Major General Vlasov. General Vlasov and the Russian Liberation Army

General Vlasov

What was this man, whose name is synonymous with betrayal, what events in his life made possible his cooperation with the Wehrmacht? Who is General A. A. Vlasov - an ideological opponent of Stalinism or a victim of circumstances?

Vlasov Andrey Andreevich was born in 1901, on September 14 (1) in the village. Lomakino, near Nizhny Novgorod, in the family of a middle peasant. He was the youngest son in a large family. After studying at a rural school, the boy was sent to study at a theological seminary in Nizhny Novgorod. But what happened in 1917 changed all plans, and 17-year-old Andrei Vlasov goes to study as an agronomist. 1919 became a fateful year, Vlasov was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army and he would never become an agronomist. Vlasov's life will be closely connected with the army.

His military career began in 1919 at the end of the commander's course, then - fighting on the fronts of the Civil War, after 1922 - command and staff positions, teaching, higher commander's courses in 1929, joining the ranks of the Bolshevik Communists, since 1935 A A. Vlasov is studying at the Military Academy. Frunze. Rapid career growth! The high military command of the USSR trust Vlasov so much that they send him to China in the fall of 1938 as a military adviser. And in six months, Vlasov will become Chiang Kai-shek's chief military consultant, and part-time - a spiritual friend of his wife, as well as the owner of 4 teenage girls, bought by him on the market cheaply, for less than half a month's salary. The Chinese generalissimo highly appreciated Vlasov as a military specialist, and presented him with the Order of the Golden Dragon, and his wife gave him a watch, while Vlasov himself brought three more suitcases of all sorts to his homeland. Chinese awards, gifts and acquired goods were taken away from a military adviser in the USSR, about which Vlasov was very lamented.
After returning from a business trip to China, Major General Vlasov was sent to the 99th Infantry Division with a check, later he was appointed commander. Head of the 4th mech. corps, located in Western Ukraine, Vlasov was appointed in the winter of 1940-41. Here, for General Vlasov, the Great War began. For skillful and competent actions, Vlasov receives positive reviews from Timoshenko and Khrushchev and is sent as commander to the 37th Army, to the Southwestern Front to organize the defense of Kyiv. The army was surrounded through no fault of the new commander, but Kyiv had to surrender to the enemy and leave the encirclement. Only by the end of November 1941 did the remnants of the army unite with the Soviet troops. I.V. called Vlasov and gave the order to form the 20th Army in order to ensure the defense of Moscow. The battles for Moscow were fierce, but the army under the command of Vlasov managed to push the Germans back from Volokolamsk and Solnechnogorsk. For the successful defense of Moscow, Vlasov was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Chief of the General Staff G.K. spoke of General Vlasov as a quite skillful and competent commander, and CAM treated Vlasov very well, appreciated him.

Fatal for Vlasov was his appointment as commander of the 2nd shock army. They were appointed to command the encircled army, whose fighters barely survived the terrible frosty and hungry winter, staggering from fatigue and exhaustion. Futile attempts were made four times to break through the encirclement. The remnants of the army were selected from the encirclement in small groups. General Vlasov and his small companions, after three weeks of wandering through forests and swamps, on July 12, 1942, went to the village, asked for food, while they ate, the headman reported to the Germans, who soon arrived in the village. General Vlasov, apparently, then decided to surrender. Subsequently, he was transferred to Vinnitsa, to a camp for senior officers of the Red Army, where he was interrogated, at which the general described in detail the state of affairs on the fronts, what strategic plans were being made at Headquarters. Vlasov became interested in the Minister of Propaganda of the III Reich, Goebbels, and he suggested using the general for agitation among those dissatisfied with the Stalinist regime and prisoners of war. Vlasov was asked to form the Russian Liberation Army (ROA). A full-fledged army did not work out, only two divisions, somehow completed. The ROA never ended up on the Eastern Front, performing escort and punitive functions, the Russians, after all, were not trusted by the Germans. Engaged in agitation, the general managed to resolve personal issues by marrying a millionaire widow. But the war was ending, and it was already obvious that the Nazis would not see victory, the allies would have to surrender and ask for asylum. But the allies, fulfilling the Yalta agreement, gave the traitor general to the SMERSH detachment, Vlasov was taken to Moscow. The investigation was conducted for almost a year, although the verdict on Vlasov and his 11 accomplices was passed by the Politburo of the Central Committee back in 1943. The court session was closed, without a prosecutor and a lawyer. The verdict was read out on August 1, 1946, the convicts were deprived of titles, awards, personal property and were sentenced to death by hanging.

