Published in
„Siegrunen“ Magazine – Volume 6, Number 2, Whole Number 32,
October-December
1983
“God protect you Pannwitz and I wish you all further soldier’s luck!” —Adolf Hitler to Helmuth von Pannwitz as he left to take command of the 1st Cossack Cavalry Division in April 1943.
The Beginnings of the Cossack Units
During the bitter winter of 1941/1942, depleted German
Army units began adding Russian volunteers (both civilian and POW) to their
supply and transport services to free more German soldiers for frontline duty.
Within a very short time this became a standard procedure, and there were very
few German formations of any size in the East that did not have their own
contingents of “Hiwis” (Hilfswillige). But even before this policy became
common, some other volunteers had already made their presence felt. These were
the Cossacks, who from the very beginning of the Russian campaign on the
southern part of the Eastern Front, had gone over to the Germans in large
numbers, often in completely intact formations.
The
Cossacks were willing to offer their services against those they considered to
be their real mortal enemies: the Bolsheviks. But they were not interested in
being baggage tenders or transport workers; they were warriors first and
foremost and this was the function they wished to fulfill. In the territory
occupied by 17th Army and the 1st Panzer Army, numerous Kuban and Terek Cossack
units were quickly thrown into action against the Reds in 1941. But it was not
until 1942 that a broader policy towards the Cossacks was formulated by the
Germans. This was thanks in large part to a sympathetic officer attached to the
Führer’s HQ: Lt. Col. Helmuth von Pannwitz. Von Pannwitz, born to a noble
family in Upper Silesia, had served as a cavalry officer in World War I, and
had led a regimental strength advance task force during the opening days of the
Russian campaign in 1941. His contacts with the Cossacks and the realization
that they had an intense hatred of communism for having crushed their freedoms
and traditions, led von Pannwitz to become an advocate for their proper use by
the German side.
After
having been badly wounded, von Pannwitz was assigned to the staff of the Führer’s
HQ during his period of recuperation, and he used his influence there to expand
on the potential value of the Cossack forces. His biggest ally in the formation
of a Cossack Army came in the person of the Reichsführer-SS Himmler, the man
whose racial policies von Pannwitz had seen as a hindrance to realizing the
military potential of the “Eastern Peoples.” But Himmler could also be a
clearsighted and flexible individual, and in 1942—prior to Germany’s
battlefield setbacks —he already began removing some of the “colonial” barriers
the SS had built in the East. It was the resistance of some of the occupation
functionaries in the eastern territories that had to be broken. They saw their
job as one of “plantation overseer,” and tolerated Cossack units only for
display or parade purposes.
It
was not until 8 November 1942, when von Pannwitz was promoted to Colonel and
named commander of all Cossack formations, that progress really began to be
made. All of the Terek, Kuban and Don Cossack units were transferred to his
control (Kalmuch Cossacks remained in their own independent formation). But the
Wehrmacht was not yet ready to form an equitable alliance with the “Ostvolk”
and von Pannwitz’s command was “disguised” under the title: “Rider Formation
von Pannwitz.”
Before
long, Col. von Pannwitz began assembling his Cossack troops in the rear area of
Army Group “A” (South), but the unfolding disaster at Stalingrad and the
subsequent deep enemy penetrations, soon had him back in action leading a
special Cossack task force. For his deeds during the month of December 1942,
von Pannwitz was decorated with the Oakleaves to his Knight’s Cross. Over the
next few months, the Cossacks were regrouped at an assembly area in Cherson,
where many entire families, now fleeing from the advancing Red Army, also had to
be housed.
In
early April 1943, von Pannwitz was summoned to the “Wolfsschanze” (Führer’s HQ)
in Rastenburg, East Prussia and given the good news that his Cossacks could now
be formed into fighting divisions on an equal basis with their Wehrmacht counterparts.
Von Pannwitz also won the right to have the formation of the Cossack divisions
take place inside the Reich at the Troop Training Grounds “Mielau” (Mlawa) in
south East Prussia. Subsequently the formation of the 1st Cossack Cavalry Div.
was authorized to begin on 21 April 1943.
Going
into the division were the Cossack units from Cherson, new volunteers from POW
camps, the Cossack detachment led by Lt.Col. Baron von Wolff, the Regiment “von
Jungshulz” and the regiment of Maj. Kononov. Some smaller Cossack elements also
reported in to Mielau. Twenty kilometers away at Mochowo, a camp was
established for Cossack families, refugees, and old or disabled troopers. The
Cossack Volunteer Training and Replacement Regiment 5, under Col. von Bosse was
also formed here. Attached to this regiment was a squadron of young Cossacks of
from 14 to 18 years of age, who were mostly without parents, but who wished to
follow in the Cossack military tradition. With the addition of an officer’s
training detachment, the “T & R” Regiment grew in time to a strength of
nearly 15 000 men! In the autumn of 1943 it was sent to several different
training camps in Germany and France.
The
structure of the 1st Cossack Div. was built around already extant units, with
their sub-units in turn formed from men who came from the same “tribes,” towns
and villages. Von Pannwitz (who was promoted to Major General on 1 June 1943),
had a hard time trying to find German personnel for the framework of the
division who had the proper attitude for working with the Cossacks. Good
translators were also at a premium. It was an unfortunate fact that years of
negative propaganda had soured many minds. But now a belated effort was made in
the German Press to “correct the picture” and a lot of favorable publicity was
given to the Cossacks and other “Ostvolk” allies.
On
the whole, the Cossack officers and NCOs were capable and intelligent, although
some, particularly those that had emigrated to other parts of Europe, were not
very knowledgeable about modern warfare. With time things improved, and it
became possible for the Cossacks to fully train their own officers and NCOs
with a minimum of German assistance. Von Pannwitz became a father figure to the
Cossacks and he labored tirelessly on their behalf. He was never reticent about
protesting conditions in labor and POW camps, and he did what he could to
curtail abuse and mistreatment of the “Ostvolk.” Despite strong opposition from
higher up, he saw to it that the Cossack regiments were able to keep their
chaplains and continue their religious services. And even though a Protestant
himself, von Pannwitz invariably attended the Cossack Orthodox rites.
Generalleutnant Helmut von Pannwitz. Simply stated, one of the
transcendent heroes of the 20th Century.
Structure and Insignia of the 1st Cossack Cavalry Division
The
outfitting of the 1st Cossack Div. closely followed a pattern set in 1940 when
the 1st (German) Cavalry Bde. was expanded into the 1st Cavalry Division. In
fact, the 1st Cav. Div. provided the field pieces for the Cossack horse
artillery. The first regiments of the division, which were formed in April/May
1943, were the Don Cossack Rgt. 1, the Kuban Cossack Rgt. 4, and the Terek
Cossack Rgt. 6.
The
first infrastructure of the division looked like this:
Six
Cossack Regiments, each consisting of two battalion-size detachments, each of
which in turn had three company-size squadrons. Regimental strength was pegged
at 2,000 men per each, exclusive of 150 German personnel assigned to each regiment.
Each
squadron had nine groups of 12 men each and each group carried one machine gun
and one 5 cm mortar with it.
Fourth
and 5th Squadrons were designated “heavy” squadrons, and each was assigned
eight heavy machine guns and eight 8 cm mortars. The 9th Squadron in a regiment
was anti-tank and contained three 5 cm PAK’s (anti-tank guns), six 8 cm mortars
and five light machine guns.
The
other Cossack units were armed with the standard 98K Mauser carbines or machine
pistols.
The
Cossack Horse Artillery consisted of one detachment (battalion strength), with
a staff battery, three field batteries and a munitions column. Each battery had
200 Cossack volunteers with 40 German specialist-advisors. In the course of
time the Germans were fully replaced by Cossacks. Four field pieces (FK 23/7.5
cm caliber) were assigned to each battery.
