Belarusian Central Rada

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The Belarusian Central Rada (Belarusian: Biełaruskaja Centralnaja Rada (The Belarusian central Council), German: Weißruthenischer Zentralrat) was nominally the government of Belarus from 1943-1944. It was a collaborationist government established by Nazi Germany. The state was similar in political formation to the Lokot Republic, a temporary political creation of the Wehrmacht in Russia in the period to 1944.

The puppet state consisted of several administrative divisions called Hauptgebieten:

  • the Hauptgebiete of Minsk included:
  • the Hauptgebiete of Vitebsk included:
  • the Hauptgebiete of Mogilev included:
  • the Hauptgebiete of Smolensk included:
  • the Hauptgebiete of Brest included:

The Hauptgebieten were subdivided further into Kreisgebieten.

When Belarusian territory originally came under Nazi German control, the "Generalbezirke of Belarus" was established, including Navahradak, Polesia Voivodas, Hłybokaje and Vilejka districts at north of the Koch's Ukraine, Smolensk and all of Belarus. In 1942, the German civil authority was extended to Minsk, Słucak and Barysaŭ. The rest of Belarus remained under military control.

The purpose of this political organization was to encourage local support for German forces. The administration used ancient local Belarusian national symbols and traditions. For example, the symbol chosen for Belarusian Schutzstaffel (SS) legions was an ancient double cross of Efrasinnia Polackaia, with two bars equal in length and parallel to each other.

This "nation" had its origins in July 3, 1941, during the Reichskommissariat Ostland period. The German administrator in the Belarus area, Generalreichskmomissar Wilhem Kube, had his command center in Minsk, along with subordinated Kommissars in Minsk and Baranavičy. Ivan Jermačenka, "Herr Jawohl", a Belarusian collaborator who was the leader of "self-help" Belarusan groups that supported the Nazi regime. Kube announced that Jermačenka had been named the "Advisor on Belarusian affairs".

In June 1943, the Nazi Germans organized a local Vertruensausschuss, composed of native Kreisaltester (district chief) of districts and others six notable locals under presidency of Wraslaw Iwanowsky, the "Alderman" of Belarus. In 1943, Kube was killed by his Belarusian mistress, who planted a bomb in his bed.

General Reinhard Gehlen suggested in his memorandum to the German High Command that steps be taken to appeal to the Russian people to join Germans in the fight against partisans. So General Kurt von Gottberg, who was assigned Kube's post, decided to offer Belarusian collaborators a limited form of national autonomy. Radasłaŭ Astroŭski, who was at that time a mayor of Smolensk, was selected by the SS to head the new regime. Astroŭski became the head of the local government "cabinet" Rada.

The SS established a special test for its Belarusian collaborators: only those who assisted the Einsatzgruppen (special task forces) would be permitted to become part of the civilian administration, to be established in the wake of the advancing troops.

Sometime in spring of 1940, Dr. Franz Six, a former professor of political science and head of the Vorkommando (SS forward unit) for Einsatzgruppe B, made contact with the local branch of the Belarusian "self-help" organization in Warsaw and put together a task force of some thirty to forty trusted Belarusians to serve as guides, administrators and informers. Among them were Stanislau Stankevich, who later ran the city of Borisov, Emmanuel Jasiuk, who was assigned to the city of Klecak, and Jury Sabaleuski, who administered Baranovichi. Astroŭski was to organize the counties around Minsk and then follow the invasion forces to Russia. In a moment of optimism, the SS had designated Dr. Six's unit Vorkommando Moskau.

Six nominated two of his Belarusian collaborators to organize each city and town under military occupation. In Minsk, Astroŭski formed a municipal government subservient to Nazis, while Franz Kushel put together police forces. The SS equipped police wore black uniforms and red armbands labeled "Polizei".

Borisov was under control of Stanislau Stankevich. He ruled Borisov, a town of some 15,000, more than half of them Jews, through Belarusian police force garbed in black SS-type uniforms with the white-red-white of Belarus on their armbands. Emanuel Jasiuk, was the wartime mayor of Klecak

In December 1940, German authority was confirmed in this political organization by the ordinance of Zentralrat (Central Council), and named "Weissrutenische Zentralrat". The principal function was to recruit from the local population the Belarusian "Interior Guard" (BKA) as a native collaborationist police service, the origin of next Belarusian volunteer units in Wehrmacht and Waffen SS legion.

Astroŭski organized the Belarusian home defense corps (BKA) from 20,000 men in police battalions. he present a list of ministers for a Belarusian Central Council (Rada), to the Germans, and petitioned for authorization to organize collaborators in each province and districts. Dmitry Kasmovich, the police chief of Smolensk area, established an expanding ring of fortified villages around Smolensk.

