Wschodnioeuropejscy ochotnicy cudzoziemscy w niemieckich oddziałach Ostheer, SS i policji pacyfikujących Powstanie Warszawskie. Casus „własowców”, Kałmuków i SS Galizien...

Résumé

East European Foreign Volunteers in German Ostheer, SS, and Police Divisions Pacifying the Warsaw Uprising. The Case of the “Vlasovites”, Kalmuks, and SS Galizien…

The intention of this article is to bring the reader closer to a little–known aspect of foreign forces used by the Germans in the pacification of the Warsaw Uprising. The author was especially interested in tackling myths concerning the participation of Kalmuks, the Ukrainians serving in the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, and the so–called Vlasovites in battles waged against the insurgents.

The article describes the emergence of foundations serving a myth about the part played by the above–listed nationalities in combatting the Warsaw Uprising. The Germans deployed all available police, SS, and Wehrmacht forces to eliminate danger in the direct war front hinterland of the 9th Army. Nonetheless, Wehrmacht commanders did not take over divisions fighting in Warsaw. This standstill in the command structures was exploited by Himmler, who appointed SS–Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen–SS und der Polizei Erich von dem Bach as commander. The article discusses the engagement of the “hiwi”, “osttruppen”, and “ostlegionen” mosaic deployed by the Germans during the pacification of the Warsaw Uprising and composed of Russians, Byelorussians, Ukrainians, Cossacks, Turkmens, Azeris, etc. The reason for this state of things was the lack of sufficient forces, although ultimately the resistance of the insurgents was crushed by German panzer divisions. From the very beginning a foremost role in slaying the inhabitants of Warsaw was played by the Germans (police, gendarmerie, and the SS), responsible for the deaths of many more victims than those killed by former Soviet citizens, despite all post–war attempts at transferring the guilt to divisions collaborating with the Third Reich. Stifling the Warsaw Uprising (and the Slovak National Uprising) proved to be the apogee of the German anti–partisan campaign, part of the bloody Bandenbekämpfung tactic.