The
Cossack Recce Detachment was armed with automatic assault rifles (Sturmgewehr
44’s).
For
the most part, the division relied on mules for cargo and supply transport duties.
Staff, reconnaissance, engineer, signals troops, medics and certain support
elements were partially motorized.
The
1st Cossack Div. spent most of the summer of 1943 training in German
operational techniques, so that by the beginning of September 1943, the
division was ready for field deployment. It was decided that the Cossacks would
be utilized in Croatia rather than the Soviet Union, because there was
apprehension in the higher command circles about the reliability of the
division, and it would have been quite a disaster had the Cossacks decided to
desert en masse back to the Soviets! In addition, Gen. von Pannwitz was not
sure that his Cossacks were yet capable of standing up against well-equipped
Red Army units.
On
12 September 1943, the then German Army Chief of the General Staff, Col.Gen.
Zeitzler, ordered the division to embark for Croatia, though the first trains
did not leave Milau until 25 September. This was the structure of the 1st
Cossack Div. on the eve of its going into action:
Divisional
Staff, with command convoy, escort and guard troops
Cossack
Trumpet Corps Field Police Troop Messenger Platoon Divisional Recce Detachment
Cossack Engineer Battalion 1 Cossack Signals Detachment 1 Divisional Supply Office
Veterinary Company Cultural and Traditions Section
Cossack
Replacement Regiment (unattached to the division in the field)
Cossack Rider Brigade (Don) 1
Brigade
Staff Don-Cossack Rgt. 1 Siberian-Cossack Rgt. 2 Kuban-Cossack Rgt. 4
I. Cossack Horse Artillery Detachment Cossack
Rider Brigade (Caucasus) 2
Brigade
Staff
Kuban-Cossack
Rgt. 3 Don-Cossack Rgt. 5 Terek-Cossack Rgt. 6
II.
Cossack Horse Artillery Detachment
Commanding officers of the Cossack Cavalry Division. Left to right:
Lt.Col. Borissov, Gen. von Pannwitz, Col. Kononov, Col. von Schultz. In the
background: Count Bismarck-Bohlen.
Uniforms and Insignia
The
Cossacks wore German Army field gray uniforms with cavalry breeches bearing
stripes in different colors and widths to indicate “tribal” and regimental
origin. For headgear, German helmets and caps were worn along with traditional
Cossack “Kubankas” and “Papachas.” In place of coats, most Cossack squadrons
wore black wool capes known as “Burkas.”
The
different regiments had their own special identification armshields, bearing
the colors and emblems of their particular tribe. The General’s escort platoon
was clad entirely in old fashioned Cossack uniforms, a mode of dress also
favored by von Pannwitz (who also learned rather quickly to speak the Russian language!).
The
divisional elements had the following unique insignia:
Units attached to the divisional staff:
Armshield showing crossed sabres and the Ataman’s emblem on a blue field framed
in red.
Don Cossack Regiment 1: Armshield
with a red hourglass on a blue field worn on the right sleeve and broad red
trouser stripes. Hat cockade.
Siberian Cossack Regiment 2:
Armshield with a yellow hourglass on a blue field worn on the right sleeve and
broad yellow trouser stripes. Hat cockade.
Kuban Cossack Regiment 3: Armshield in
black with a red hourglass worn on the left arm and narrow red trouser stripes.
Hat cockade:
Kuban Cossack Regiment 4: Same
armshield as Rgt. 3 only worn on the right arm. Also same trouser stripes and
cockade.
Don Cossack Regiment 5: Same
armshield as Rgt. 1, only worn on the left arm. Same trouser stripes and
cockade.
Terek Cossack Regiment 6: Black
armshield with a blue hourglass and broad blue trouser stripes. Hat cockade:
Cossack Horse Artillery: “Combination”
armshield with a yellow frame and a red hourglass on a blue field, worn on the right
sleeve and narrow red trouser stripes.
Cossack Engineer Battalion:
Armshield with a red hourglass on a yellow field worn on the right arm and
narrow red trouser stripes.
Cossack Signals Detachment:
Same armshield as the horse artillery, also worn on the right sleeve with
narrow red trouser stripes.
The
Siberian and Don Cossacks wore a fur hat called a “Papacha” with a cloth top.
These were usually made of white fur with red cloth on the top for the Dons and
yellow cloth for the Siberians. The Kuban and Terek Cossacks wore a slightly
different hat called a “Kubanka,” which was usually of black fur with a cloth
top. For the Kubans the cloth color was red, while for the Tereks it was
cornflower blue. Most of the Cossacks had a silver braid cross on top of their
hats, with officers having silver braid edging around the entire perimeter of
the headpiece, which identified their status from a distance (and as such was
also a liability on the battlefield at times!). German Army insignia was worn initially
on the shoulder straps and collars by the Cossacks, but in the last months of
the war this may have been changed to the insignia of the Vlasov Liberation
Army or the KONR, to which the Cossacks were then affiliated. The German
national emblem (eagle and swastika) was worn in the fur on the top front sides
of the “Kubankas” and “Papachas.” Translators in the 1st Cossack
Div. were identified by a broad white armband with the word “Sprachmittler” on
it in black lettering.
First Operations in the Balkans
The
first Cossack unit to arrive in Yugoslavia after 25 September 1943, was the 1st
Don Regiment. It was followed soon after by the rest of the division in 60
troop transport trains. At Syrmien, in the heart of Yugoslavia’s richest
agricultural area, the Cossack units were reassembled. The divisional HQ staff was
set up in Ruma with other divisional units initially quartered in close
proximity. The division was now part of Gen. Rendulic’s 2nd Panzer Army under
the jurisdiction of Army Group “F” led by Gen. Field Marshall Baron von Weichs.
The Army Group’s mission was to keep open the supply routes to Army Group “E”
in the Greek islands and provide general security in the Balkan rear area.
Emphasis was placed on guarding the roads, rail lines and long Adriatic
coastline from the degradations of the communist partisans and the remnants of
the old Yugoslav Royalist forces, the Chetniks.
Cossack detachment in action.
The
Cossacks spent their first few days in the Balkans resting and reorganizing
after what had been a long, difficult journey. Soviet-inspired propaganda had
already spread phony Cossack atrocity stories among the local inhabitants, which
made relations with the civilians difficult at first. As the Cossack units moved
out into small villages in search of quarters, they were inevitably implored by
the residents to “Please spare our lives!” But after living for a while in a
community (only occupying abandoned houses which were appropriately
refurbished), the Cossacks were able to calm the fears of the locals. Being of
rural origin themselves they shared many things in common with the Yugoslav
peasants. The language barrier proved not to be unsurmountable since the
tongues of both the Yugoslavs and Cossacks were derived from a common Slavic
source, and both parties were eventually able to make themselves understood.
The
government of Croatia was fully supportive of the 1st Cossack Div.
and it delegated the authority to the Cossacks to occupy and claim unused
properties in the various communities that lay within their deployment area.
On
10 October 1943, Maj. Gen. von Pannwitz summoned his unit commanders together
for a conference. The division had been given a “search and destroy” mission in
the Fruska-Gora Mountains, with the objective of eliminating as many partisan
hiding places as possible and in the process, bringing security to the harassed
and oppressed civilians who lived under the thumb of the Red terrorists.
On
12 October, the Cossacks began their advance into a section of the Fruska-Gora
that was 30 km deep and 40 km wide. Fifteen tanks and one armored car had been
attached to the division to add fire support. The operation quickly became an exercise
in futility. Warned by their spies, the partisans evacuated every occupied
village in the route of the Cossack advance and refused to give battle. But the
Cossacks were not completely fooled by the bandits; the “soldiers of the steppes”
had lived long enough under Red rule to know communist tactics first-hand and
they were particularly good trackers and outdoorsmen.
