Hi Indy I wanted to ask if during the planning and the execution of operation Barbarossa former White Russians collaborated with the Germans.
3 Likes
As I wrote in several previous posts about Russians in WW2.
White Army did not collaborate with Hitler Germany and Hitler did not collaborate with them. Although he knew some Russian immigrants who opposed communism. White Army was divided.
Turkul supported the invasion of ussr, Cossacks were considered by Germans as Aryians so Germans would create Cossack divisions and Krasnov with Shkuro would work with Germans. But that would be in 1942. A lot of White Russian living in France would also join Germany and SS Сharlemagne, like Serg Krotoff. In Yugoslavia Russian Corp was formed under command of General Mikhail Skorodumov, interesting fact his right-hand man would be Jewish general Boris Shteifon.
Others were opposed to Hitler, some white army organized resistance in France. For example Boris Vildé. Most of the french resistance who were Russian would call themselves later soviet patriots and move to ussr. Other white army officers were serving in British, French, and US armies and fight in France and other battlefields. In fact, there would be a battle in 1944 between Russians in the American army and Russian in the German army.
National Alliance of Russian Solidarists were operating since the 1930s, in 1938 they would close their branch in Germany because of Hitler’s ideology. they were sending diversion groups across the border, after 1938 they would use bases in Romania for example. In 1942 NTS would work with Germany to create diversion groups and educate new administrators for new Russia. they would work with ROA but in 1943 NTS members would be arrested by Germans and placed in concentration camps because they were working with US and UK armies as well. After WW2 NTS will continue working till 1991 (dissolution of ussr)
Official White Army Military (Russian All-Military Union) did not participate in WW2, except for volunteers to Finland in the winter war who continued to fight in the Continuation War on finnish side. ROVS were sending diversion groups across the soviet border, most famous was Larionov group, he even wrote the book ccalled “Military expedition in to ussr”. They would agree to form Russian Corps in Yugoslavia, but most of ROVS cells would be shut down by germans and after WW2 finland would sell out ROVS memebers to ussr. ROVS will continue its operations till 1991.
Mostly fifth column is for someone in ussr, like anti communist resistence there, or pressed peopele groups like Crimean Tatars, Cossacks or Batls. White Army can not be fifth column because there were not in ussr and did not recognise ussr.
4 Likes