In the village of Lomakino, Nizhny Novgorod Region, a house-museum of Andrei Vlasov, a lieutenant general of the Red Army, who later became the head of the Russian Liberation Army (ROA), which fought as part of the armed forces of Nazi Germany, is being created.

Recently, a Nizhny Novgorod private entrepreneur bought a wooden house in which General Vlasov was born and grew up from his distant relative, an 85-year-old pensioner. Under the terms of the deal, she will live in the same house for the rest of her life. In the future, a museum will be located here.

Secret Intruder

Are you sure - I ask the initiator of this action - that General Vlasov deserves a museum?

- Someday the archives will be opened, the materials of the closed trial will be made public, and then we will know the whole truth. But whatever the final look at the personality of General Vlasov turns out to be, he is a prominent figure in the history of the Second World War, and people are interested in everything connected with his life.

In the Soviet years, his name was synonymous with the concept of "traitor". One of the most successful commanders of the Red Army, having been surrounded in the summer of 1942, was taken prisoner.

Soon Vlasov led the Russian Liberation Army. In May 1945, the divisions of the ROA were captured: Smersh detachments shot the Vlasovites, and the Americans handed them over to the USSR. According to the verdict of the military collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR, 11 generals of the ROA, including Vlasov, were hanged in 1946.

In the old days, the “only true” point of view sounded, other opinions were not even suspected. Meanwhile, General Vlasov had relatives and countrymen who did not condemn him so unequivocally.

Among the Lomakinites, a version is popular: General Vlasov was not a traitor, but a deeply conspiratorial intelligence officer. And this version has a certain logic.

It is known that Stalin highly valued Vlasov as a brave and intelligent commander. He personally presented the talented commander with the Order of Lenin. With the knowledge of Stalin, in 1938 Vlasov (then still a colonel) was sent to China as a military adviser to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. Usually, Soviet intelligence officers who communicated abroad with residents of foreign special services were charged with espionage and sent to the Gulag upon their return. With Vlasov, however, this did not happen: instead of repression - another career take-off.

After General Vlasov left the encircled Kyiv and made his way through the rear of the Nazis to his own, the Supreme Commander instructed him to lead the 20th Army. With only 15 tanks, his fighters drove the Germans back from Solnechnogorsk and advanced a hundred kilometers to the west. Then Andrei Vlasov was called the savior of Moscow.

In 1942, Stalin gave Vlasov a new assignment: to lead the 2nd Shock Army of the Volkhov Front, which ended up in a "cauldron" under the encircled Leningrad. At the same time, the lieutenant general received the status of deputy front commander. Beria and Voroshilov brought him to a new place of service. For supporters of the version of "Vlasov - Stirlitz" this is an argument in favor of the special powers of the "traitor general".

Vlasov was in a difficult relationship with the Nazi military leaders, more than once spoke critically about the policies of the Nazis (for example, he condemned the murder of civilians and the genocide of Jews), did not wear a German military uniform, preferring a “Stalinist” jacket. And at the time of the transfer by the Americans of General Vlasov to the Soviet allies, in his breast pocket were the ticket of a member of the CPSU (b) saved for three years of service with the Germans and the paybook of the commander of the Red Army.

The Vlasov units were not actually opponents of the Red Army. They fought mainly on the western front with the allies and ... with the Nazis, liberating Prague.