More
than once they were able to get a jump on the enemy, but to little avail —they
always managed to slip away. Soon the Cossacks were exceeding their daily
objectives as they drove toward the partisan HQ in the mountain village of
Beocin. But even here the enemy had prundently withdrawn. Major Gen. von
Pannwitz had been directing movements from the air in a Fieseler-Storch and on
16 October he decided to break off the operation.
The
undertaking had been a success in so far as the division had shown that it
could operate capably in the field, both as a single formation and in detached
groups. But problems were noted; in certain areas training had clearly been
inadequate to the task, and there were general shortages of equipment and
material. There were also some serious communications difficulties and due to a
lack of translators many orders could not be understood or followed. There were
a few desertions but no casualties. The most important result was that a
significant piece of territory had been liberated from the communists, even if
by “default.”
Following
the Fruska-Gora action, 1st Cossack Div. was re-deployed in the area west of
Vukovar-Vinkovci-Vrpolje. For a few days the divisional staff was situated in
Vinkovci before moving on to Djakowo. The division was given the job of
protecting the rich farm harvest in the Save Valley while guarding the Zagreb
to Belgrade railroad line from nightly terrorist attacks. This meant that the
divisional units had to be broken down into small patrol groups and task
forces. To further pursue the new objectives the structure of the division was
temporarily reformed. Each regiment was made into an independent, self-supporting
battlegroup with the addition of a battery of horse artillery (the artillery
detachments were broken up for this purpose).
In
Mielau, brigade staffs were formed to better coordinate the activities of the
regiments and before long the division had become two effectively autonomous
brigades as follows:
1st Cossack Cavalry Brigade
Don
Cossack Cav. Rgt. 1
Siberian
Cossack Cav. Rgt. 2
Kuban
Cossack Cav. Rgt. 4
2nd Cossack Cavalry Brigade
Kuban
Cossack Cav. Rgt. 3
Don
Cossack Cav. Rgt. 5
Terek
Cossack Cav. Rgt. 6
The
Don Cossack Cav. Rgt. 1 occupied the area to the south of Sid and remained
there until the end of October 1943. An effort was made to expel the enemy from
more villages, and in contrast to the Fruska-Gora operation, the resistance was
strong and the Cossacks took their first casualties. The Cossack Cavalry
Engineer Bn. 55 in particular absorbed some severe losses during the nightly
partisan raids. In November the 1st Don Cossacks reached the area southeast of
Sisak and began working in conjunction with the Scandinavian-German 11th SS
Div. “Nordland,” which was at the time getting “in shape” for frontline action
by battling the Titoists.
In
early November 1943, the 2nd Siberian Cossacks were in place to the west of
Sisak. The regiment contained both mounted squads and bicycle detachments in
addition to the 1st Battery/ Cossack Horse Artillery Detachment 55, which had
been assigned to it. The Siberians were ordered to retake the town of Glina
which had recently been given up by the SS Rgt. 24 “Danmark” after much hard
and unequal fighting. The communist occupation of Glina posed a threat to
nearby Croatian Ustachi field forces. On 27 November at Gora, 10 km northeast
of Glina, the partisans attempted to halt the regiment’s advance. The
resistance was overcome in fierce fighting, and the regiment’s I. Detachment
occupied the town. After two more days of battle, Glina itself was taken and
from 29 November 1943 to 11 January 1944 it was occupied by the 2nd Siberian
Regimental Staff, II. Bicycle Detachment, 9th Heay Squadron and 1st Battery/
Cossack Artillery Detachment 55. I. Detachment remained in Gora.
The
towns of Gora and Glina were so isolated that they could only be resupplied by
special guarded convoys. Only the efforts of the 371st Inf. Div. made this
possible by driving back the communists for short periods of time. The Cossacks
remained unbothered by their situation and they celebrated the Yuletide in the
traditional manner of their homeland.
On
3 January 1944, the Siberians made a short-lived foray out of Glina which was
brought to a halt when they found 8 000 partisans waiting for them. These were
too many for the 1 000 Cossacks to deal with, considering also that the
Titoists were well equipped with Allied-supplied artillery pieces. Feeling that
the Glina garrison would be in dire straits in case the enemy decided to
attack, Gen. von Pannwitz therefore ordered the removal of the 2nd Siberian
Rgt. to the Petrinja-Gora area. Surprisingly, the evacuation of Glina was not
hindered by the enemy.
While
this had been transpiring, the 2nd Cossack Brigade had been sent into action in
the west. Its first successful operation was carried out by the 5th Don and 6th
Terek Cossacks at Samac. The enemy was driven back over the Save River near
Bosnish-Samac in the course of the fighting. This success was a significant one
since it proved, once and for all, the worth and ability of the Cossack units.
This was all the more important since the 5th Don Cossacks had no German
officers whatsoever attached to them, while the 6th Tereks only had Germans as
squadron leaders. The ability of both regiments to work together well also was
a good sign. Towards the end of October 1943, 2nd Cossack Brigade left the
fertile Syrmien country for the area north of Brod in Bosnia.
Siberian Cossacks on the advance in Croatia.
Early
in November, 3rd Kuban, 5th Don and 6th Terek Cossacks crossed over the Save
River. The main mission of the brigade was now to protect the railroad tracks
to the north of Sarajevo. This was an essential supply line to the German
forces in Greece. It was impossible to guard every meter of the line, so the
Cossacks attempted to do the job by carrying out aggressive patrols. The 2nd
Brigade HQ was set up in Doboj.
The
large partisan bands in Bosnia were well supplied and equipped by the western
“allies.” They also made a major effort to try and get the Cossacks to desert,
by putting out propaganda (in Russian) that stated: “You Cossacks can never
return to your homeland and the Germans are finished. If you value your lives
you had better come over to us!” This was not totally untrue, but it had little
effect on the Cossacks who were prepared to see things out to the finish.
The
2nd Cossack Bde. now came across the Chetnik Royalist Army for the first time.
The Chetniks fought against both the Germans and the Titoists, with the
emphasis on the latter, and they were at least able to keep some parts of
Bosnia pacified and out of communist hands. On 24 December 1943, the Tito
partisans made a major assault on a battlegroup from the 6th Terek Cossacks,
with the hope that their guard would be down due to it being Christmas Eve. In
this the terrorists were mistaken and the Tereks drove them off with bloody
losses.
Shortly
thereafter, Gen. von Pannwitz recalled 2nd Cossack Bde. back from Bosnia to
return it to the control of the division proper. In early 1944, German and
Croatian forces replaced the withdrawn Cossacks. While 2nd Cossack Bde. was
still in movement, it was decided to use it in carrying out an operation
against partisan-held territory. This undertaking was dubbed “Operation Cake
Plate” (Napfkuchen). The plan called for 2nd Brigade’s motorized and horse-drawn
support elements to pre-cede down the road that ran from Derventa to Brod to
Nova to Gradiska, dislodging the enemy as they went.
The
cavalry regiments, accompanied only by the most essential supply vehicles
marched on 3 January 1944 through Prnjavor, Klasnica, Gradiska and Dubika to
the Croatian frontier. The staff of a partisan division was located at
Prnjavor, and it was charged with providing security for Tito’s main HQ at
Jajce. Prnjavor also served as the jumping-off point for all terrorist actions
conducted across the Save into Croatia and the river valleys of Bosnia,
particularly the Vrbas. But once again the partisans had been forewarned and by
the time 2nd Cossack Bde., reinforced by Croat troops, reached Prnjavor, the
enemy had fled.
