German soldiers in the Lithuanian-Soviet war 1944-1965

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Lit.
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German soldiers in the Lithuanian-Soviet war 1944-1965

#1

Post by Lit. » 08 Jan 2005, 18:36

There were unknown number of German soldiers left in Lithuania after Red Army occupied it again in 1944. Some of them have chosen to fight Bolshevism together with Lithuanian Partisans. It's hard to trace all the names of those brave German warriors, because they have used only "fake names", as all Lithuanian partisans used to have. And average term of life in this fighting and this hard conditions was short - 2 years maximum. But some have been identified already. I'll try to put some light in the dark fates of those German soldiers, when will get some more information appearing in the Lithuania now.

From 1946 NKVD-KGB started its macabre exploits: the bodies of fallen partisans were brought into small towns and displayed in the market-places, near the schools and churches.
23.000 Lithuanian Freedom Fighters fell - they never surrender alive (this was unwritten rule). The most common way to do so was to burn all underground documents first, and to blow a grenade, as closer to the face, as possible. Because Russian bandits used to expose publicly remains of Forest Brothers (naking their dead bodies, disgracing them) in the main squares of towns and villages of occupied Lithuania for a weeks long. Mainly in front of NKVD headquarters.
They forced local people to pass by. And if someone's mother, sister, sweetheart or wife could not stand not to show a shadow of grief, they were arrested to be sent to Siberia. Forest Brothers were forced to forget their real names and use pseudonyms for the safety of the members of their families, or what was left of them.

Here is the first of them - Urach Schlitter - "Kaizeris" ("Kaiser"). After German-Soviet war ended he joined "Zemaiciai" ("Samogitians") military district, "Satrija" brigade. KIA (together with brothers Kacinskas) in 1949.12.27-28, somewhere near villages of Gaureliai and Tirksliai, Western Lithuania. This is the picture of disgraced bodies of Urach and brothers in arms from some of the left archives of KGB in Vilnius (some were destroyed but great number brought to Russia). Numbers are marked by NKVD-KGB.

http://www.osteuropa.ch/mainmenu/bueche ... rosten.htm
Attachments
Urach_Schlitter.jpg
1- Pranas Kacinskas - "Ukvedys"; 2- Urach Schlitter - "Kaizeris" ("Kaiser"); 3- Jeronimas Kacinskas - "Taifunas". 1949 12 27.
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#2

Post by cyberdaemon » 10 Jan 2005, 16:20

offtopic : can you tell me how many soviet soldiers and nkvd personel were KIA in this partisan war ?


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#3

Post by Sotka » 10 Jan 2005, 17:54

Cyberdaemon, are you read Mart Laar's Metsavennad?

It's good book about 'forest brothers' in Estonia and their operations.


Regards,

Tuomo A.

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#4

Post by Lit. » 10 Jan 2005, 18:33


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#5

Post by Lit. » 15 Jan 2005, 21:13

Here is a sad story of another German soldier –professional traitor and killer of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters.

Rudolf Otting was born in 1923 in Saar (Saar-Dauter, Saar-Dauteri town) Germany, near border with France. He has 3 sisters and 2 brothers. After finishing school he joined German Army and as sergeant was sent to Eastern Front in some auxiliary unit. At the end of German-Soviet war in 1944 he get ill, and stayed in Suvalkija (Southern Lithuania) in some Lithuanian farm, where he get warm shelter, food and care. Only in 1946 he joined the Soviet-Lithuanian war and became a Lithuanian partisan of "Sakalas" regiment, "Gelezinis vilkas" ("Iron Wolf") brigade, of "Tauras" military district. But soon he easily surrender (without any resistance) to NKVD forces in April of 1947 and instantly betrayed all partisan bunkers that was known to him. As the result - 4 Freedom Fighters were killed and one was captured alive. At the same time also Rudolf Otting betrayed 6 liaison agents of Lithuanian partisans. Later he became well-paid NKVD-MGB-KGB agent-traitor named "Kirvis". He joined the ranks of special killing squads (bandits of NKVD major A.Sokolov http://www.genocid.lt/Leidyba/1/Inga1.htm ) and was very active in this "wet job" till 1953. Those special Soviet terrorist units were formed for infiltrating in to the ranks of Lithuanian partisans and destroying them, especially commanders. Also for killing and terrorizing civilians in rural areas in the name of "Lithuanian partisans", later to blame them for all the atrocities. In 1948 Rudolf Otting became commander of 1st, later of 2nd terrorist group. He was famous of his cruelty even among other members of mjr. Sokolovs’ killing squads. From the few KGB files that was left in Vilnius after the end WW2 in Lithuania (1993.08.31) it is known, that Soviet NKVD-MVD-MGB “Einsatzgruppen” No.2 under command of Mr. Rudolf Otting were killed more then 150 Lithuanian Freedom Fighters. 50-67 of them Mr. Rudolf Otting slaughtered personally.
Some of his famous crimes: In 1951 January he took part in destroying 2 platoons of “Maironis” brigade near Ariogala. 1951 January-March he took part in destroying bunker (headquarters) of “Vytautas” military district, where important documents were captured, 25 partisans killed. 1951 he took part in killing partisan Benediktas Trumpys – “Rytis” (who was paratrooped from the West in 1950). http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 53&start=0

