Cossacks in the German Army, 1941-1945

230 Pages·2016·16.75 MB·English

by  Newland S.J.

CASS SERIES ON POLITICS AND MILITARY AFFAIRS
IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Series Editor
MICHAEL I. HANDEL
US. Naval War College,
Newport, RI
1. Leon Trotsky and the Art of Insurrection 1905-1917
H.W. Nelson
2. The Nazi Party in Dissolution: Hitler and the Verbotzeii 1923-1925
David Jablonsky
3. War, Strategy and Intelligence
Michael I. Handel
4. Cossacks in the German Army 1941-1945
Samuel J. Newland
5. Churchill, The Great Game and Total War
David Jablonsky
C O S S A C K S
IN THE
G E R M A N A R M Y
1941-1945
SAMUEL J. NEWLAND
U.S. Army War College
FRANK CASS
First published 1991 in Great Britain by
FRANK CASS AND COMPANY LIMITED
Gainsborough House, 11 Gainsborough Road,
London Ell IRS, England
and in the United States of America by
FRANK CASS
c/o International Specialized Book Services, Inc.
5602 N£. Hassalo Street, Portland, Oregon 97213
Copyright О 1991 Samuel J. Newland
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Newland, Samuel J.
Cossacks in the German army 1941-1945.
1. Germany. WchrmachL Foreign volunteers, 1939-1945
I. Title
940.54'0943
ISBN 0-7146-3351-8
Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Newland, Samuel J.
Cossacks in the German army, 1941-1945 / Samuel J. Newland.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-7146-3351-8
1. Germany, Hccr—History—World War, 1939-1945. 2. Cossacks.
3. Military service. Voluntary—Germany. I. Title.
D757.N484 1991
940.54*1343—dc20 89-25229
CIP
All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without the prior permission of Frank Cass and
Company Limited.
» /
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
BPCC Wheatons Ltd, Exeter
To my father, Harry E. Newland,
who initiated my love for History,
to my mother, Margaret R. Newland,
who encouraged it, and to my wife, Rhonda,
who serves as both my most valued critic and
primary inspiration. I owe the three of you
more than words can tell.
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations ix
List of Maps xi
Acknowledgements xii
Introduction 1
1. Barbarossa: its Origins and Successes 9
2. Exceptions to the Rule 23
3. Who Can Wear the Field Grey? 44
4. The Cossacks: the Tsar’s Praetorian Force 64
5. The De-Slavization of the Cossacks 86
6. Mielau: Organization and Training 110
7. Self-Government for Soviet Nationalities -
a Wehrmacht initiative 127
8. Who Leads the Cossacks? Who Champions
their Cause? 138
9. The Cossack Division in Combat 150
10. Requiem for the Cossack Corps 170
Notes 178
Appendices 197
A. German-U.S. Army Rank Equivalencies
B. Authorized Strength of German Military Organizations
C. Organization of the Cossack Cavalry Corps
D. Corps Staff Structure, Cossack Cavalry Corps
E. Organization of a Horse Cavalry Regiment
Bibliography 203
Index 210
1. A small village in Galicia erects an arch
to greet German troops. 26
2. Zakopane, Galicia welcomes the
German “liberators”. 27
3. The populace of Reval, Estonia, greets
the German soldiers, 1941. 27
4. Eastern volunteers receive a blessing
on entering German service, 1943. 31
5-7. National Socialist propaganda showing
the backward nature of the Soviet
* Union. 36-7
8-11. Soviet prisoners at Senne-Krakenhof
camp, 1941-42. 40-2
12. Kuban Cossack refugee choir in Parma,
Italy, in 1928. 85
13. A column of Cossack soldiers wearing
German insignia, Germany, 1943. 88
14. Lt.-Col. Nicholas Nazarenko, Don
Cossack, and Col. Michael Zaretsky,
Kuban Cossack, Belgrade, 1944. 91
15. Col. Ivan Kononov, 1943. 95
16. Authorized Insignia for Cossack
Volunteers. 100
17. Col. Helmuth von Pannwitz. 105
18. Cossack volunteers in action in 1943. 107
19. A traditional Cossack dance at the
front in 1943. 108
20. Cossack soldiers in 1943. 112
21. German troops withdrawing from the
Caucasus, 1943. 113
22. A skilled Cossack horseman. 119
23. Col. Constantine Wagner, 1945. 148
24. A Cossack unit in France, 1944. 157
25. A Cossack relaxing with Wehrmacht
and S.S. soldiers, 1944. 159
26. A military funeral in Sisack, Croatia, 1944. 161
27. German officers of the Cossack Division,
Sisack, Croatia, 1944. " 162
28. Von Pannwitz, von Schultz and the Cossacks in
Croatia, 1944. 163
29. Gen. von Pannwitz giving a funeral address in
1944, Sisack, Croatia. 163
Cossack Hosts in Europe and Asia, 1914 68
The Cossack Hosts in Europe, 1914 69
The Caucasus under German administration 130
Migration of anti-Soviet Cossacks, 1942—45 136
Operation Schach, anti-partisan sweep of the 1st
Cossack Brigade, 1944 160
Major engagements of the 1st Cossack Cavalry
Division and the XV Cossack Cavalry Corps,
Yugoslavia 1943—45 165
Photographs 1 and 2, from Deutsches Vorfeld im Osten, General Gouveme-
ment, Buchverlag Ost, Krakau, 1941; 3,4,7,12,13,14,17, Г8,19,20,21,22,23
and 24, from the author’s collection; 5 and 6, adapted from the party publica­
tion NS Frauen-Warte, die einzige Parieiamtliche Frauenzeitschrift, Vol. X,
January 11,1943; 8,9, 10 and 11, by courtesy of Norris V. Rohner, 15, from the
wartime publication Die Wehrmacht; 16, adapted from the original German
documents authorized by OKH, ABT, П, 15 November 1942; 26, 27, 28 and
29, by courtesy of U.S. National Archives.
Maps on pp. 68, 69, 130, 136, 165, by Jim Kistler, map on p. 160, from Eric
Kern, Pannwitz und Seine Kosaken, Neckargemiind: Kurt Von Winckel
Verlag, 1963.