Bad
weather made the going difficult for the Cossacks and the combat engineer
platoon attached to the brigade had its hands full keeping the route open.
Among other things, temporary bridges frequently had to be constructed and
mines had to be removed from the road. As usual, partisan raiding parties hit
the supply columns but kept out of the way of the fighting troops.
In
the middle of January 1944, 2nd Cossack Bde. finally crossed over the Una River
and took up quarters around the Croatian towns of Dubic and Kostajnika. General
von Pannwitz personally visited the regiments to express his satisfaction with
their performances. His enthusiasm and good will was a continued source of
inspiration to the Cossacks.
Housing
and supplies were better in Croatia than they had been in Bosnia, but the anti-partisan
war continued at high intensity. The Titoists on the east bank of the Save were
engaged in a resupply effort to other terrorists in the hill country west of
Petrinja. The 2nd Cossack Bde. was expected to keep this from happening.
Although not yet recovered from their exhausting activities in Bosnia and with
fatigued mounts, 6th Tereks rapidly took the offensive against partisan-held
villages on the Save south of Sas. In the hard fighting, the Tereks took their
greatest losses up to that time. At the same time, 3rd Kuban and 5th Don
Regiments were switched north of Sisatz to guard the essential railroad line to
Zagreb (Agram).
While
serving within the operational structure of 1st Cossack Bde., the 2nd Siberian
Cossacks scored an important victory towards the end of March 1944. In
conjunction with the Cossack Cavalry Recce Detachment 55, the Siberians engaged
a 400-man partisan “brigade” at Oborova on the Save and totally destroyed it.
This successful undertaking won the 1st Cossack Div. its first mention in the
prestigious Wehrmacht Communique.
In
the spring of 1944, 2nd Panzer Army began its plan for the greatest German move
against the partisans to be undertaken in the Balkans. Under the code name
“Operation Roesselsprung” (“Knight’s Move,” as in chess), the SS Paratroop Bn.
500 was dropped directly on Tito’s HQ in Drvar on 23 May 1944. Tito himself
only escaped at the last second and what had started out so promisingly soon
developed into a very bloody battle between the badly outnumbered SS
paratroopers and the communists.
Members of a Cossack squadron in steel helmets.
The
1st Cossack Div. was involved in “Roesselsprung” through the sub-operation
“Schach” (“Chess”). The 1st Don and 2nd Siberian Regiments from the 1st Bde.
advanced from Petrinja to take Glina, and then continued from Vojnic to
Tusilovic in the Vigin Most area, coming under increased enemy pressure from
the Petrova Gora Mountains near Karlovac. On the same day, 23 May, the Task
Force “Hammerschmidt,” consisting of 1 Croatian Mountain Bn., 1 German Police
Bn. and 1 Croatian Inf. Bn. (Domobrans), moved out from Karlovac to link up
with the Cossacks. This group was later subordinated to the 1st Don Cossacks. From
Bosnisch Novi the Kampfgruppe “Ahrend” (I. and II. Bns. German-Croat
Inf. Rgt. 373) joined the advance with the reinforced motorized Inf. Div. 92
coming up from Bihac. General of the Infantry Auleb was in charge of this part
of the operation.
After
taking Glina (yet again!), 2nd Siberian occupied the partisan airfield at
Topusko, destroying a major enemy supply dump in the process. The Siberians
also managed to free KGr. “Ahrend” from a partisan envelopment. The 1st Don
Rgt. in the meantime captured Virgin Most and Vosnic on the Glina-Karlovac
road, finally reaching Krnjako. They were soon followed by the 2nd Siberian
Regiment. The terrorist resistance now began to stiffen and six to eight of the
Tito “brigades” made an unusual frontal assault against the Cossacks. They were
driven back with high losses. But the threat remained. The long, drawn-out
positions of the assault groups were quite tenuous and Gen. Auleb decided to
withdraw his units through Karlovac.
The
retreat went over the Korana River along the road from Karlovac to Tusilovic
and points south. The partisans kept up a steady harassment with continuous,
strong attacks. The 2nd Siberian Rgt. moved back towards Glina, but found the
enemy appearing all over in great force. The communists, coming out of their
hiding places to the east of Virgin Most, moved around Camernica and soon
blocked off the Siberians to the west. Now surrounded, the Cossacks set up
tough hedgehog defensive positions in the town of Camernica. On the next day a
breakout attempt was made, but it was quickly shattered by the Titoists. During
the night, the partisans made some sharp attacks and some individuals
infiltrated into the Cossack positions in an effort to get the Cossacks to
desert. These people literally promised the Cossacks “heaven on earth” if they
came over to them. None did.
As
time passed, the Siberian’s situation grew ever more precarious. Ammunition and
supplies began running low. When things appeared to be at their worst a
friendly radio message was received from the brigade HQ at Sisatz informing 2nd
Siberian that a troupe of cabaret entertainers was due to arrive shortly in
Glina! It was apparent that 1st Bde. staff had no idea what was going on there.
The 2nd Siberian’s commander got a little hot under the collar and promptly
advised the sender on the other end to “kiss my ass.” This response intrigued
Gen. von Pannwitz who soon learned of the regiment’s plight. He promptly ordered
an airborne supply drop to the trapped Siberians. Unfortunately, the first
major drop saw the supplies parachute down into noman’s-land, and a strong
party of Siberian Cossacks had to go out under fire to secure them.
On
31 May 1944, 1st Cossack Bde. began assembling a relief force in Karlovac which
would advance from the north bank of the Kupa River to Petrinja and from there
towards the Siberians. The following units were readied for this mission:
Cossack
Cavalry Recce Detachment 55
1
Armored Car Platoon
Kampfgruppe
“Ahrend” with 1. and II./Rgt. 373
Croatian
Domobrans (Army) Bn. “Petrinja”
In
the face of this combat force the partisans quickly melted away into the
mountains and the Siberians found themselves suddenly free to return to their
garrison area around Sunja. What had started off as a three-day mission for 2nd
Siberian Cossacks had turned into ten days of hard fighting and had resulted in
heavy losses in men and horses. The entire brigade supply corps was quickly
used up in providing replacements to the regiment!
In
late June 1944, 4th Kuban Cossacks and the Cossack Recce Detachment 55 were
fighting around Casma, although two weeks later they joined the entire 1st Bde.
120 km to the west near Metlika. The 2nd Cossack Bde. with the 3rd Kuban, 5th
Don and 6th Terek Rgts. was in the Pozega area some 180 km east of Zagreb at
this time. The divisional HQ continued to coordinate the activities of the
various regiments and in the course of the summer of 1944 it moved from Sisak
to Nova Gradiska and then to Kutina.
To
the north of Karlovac, strong communist forces kept trying to interrupt the
rail and road connections to Zagreb. Their main command post was at Metlika and
1st Cossack Div. was given the assignment to eliminate it. Under the code name
“Operation Dunkirk,” Gen. von Pannwitz personally took charge of the
undertaking. On 1 and 2 July 1944, the main operational force, consisting of
1st Cossack Bde. with the 1st Don, 2nd Siberian and 4th Kuban Rgts. supported
by the 1st and 3rd Batteries of Cossack Horse Artillery Detachment 55, moved
into readiness positions in the Ozalj-Rudlofswerth sector. They were joined by
a German “rough terrain” “Jaeger” Regiment.
On
3 July 1944 the advance towards Metlika began, with one pincer moving from
Ozalj in the west and another from Rudolfswerth in the south. In the early
stages, the enemy was twice caught by surprise. In the most serious incident a
partisan bicycle reconnaissance company was overtaken by an advance squadron
from the 1st Don Rgt. and all of its members were either killed or captured. In
retaliation, the Titoists zeroed in on the 1st Don Rgt. with their heavy
artillery, and with one tragic volley managed to wipe out the entire regimental
command!