In 1950 near Palanga agent “Kirvis” took part in capturing Latvian Freedom Fighter – paratrooped from the West. Rudolf Otting also took part in killing the one of most outstanding figures in Lithuanian-Soviet war – Juozas Luksa – “Daumantas”, “Skirmantas”. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... ryoflithua Major Sokolov has characterized R.Otting as very good terrorist, who can work on his own, as single (KGB never trusted even experienced traitors and has agents in their own ranks for spying and control each other).
There was another one former German soldier in this Sokolovs’ terrorist group, who personally killed 70 Lithuanian Freedom Fighters. His code name was “Liutas” (“Lion”), but I don’t know the real name yet.
It's not known how many more deaths of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters, their supporters and civilians those 2 Germans are responsible for, because the main KGB files are still in Russia.
During 1947-1950 for his bloody job Mr. Rudolf Otting has received money awards, 87 times (total more then 50.000 Russian rubles). From 1950 06 01 he received monthly salary – 2000 rubles. During the war he got married to some German girl from his hometown in Saar and have son. But, nevertheless in occupied Lithuania he got married again in 1953 to some Russian colonist (bad mannered) woman Alina Klimovich. R.Otting as Ostin have 2 daughters with her. In the summer of 1955 she told some KGB lieutenant about her husband: “I’m not going to live there. I’m afraid of him. He will strangle me. He is such a person that would do this without any hesitations”…

Pictures and information is from article of May 2004 issue of Lithuanian magazine "Naujasis Zidinys / Aidai": http://www.aidai.lt and information from article “Agentas Kirvis-Balandis” by Juozas Starkauskas (magazine “Archives of the Fights for Freedom”, Kaunas 1995)
Attachments
Rudolf_Otting-chess_player.jpg
Traitor Rudolf Otting playing Chess with colleague from KGB
Rudolf_Otting-chess_player.jpg (113.55 KiB) Viewed 7925 times
Rudolf_Otting_in_Sochi.jpg
Traitor Rudolf Otting in Sotchi - famous Soviet Black Sea resort.
Rudolf_Otting_in_Sochi.jpg (153.2 KiB) Viewed 7927 times
Rudolf_Otting-pretending_dead.jpg
Traitor Rudolf Otting pretending as Lithuanian Freedom Fighter KIA.
Rudolf_Otting-pretending_dead.jpg (121.78 KiB) Viewed 7927 times
Last edited by Lit. on 16 Jan 2005, 18:08, edited 6 times in total.

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#6

Post by Lit. » 15 Jan 2005, 21:48

After Rudolf Otting – “Kirvis” made all he could in his service for Bolsheviks by killing Lithuanian Freedom Fighters, he became special agent of 1st section “PGU” (“Pervoye Glavnoye Upravlenye” – for international spying and terrorism) of KGB, code named "Balandis". He was trained from 1954 03 01 till 1956 January, when was sent to West Germany for so called "wet jobs" - killing people – mainly Lithuanian refugees who according to KGB were "enemies of Soviet Union". His "targets" were Lithuanian general Stasys Rastikis (former defense minister of Republic of Lithuania) and priest Mykolas Krupavicius, Leonas Prapuolenis, Pranas Zunde… The final stage of his learning of his new “legend” (fake biography) and terrorism was provided in Moscow. But after Rudolf Otting gets the job in the police in his hometown, he betrayed once again - this time KGB. He was joyfully met by his family, first wife and son. After some time he went to military secret service of West Germany and betrayed his masters. Nevertheless even knowing this (from their wide spread agency in BRD and DDR) KGB successfully used their “burned” agent “Balandis” for other operations in desinformation and discreditation of some Lithuanian political figures. Such like V.Sidzikauskas.
Attachments
Rudolf_Otting-traitor.jpg
Traitor Rudolf Otting. There is soviet poster on the wall saying in Russian: "I'm serving Soviet Union". Picture from leftovers of KGB archives in Vilnius, Lithuania
Rudolf_Otting-traitor.jpg (125.99 KiB) Viewed 7921 times
Last edited by Lit. on 16 Jan 2005, 17:26, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: German soldiers in the Lithuanian-Soviet war 1944-1965

