Grigorejev's partisan brigade

[John Hilly]

Indeed. Thanks Lotvonen.

[Lotvonen]

Here are all of the summaries I found from folder T 5805/4.

Translations arranged by date:

Maaselkä Group HQ telegraph message 4775/4145/II/6sal
to GHQ Intelligence Bureau 1
Report 20.7.42.

Of the enemy partisan outfit moving W of Seesjärvi lake, one defector has been taken prisoner in Tumpa village, who claims that the said outfit is a Partisan Brigade comprising some 700 men divided in two Battalions. The Partisan outfit has set out about 21 days ago from Sekehe, then 900 men strong. 200 men have been sent back in the course of the mission. There are one Major, 3 Captains, one doctor, 30 nurses, several lieutenants. Included are one Sapper platoon and one Signals platoon. The personnel includes 10 Finns and 50 Carelians. Armament is checkered, including e.g. German rifles and Finnish SMGs. 3 radio sets and plenty of batteries. The objective of the outfit is Suojärvi, intermediate target Tumpa village where aircraftt were to drop food last night. Arriving at Tumpa food was finished. The outfit has been issued with a curious order not to engage in battle but to strive for the target.

By order: Bureau II chief Maj A. Soininen.

Maaselkä Group HQ telegraph message 5582/4313/II/6sal
to GHQ Intelligence Bureau 1
Report on enemy 29.7.42.

Of the Partisan Br. operating W of Seesjärvi lake another prisoner was taken on 27.7. (Ukraininan defector) SW of Seesjärvi. The POW confirmed the information that the said Partisan Brigade is the 1. Carelo-Finnish Partisan Br. (1. Partisan Br.). The CO is still Maj. Grigorjev.

=On 28.5. the Brigade set out to march to Näntämä, from there they were shipped in one train transport via Sorokka to Sekehe rwy station, arriving there 10.6. 5.Detachment had been left in Sorokka. In Sekehe the gear and the weaponry were completed. Food was better than in Puutoinen. When in Sekehe the men found out by the by why the outfit had been moved there, because there was talk about a long and dangerous mission in the enemy rear. Training in Sekehe was but three shooting training sessions.
The Br.CO is, as mentioned, Maj. Grigorjev, the Comissar is Sr. Politruk Aristov and the chief of staff Capt. Kolesnikov¨(previous POW called him Kolesnik). In Sekehe the 2.and 9.detachment had been merged with the other detachments (5. had been left in Sorokka).
In Sekehe the Partisan Br. Was complemented with replacements, about 12 to 15 men to each detachment, after that each detachment comprised about 100 men, some more (102 to 110). According to the POW 75% are Communists or Komsomolts. Considerable part are Carelians but of them only a small part knows the Finnish language. Each detachment includes 7 female paramedics, and the Hq detachment one female doctor. The Brigade includes about 45 female medics.
Each detachment has a radio set in case the detachments should have to operate independently. The HQ radio is used to communicate with Sorokka where further instructions are provided. Radio has also been used to arrange for food replenishment by air.
As to the task and objectives of thje Brigade, the POW told that he had heard during the mission from squad and platoon leaders that the Brigade was to penetrate deep in the Finnish rear for 2 ½
to 3 months and to destroy garrisons, villages, bridges etc. The Brigade was to stay together for another 50km from the present location (heading S) to destroy a garrison (Porajärvi maybe?). Then the Brigade was to split, and each detachment would get their own direction and tasks. One of the detachments was to penetrate as far as Suojärvi, while the 4. detachment was to return via Jänkäjärvi and Selkki, because one of the squad leaders was familiar with the terrain. The coherence of the Brigade now may depend on availability of food, because according to the POW the Brigade shall continue in one unit only if they get food, else the Brigade would split into detachments already. The strength of the Brigade is now probably a little more than 600.

By order , Head of staff, Col. Savonjousi.

Maaselkä Group HQ telegraph message 5665/4326/II/6sal
to GHQ Intelligence Bureau 1
Report on enemy 30.7.42.
SW of Sellinjärvi lake on 27.7. a prisoner of the Partisan brigade was taken, he says he deserted the Br. Already on 23. July.
The POW tells that he had been in farming work since last summer in Puutoinen until he on 1.6.42 hd been ordered to join the 6th Detachment of the Partisan Brigade, CO Kapt. Grekokv. The POW does not know anything new about the Partisan Brigade and its progress.
According to the POW as the Partisan Br. Left Puutoinen there were left Sapper Battalion 12 (or 128 or 1201?) and border guard troops.