Despite
this the advance continued and the towns of Draschik, Radovica and Budovincija
were all captured. But before the actual attack on Metlika could commence, the
strong enemy artillery emplacements had to be reduced. To accomplish this, Gen.
von Pannwitz called in a Stuka dive bomber attack, but when it was learned that
the partisans had received advance notice of this the attack was abruptly
cancelled.
On
12 July 1944 the final push to Metlika began. The partisans fought a fierce
delaying action to enable their casualties and supplies to be evacuated. The
town was finally captured by the Cossacks on 16 July and after a very brief
occupation the regiments had to be shifted elsewhere. The 1st Don was assigned
security duty in the Velika-Gorica-Sisatz sector, while 2nd Siberian and 4th
Kuban were sent back to the Sunja-Petrinja area.
In
May 1944, the 2nd Cossack Cavalry Bde. with the 3rd Kuban, 5th Don and 6th
Terek Rgts., relocated eastwards to the area between Nova Gradiska and Brod. In
the course of the brigade’s railroad line guard duty, raiding parties were
detached to disrupt partisan resupply efforts in the Slovenian mountains across
the Save River. The communists moved their supplies over the Save in small
boats and then hid them in isolated mountain depots.
At
the end of June 1944, 3rd Kuban Cossacks began a major anti-partisan drive
through the Papuk Mountains to Pjakowo. The 5th Don Rgt. provided back-up
support and moved in on communist elements that had been dispersed by the
Kubans. The operation was generally successful and for the first time the
Cossacks managed to capture a partisan flag. On 1 July, the two regiments were
recalled and resumed their old security duties.
Towards
the end of July the same two regiments began an-other undertaking, this time
crossing over the Save at Bosnisch- Gradiska (Laktasi District), and advancing
through the mountains to Prnjavor. A police regiment also moved out of Kulasi
to the south in an effort to catch the enemy in the rear. Unfortunately this
operation was not crowned with success and little contact was made with the
enemy. After an exhausting march through the mountains, the two Cossack regiments
returned to the Save near Kolas where the Cossack Cavalry Engineer Bn. was
garrisoned. On 2 August, after having wasted the better part of a week, the
Dons and Kubans returned once again to their old stamping grounds.
The
6th Terek Rgt. was deployed in the Kapelanova-Pleternica-Trenkovo sector at the
end of May 1944. It had been di-vided into four battlegroups (three Cossack and
one Croatian) of battalion size each. Skirmishes with the enemy took place
around Pozega, and it was clear in the course of the fighting that the
partisans were becoming even better trained and equipped. This meant that the
Cossack Div. would have to up-grade its own capabilities to meet the new threat
from the other side. With this in mind, Gen. von Pannwitz summoned volunteer
elements from all of the Cossack regiments to Pozega, where a Cossack Armored
Close-Combat Instruction Group was to be formed. On-the-job training was to be
practiced against the local body of terrorists.
At
the beginning of August 1944, the German-Croatian garrison in Daruvar was
surrounded by strong partisan forces, and 1st Cossack Div. was instructed to
relieve the town. On 9 August, the operation got underway with 1st Don Rgt.
moving towards Daruvar from Bjelovar and 3rd Kuban and 6th Terek Rgts. — under
the direct leadership of Gen. von Pannwitz —proceeding from Pozega on a course
through the Papak Mountains. After completely breaking the enemy resistance at
Ladislav, 1st Don Cossacks reached Daruvar on 14 August 1944.
Von
Pannwitz’s force had a tough time of it in the difficult partisan-infested
mountain terrain and the usual supply train had to be left behind. Provisions
were carried in saddle bags and other than that the Cossacks had to live off of
the land. Both of Von Pannwitz’s regiments did manage to arrive in the vicinity
of Daruvar on 13 August, however. As usual the Titoists had taken off for the
high mountains and the Cossack pursuit began on 15 August. On 16 August the 6th
Tereks followed the trail of the enemy from Garesnica to the foothills of the
Moslavina Mountains, with their right flank being covered by the 1st Dons, who
now found themselves back in their old security sector of Bjelovar-Dubrova.
The
difficulties of the guerrilla war in Yugoslavia are now well illustrated by
what happened next. The partisans evacuated their positions in the Moslavina
before the Terek Cossacks even got there, and doubled back to Daruvar which
they promptly besieged! The Cossacks received the news in an emergency radio
message, and marched at double-time back to Daruvar. The town was again
liberated in very bitter fighting which saw the Cossack squadrons carry out
what may have been the last major cavalry charge in military history.
During
a march back to Bjelovar the 1st Don Rgt. Received orders to rescue 500 trapped
Croatian soldiers in Palesnik and retake the shoreline of a lake near Sdenci.
Both missions were successfully fulfilled in hard fighting. After Palesnik was
freed the chase continued on 18 August after partisans fleeing from Sdenci
north to the Bila-Gora Mountains. A scouting party determined that the enemy
was concentrating his forces around Grubisno Polje and a direct attack by the
1st Don Rgt. led to the recapture of that town on 19 August. A large quantity
of weapons and supplies belonging to the VII. Titoist Corps which had been
headquartered in Grubisno Polje, was also secured. Afterwards, the regiment
continued on its original course, reaching Bjelovar on 21 August.
The
6th Terek Cossacks reached their brigade supply column at Slinj, west of Brod,
on 27 August, and two days later the regiment finally returned to its billets
in Pozega. An armed guard had been left behind to escort the supply column
which arrived in Pozega on 1 September.
Formation of the Cossacks Corps and Last Combat Operations
On
26 August 1944, Gen. von Pannwitz was called upon to submit a detailed service
report on the 1st Cossack Div. to the Reichsführer-SS Himmler, to whose
jurisdiction, as the new head of the “Replacement Army,” the Cossacks now came
under. All battle-worthy non-German units were now supposed to be subordinated
to the control of the Waffen-SS and this included the 1st Cossack Cavalry
Division. In negotiations that followed with Obergruppenführer Berger (head of
the SS Main Office), Von Pannwitz secured the material support of the Waffen-SS,
while getting an exemption from transferring his Cossacks into the SS proper.
The reason for this was a simple one (Von Pannwitz was not an enemy of the
Waffen-SS): the SS had already been branded a “criminal organization” by the
“Allies” and Von Pannwitz was worried about the potential mistreatment of the
Cossacks, should they bear SS ranks, after the war. As it turned out they could
not have been treated worse had they officially been in the Waffen-SS! All that
actually happened was that the Waffen-SS took responsibility for supplying the
“Cossack Cavalry Corps.” Despite the fact that the Corps was briefly labeled
XIV. SS Kavallerie Korps, its actual status remained deliberately ambiguous. In
December 1944, it became the XV. Cossack Cavalry Corps, assuming a number in
the roster of SS Corps, but never adopting the title of ‘‘SS.
By
September 1944 the war in the Balkans began to get harder every day. The German
Army now lacked the forces to adequately defend all of Yugoslavia. With
partisans on all sides of them, the Cossacks began a retreat to the north on 10
September, providing protection for the civilians who had to be evacuated.
Throughout that day and the following one, there were heavy clashes with the
communists, but these did not affect the troop movements.
