"Dirlewanger" units in Valozhyn

[michalst]

According to an article by Roland Pfeiffer (http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Zus ... rkei-R.htm) the Ostmuselmansichen SS-regiment lost about 44 (WIA,KIA and MIA) Germans (or of non-ost people descent) in Wolocyn on the 5th of July 1944. Roland in his article calls this event an "uprising in a polish city of Wolocyn". He doesn't mentions how many ost-legion soldiers (most of them probably Turks) where lost, or what kind of uprising there where.

Wolocyn is probably today the Belarusian town of Valozhyn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volozhin). Before the war it was polish and was called Wołożyn. Other names that I have encountered are Wolozyn and Volozin. I do believe that all the names refer to the same town.

The Ostmuselmansichen SS-regiment was subordinated to the "Dirlewanger" brigade/regiment in May 1944. Both units stayed and fought together until late fall 1944. Neither in Macleans book or in the polish edtion of Michaelis book about Dirlewanger brigade I can't find any information about 5th of July and Wolozyn.

In Hinzes book about Bagration I found out that the VI German Corps had their headquerters west of Wolozyn about at the time of the events mentioned here. Group von Gothberg operated east of Wolozyn but as far as I know neither Dirlewanger brigade or the Ost-SS regiment where part of this group. Maclean says that Dirlewanger could have been part of it, but has no proof, other publications only mentions police regiments (2. and 17.). Munoz in Romanko in their book about partisan war in Belarusia doesn't mentions any antipartisan operation in that region at that time.

Personally I think they probably fought against Red Army when windrowing from Belarusia.
So what really happened there? Where were both units located during operation Bagration (none of the books that I have read mentions it)?

[clement]

Hello Michalst
About this uprising in Wolocyn (Valozhyn, Volozhy'N, Wolozyn, Volozine, Wolozine)
May be there is a link with this “About eighty Jews who escaped the slaughter later fought in the ranks of the Staritski partisan unit of the Tchkalov Brigade, and others joined the "Stalin, " "Bielski, " and other partisan units. Volozhin was liberated in mid - July 1944. Several dozen Jews returned to the town from the forests to which they had fled. "Encyclopedia of the Holocaust" 1990 Macmillan Publishing Company New York, NY 10022”
About Dirlewanger .22.6.1944
Beginning of the Soviet summer offensive
and deployment of SS-Dirlewanger special regiment in the forest of Naliboki. Soviet advance to Lida. Heavy fighting retreat in Grodno-Augustow
Ostmuselmansichen SS-regiment lost about 44 (WIA,KIA and MIA) Germans (or of non-ost people descent)
We can consider that there was one officer killed for 10 soldiers .So between 400 and 500 guys were killed during this action.
I agree with you they probably fought against Red Army when withdrawing from Belarusia.
But still this is not clear
Best
Clement

[michalst]

Thanks Clement!

We can consider that there was one officer killed for 10 soldiers .So between 400 and 500 guys were killed during this action.

The Germans only lost 5 officers and 12 NCOs the rest where German soldiers. So according to your calculation the loses where about 50 people, that's about 30 non-germans.

The question is which German unit where those two units subordinated to? von Gottberg group or the VI corps?

[clement]

HI michalst /from my sources

From the summer of 1942 till the summer of 1944 Dirlewanger troops were based in Logoisk (now Belarus) .The battalion participated in the antipartisan punitive operations code named "May-bug", "Nordsee", "Karlsbad", "Frida", "Horgnung", "Jacob", "Magic flute", "Kottbus", "Gunter", "German" and others. In these operations over 200 villages were destroyed by the battalion and more than 120,000 civilians were killed

30/06 /1944 Anti-partisan operations in Belorussia reduced the regiment's strenght to 971 men
30/06 /1944 The Ostmuselmanische SS-Regiment (800 strenght) is attached to SS-Sonderregiment Dirlewanger
11/ 07/ 1944 Hauptsturmführer Hermann, KIA.
Mid - July 1944 .Volozhin was liberated .
From 13 July to 8 August 1943 Antipartisan pacification action "Hermann" in the Naliboki Forest

Your question is which German unit where those two units subordinated to? von Gottberg group or the VI corps?
Von Gottberg KpGr

Heeresgruppe Mitte
Truppenbestand15/7/44

KpGr. "von Gottberg":
Brigade "Dirlewanger"
Brigade "Kaminski"
SS-Pol.-Rgt. 2
SS-Pol.-Rgt. 24
III./Pol.-Rgt. 31
II./Pol.-Rgt. 36

Pol.-Rgt. 17(?)
Sicherungs-Rgt. 64
PiBtl. 743
Fight against partisans .April 1944 strength of around 4,000 men (?)!