#7

Post by Musashi » 15 Jan 2005, 22:43

Lit. wrote: 23.000 Lithuanian Freedom Fighters fell - they never surrender alive (this was unwritten rule).
Don't write so, because I don't want to make feel you bad :| I don't know if they surrendered to the Soviets, but they surrendered to AK.

Cheers,
Chris

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Re: German soldiers in the Lithuanian-Soviet war 1944-1965

#8

Post by Lit. » 16 Jan 2005, 17:43

Musashi wrote: Don't write so, because I don't want to make feel you bad :| I don't know if they surrendered to the Soviets, but they surrendered to AK.
I also don't want to make you feel bad to write there what really was so called "AK" in occupied Lithuania. And this is not the topic of this threat. It much more suits to the theme "Holocaust & 20th Century War Crimes". If you really are interested in this, better contact the "Club of the Victims of "AK" in Lithuania". :(

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Re: German soldiers in the Lithuanian-Soviet war 1944-1965

#9

Post by Musashi » 16 Jan 2005, 19:19

Lit. wrote:
Musashi wrote: Don't write so, because I don't want to make feel you bad :| I don't know if they surrendered to the Soviets, but they surrendered to AK.
I also don't want to make you feel bad to write there what really was so called "AK" in occupied Lithuania. And this is not the topic of this threat. It much more suits to the theme "Holocaust & 20th Century War Crimes". If you really are interested in this, better contact the "Club of the Victims of "AK" in Lithuania". :(
Do you speak Polish?
If you don't I can give you a link and you can write about these war crimes on a Polish WWII forum in English. There is a topic about Polish war crimes and it would be nice to learn something new :| Are you interested? Don't worry, nobody will bash you there :)
Regards,
Chris

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#10

Post by Lit. » 16 Jan 2005, 19:36

Yes I can read and write also. But as was mentioned above, this is offtopic. :?
Last edited by Lit. on 20 Jan 2005, 23:35, edited 1 time in total.

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#11

Post by Musashi » 16 Jan 2005, 21:56

Lit. wrote:Yes I can read and write also. But as was mentioned above, this is offtopic. :?
I know, therefore I sent you a PM.

Returning to the main thread I can tell you soldiers from every country surrendered sometimes, regardless if they were for example: Polish, Lithuanian, German, Soviet, American or Japanese :|

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#12

Post by Lit. » 20 Jan 2005, 23:27

Musashi wrote: I can tell you soldiers from every country surrendered sometimes, regardless if they were for example: Polish, Lithuanian, German, Soviet, American or Japanese :|
One of the main reasons why they didn't surrender - was cruel tortures and even drugs that were used by Soviet Army in NKVD-MGB-KGB prison cells.

And after this (if they would survive) GULAG was the final stop (25+5 years most popular term in Soviet "justice").

The last bullet or better the last grenade they always reserved for themselves, to secure their loved ones (all members of their families, no matter what age), that usually were sent to Siberia, after identifications of fallen or captured Freedom Fighter.