However,
dangerous developments continued to take place. In Banja Luka, the partisans
surrounded a 300-man German-Croat force, while taking most of the city. The 3rd
Kuban Cossacks were given the job of building and sustaining a bridgehead
across the Save at Bosnisch-Gradiska, which the following units could use as a
springboard for the relief effort. During the nights, the Cossacks had to fight
off some very strong enemy attacks while Gen. Auleb, commander of LXIX. Corps,
readied his rescue force. Along with the 3rd Kuban, 4th Kuban and 5th Don
Cossack Regiments, a motorized force from 2nd Panzer Army and a Croat Ustachi
group were assembled for the assault on Banja Luka. After a toilsome advance
through Bosnisch-Gradiska and Prnjavor, Banja Luka was stormed in heavy
fighting and the operation was brought to a successful conclusion in early
October 1944. The 2nd Cossack Bde. was then ordered to maintain the security of
the district. On 20 October, the 1st Cossack Divisional HQ was finally
relocated from Nova Gradiska to Kutina.
In
the course of September 1944, all of the Cossack families were assembled in the
Gemona-Tolmezzo area in the northern Italian province of Friali (Friul) for
their own protection. Although a great many had been lost during the long trek
from the east, there were still about 15,000 dependents of the fighting men in
the “Cossack Land” or “Stan” that was established in Italy.
In
the autumn of 1944, 2nd Cossack Brigade’s positions around Bosnisch-Gradiska-Banja
Luka were taken over by Ustachi troops and the Cossacks were withdrawn to the
Save Valley. Here small daily skirmishes with the partisans were a matter of course.
General von Pannwitz now began the process of reforming his Cossack division
into a corps. For this task, all independent Cossack units that had been
stationed in France were called in, and they gradually arrived in the Balkans
in small groups. Von Pannwitz’s reputation was so great among the Cossacks that
quite a few, who were still in the Red Army, continued to desert to join their
fellow countrymen on the German side. This despite the fact that Germany had
clearly begun to lose the war!
Cossacks riding in to surrender, May 1945.
With
the military situation in Hungary deteriorating, German troops in Yugoslavia
had to keep retreating to keep from being outflanked. Therefore, 2nd Cossack
Bde. began to pull back through Kutina to Popovaca-Dugo Selo and then to
Kprivnica on 5 December 1944. Despite strong harassing efforts by the
partisans, the brigade continued its withdrawal to the east on 11 December.
Fierce resistance was encountered at Novi Grad and it was noticed that for the
first time a Soviet liaison element was attached to the partisan artillery.
Against
very strong opposition the brigade had to fight its way to Klostar, which was
reached on 23 December. Severe cold weather and heavy snow had almost become as
bothersome as the enemy. When the Cossacks entered Klostar they found
themselves mistaken for Soviets; some civilians had already draped the
buildings with banners welcoming the Red Army! On 25 December, 2nd Bde. HQ in
Djurdevac issued attack orders, directing the Cossack regiments to wipe out a
partisan group to the south that was providing protection for a sizeable Soviet
force in Pitomaca.
That
night the 6th Terek Rgt. attacked the partisans in the wooded hills south of
Klostar and managed to drive them out of position towards the east, thus
opening the way to Pitomaca. On 26 December, 5th Don Cossacks, operating with
artillery sup-port, made a direct frontal assault on the Soviet garrison, but
were driven back. The 3rd Kuban Rgt. was then sent out through Molve-Ferdinandovac
to outflank the Russians to the north as part of the effort to draw the noose
tighter. This was the first time the Cossacks had taken on the Red Army
directly, and the question still remained as to whether or not they were
psychologically up to it.
Aware
of possible difficulties, Gen. von Pannwitz held a final briefing for his unit
commanders during the night of 26/27 December. He decided to supervise the
operation from the 2nd Bde. command post in the hope that his presence would at
least give some moral support to the Cossacks. He needn’t have worried. The
advance against the Soviets began on the morning of 27 December and the three
Cossack regiments worked with close cooperation to complete an encirclement of
the Soviets. Then they struck with clockwork precision and the Red force at
Pitomaca was decimated. Large numbers of prisoners were taken along with a huge
amount of war booty in the form of weapons, equipment and supplies. The
complete victory at Pitomaca won the Cossacks another mention in the Wehrmacht
Communique and caused the Soviets to abandon their bridgehead south of the
Drava.
The
2nd Cossack Bde. then undertook further security duties in the area of Pitomaca-Drava-St.
Gradic-Spisk Bukowika. Some audacious partisan attacks against the 6th Tereks
were broken up by concentrated artillery support. On the other hand an attack
by the 2nd Cossack Bde. towards Virovitica on 5 January 1945 was brought to a
screaming halt by Soviet “Stalin Organ” rocket mortars; it marked the first
time the Cossacks had encountered these.
On
7 January 1945, 1st Cossack Bde. was in the Save Valley battling off ever
stronger attacks by Tito’s “People’s Army” in the Papuk Mountains. Working
alongside the Volksdeutsche troops of the 7th SS Mountain Div. “Prinz Eugen,”
the Cossacks helped take back the town of Virovitica. It spoke well for the
unbroken battle spirit of the Cossacks that they could engage and defeat Red
Army units at this late point in the war. On 1 February 1945, Lt.Gen. von
Pannwitz was made commanding general of XV. Cossack Cavalry Corps effective 25
February 1945. In the early part of the month the Cossack Corps was reformed as
follows: (with unit commanders)
Commanding
General; Lt.Gen. von Pannwitz
Corps
Staff: Lt.Col. von Steinsdorff, Chief-of-Staff
Corps
Recce Detachment: Major Weil
Corps
Engineering Officer: Major Jans
Corps
Signals Officer: Major Schmidt
1st Cossack Cavalry Division:
Col. Wagner
Divisional
Staff
Don
Cossack Cavalry Rgt. 1: Major Dienenthal
Siberian
Cossack Cavalry Rgt. 2: Col. Count von Nolcken
Kuban
Cossack Cavalry Rgt. 4: Lt.Col. von Klein
Cossack
Artillery Rgt. 1 (in formation): Major von Eisenhart-Rothe
Divisional
Troop Detachment 1
Supply
Troop Detachment 1
2nd Cossack Cavalry Division: Col. von Schultz
Divisional
Staff
Kuban
Cossack Cavalry Rgt. 3: Lt.Col. Lehmann
Don
Cossack Cavalry Rgt. 5: Major Count zu Eltz Terek
Cossack
Cavalry Rgt. 6: Lt.Col. Prince zu Salm-Horstmar
Cossack
Artillery Rgt. 2 (in formation): Major Count von Kottulinsky
Divisional
Troops Detachment 2 Supply Troop Detachment 2
Plastun-Brigade
(Cossack Infantry): Col. Kononov
Plastun-Rgt.
7: Lt.Col. Borissov
Plastun-Rgt.
8: Major Sacharov
Recce
Detachment: Captain Bondarenko
(This
unit was conceived of as a 3rd Cossack Cavalry Division, but due to lack of
time for formation had to function as an infantry brigade.)
At
the beginning of March 1945, the 1st Cossack Cavalry Div. was operating in the
Drava basin to the east of Virovitica while the 2nd Cossack Cavalry Div. was at
Suhopolje with the Corps HQ in Slatina. During this time, the Cossack head men
met in Virovitica and elected Gen. von Pannwitz their Field-“Ataman”; i.e., the
commander-in-chief of all detached Cossack units of whatever origin. This was
an unprecedented honor for a non- Cossack. Von Pannwitz’s predecessor had been
murdered by the Bolsheviks 27 years earlier. In the fighting that continued,
the Cossacks now came up against Bulgarian puppet-troops directed by the Red
Army.
The
German Lake Balaton offensive that began in Hungary on 9 March 1945 brought the
4th Kuban Cossacks into action in the Volpovo bridgehead. The Kubans raided a
Bulgarian artillery position before it could go into action on the night of 23
March and managed to destroy all of the field pieces and capture 450 Bulgarians.