After the betrayal of Vlasov announced in the Soviet press, his relatives were almost not affected by repression. Only the first wife and stepmother spent a short time in prison. All other relatives - and this is almost the entire village of Lomakino, which had three hundred households during the war - were not touched. The father was not arrested either, who, however, was so worried about the shame of his son that he fell ill and soon died.

Did they hang the wrong one?

And was Vlasov, as reported in the press, executed?

The great-niece of General Nina Stroeva conveyed to her countrymen the words of the legendary pilot Alexander Pokryshkin, a relative common to her and General Vlasov. Three times Hero of the Soviet Union knew Andrei Andreevich well. He was present at the execution and claimed that under the name of Vlasov they hanged a short peasant, although the general was distinguished by a heroic figure - his height was about two meters.

Roman Konnov, a 72-year-old resident of Lomakin, a relative of Vlasov's first wife, recalls the story of fellow villager Pyotr Ryabinin, who often traveled to his daughter in the Far East. Once in the 60s, Vlasov entered the club stage with an accordion. "Andrey! - not having sustained, shouted Peter. - I'm Lomakinsky! The artist was embarrassed, turned pale and disappeared backstage.

But such evidence, of course, is not enough to reconsider the fate and role in the history of General Vlasov.

Opinions of AiF experts

Vladimir Belous, Head of the Department of Modern National History, Nizhny Novgorod State University, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor:

As a violator of the military oath and a man who fought against the Red Army, Vlasov should have been shot without trial. He was definitely a traitor.

Yuri Nikiforov, Senior Researcher, Department of the History of Wars and Geopolitics, Institute of General History, Candidate of Historical Sciences:

There is not a single serious historian who would not consider General Vlasov a traitor. Not a single document is known to prove that Vlasov was a Soviet intelligence officer.

Betrayal is always betrayal - at all times, in all situations. A professional military man who changed the military oath he gave and went over to the side of the enemy, or who agreed to cooperate with the enemy to the detriment of his country, becomes a traitor to his country and his people. You can give any justification for such actions, but this does not change the essence. Indeed, most often betrayal is committed in favor of the force that is currently stronger. This means that a person who has committed treason, having gone over to the side of the enemy, chooses what is more profitable and convenient for him. Exactly the same situation happened during the Great Patriotic War with the Red Army General Vlasov. No matter how some modern researchers try to justify, and some even justify the act of General Vlasov, betrayal can neither be justified nor forgiven.

Biography of General Vlasov (14.09.1901-1.08.1946) briefly

Born on September 1, 1901 in the village of Lomakino, Nizhny Novgorod Region, in the family of a peasant handicraftsman. He strove to get an education and began with a theological school, then entered a labor school. After graduation, he entered the Nizhny Novgorod University at the Faculty of Agriculture, dreaming of becoming an agronomist. And here the new government demands to protect its conquests, which I don’t really want to do. But there was nowhere to go, and in the spring of 1920 Vlasov was drafted into the Red Army. A competent, 19-year-old young man is sent to infantry courses for the command staff of the Red Army. Not wanting to be an ordinary soldier at the front, he makes efforts and receives the rank of commander. After graduating with the rank of paint committee, Andrei Andreevich manages not to get into the active army, but is always in spare, rear units, although in 40 he indicates in documents that he fought with Wrangel's troops. For two years he worked as head of the regimental school.

This is followed by the Higher Shooting Courses for the improvement of the command staff of the Red Army in Moscow, after which follows the direction to the headquarters of the Leningrad District. In 1930, Vlasov became a member (of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks). In 1934, he entered the Leningrad branch of the Military Evening Academy of the Red Army, completed the 1st course, then for some reason stopped training. Work at the district headquarters was purely staff and was not connected with the troops. Career becomes the goal and meaning of life, and a number of happy accidents contribute to this. Officer ranks are reintroduced and Vlasov receives the rank of major. Almost none of his modern well-wishers mention that from 1937 to 1938 he was a member of the Military Tribunal of the Leningrad and Kiev military districts and did not initiate a single acquittal.In 1938, he received the rank of colonel, bypassing the lieutenant colonel, which had not yet been adopted in the Red Army.

