During the Second World War, the Wehrmacht included the Russland division (also known as the First Russian National Army). It included white emigres, their children and, in general, opponents of the Communists, who fought on the side of the Reich.
Boris Smyslovsky
The Nazland Division Russland is most closely associated with the name of its founder, Boris Smyslovsky. He used the pseudonym Arthur Holmston. In historiographical sources it is called differently. Sometimes used a compromise surname Holmston-Smyslovsky.
This man was born in 1897 in the Vyborg province of the Russian Empire. During the Civil War, he fought on the side of the Reds, then on the side of the Whites. In the end, he joined the Armed forces of southern Russia under the command of Anton Denikin.
After the defeat of the whites, Smyslovsky settled in Poland, where many emigrants and opponents of the Bolsheviks lived. Here the young man graduated. At the end of the 20s he moved to Germany, where he went to serve in the army. Just at that time, the Nazis came to power in the country.
Collaboration movement in white emigration
When Hitler attacked the Soviet Union, he hoped, not without reason, for the support of white emigres who had lived in Europe since the October Revolution. All of them hated the communists, who robbed their fatherland of them. Exiles often took radical positions. In addition, anti-Semitism was a frequent occurrence in the white milieu (some believed that the Jews had destroyed the empire).
It is therefore not surprising that the Third Reich and the emigrants found a common language. This collaboration had many fruits, including the Russland division. Smyslovsky from the very beginning of the war was engaged in the organization of voluntary Russian troops that entered the Wehrmacht. He himself served in the Abwehr (intelligence) and possessed all the qualities necessary for a leader.
Smyslovsky's plans
The collaborationist movement among the Russians was diverse. But most of it appeared precisely because of hostility to the Bolsheviks. Smyslovsky set the task of destroying communist power with the help of the Wehrmacht. After that, according to his plans, it was possible to build a Russian national state in his homeland, which would become an ally of the Nazis. Since Hitler would have to get bogged down in the war against Britain and the United States, the importance of his Slavic ally would increase over time. So Smyslovsky hoped to gain political independence from the Reich.
His plan was perfect on paper, but on the battlefield it was much more complicated. All collaborators, including the Russland division, hoped that the Soviet Union would fall under the blows of the Wehrmacht, for which all captured mainland Europe worked. However, this did not happen.
First, the Red Army stopped the German advance near Moscow. In 1942, the Battle of Stalingrad took place, which became a radical turning point in the war. Since then, the Germans and their allies gradually retreated to the west, freeing the Russian cities.
Relations with Vlasovites
In addition to the army of Smyslovsky, in the collaborative movement during the period of the largest Nazi occupation, there were several larger units. The Russland division, the number of which never exceeded 10 thousand people, was noticeably inferior in size to the Russian Liberation Army of Andrei Vlasov.
This is because the formations had different goals. The Vlasovites fought directly at the front, while the soldiers of the Russland division were mainly engaged in sabotage work and the struggle against partisans in the rear.
Repression against the division
Smyslovsky met the outbreak of war with the USSR in Poland, where he was engaged in reconnaissance. In the next two years, he mainly carried out instructions from the headquarters. Finally, in 1943, Russland was formed. Smyslovsky became its head. At that time, among the Germans, he was known under the new pseudonym Colonel von Regenau.
Having become the head of a large unit, Smyslovsky began to establish contacts with the Ukrainian rebel army, as well as the Polish Army of the Territory. Because of this, in December 1943, he was arrested. For a time, the Russland division was even disbanded. The symbolism of this formation was banned; purges arranged by the Gestapo took place inside it.
The release of Smyslovsky
The reason for the arrest of Smyslovsky was not only his dubious ties with the Poles and Ukrainians, but also the unwillingness to sign the General Smolensk appeal of Vlasov. There were strained relations between the two leaders of the collaboration movement. Smyslovsky did not share Vlasov’s views and did not contact him, although they had to meet at German headquarters.
The Smolensk appeal called on the Russians to fight against the Bolsheviks in the east and the capitalists in the west. Smyslovsky believed that there was no need to follow the German leadership - this could lead to too much loss. The general tried to defend, if not an independent position, then at least its appearance. His rash steps led to the arrest.
The investigation lasted six months. Smyslovsky was saved by Admiral Kanaris, who stood up for the Russian general. After that, the Russland division was restored. The photo of the general began to appear again in the propaganda press as a positive example of the Reich service. Then Russland remained no more than a reconnaissance unit. Nevertheless, after his release, Smyslovsky received the rank of colonel, which allowed him to ignore the commands of most of the German generals.
The end of Russland
The Russland reconnaissance division (whose flag was a white-blue-red flag) was reorganized at the very end of the war in February 1945. By that time, the Third Reich was in a deplorable state. The Germans continued to retreat and were already on the borders of their own state. The generals were panicky. Nevertheless, the fanatical figure of Hitler and the Gestapo atrocities still maintained discipline.
In 1945, the Germans began to resort to measures that they would never have taken in better times. So, the Wehrmacht gave Smyslovsky almost complete independence. His division was renamed the 1st Russian National Army.
In April 1945, no more than 500 people remained in its composition. All of them were hastily evacuated to the tiny Alpine principality of Liechtenstein. After the war ended, the authorities of this state refused to extradite the fugitives to the Soviet Union. Many of them emigrated freely to Latin America. Smyslovsky remained in Liechtenstein and died there many years later, in 1988.