History 16/01/20 Why the Germans called the Kuban Cossacks “Stalinist thugs”
the Role of the Cossacks in the great Patriotic war is often seen as the story of the traitors who fought on the German side. Traitors do Cossacks was ataman Piotr Krasnov with his nephew Semyon Krasnov, the ataman Shkuro, famous for the atrocities in Civilians.
But the traitors were few, but hundreds of thousands of Cossacks fought with the Nazis, as befits to fight the Cossacks – not sparing his stomach. They did not consider the Fatherland as the space belonged exclusively to the Bolsheviks. In the face of fascism, they chose to go to defend the country, their village and their families.
Before the war
Before the war the Soviet authorities took steps to restore relations with the Cossacks. Military historian Evgeny Salov, in the article “the Cossacks against the Wehrmacht” indicates that in 1936 the decision of the CEC of the USSR was lifted for entry of the Cossacks to serve in the army. And in the autumn of 1939 was limited to the persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church, many priests were released from prison. If the Nazis were counting on the massive support of the Cossacks in the rear of the Soviet Union, they miscalculated. Soviet military journalist Ivan Stadnyuk Fotievich in “Confessions of the Stalinist” about the days before the war on the Western border of the USSR wrote: “the Cossacks without the order and of the Council of the second day checkers grind”.
took the First blow of
Into battle with the Nazis, the Cossacks entered the army on 22 June 1941. Stadnyuk recalls that on 19 June at the request of the commander of the 87-th border detachment of the Sixth Kuban-Terek cavalry divisions on the border were expelled by two squadrons with two tank platoons. June 22 at 3:00 Sixth cavalry division was alerted and moved to the Soviet border. An hour later, the Cossacks engaged in battle with the Germans. In the battle of Brittle joined the Cossack division under General Mikhail Petrovich Konstantinov: first strike took 94th Kuban Cossack regiment, he was supported by the 48th Kuban, 152nd Rostov and Terek Cossack cavalry regiments. The sixth corps fought literally to the last drop of blood; Cossacks perished completely surrounded by the border. But this did not stop: by 1 August in the Krasnodar region, Cossack militia volunteers joined 177 of 655 people.
In the battles against the invaders, the Cossacks covered themselves with undying glory: the Fourth of the Kuban Cossack corps in 1942 became the Guards and during the war were awarded orders of the red banner, Suvorov, Kutuzov and Lenin. Included in his Cossack division received the honorary title for the capture of the cities of Slutsk, Baranovichi, Novobugsky. In the same 1942 Guards was another Cossack corps – Fifth of the don, in 1945, named Budapeshstsky. Cavalry Cossack division, which was part of the don corps, received the honorary title of Korsun and Volkhovskoi.
During the war, the Cossacks took part in all major battles, defended Moscow, fought for Stalingrad, was killed in the battle of Kursk, went on the attack in the offensive near Smolensk, participated in the Korsun-Shevchenko operations, liberated the Crimea, Ukraine, East Prussia, in April 1945, fought in Berlin, and after the victory over fascist Germany, took part in the war with the Japanese. More than 100 thousand Cossacks were awarded medals for feats, 267 people became heroes of the Soviet Union, and 30 – full gentlemen of order of Glory.
a special purpose
Especially distinguished the 9th Krasnodar Plastun division, created at the initiative of the Krasnodar regional Committee of the CPSU(b). This division was selected fighters only from the Cossacks of Kuban. Military historians noted the highest combat capability of the Kuban, which allowed us to use them as troops of special purpose, and their use would have required the consent Rate of Stalin.
the Germans called the Kuban Cossacks “Stalinist thugs”, as where the Kuban, manpower PRtunica remained. For the exploits of the Cossacks division bellies got 13 986 awards and medals, and the division – six addresses of thanks from Stalin.
Father and son Negoluboy
One example of family loyalty Cossack traditions historian Salov called the Cossacks, the father and the son Ledorubami. Konstantin I. Undercuts — full knight of St. George of the first World war who fought for the whites and for the Reds, who had been imprisoned by those and others, who served three years for something that allowed the Cossacks to disassemble the food remaining after sowing the grain, the mobilization was not subject; he was already 52 years. But he was a volunteer in the district Committee of the party and demanded that he be given the opportunity to die for their country.
in the Autumn of 1941 he was in a Cossack cavalry division of the militia, and was selected by the squadron commander. Together with his father went to the front and his 17-year-old son, Nicholas, – this writes the author N. The Queen in the article “the Three wars of don Cossack”. Father and son Negoluboy participated in the battle of village Kushchevskaya, where the Cossacks literally bled the 101st infantry division of the Germans and two regiments of the SS.
Negoluboy accomplished the feat: toss grenades at the Nazis, raised the squadron to attack, and in battle by machine gun fire from the carts destroyed 75 of the Germans. As noted in “Soviet cavalry in the great Patriotic war” the historian of the Cossacks Gennady Leonidovich Voskoboynikov, under the village Kushchevskaya 12 km of the front lines was covered with dead bodies of Nazis. In 1943 Undercuts Sr. was a Hero of the Soviet Union, and his son, guards Lieutenant Nikolay Undercuts, received the order of the red banner. Undercuts senior went through Ukraine, Moldova, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania and was the reserve only after being seriously wounded in 1944.
Together with the rank and file Cossacks and the hardships of war were carried, and the commanders – came from Cossack delivery: Marshal Boris Mikhailovich Shaposhnikov, General Sergei Matveevich Shtemenko, tortured to death in German camps General Dmitry Mikhailovich Karbyshev, Colonel General Oka Ivanovich of Sochi and many ofe other. 18 Cossack corps to the end of the war there were seven, and the experience of using compounds of Cossack cavalry and tanks were found to be very successful.
Maya Novik
Source:
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