From 1938 to December 1940, a business trip to China as an adviser to the headquarters of Chiang Kai-shek. This made it possible not to take a direct part in the hostilities, but to acquire the necessary and useful connections. All further career after returning to the Union and before the start of the war is very successful. The ability to present himself and his activities in a favorable light, provides him with a benevolent attitude and promotion. It's funny, but, having no experience in practical combat operations, in 1940 he received the rank of major general. Some historians believe that Vlasov had a very influential patron. By the beginning, only his mechanized corps was equipped according to the standards with tanks, armored vehicles, guns and mortars. The number of the latest T-34 tanks was the largest - 360 units out of a total of 892 for the entire Red Army. Andrei Andreevich's mechanized corps was destroyed, like most others.

Further, he was appointed commander of the 37th army defending. After the surrender, he barely left the encirclement. He was appointed commander of the 20th Army, but spent almost the entire period of defense and counteroffensive near Moscow in the hospital, treating an ear infection. Andrei Vlasov has always been very popular with women, including military doctors. However, for this operation he receives the rank of lieutenant general and the Order of the Red Banner. Commanding the 2nd shock army, which was surrounded near Novgorod, Vlasov gives the order to leave the encirclement on his own, in fact, abandons the army. He himself is captured and immediately agrees to the Germans' offer of cooperation. Begins to create the Russian Liberation Army from prisoners of war. The Germans themselves spoke of Vlasov extremely contemptuously. In 1945 he was captured by the Red Army. In 1946 he was convicted of treason, deprived of military ranks and state awards, and hanged as a traitor.

Where he was born on September 14, 1901 in a family of peasants. He received a spiritual education at the Nizhny Novgorod seminary, which he did not finish because of the beginning in 1917. Then in 1919 he was drafted into the Red Army, where he served as a platoon commander and fought on the Southern Front, and then in Northern Tavri, where Vlasov became a company commander. In 1920 a detachment under the command of Vlasov participated in the suppression of the Makhno uprising.

Since 1922 to 1929 served in command and staff positions, taught and improved his own education by graduating from the Higher Army Command Courses. In 1930, he joined the Communist Party, and Vlasov's career went uphill: from division commander to military attaché in China.

With Vlasov he became commander of the 37th Army. After he was able to withdraw his soldiers and the soldiers of several other armies from the encirclement, he was entrusted with the 20th Army on the Western Front. Here he again differs, and receives the rank of lieutenant general. The merits of Vlasov at that time were noted by himself.

Of course, the lieutenant general immediately found envious people, and on their advice, Vlasov was sent to save the 2nd Shock Army, whose situation was hopeless. Vlasov made several almost unsuccessful attempts to save people, then led the soldiers out in small groups. However, part of the troops died, part was captured, only a few managed to get out of the encirclement.

On June 25, a plane was sent for the lieutenant general to save him, but Vlasov refused to leave the remaining soldiers and remained in the forests near the village of Tukhovezhi for another three weeks. On July 11, 1942, Vlasov and his cook wandered into this village, where the locals seated them at the table, while they themselves called the German police. There are several versions of exactly how Vlasov was captured, he himself always claimed that he had surrendered in battle, but neither German nor Soviet sources confirm this.

Having been captured, Vlasov unexpectedly not only began to willingly answer all the questions of the Germans, but also agreed to cooperate with them. Among those with whom he worked were Goering, Himmler, Goebbels, Ribbentrop and other high-ranking Gestapo officials. He did not achieve respect from new colleagues, but, according to eyewitness accounts, he was not too worried about this.

From Soviet prisoners of war, Vlasov formed the Russian Liberation Army, which he led. This army was created in order to fight against Bolshevism, the soldiers carried out punitive operations on the territory of the USSR against partisans, destroyed entire villages on the territory of Belarus. In total, 2 divisions were formed, and the second was formed only by April 1945. In addition, the ROA included 2 fighter detachments, each numbering 300 people.