Knowing this, Soviet Army started to use special sleeping gas or poisoned food.
"Suspected partisans were tortured and executed. Friends and relatives of known resistance members were imprisoned and sent to labor camps in Siberia, usually without trial or formal charges. Farms and homes where partisans supposedly took refuge were burned to the ground and their occupants were arrested. The bodies of killed partisans were mutilated and publicly displayed. These tactics only increased the hate of the Soviet occupation, but they also delivered results to the Soviets. Subsequently, the Soviet authorities adopted new strategies. The private farmers, perhaps the strongest supporters of the resistance, faced the forced confiscation and collectivization of their land. This act alone was the most effective tool against the partisans. The farmers were no longer able to supply the guerillas with food and refuge. The most vicious tactic was the wholesale deportation of approximately 300,000 Lithuanians in order to deprive the resistance of supporters. This number represents one out of every ten Lithuanians. The Soviet oppression soon became genocide, the systematic destruction of a nation. As well as forced deportation, the Soviets attempted to discredit the partisans by sending bands of NKVD men disguised as partisans to commit atrocities."
"The last large unit of guerillas, the Iron Wolf unit, survived until the fall of 1952. This did not represent the end of the armed resistance. In 1955, Radio Vilnius offered an amnesty to partisans, indicating that the government still perceived a guerilla threat. In March 1956, the KGB offered yet another amnesty. In 1956 riots broke out, partly in protest of the Soviet intervention in Hungary. Also in 1956, the partisan leader "Vanagas" (the Hawk, Adolfas Ramanauskas, a U.S. born leader of the Resistance) was captured and hanged in Kaunas. In 1957, several men were arrested for armed resistance. In 1959, fifteen years after the Soviet re-occupation of Lithuania, three partisans were captured in Samogitia. Many partisans committed suicide, sometimes by detonating grenades at face level so that their faces would not be identified, thereby dooming their relatives to imprisonment."
http://www.lituanus.org/1988/88_3_01.htm
If you still have some doubts if they surrender or not, please read this:
The report of a commission formed in the KGB prison a few days after the arrest of Adolfas Ramanauskas, chief commander of the LLKS partisans' armed forces, on October 15, 1956, noted: "The right eye is covered with haematoma, on the eyelid there are six stab wounds made, judging by their diameter, by a thin wire or a nail going deep to the eyeball. Multiple haematomas in the area of the stomach, a cut wound on a finger of the right hand. The genitalia reveal the following: a large tear wound on the right side of the scrotum and a wound on the left side, both testicles and spermatic ducts are missing."
from the book: http://www.patogupirkti.lt/book/book.as ... 6-757-59-2

Isn't a bit too much for a living human being?

Adolfas Ramanauskas was sentenced to death and executed on November 29, 1957. He was a teacher by civil profession. And he was the last leader of Lithuanian partisans. He betrayed no one, no bunker, no liaison, nor the place where his famous memoirs (excellent book now issued about Soviet-Lithuanian war) was hidden.
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A_Ramanauskas_Vanagas.jpg
Commander Adolfas Ramanauskas - "Vanagas" ("Hawk") with the hawks on his shoulder.
A_Ramanauskas_Vanagas.jpg (76.62 KiB) Viewed 7528 times
Last edited by Lit. on 22 Jan 2005, 12:30, edited 1 time in total.

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#13

Post by Panzermahn » 21 Jan 2005, 13:03

Lit,

Thank you very much for this interesting article. Now, more and more crimes of the Bolsheviks would be exposed and thus the forgotten victims shall not be forgotten again!

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#14

Post by Annelie » 21 Jan 2005, 13:07

Lit

"Ditto" what Panzermahn wrote.

Bolshevik crimes ......and their victimes should not be forgotten.

Annelie

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#15

Post by Ostuf Charlemagne » 25 Jan 2005, 02:20

Musashi : Why were the polish anticommunist resistents of the AK fighting against the lithuanian freedom fighters ?

I mean ,I know that the polish AK and the ukranian UPA clashed frecuently –which was not smart neither - ,given the traditional hate between ukranians and poles .
I guess the russkies who were enemies of both had to be really laughing ,everytime it happened.

Now about the AK waging war against the lithuanians freedom fighters ,it made no sense .... I mean ,the lithuanians had always been the people most close to the poles,while the poles have been forced by destiny to stand between two powerful secular enemies :the russians and the germans .

In this light ,was it pertinent to attack the lithuanians Brothers instead to save the ammo to shoot at the russians and commies ?

Unless there is a story i don’t know about , I think it was done because of chauvinist polish imperialism . One can maybe act in an imperialistic fashion when its country is strong and powerful (like the US do today .....) but not when one is fighting underground for Freedom .

(Imperialism always result as counterproductive . French imperialism helped to the defeat of Napoleon : I mean in 1810 France was still able to inspire fear ,but not to inspire hope anymore as some years ago .
German imperialism helped to the defeat of Hitler : In 1943 Germany was still able to inspire fear ,but not to inspire hope anymore as it did in 1941 when the eastern people welcomed the germans troops as liberators and when collaboration was at highest in western occupied countries .....Today iraqui terrorism ,even having other roots ,is in big part ,nothing less than the local reaction to US imperialism . I don’t understand how world leaders cannot understand it .But i digress ....)

