On August 20, 1937, the NKVD’s “Polish Operation” began. It was one of many “national operations” carried out during the Great Terror, targeting ethnic Poles who were Soviet citizens, as well as anyone else who might have had some connection to Poland. It was initiated by Secret NKVD Order No. 00485, dated August 9, 1937,ContinueContinue reading “1937: NKVD’s Ethnic Cleansing of Soviet Poles Begins”
Tag Archives: Poland
1955: Zhukov Advises CPSU on Soviet Troop Withdrawal from Austria, Bolsters the Warsaw Pact
On 15 May 1955, the Austrian State Treaty was signed, thereby re-establishing Austria as a free, independent, and democratic sovereign state after World War II. The treaty was signed by the Allied occupying powers (the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France) and the Austrian government, and officially ended the joint foreignContinueContinue reading “1955: Zhukov Advises CPSU on Soviet Troop Withdrawal from Austria, Bolsters the Warsaw Pact”
1939: Robbery, Murder, and Rape – More Bad News for Voroshilov, Downplayed as “Negative Incidents”
Whew. At some point, one would think Voroshilov would stop reading the incoming reports from the Ukrainian and Belorussian Fronts regarding out-of-control Red Army troops committing grievous crimes “against the backdrop of the excellent political and moral state of the units.” This time, a Top Secret report from the Office of the Chief Military ProsecutorContinueContinue reading “1939: Robbery, Murder, and Rape – More Bad News for Voroshilov, Downplayed as “Negative Incidents””
1939: Infantry Deserters a Problem for the Red Army After Invading Poland
When it rains, it pours for Marshall of the Soviet Union Kliment Voroshilov. Having done little to quell insubordination and a lack of military discipline and morale in the ranks, as the year 1939 draws to a close, he is facing the very real and growing issue of desertion. As we’ll see in the followingContinueContinue reading “1939: Infantry Deserters a Problem for the Red Army After Invading Poland”
1939: Voroshilov Excuses Soviet War Crimes Against Polish Civilians as a Misunderstanding
One runs out of words when trying to explain the thought process of a decorated Marshal of the Soviet Union dismissing the unlawful summary execution of at least nine Polish civilians as a “mistake and a misunderstanding” that took place against the backdrop of “combat operations and acute class struggle.” Another slap on the wrist,ContinueContinue reading “1939: Voroshilov Excuses Soviet War Crimes Against Polish Civilians as a Misunderstanding”
1939: Stalin’s Biggest Enemy During the Soviet Invasion of Poland Was the Red Army Itself
We can thank Carl von Clausewitz for the concept of the fog of war. But leave it to the Red Army to provide us with shining examples of the fog of logistics, which may have come close to derailing what otherwise should have been a walk-in-the-park invasion of Poland in 1939. Toss in a subsequentContinueContinue reading “1939: Stalin’s Biggest Enemy During the Soviet Invasion of Poland Was the Red Army Itself”
1939: Logistics and Carelessness Abound While Nazis and Red Army Collaborate to Slice Poland in Half
We’ve stumbled onto an unknown (to us) cache of thousands of classified documents held in the archives of the Lieutenant General Kazimierz Sosnkowski Military Historical Office dealing primarily with the challenges faced by Poland brought on by the USSR (invasion, annexation, authoritarian rule, oppression, etc.) from at least 1939 to 1955. It’s a fascinating collection,ContinueContinue reading “1939: Logistics and Carelessness Abound While Nazis and Red Army Collaborate to Slice Poland in Half”
June 1945: The Soviet Interrogation of Hermann Göring
Immediately prior to or following Germany’s defeat in World War II, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring surrendered to the U.S. 36th Infantry Division on May 6–9, 1945, near Radstadt, Austria, seeking to avoid capture by Soviet forces. After being stripped of power by Hitler for perceived treason, Göring offered his surrender to the Western Allies, expecting toContinueContinue reading “June 1945: The Soviet Interrogation of Hermann Göring”
April 1945: Germans Admit to the Needless Execution of Soviet POWs and Civilians on the Eve of the Fall of Königsberg
In late 1944 and early 1945, the Red Army’s combat operations shifted into German territory. During the East Prussian Offensive, the Red Army advanced upon the fortress city of Königsberg (today known as Kaliningrad). To breach the Königsberg Fortified Region, troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, under the command of Marshal of the Soviet UnionContinueContinue reading “April 1945: Germans Admit to the Needless Execution of Soviet POWs and Civilians on the Eve of the Fall of Königsberg”
Cold War West Germany: Giving Eastern Bloc Truck Drivers License to Spy
Every now and then, while researching other materials being translated, I’ll bump into a curious news article that catches the eye and won’t let it go. For example, this gem from the Philadelphia Inquirer from 10 January 1986: As I was living and working in West Berlin at the time, many kilometers within the bowelsContinueContinue reading “Cold War West Germany: Giving Eastern Bloc Truck Drivers License to Spy”