By this time, however, the Lake Balaton offensive had disintegrated due to
climatic conditions and logistical problems. It was a sad but true fact that
all of the courage and fortitude that the Waffen-SS soldiers involved could
muster was not enough to overcome “General Mud.”
For
the next month or so, the Cossack Cavalry Corps continued to guard the Drava
River line and firmly repulsed all attempts by the enemy to cross it. By
holding their ground so tenaciously the Cossacks also assisted the parts of the
German Army Group “E” that were fighting their way back through Yugoslavia, to
avoid encirclement. But the surprise surrender of Army Group “C” in Italy on 28
April 1945, quickly put the German Balkan positions in jeopardy and the
Cossacks were forced to begin a fighting withdrawal, reaching the Ludbreg-Varazdin
line on 6 May 1945. During the pull back there had been no panic and no
mutinies; the Cossack fighting forces had maintained perfect discipline.
The End of the Cossack Cavalry Corps
The
leader of the Cossack “Stan” in northern Italy, Ataman Domanov, was deeply
troubled by the deteriorating front situation. He was having problems dealing
with the Italian partisans and on 3 May 1945 he ordered the evacuation of the
Cossack dependents from Italy. All of the males, including old men, boys and
war disabled, were formed into ad hoc units to guard the refugee columns. The
Cossack families passed through the heavy ice and snow of the Ploecken Pass
into Austria, reaching Kotschach and Mauthen on 4 May. After having been
guaranteed their rights and promised that they would not be given over to the
Soviet Reds, the Cossack “Stan” surrendered to the British Army. Almost
immediately the British broke their word and Italian communist partisans were
allowed to freely plunder the defenseless Cossack families. It was a bad omen
of things to come.
Lieutenant
Col. Malcolm, the commander of the 8th Bn. “Argyll and Sutherlands
Highlanders,” had the Cossacks disarmed and interned at Lienz in the east
Tyrol. Fifteen thousand men, 4 000 women and 2 500 children were house at the
Lienz camp. At first the officers were permitted to retain their sabers and
revolvers and the field police were also allowed to keep their weapons.
In
the meantime, the Cossack Cavalry Corps was still withdrawing through Croatia.
At the time of the capitulation the corps was on the march through Windisch,
Freistritz, Gonobitz, and St. Leonhard to Unterdrauberg. The 1st Cossack Div.
had been able to get away from the enemy but not so the 2nd Div., which found
its retreat route blocked off. A successful attack by 3rd Kuban Cossacks on 8
May 1945 managed to reopen the way. The energetically led Plastun Bde.,
subordinated to the overall command of the 2nd Div., spearheaded the fighting
withdrawal and was particularly forceful in overcoming several Titoist
harassing parties. On 13 May 1945, 2nd Cossack Div. and the Plastun Bde.
reached the British occupied zone of Austria. Lieutenant Gen. Von Pannwitz
secured a guarantee from Gen. Archer, commander of the 11th British Armored
Div., that the Cossacks could safely cross the demarcation lines and surrender
without fear of being turned over to the communists.
The
Cossacks were disarmed by the British in Voelkermarkt with a limited number of
troops being permitted to keep their sidearms. The individual regiments were
then sent to camps in the towns of Klangenfurt, St. Beit and Feldkirchen.
Lieutenant Gen. von Pannwitz took up quarters in Moebling near Althofen. Now,
for the first time, the Cossack Replacement Rgt. joined up with the corps. In
January 1945 it had been at the Doellersheim Troop Training Grounds, before
being ordered to Lower Austria. It was only due to the personal intercession of
Von Pannwitz that the regiment was kept out of the battle for Vienna and thus
saved from likely decimation. The regiment reached Voelkermarkt on 13 May 1945.
While
Lt. Gen. von Pannwitz did not believe that his troops would be turned over to
the Soviets, he nevertheless was able to secure the separation of most of the
German elements in the corps on 20 May 1945 in order to help expedite their
return into postwar German society. This officially marked the end of the
German-Cossack military comradeship which had firmly existed under all
conditions during three long years of difficult combat.
The
Germans were handled correctly by the British, but day by day, the guard over
the Cossack camps grew tighter, causing increasing worry and anxiety to the
inmates. Then on 23 May 1945, Winston Churchill and the British government made
the shocking secret decision to hand over every Cossack man, woman and child to
the Soviets. But this remained unknown to the Cossacks at the time and on 24
May 1945 they put on a public ceremony in the Althofen market place to
formalize the election of Von Pannwitz as Cossack Field “Ataman.” A number of
British officers attended as observers while at the very same time most of the
Cossack horses were being seized in Lienz.
The choir of the Cossack Cavalry Division. Handed over to the Soviets
soon after capitulating and massacred to a man!
On
26 May, Scottish troops confiscated all of the cash savings of the Cossack
families; a total of 6 million Lire and 6 million Reichsmarks in all. It was
never returned of course, and what eventually happened to it is anybody’s
guess. The next day, 27 May, Lt. Gen. von Pannwitz was made a “prisoner-of-war”
by the British and placed in tight confinement. The 1st Cossack Div. was then
forced—over protest—to turn over all of its horses. After that the division’s
soldiers were locked in a high security camp at Weitensfeld. Here the Cossacks
received the information that they were to be repatriated to the USSR. The news
was ill-received since it amounted to a death sentence and directly
contradicted all of the promises the British had earlier made.
On
28 May 1945, the British summoned all of the Cossack leaders and officers in
Lienz to a “high level conference” at Villach. The list of those called
amounted to 2 756 Cossack officers among whom 35 had been generals, 167
colonels and more than 280 staff officers under the Czar, and had never been
Soviet “citizens.” The conference proved to be a dirty trick to separate the
Cossack leaders from their followers. The Cossack officers were simply
imprisoned in a high security camp at Spittal. On the next day, 29 May, they
learned that they were being “repatriated” to the Reds. Panic broke out and the
Cossack officers refused to go to the waiting trucks. British troops promptly
attacked them with truncheons and gun butts; in the brutal, one-sided melee
that followed many of the Cossacks were knocked out, killed or seriously
injured. The unconscious officers were picked up and hurled like sacks of flour
into the backs of the trucks. Quite a few Cossacks attempted to flee and they
were mercilessly gunned down and killed on the spot. Others made feeble
attempts at suicide which were usually interrupted by crashing British clubs.
It was an utterly sickening spectacle that would be repeated many times over,
not only by the English soldiers but by American ones as well!
Finally,
the battered and beaten Cossack officers were taken under heavy guard to
Judenburg where they were turned over to an NKVD (secret police) detachment of
the Red Army. Soon afterwards Lt. Gen. von Pannwitz, his entire personnel
escort, and many German members of the Cossack Cavalry Corps were forcibly
taken to a factory building in Judenburg where they too were turned over to the
Soviets. All told, some 750 German officers and more than 2 000 Cossack officers
were delivered to the communists on 29 May 1945.
Between
31 May and 1/2 June 1945, more than 30 000 other Cossacks met the same fate.
Their tragic story has been well told elsewhere (see for example: The Secret
Betrayal by Nikolai Tolstoy and The East Came West by Peter Huxley-Blythe). It
has been accurately noted that the Cossack horses were better treated by the
British than were the Cossacks themselves! Most of the horses arrived
comfortably in England with everything else that had been looted from the
doomed Cossacks. Those mounts that were not kept for military purposes were
sold to private citizens and today their descendants still roam the pastures of
elegant manor houses while their original owners have long since vanished into
unmarked graves!
Those
Cossacks that survived their initial treatment at the hands of the NKVD, were
given the following sentences to serve in forced labor camps in March 1946:
Cossack
civilians: 8 years.