Vlasov tried to involve other captured Soviet officers in his activities, but he did not succeed. There is documentary evidence that Vlasov advised the German leadership on the defense of Berlin based on his experience in defense and Kyiv. In April 1945, Vlasov was offered political asylum by the Spanish dictator Franco, but he once again refused to abandon his soldiers. Then the Americans offered him help in escaping, but he did not change his decision.

On May 12 of the same year, Vlasov was captured by Soviet troops, taken to Marshal Konev, and then to Moscow. For more than a year, nothing was reported about him, until the very moment of the publication in Izvestia of a note that a trial had begun on him. The trial was originally supposed to be made public, but in the end it was held behind closed doors, apparently so as not to spur anti-Soviet sentiments. The trial took 2 days, on July 30 and 31, 1946. There were no acquittals, but eyewitnesses claim that Vlasov tried to take all the blame on himself in order to alleviate the plight of his soldiers. The execution was carried out on August 1 of the same year.

In 2001, the petition for the rehabilitation of General Vlasov was rejected, he was only cleared of the charge of anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda. During his military career, Vlasov was awarded 2 and, as well as the Order of the Golden Dragon from the Chinese government. However, according to the verdict of the court, he was deprived of all awards and titles.

General Vlasov - a traitor to the Motherland or a fighter against socialism? We will answer this question in this article, based on facts and historical documents.

I'll tell you the truth about you

which is worse than any lie.

A.S. Griboyedov

In our critical time, the opportunity has arisen to assess the recent tragic events of national history in a new way. Previously, they were presented from the point of view of historical materialism, when the interests of the then dominant CPSU were put in the first place. Now a number of studies have appeared that go to the other extreme, evaluating historical processes from the point of view of boundless liberalism.

The attention of liberal researchers is attracted by the figure of Lieutenant General Andrei Andreevich Vlasov. It is alleged that Vlasov changed his oath in order to fight for a free Russia, against socialist Russia, and this idea is so attractive that it justified his struggle and can be considered a hero.

We will try, as far as we can, to shed light on this issue, based on facts and published documents.

“On the thirteenth day of a deliberate pestilence by starvation of people, the Germans drove a wounded horse into the camp. And a huge crowd of prisoners rushed to the unfortunate animal, opening knives and razors on the move, hastily fumbling in their pockets for something sharp, capable of cutting or tearing moving meat. Two towers opened machine-gun fire on the formed giant pile of people. Perhaps, for the first time in the entire war, the Nazis spent cartridges so beautifully and economically. Not a single surprisingly luminous bullet made a whistle, leaving over the heads of the prisoners! And when the people fled to the barracks, in the place where five minutes ago the nag still hobbled on three legs, there was a pile of bloody, still warm bones and around them about a hundred people were killed, crushed, wounded ... "

Soviet soldiers who were taken prisoner found themselves in monstrous conditions that exceeded the limits of human strength. Among the many prisoners there were those who could not stand these sufferings and, having received an offer to put on a German uniform and receive a hearty ration of a German soldier, agreed to cooperate with the Nazis. Some went for direct treason voluntarily, out of conviction, wanting to take revenge on the Bolsheviks for their atrocities during the Civil War, collectivization, and mass repressions. There were also those who betrayed their homeland out of cowardice, justifying their low deed with some plausible pretexts. Of course, a person is free to revise his convictions, but it is quite another matter, saving his life, to change his convictions.

These latter included Lieutenant General Vlasov. The army he commanded was surrounded, and he himself surrendered in July 1942. Once in captivity, General Vlasov changed his communist beliefs to Nazi ones. However, for comparison, we can recall, for example, Lieutenant General Karbyshev. He, like Vlasov, was captured, but, unlike him, he did not surrender, but was precisely taken prisoner, because he was seriously wounded in battle. For refusing to cooperate with the Nazis, General Karbyshev was tortured to death. We can also recall Lieutenant General Denikin, who also received an offer of cooperation. Knowing full well that he lives in a time when, in the words of the famous philosopher Ivan Ilyin, “the word has become deed, and deed has become death,” he answered with a decisive refusal. And when asked why he did not want to serve the Germans, he answered with military brevity and firmness: “General Denikin served and serves only Russia. He has not served a foreign state and will not serve.”