Anyway ,if it wasn’t for that ,why were the polish underground fighters attacking the lithuanians underground fighters ?

To the lithuanian reader : Interesting post ,i didn’t knew the story of this german traitor .

About Adolfas Ramanauskas ,we could add that he was captured in 1956,tortured by the russians ,up to the point that a medical report of MVD from october 15th 1956 stated : “ The right eye is covered with a haematoma,on the eyelid there are six wounds made ,judging by their diameter ,by a thin wire or a nail going deep to the eyeball .Multiple haematomas in the area of the stomach ,a cut wound on a finger of the right hand .The genitalia reveal the following : a large tear wound on the right side of the scrotum and a wound on the left side ,both testicles and spermatic ducts are missing .”

At the end Adolfas Ramanauskas was sentenced to death and executed by november 29th 1957 (surviving in pain during one year more with cutted balls !). Untill today the russian government deny to reveal were and how was he buried .

Now I have a small correction to your text .Not a reproach but just my unended quest fro semantic purity . You mentionne the communist killers as “einsatzgruppe” ...I understand you wanted to make sure the american readers will get the picture .Now it was the “Demolitions Battalions”. Those battalions were formed in 1941 to fight the first Brothers of Forrest in the 3 baltic countries . They were at first supposed to be formed by local communists ,but since very few balts peoples were sympathisers of communists ,the russians had to recruit those battalions from the local jews (‘cause the jews were favirozed by the stalinist regime up till 1949 –50 ) and common criminals who were freed from the jails .

This fact explains why so many baltic men joined the Einsatzgruppen as auxiliaries during the war : they wanted to avenge their loved ones slaughtered by the Demolitions Battalions – a fact very much hidden to day ,where it is more politically correct to describe all baltic people as “born antisemits” ,and making a cover up of those jewish .communist crimes.Some pro-russian ,pro –stalinist readers of this forum went up to the point that they explained those demolitions Battalions as “technical units” to enforce the “burnt earth” policy of Stalin , forgetting that the Demolitions Battalions were perpetring the atrocities much before the Stalin’s Rasputitsa order .



Even if 70.000 soviets regular soldiers were involved against the lithuanians Forrest Brothers by 1945 ,the main task of that fight was the duty of the NKVD (which changed its denomination to MVD in 1946) ,in particular of the O.B.B. (ofice of antibanditism fight of the NKVD ,later renamed U.B.B.)

Again the Demolitions Batallions were reformed .By October 1946 ,they were re-titled as “Pëople’s Defense Platoons” , which sounded less sinister than “demolitions” ,a typical sample of the manipulation of words by communists ,which is why I insist in the semantic purity .

(Manipulation of words led to manipulation of the mind : that way Ceausescu and Milosevic became “fascists” and “conservatives” while being indeed communist hard-liners. Manipulation of words is today typical of the democratic New World Order policy , see CNN ,Dan Rather and others ,for instance .)

So please ,le’ts CALL “CAT” TO THE “CAT “ !

In fact these local “Demolition battalions-People’s Defense Platoons” were known by lithuanians as “Stribaï” (Destructors). So we will refers to them as “Stribaï” ,like you fathers and grandfathers surely did .


In Lithuania it was 22.000 Stribaï ,of which 17.000 were “lithuanians”.
The Forrest Brothers killed 2.000 of them .

I think today survivers of those shameful units should be trialed as criminals against Humanity as it was done to old Barbie (and to innocent man ,Demanjuk ) ....their names are known . But nobody will ever touch the friends of the soviets ,not even today ,because at that time uncle Stalin was allied with the americans .

So is writed history .

Keep posting ,lithuanian friend , those true facts you are posting here are like a Freedom Breeze .

Here some pics : A lithuanian traitor who betrayed his Forrest Brothers ,becoming an MVD agent and killing Sounthern Zone Forrest Brothers Commander Sergijus Staniskis,here posing with the corpse of Staniskis and two russian MVD officer .This pic was token to “strenghten” this traitor’s ties with the MVD .

Two members of the Stribaï in Lithuania (for the french/belgian readers ,that pic should look like a drawing cartoon of “Tintin au pays des Soviets” .....)
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stribai 2.jpg
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