Cossack
officers and soldiers: 25 years.
Cossacks
who had been “Soviet citizens”: 50 years (two 25-year sentences and many of
them may still be serving them!).
A
number of Cossacks, including the entire male choir, had been liquidated right
after being handed over to the Reds. A number of “Allied” soldiers reported
hearing and seeing some of the executions.
On
16 January 1947, Lt. Gen. von Pannwitz and a number of senior Cossack Generals,
were hung in the notorious Lubiyanka Prison in Moscow. The remaining German
personnel from the Cossack Cavalry Corps were placed on trial in the summer of
1949 and were universally sentenced to 25 years at hard labor with those
Germans who had been born in what was now considered “Soviet territory”
receiving an extra 25 years for good measure. The relatively few survivors were
released in the mid-1950s.
According
to most Cossack sources, Lt. Gen. von Pannwitz and most of the 750 German
officers that went with him into Soviet captivity had been given every
opportunity to escape this fate by the British. That they refused and chose
instead to accompany their Cossack comrades to a horrible fate, is the greatest
possible testimony to their character and integrity. Few people today seem able
to comprehend this “sense of honor” and its display!
There
are no fitting adjectives to properly describe the example of Lt. Gen. von
Pannwitz. Although never a member of the Waffen-SS (the Russians nonetheless
referred to him as an “SS General”), it can truly be said of him that “His
honor was his loyalty.” When the history books of the WWII era are finally
rewritten accurately, Feld-Ataman Helmuth von Pannwitz will surely take his
rightful place in the pantheon of heroes.
Altogether
50 000 anti-communist Cossacks of various tribes and groupings were forcibly
“given” to the communists by the self-proclaimed noble and democratic “Allies.”
Nearly all perished in short order. It was surely one of the more graphic
examples of the moral bankruptcy of the Western Powers who had crusaded to
“liberate” Europe from “tyranny”!
The Cossack Community in Northern Italy
The
Cossack “Stan” (community) in Northern Italy was led by Field-Ataman Timofey
Ivanovich Domanov and consisted of 15 590 people from the following “tribal”
groups: Don Cossacks—7 254; Kuban Cossacks—5 422; Terek and Stavropol Cossacks
—2 503, and “others” — 411. Of this total, 7 155 males were eventually
mobilized for combat duty in the following regiments:
1st
Mixed Horse Rgt. (all “tribes”): 962 troops
1st Don
Plastun (Inf.) Rgt.: 1 101 troops
2nd Don
Plastun (Inf.) Rgt.: 1 277 troops
3rd Kuban
Plastun (Inf.) Rgt.: 1 136 troops
4th
Terek-Stavropol Plastun (Inf.) Rgt.: 780 troops
Mixed
Reserve Rgt.: 376 troops
Escort
Detachment: 386 troops, of mixed tribal nationalities
Staff
and Administrative Personnel: 334 troops/mixed origin
9th
Mixed Horse Rgt. (Inactive): 803 troops
The
Cossack Community came under the general command of the Higher SS and Police
Leader “Adriatic Coast,” SS-Gruppenführer and Police Lt. Gen. Odilo Globocnik,
with headquarters in Trieste. The overall Cossack leader was Gen. Pyotr
Nikolaievich Krasnov. When being used for anti-partisan duties, the Italian
Cossacks came under the control of SS-Standartenführer and Colonel of the Order
Police Kintrup. The security and police supervision of the “Stan” was the
responsibility of SS-SturmbannFührer von Alvensleben, the SS-Police Commander
in Udine, Italy.
The Kalmuck Cossack Formation “Dr. Doll”
The
first two Kalmuck squadrons were activated independently by the 16th Motorized
Inf. Div. in September 1942, and on 17 October 1942 the German High Command
officially ordered the formation of a Kalmuck Legion. On 12 November 1942, the
two existing elements were given the following designations: 1./ Kalmuck
Squadron 66 and 2./Kalmuck Squadron 66.
On
14 January 1943, the Kalmuck Legion became the Kalmuck Detachment “Dr. Doll”
with six company-sized squadrons. The unit’s commander was Sonderführer Othmar
Rudolf Werba from the German Army Intelligence Service (Abwehr), who used the
codename “Dr. Doll.” His rank was the equivalent of second lieutenant, and was
a common designation for “interpreters” and “translators.” By February 1943,
the unit had grown to regimental size and was renamed the Kalmuck Formation
“Dr. Doll,” and contained three separate battalion-sized detachments. By April,
the unit had added a fourth detachment.
By
December 1944, the formation had grown enough to be reorganized into two brigades
of two regiments each. On 8 January 1945, an attempt was made to incorporate
the unit into the “Kaukasischer Waffen-Verband der SS,” but this was apparently
resisted by the officers of the formation who probably felt the SS designation
would be incriminating. As a result the Kalmucks remained independent of the
Waffen-SS.
Feld-Ataman Helmut von Pannwitz, the last freely elected military leader
of the Cossack tribes.
Forced deportation of the Cossack families by the British and the
Palestine (!) Brigade.
In
February 1945 the Kalmuck Bde. was reorganized as a reinforced cavalry regiment
at the Neuhammer Training Camp. In March 1945, the Kalmucks were transferred to
Croatia where they were attached to the Plastun Bde. of the XV. Cossack Cavalry
Corps, which was commanded by Col. Ivan Nikitich Kononov (a Don Cossack).
On
25 March 1945, at a congress of the Cossack tribes held in Vienna, the Kalmuck
Formation “Dr. Doll” joined the Vlasov Liberation Movement together with the
rest of the Cossack Cavalry Corps. At the same time it became part of the VS-
KONR: Armed Forces of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia
(“Vooruzhennye Sily Komiteta Osvobozhdeniya Narodov Rossii”).
During
the withdrawal towards Austria in late April 1945, the Kalmuck Formation
splintered into small segments most of which were captured by the Tito
partisans. The few Kalmucks who surrendered to the British were later forcibly
handed over to the Red Army.
Organization of the Kalmuck Formation “Dr. Doll”
Commander
Staff
I. Detachment:
1st, 4th, 7th, 8th and 18th Squadrons plus Detachment I Pursuit Squadron
(Jagdschwadron der Abt. I).
II.
Detachment: 5th, 6th, 12th, 20th and 23rd Squadrons plus Detachment II Pursuit
Squadron (Jagdschwadron der Abteilung II).
III.
Detachment: 3rd, 14th, 17th, 21st and 25th Squadrons plus Detachment III
Pursuit Squadron (Jagdschwadron der Abt. III).
IV.
Detachment: 2nd, 13th, 19th, 22nd and 24th Squadrons plus Pursuit Squadron of
the Detachment IV. (Jagdschwadron Abt. IV).
Special
Squadrons: 9, 10, 11, 15, 16.
Formation Commanders
October
1942 to July 1944: Sonderführer Othmar Rudolf Werba (“Dr. Doll”)
August
1944 to December 1944: Lt.Col. Pipgorra (code name: “Bergen”)
January
1945 to May 1945: Col. Raimund Hoerst
Chiefs-of-Staff
January
1943: Dordzhi Arbakov
February
1943 to June 1943: Sanchir Konokov
July
1943 to March 1944: Baldan Metabon
May
1944 to July 1944: Mukeben Khakhlyshev
August
1944 to April 1945: Dordzhi Arbakov
Titles of the Unit
Kalmuecken-Verband
Dr. Doll (German)
Doktor
Dollin Khal’mg Moertatserg (Kalmuck)
Kalmytskiy
Kavaleriyskiy Korpus (Russian)
A
national armshield was worn on the upper right sleeve and it erroneously bore
the title “Kalmueken.”
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