Chorny Kot
Encyclopedia
Čorny Kot was a German
-trained Belarus
ian nationalist, anti-Soviet guerrilla unit during World War II
.
As part of the Nazis' effort to combat the enormous Soviet partisan movement in Belarus
during the war, special units of local collaborationists were trained by the SS's Otto Skorzeny
to infiltrate the Soviet rear. In 1944 thirty Belarusians (known as "Čorny Kot" (Black Cat) and personally led by Michał Vituška) were airdrop
ped by the Luftwaffe
behind the lines of the Red Army
, which had already liberated Belarus during Operation Bagration.
They experienced some initial success due to disorganization in the rear of the Red Army, and some other German-trained Belarusian nationalist units also slipped through the Białowieża Forest in 1945. The NKVD
, however, had already infiltrated these units, and they were quickly killed. Still, some armed anti-Soviet resistance continued in Belarus by mid-1950s
.
Vituška managed to escape to the West following the war, along with several other Belarusian Central Rada
leaders.
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
-trained Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian nationalist, anti-Soviet guerrilla unit during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
As part of the Nazis' effort to combat the enormous Soviet partisan movement in Belarus
Belarusian resistance movement
Belarusian resistance during World War II was focused towards Nazi Germany from 1941 until 1944. Belarus was one of the Soviet republics occupied during Operation Barbarossa...
during the war, special units of local collaborationists were trained by the SS's Otto Skorzeny
Otto Skorzeny
Otto Skorzeny was an SS-Obersturmbannführer in the German Waffen-SS during World War II. After fighting on the Eastern Front, he was chosen as the field commander to carry out the rescue mission that freed the deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from captivity...
to infiltrate the Soviet rear. In 1944 thirty Belarusians (known as "Čorny Kot" (Black Cat) and personally led by Michał Vituška) were airdrop
Airdrop
An airdrop is a type of airlift, developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible troops, who themselves may have been airborne forces. In some cases, it is used to refer to the airborne assault itself. Early airdrops were conducted by dropping or pushing padded bundles from...
ped by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
behind the lines of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, which had already liberated Belarus during Operation Bagration.
They experienced some initial success due to disorganization in the rear of the Red Army, and some other German-trained Belarusian nationalist units also slipped through the Białowieża Forest in 1945. The NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
, however, had already infiltrated these units, and they were quickly killed. Still, some armed anti-Soviet resistance continued in Belarus by mid-1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
.
Vituška managed to escape to the West following the war, along with several other Belarusian Central Rada
Belarusian Central Rada
The Belarusian Central Rada was nominally the government of Belarus from 1943–44. It was a collaborationist government established by Nazi Germany within the occupation and colonial administration of Reichskommissariat Ostland.- Timeline :...
leaders.