One of the most powerful weapons in the collaborationist arsenal was religion. The SS established an Autocephalous Belarusian Orthodox Church independent from the Patriarch of Moscow. The church's priests had considerable influence with the peasantry, and they actively supported the Nazi cause. In late June 1944, Minsk Opera House was filled with 1,039 delegates from all Belarusian provinces. Joachim Kipel was the president of the Second All-Belarusian Rada Congress.

While Belarusian peasantry initially often supported the Nazi[citation needed], the brutality and arrogance of the liberators had soon turned most of the Belarusian population against them. An unprecedented guerilla war against Nazi control was started and coordinated by the Soviet Union. Soviet agents infiltrated every institution of the collaborators. Massive sabotage acts took place.

In Belarus and Poland, the Wehrmacht introduced the Panzerkampfwagen PzKpfw VI "Tiger II" or Königstiger tanks. The first time the Tiger II saw action was in May 1944 near Minsk, followed by another action of "Panzer Abteilung 501" commanded by Oberstleutnant von Legat in July 1944 at Sandomierz in Poland.

The new tanks and the older PzKpfw VI "Tiger I" PzKpfwV "Panther" and "Sturmgeschütz"s, fought in the last defensive actions to provide cover for the withdrawal of authorities, local supporters and last Axis units from these territories to East Prussian and Polish lands under German control. The SS assigned a special train that carried 800 collaborators and their families to Germany on June 28, 1944. Astrouski left two days later since he was organizing evacuation.

These ancient Belarusian BKA security police forces was were absorbed into "30.Waffen-Grenadier-division der SS-Russiche No 2. This infantry division was formed from the remnants of the "29th Waffen-SS Division, which included Belarusian and Ukrainian units. The Germans had set up an officers' school and issued uniforms with "Waffen Sturm-brigade Belarus" designation.

Orders were issued for Belarusian forces to be absorbed by Vlasov's Russian Army of Liberation; but Astroŭski opposed this. He also sabotaged the idea of the "Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia", since he did not wanted to align himself with Russians.

Others members of the Belarusian police were recruited by SS Colonel Otto Skorzeny for training in Dahlwitz, near Berlin, to make special undercover strikes and operate behind enemy lines. These units were known as "Black Cat", and led by Michas' Vitushka. They operated in Belavezha Forest against Soviet forces in anti-communist guerrilla operations in 1945.

The temporary nation was ended in 1944 when the Red Army drove the retreating Nazi German forces from Belarus.

At the end of 1945, Astroŭski held a special meeting of the "Belarusian Central Committee" which decided to dissolve the government in order to avoid being sent back to Belarus as war criminals.

[edit] Belarusian volunteers in the German army

German Commanders and officers associated with Belarus

  • SS Officer Dr. Franz Six
  • General Reinhard Gehlen, Chief of German East-Front Intelligence with offices in Smolensk
  • Generalkommissar Wilhelm Kube
  • SS General Kurt von Gottberg
  • SS Colonel Otto Skorzeny
  • SS-Standartenführer Hans Siegling

Belarusian anti-communist commanders

Belarusian political leaders

  • Radasłaŭ Astroŭski, Mayor of Smolensk and later the President of Belarusian Central Rada
  • Jury Sabaleŭski, Major of Baranavičy and Vice-President of the Belarusian Central Council
  • Priest Mikałaj Łapicki, Orthodox priest and Editor-in-Chief of the Ranica newspaper
  • Vacłaŭ Ivanoŭski, "Alderman of Minsk"
  • Ivan Jermačenka (also known as "Herr Jawohl"), local political adviser
  • Stanisłaŭ Stankievič, Mayor of Barysaŭ
  • Emmanuel Jasiuk, Mayor of Klecak
  • Jaŭchim Kipel, president of the Second All-Belarusian Rada Congress
  • Ivan Kasiak, Belarusian provincial governor
  • Jury Bartyševič, Minister of Administration of occupational Astroŭski government
  • Anton Adamovič, member in self-help Belarusian organization
  • Mikoła Abramčyk, Intelligence Minister in Astroŭski government
  • Stanisłaŭ Hrynkievič

Belarusian political movements

  • Hramada Movement (Belarusian Peasants and Workers Party)
  • Belarusian National-Socialist Party
  • Self-help Belarusian Groups
  • Belarusian affairs office
  • Belarusian "Ventruensausschuss" administrative-political organization
  • First Zentralrat political organization

Belarusian political news

  • "Ranica" Belarusian political news

[edit] See also

[edit] Bibliography

  • Arnold Toynbee, Veronica Toynbee, et al.,"Hitler's Europe" (Spanish tr."La Europa de Hitler", Ed Vergara, Barcelona, Esp, 1958), Section VI "Occupied lands and Satellite Countries in East Europe", Chapter II:Ostland, P.253-259.
  • Ostland Footnotes: P.253-259.
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