By order , Head of staff, Col. Savonjousi.

Maaselkä Group HQ telegraph message 7537/4667/II/6sal
to GHQ Intelligence Bureau 1
Report on enemy 18.8.42.
SW of Seesjärvi of the Partisan Brigade has been caught among othrs a Carelian boy born in 1924, who has told that the Brigade included originally some 620 men and 40 to ro paramedic women. The recce detachment, in which the POW belonged, comprised three squades and each squad included: squad leader (SMG+compass), his deputy (SMG), SMG gunner, 4 riflemen (autoloading rifles) and a paramedic woman. The recce detachment strength was 30 men, including the leader and the politruk, a deputy for each and two radio operators. The recce detachment armament comprised 12 SMGs, 2 auto rifles and the rest autoloading rifles. The Brigade had 54 SMGs, 9 for each detachment. The SMGs were PPSHs made in 1942, some model PPDs. The drum magazine of each type has a capacity of 73 rounds; the PPD mag features a long neck and the PPSh mag a short one. They also had some Suomi SMGs. Some of the rifles were German and even some Finnish “pystykorva” rifles were there. There were two kinds of hand grenades, i.e. egg-shaped Fr-1 and stick type RGD/33. Each man had two hand grenades.
The prisoner knew that the objective of the Partisan Brigade was:
1) Destroy the Suojärvi-Äänislinna rail line in several spots
2) Torch Porajärvi village
3) Destroy the command posts of Finnish HQ s.
(Struck out: Political commanders were eagerly active all through the mission. A bulletin was published twice, among other things listing the names of those who had behaved exemplarily and striven to carry out their tasks wll.)
The politruks had explained that the aim of the mission was also to liberate the Carelian population and allow the volunteers to join the Brigade. The Pow has told that N of Seesjärvi, behind the front line, there is Det. Valli (Maj Valli) comprising 200 specially selected men armed with SMGs and auto rifles. The detachment has had Partisan training and they are cantonned in tents.
The old Sekehe paper mill has been converted into a war material factory, that makes auto weapons and artillery shells, and repairs weapons and tanks. Certainly Sekehe has been recently turned into an important military and armaments node, well protected with AA weapons and aircraft patrols.

By order , Head of staff, Col. Savonjousi.

Maaselkä Group HQ telegraph message 7234/4600/II/6sal
to GHQ Intelligence Bureau 1
Report on enemy 15.8.42.
On 10. and 13.8. a total of three prisoners were caught from the 1. Partisan Br, two of which are Carelians. They could not provide any new information about the earlier phases of the Brigade.

The POWs confirmed the information that the Br. Is now led by Capt. Kolesnikov who also is the leader of 8. Detachment. On 10.8. one of rthe prisoners had heard that the Br.had split into detachments to be better able to get through the Finnish securing line, and to reassemble at the road. There was enough of ammo as that was airdropped twice, which was in vain in the opinion of the POW because there was too much of it anyway. The killed provided a source of ammo replenishment. The weapons of the killed were dumped in waterways or bogs. Initially the sick and wounded were carried with the outfit but lately the sick and seriously wounded were simply shot and sometimes the killed were dumped in lakes. An order had been given that the men should shoot themselves if there was a risk of being taken prisoner.
Due to lack of food the men had grown weaker and were no more willing to fight and obey the orders of the commanders.
One of the POWs told that they got the latest front situation information secretly from the radiomen, whereas the politruks provided false information.
According to the prisoners, also LMGs are being produced in Sekehe

By order , Head of staff, Col. Savonjousi.

Maaselkä Group HQ telegraph message 7756/4709/II/6sal
to GHQ Intelligence Bureau 1
Report on enemy 20.8.42.

