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

202 THE SOVIET PARTISAN MOVEMENT
surpassing even the mass attacks of 2-3 August 1943, they successfully set
off demolitions on the rail lines at 9,600 places in some 14,000 attempts
and followed up with an additional 892 the next night. The demolitions
were well planned and executed and carried out under the protection
of strong covering parties to the accompaniment of heavy attacks
on German security posts. 45 The lines Minsk-Orsha and Mogilev-
Vitebsk were especially hard hit and almost completely paralyzed for
several days. There were no demolitions reported for 21-22 June or
for 22-23 June. Of other sabotage committed those first nights or of
rail demolitions on succeeding nights nothing is known.
On 23 June, the Red Army struck, with masses of artillery fire and
attack units of the Red Air Force adding to the havoc the bands had
created. The main efforts were launched on both sides of Vitebsk and
south and east of Bobruysk, generally in the direction of Minsk. As the
fighting swept through their concentration areas, the partisans worked
in close cooperation with the regular units. For the most part they held
their formations and hit at their targets with a good degree of precision.
In a number of instances they were identified fighting in the line as units
under direct Red Army control. 46 As the advance neared the Polish-
White Russian border, however, their units slowly fell apart. Many were
absorbed into the line divisions, while others broke off in small groups
in an effort to avoid induction into the Regular Army. Some few held
their ranks and moved westward into the Generalgouvernement in the
van of the fight. 47
45
Lfl. Kdo, 6, Ic. Nr. 8000/44 geh., 20.VII.44., Anl. z.KTB, H. Gr. Mitte
65002/8. Actually, with the exception of the Second Army rear, few of the details
of this partisan offensive are known. All the records of the Fourth and Ninth
Armies were lost when those units were destroyed in July and only one KTB of the
Third Panzer Army has survived. The number of attempts on the night of 19-20
Jun- 14,000-is an approximation based on the known number of successful and
"pre- vented" demolitions behind the Second Army on that date. See also: Genmaj
Alexander Ratcliffe, "Lessons Learned from the Partisan War in Russia," pp. 5-6.
MS # P-055a. Foreign Studies Br., OCMH.
46 This was the experience behind the Second Army.
47 Ibid.