which explains why Russian Liberation Army formations weren't sent to the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
, and combat at Western Front
Western Front (World War II)
The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations...
.
See also
- 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Galicia (1st Ukrainian)
- 29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS RONA (1st Russian)
- 30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Belarussian)
- 30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Russian)30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Russian)The 30th SS Grenadier Division was a German Waffen SS infantry division formed largely from Belarussian, Russian and Ukrainian personnel of the Schutzmannschaft-Brigade Siegling in August 1944 at Warsaw, Poland. The division was moved by rail to southeastern France by mid-August 1944 to combat the...
- Arajs Kommando
- Belarusian resistance during World War II
- EinsatzgruppenEinsatzgruppenEinsatzgruppen were SS paramilitary death squads that were responsible for mass killings, typically by shooting, of Jews in particular, but also significant numbers of other population groups and political categories...
- Lithuanian Security PoliceLithuanian Security PoliceThe Lithuanian Security Police, also referred to as Saugumas , was a Lithuanian Nazi collaborationist police force that operated from 1941 to 1944. It had a staff of approximately 400 people, 250 of them in Kaunas and around another 130 in Vilnius....
- Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force
- Military history of Belarus during World War IIMilitary history of Belarus during World War II-September 1939 – June 1941:The Molotov-Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact of August 1939 had established a non-aggression agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and a secret protocol described how Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania would be divided between...
- Nachtigall BattalionNachtigall BattalionThe Nachtigall Battalion , officially known as Special Group Nachtigall, was the subunit under command of the Abwehr special operation unit Lehrregiment "Brandenburg" z.b.V. 800...
- Nazi crimes in Belarus
- Organization of Ukrainian NationalistsOrganization of Ukrainian NationalistsThe Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists is a Ukrainian political organization which as a movement originally was created in 1929 in Western Ukraine . The OUN accepted violence as an acceptable tool in the fight against foreign and domestic enemies particularly Poland and Russia...
- PērkonkrustsPerkonkrustsPērkonkrusts , was a Latvian political party founded in the 1930s. This group adapted fascist ideology to the situation in independent Latvia after 1918. It was the largest and longest-lived organisation of its kind in Latvia...
- Ukrainian-German collaboration during World War IIUkrainian-German collaboration during World War IIDuring the military occupation of Ukraine by Nazi Germany, a number of Ukrainians initially chose to cooperate with the Nazis. Their reasons included the hopes of independence from the Soviet Union and past maltreatment by Soviet authorities....
- Ukrainian Insurgent Army
- Ypatingasis būrysYpatingasis burysYpatingasis būrys or Special SD and German Security Police Squad was a Nazi killing squad of approximately 50 men, also called the "Lithuanian equivalent of Sonderkommando", operating in the Vilnius Region...