Of course, it is difficult for us, who are in completely different conditions, to objectively judge what happened in those distant and tragic times. But we can look at events through the eyes of direct participants. Here is a fragment from the memoirs of Vasily Ivanovich Kamardin, recorded by his son:

“My father was in captivity in Germany and spoke about his camp life like this: At first they had a good boss, caring. So caring that every morning without a break he came to the barracks with escorts and soldiers and, in order to speed up the rise, laid the prisoners on long tables along the barracks and ordered them to be whipped in the blood. Traces of this "caring" remained on the body of his father for life. When, after the war, my father and I went to the bathhouse, I saw scars on his back and buttocks from torn pieces of meat.

In another camp, the leader was "very good." He felt sorry for them, he did not beat anyone. Only once a week, on Sundays, he lined everyone up on the parade ground and ordered them to pay off on the first to seventh. Every seventh was immediately shot. Father often happened to be the sixth. From such a “good life” and even “good food” (and the food was only swede and pieces of black, like coal bread), the father was already ready to die, as he began to walk with one blood.

Many of his comrades could not stand it and laid hands on themselves. There was not a single rise, my father recalled, so that someone, or even several, would not be immediately found hanged on hooks, which the “benefactors” of the Germans drove into the walls of the barracks specifically for this. Everyone who wished had the opportunity to hang himself, without bothering the "caring" owners once again. But my father firmly knew that suicide is a mortal sin, and, committing himself to the will of God, he endured everything to the end.

Many times, when building on the parade ground, representatives of the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) offered them to join its ranks, promising all the benefits, if only they would go to kill their brothers. "Thank God! - as my father recalled, - almost no one ever failed. Despite the unbearable life, there were only a few Judas.”

In 1940, Vlasov wrote about his communist beliefs in his autobiography.

Autobiography of brigade commander Andrey Andreevich Vlasov.

... In the period 1928-1929. In 1934-1935 he graduated from the tactical and rifle training courses for the improvement of the command staff of the Red Army "Shot" in Moscow, in 1934-1935. graduated from the 1st year of the Military Evening Academy of the Red Army in the Leningrad branch.

In the Red Army he was awarded the medal "XX Years of the Red Army" No. 012543 and various personal personalized gifts. For a government business trip, he was presented for awarding the Order of the USSR.

He did not serve in the old tsarist army and the white army, he did not live in captivity and on the territory occupied by the whites.

He joined the CPSU (b) in 1930, was accepted by the divisional party organization of the 9th Don Rifle Division. Party card No. 0471565. Conducted campaign work, was repeatedly elected a member of the party bureau of the school and regiment. He was the editor of the school newspaper. He has always taken an active part in public work. He was elected a member of the district military tribunal, a member of the Presidium of Osoaviakhim regional organizations and a friend.

Didn't have any partnerships. In other parties and oppositions he never belonged anywhere and did not take any part. He didn't have any hesitation. He always stood firmly on the general line of the Party and always fought for it.

He was never brought to court by the Soviet authorities. Was not abroad.

Commander of the 99th Infantry Division

brigade commander VLASOV

The first thing that attracts attention is Vlasov's low professional training. A general whose army was captured cannot be called a skilled commander. This is also evidenced by the testimonies of Soviet commanders who had to fight under him. The passage below refers to the events that took place at the beginning of the winter of 1942 during the counteroffensive of Soviet troops near Moscow.