Prisoners taken from the Partisan Brigade NW of Seesjärvi have told that the Brigade has taken such heavy losses and the detachments have shrunk so small that they had to be merged. 4. detachment was merged with the 6. and 7. with 8. 3.Detachment had got separated and disappeared. On 16.8 the Brigade comprised HQ, 1. , 6., and 8. Detachments, total strength 200 men. In the latest phase the Brigade was followed by 30 wounded, including two women, one of which died and the other one was shot as she was no more able to follow. The wounded were accompanied by Sr. Lt. Raikov who would shoot everyone too weak to walk. One of the POWs knew that on 18.8. the Brigade intended to cross the Salkovaara road, break through the Finnish securing lines straight for Sekehe. The same POW had heard that the Partisan Br. was to be met by the 2. Ibr, or part of it, having food with them. According to some pieces of information it seems that the III Btn of maybe 2.Br (according to POW data at Kiirasjärvi ) has arrived N of Seesjärvi.

According to info provided by POW s , Intelligence Detachment 4156 ( Detachment Radionov) placed W of Kotskoma, has been renamed 1922. As mentioned in previous bulletins, the III Platoon of the said Detachment was moved in the beginning of May to Sekehe village N of Seesjärvi

By order , Head of staff, Col. Savonjousi.

Without header:
The Pow had heard rumours that in the rear there were another Division to relieve the 289.D . The task of the enemy troops is now defence, but according to the Politruks after the formation of the second front it is intended to attack on a wide front.
W of Seesjärvi in the terrain of Sidrajärvi a Russki straggler was taken prisoner, he said he had belonged to the Sapper Platoon of the 1. Partisan Brigace. The POW had been called up on 3.1.42 in the Jandeba training center, then he was posted to the Detached Sapper Battalion. Here the POW was in Sapper training for 5 months. Last spring a Platoon was detached from the Sapper Btn and sent to Sorokka, where the Platoon prepared by building up their stamina by gymnastics and sport. From Sorokka the Platoon was sent to Uresjärvi station, or in its vicinity, in order to join the Partisan Brigade that already had set out. At the crossing point of Sekehe river there was a Border Guard Company cantonned in three barracks, strength 128 men. According to the POW these Border Guard men are wearing on their lapels as a special ID a white ring with two crossed rifles. It is possible that this insignia is for the NKVD troops, because a couple of other POWs of the Partisan Br. Told that the politruks are wearing similar rings. One POW also told that the political workers (obviously referring to politruks) are wearing a pink ring with a metal yellow cross over it in their lapels.

[igor_verh]

The following account is translated at public request . There is a map sketch in the source.

Pentti Perttuli
Bloody assault

Thank you so much, Lotvonen. Very interesting article, very accurately describes that we saw on the battlefield.
On photo: Hyvönen's MG position:

[igor_verh]

2) According to FAF Situation Report for 18.8.1942 four Finnish MO (Morane) fighters were sortied for ground attack (strafing) to Jolmajärvi (Elmozero?) between 0740 and 0900 - at which time they met 4 Russian HC (Hurricanes) of which 1 was shot down without a loss. 7 (or 8) Moranes were later, 1100 - 1300, sortied to same location and tasked with protecting the ground troops. They met ~10 TH type fighters (Tomahawk) and during the air combat 1 MO was shot down but pilot bailed out safely.

Hi, I found description of this fight in war diary of 152th Figter Air Regiment (152 Истребительный Авиационный Полк) here https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view ... vki:drugie, page 73. Of course, soviet version has some differences:

"Date 18.8
Time 5.40
Covering the crossing and reconnaissance of troops
During the day regiment made flights to cover a crossing at Elmozero area and reconnaissance roads from Kuznavolok to Vitcheozero. At period 8.05-8.45 made a flight to reconnaissance an enemy's troops. At 8.20 at Elmozero area 3 "Hurricanes" met 6 "Brewsters", which assaulted a partisans ferry. In the beginning air battle which lasted 15 min. no one had losses, because enemies airplanes retreated to their airfield and ours did not pursue. Churkin's airplane had 35-40 bullet hits, Kharkov's - 1 hit, was broken a headlight.At period 11.40-12.50 two "Hurricanes" and 5 "Tomahawks" (from 195th FAR) made a flight to cover a crossing at Elmozero area. At 12.00 noticed 2 "Brewsters", then 3 "Fokker D-21" near objective's area. First entered the battle "Tomahawks", then - "Hurricanes". Dogfight took place at different altitudes from 1200 to 1700 meters, because enemies appeared from clouds one at a time. As a result of air battle sergeant Knyazev shot down one "Brewster", another one was shot down by Kuznetsov during a group attack. There were no casualties, landing on our airfield was successfully."