Die Gliederungen aus Rolf Hinzes "Ostfrontdrama 1944" für den Juli 1944:

http://i16.tinypic.com/2qamts3.jpg

http://i11.tinypic.com/4dd7u2u.jpg

http://i11.tinypic.com/4dd7u2u.jpg

http://i1.tinypic.com/33cll74.jpg

http://i11.tinypic.com/33vjmnr.jpg

http://i16.tinypic.com/3y5pism.jpg

http://i13.tinypic.com/30c0x6t.jpg

http://i1.tinypic.com/47l53si.jpg

http://i1.tinypic.com/2uxxnv7.jpg

http://i16.tinypic.com/2ch6l2r.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/2wmi3h0.jpg
Best

[michalst]

on Gottberg KpGr

Heeresgruppe Mitte
Truppenbestand15/7/44

KpGr. "von Gottberg":
Brigade "Dirlewanger"
Brigade "Kaminski"
SS-Pol.-Rgt. 2
SS-Pol.-Rgt. 24
III./Pol.-Rgt. 31
II./Pol.-Rgt. 36

Hello Clement!

I can't find "Dirlewanger" or the "Kaminski" unit in none of the source you gave. I have the English version of Hinzes book, and I can't fin a thing about "Dirlewanger" in it either. As far as I know the RONA unit (Kaminski) was same place near Czestochowa in Poland in mid July. They have been evacuated together with women and children in the early parts of Bagration.

[clement]

Hello Michalst
Sorry for the delay but I am actually very busy.
In short ;Dirlewanger is attached to Gottberg since mid 1943 (other sources :march 1944 ?),apparently from what I know Kaminski also.
See
http://www.cpmodels.co.uk/main/1946/thedevilsshadow.pdf

This is the most comprehensive text that I have ever read about this topic.
See also

http://forum.panzer-archiv.de/viewtopic ... sc&start=0

Thats where I have find the first link between Gottberg ,Dirlewanger and Kaminski
Source : Hannes Eckstein .I tried to find in which book but …..

You can find in the Internet many articles that describes the different unternehmen headed by those three men :

Frühlingsfest“ der KGr.v.Gottberg gegen starke Partisanenkräfte im Großraum Uschatschi bis 12.5.43 mit (hauptsächlich) SS-PolRgt 2, 24, 26, SS-SonderBtl.Dirlewanger,
Gruppe Kaminski mit 1.u.5.Rgt, GardeBtl.
Außerdem werden vom PzAOK (hier „Unternehmen „Regenschauer“) mehrere Einheiten gestellt, z.B. SichRgt 64, PiBtl 743. (Michaelis, 36.SS,1.Auflage) and also Unternehmen Kormoran :
It took part in several anti-partisan operations during the first six moths of 1944, such as Regenschauer, Frülingsfest (7.011 partisans killed and 1.065 weapons captured) and Kormoran (7.697 partisans killed and 325 weapons captured), as a part of SS-Kampfgruppe von Gottberg, which also included the notorious Dirlewanger unit

Some other links

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... &start=120
http://forum.panzer-archiv.de/viewtopic.php?t=4402
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_von_Gottberg
http://www.forum-der-wehrmacht.de/threa ... cc11161cf3
http://www.minelinks.com/war/epilog_doc5.html
http://www.geschichteinchronologie.ch/j ... wanger.htm
http://forum.politik.de/forum/archive/i ... 24249.html
http://rodohforum.yuku.com/topic/2482
http://www.mazal.org/NO-series/A-NO-Index-002.htm
Also ther must be infos in Hitler's White Russians Anti-Partisan Warfare by Munoz
Best
Clement

[michalst]

Thanks for the links!

This one is very good.

http://www.cpmodels.co.uk/main/1946/thedevilsshadow.pdf

According to it the Dirlewanger unit (with the muslim regiment) where at Lida from the 3rd of July to about 8th when Lida fell. Then he had orders to go to Grodno, but ignored orders and retreaded to Lyck.

I wonder what kind of sources this author used. NARA files or some books?