“I remember Wednesday also because here I had a clash with the commander of the 20th Army, Vlasov. We had information that large enemy forces were concentrated in Sereda, and it was well prepared for a long-term defense (especially in the eastern part along the Mutnya River). All around her was open, waist-deep snowy terrain. In addition, our scouts discovered that an enemy infantry column was moving towards Sereda from the side of the Knyazhy Gory station. In the event of a protracted battle, these reinforcements could fall on the right flank of the group. I reported to the army headquarters the situation and my decision: to bypass Seredu's knot of resistance and continue to develop the offensive against Gzhatsk. Vlasov's answer was received very quickly: he ordered to attack the enemy defending Sereda with a blow from the north along the highway and, having captured it, hold it with part of the forces until the infantry approached, while the main forces continued the offensive.

An attack on the “forehead” of a well-organized defense, and even through an open area waist-deep in snow, was too risky. We would have had to overcome the zone of dense barrage, incurring unjustified losses. And the situation was such that in order to fulfill this order, part of the forces had to be returned back. I had no other choice but to carry out the tasks previously assigned to the units. The offensive developed successfully. The battle for Krasnoye Selo has just ended with the crossing of Ruza. In the course of it, further tasks for units and formations were specified, and they, without delay, continued to develop success. The 3rd Guards Cavalry Division moved around Sereda from the northwest, the 20th division from the southwest. General Vlasov again called me to the radio and demanded to report on how his order was being carried out. I confirmed my decision and tried to reasonably prove its expediency. The reaction, as one would expect, was very violent. Vlasov ordered to report to him within the agreed time that Sereda had been taken by a blow “on the forehead” from the north along the highway. I didn't answer and hung up. He immediately called again, but I ordered the signalman to answer that the corps commander had already left for the troops in order to organize a frontal attack on Sereda along the highway. This kind of military cunning helped in relations with Vlasov. After all, otherwise he could send one of his deputies, and then the Cossacks would have to climb through the snowdrifts to the dense, well-organized enemy fire. According to Pliev's plan, the village of Sereda was surrounded and taken without unnecessary losses.

In fairness, it should be noted that during that period of the war, such harsh methods of command were used not only by General Vlasov, but also by some other commanders. This is recalled by General A.V. Gorbatov: “In that situation, it was natural for the division commander to choose objects for private operations himself, to determine the forces of the detachment and the time for an attack using surprise. In such cases, the enemy usually had losses two, three, or even four times greater than ours. It’s another matter when they tell you everything from afar and order you to capture Maslova Pristan on January 17, Bezlyudovka on January 19, Arkhangelskoye on January 24, etc., indicating the hour of the attack, they will determine the forces (besides, they do not correspond to either the task or your possibilities). In these cases, the result was almost always the same: we had no success and suffered losses two or three times greater than the enemy.

Particularly incomprehensible to me were persistent orders - despite the failure, to attack again, moreover, from the same starting position, in the same direction for several days in a row, to advance, not taking into account that the enemy had already strengthened this area. Many, many times in such cases, my heart bled ... But it was a whole stage of the war, at which many of our commanders learned how to fight and, therefore, how not to fight. The slowness with which this science was assimilated - no matter how obvious the bloody examples were - was the result of those general pre-war conditions in which the thinking of the commanders took shape.

A prominent domestic specialist in the field of military ethics, psychology and philosophy A.A. Kersnovsky, analyzing the behavior of the commander, who got into a difficult situation with his troops, cites General Klyuev as a negative example. During the First World War, the corps entrusted to him during the East Prussian operation was surrounded. General Klyuev “surrendered, completely unaware of what he was doing by this, of how the enemy’s morale would rise and our own would decrease when news of the surrender of such an important person as the corps commander. He knew that he was in command of the corps, but he never suspected that he was still has the honor of commanding. The higher the official position, the greater this honor. And the commander of the corps - at the appearance of which tens of thousands of people freeze, refuse their own "I", who can order forty thousand people to go to death - should realize this honor especially and pay for it when it has to - pay without flinching. ... It is easier for the homeland to endure the death in a fair battle of a corps or squadron than their surrender to the enemy.

