the soviet partisan movement 1941-1944 by edgar m. howell

GERMAN OCCUPATION POLICIES IN OPERATION 93
the people away from the bands, and thus weakening the support of the
latter, were generally ineffective, the evacuation of all natives from
partisan-infested areas and the destruction of all farms, villages, and
buildings in the areas following the evacuations did much to slow up
the growth of the movement and sap its strength. 148
Several thousand civilians had been evacuated from the Bryansk
forests during the antipartisan operations in May and June, and the
practice was continued during the summer in areas which could not
be properly supervised. 149
Several other passive measures were considered. The Second Panzer
Army strongly recommended that a 6 mile wide strip immediately
behind the front be completely cleared of all but Wehrmacht personnel
to prevent natives from passing information on German dispositions
to the bands for transmission to the Soviet rear. 150 Somewhat later
the same unit directed that all teenage boys in partisan-endangered
areas be conscripted into a "Reconstruction Service" where they might
be reeducated along National Socialist lines and trained as cadres for
native units, lest they be drawn into the partisan units. 151
Partisan Reaction to the Offensive
The Soviets had considerable advance notice concerning the German
1942 offensive. The direction of the attack and some idea of the
weight, if not the actual timing, was known to them as early as the
middle of May. 152 To what extent they planned to use the partisans
to help counter the thrust is unknown, but during the latter part of
May a number of bands, several under orders to avoid a stand-up fight
to conserve their strength for other operations, were noted moving into
the rear of Army Group B from the Bryansk forest area and the Pripyat
Marshes. 153 During the same period the few active bands in the Ukraine
began to step up their activity against the rail lines there, especially the
east-west double-tracked line from Kiev to Kursk. 154
148
Entry for 11 Aug 42, KTB, H. Gr. Nord, p. 3164. 75128/13; Bericht ueber
Unternehmen Vogelsang der 339 ID, Bailage rum KTB Pz AOK 2, Bericht Nr.
1505/42 g., 28499/58.
149
Pz AOK 2, Ia, Nr. 1013/42 geh., 9.VI.42., Anl. z. KTB 2, Pz AOK 2, 23.V.-
5.IX.42. 28499/72; Bericht, 15.X.42., Pz AOK 2, Anl. z. KTB 2, Teil 5, Ia, Pz
AOK 2, 1.X.-31.XII.42. 28499/5.
150
Note, CofS, Second Panzer Army, to Army Group Center, 5 Sep 42. No.
02640/42 in Anl. z. KTB 2, Pz AOK 2, 23.V-5.IX.42. 28499/72.
151
Entry for 3 Nov 42, in KTB 2, Teil 5, PI AOK 2, l.X.-3l.XII.42. 28499/5.
152
See: DA Pamphlet 20-2611 The German Campaign in Russia, op. cit., ch. 9.
153
Bericht uekr Unternehmen Vogelsang der 339 ID, Beilage rum KTB Pr AOK 2,
Bericht Nr. 1505/42 g., 28499/58. Lagebericht, Hoeherer SS und Polizeifuehrer,
Ukraine, 27.XII.42. 51/10; Bericht, H. Gab. B: Nr. 195/42, Anl. z. KTB H. Geb.
B, 1-30.VI.42. 25124/1.
154
Bericht, H. Geb. B: Nr. 195/42, Anl. z. KTB H. Gsb. B. 1-30.VI.42., 25124/1.