What a strong negative impact the betrayal of General Vlasov had on his former subordinates in the midst of the Battle of Stalingrad, can be seen from the memoirs of Professor-Archpriest Gleb Kaleda, at that time an ordinary soldier of the Red Army.

“The Battle of Stalingrad… Terrible tension on both sides. The constant smell of corpses, penetrating into all the cracks, strongly affected the psyche. For a month and a half, warehouses burned in the city, and the sky was covered with black clouds of smoke. Rivers of fuel oil flowed through the streets; flooded the dugout of the commander of the 62nd Army, General Chuikov.

In fulfilling the order to drive the Germans out of the market area, we were attached to the 99th Infantry Division, which was commanded by General Vlasov before the war. This division was one of the best in the Red Army, holding the challenge banner of the people's commissar. The officers proudly told us: “We are Vlasovites!” The battles for the market began on September 21, we were supported by a tank brigade, but in three days we crawled only 800 meters, having at the beginning of the fighting a pre-war kit: 800 bayonets in a battalion. Every night the division received reinforcements, and by the end of the third day, only 200 bayonets remained on average in the battalions, more people died than the original composition of the battalion. The Germans fought heroically, they literally grabbed our tanks with their hands and smashed bottles of combustible mixture on them. Our sacrifices did not help: the right flank lagged behind and did not crawl these 800 meters, the Germans hit on it, and in three hours we surrendered these blood-stained meters, retreated ...

We were tormented by German aviation: 28 raids a day, ten and one hundred bombers each. The first raid is still nothing, the second - worse, the third - the hassle begins, and then the nerves just give up. The psychological impact is the strongest: it seems that the plane is flying right at you, the pilot turns on the siren, shells, bombs fly ...

The next day they waited for a new order. I wandered across the steppe and picked up a leaflet, fortunately I was alone: ​​it was forbidden to read leaflets. I read: "To the soldiers and commanders of the 99th Infantry Division." I turn, look at the signature: “Former commander of the 99th Infantry Division, Lieutenant General Vlasov. It was written in the leaflet: I fought, got surrounded, then I realized that military resistance was pointless and gave the order to lay down my arms. Long days of reflection led to the conclusion: the Red Army cannot win, because the army must have a one-man command, and all commanders are bound hand and foot by commissars and employees of organs who understand nothing about military affairs. But the Russian people have the strength to free themselves, there is a volunteer army, it is necessary to conclude an honorable peace with the Germans and cooperate with them. In conclusion, it was said: "Post-war Russia should be without the Bolsheviks and without the Germans." Naturally, after such a leaflet, the commanders of the 99th division were no longer proud that they were students of Vlasov.

The second thing I want to pay attention to when studying Vlasov’s autobiography is that he joined the ranks of the CPSU (b) in 1930 and “never belonged anywhere and did not take any part in other parties and oppositions. He didn't have any hesitation. I always stood firmly on the general line of the party and always fought for it. For the fact that, indeed, Vlasov "did not have any hesitation" and always fought for the general line of the party, his election as a member of the military tribunal of the Kiev Special Military District testifies. Military tribunals were punitive bodies, with the help of which a significant part of the regular officers and military leaders of the Red Army was destroyed before the war. In addition, by condemning a superior, a member of the military tribunal ensured rapid career growth. According to Vlasov's biographer A. Kolesnik, in 1937-1938 Vlasov “was a member of the military tribunal in the Leningrad and Kiev military districts. Getting acquainted with his activities in this role, it was not possible to find a single verdict of acquittal handed down on his initiative. This is the third thing that Vlasov's autobiography says.

Just a few weeks after the surrender, the following document came out signed by Vlasov: “The officer corps of the Soviet Army, especially the captured officers who can freely exchange thoughts, are faced with the question: how can the Stalin government be overthrown and a new one created? Russia? All are united by the desire to overthrow Stalin's government and change the state form. There is a question: to whom exactly to join - to Germany, England or the United States? The main task - the overthrow of the government - speaks for the fact that we should join Germany, which declared the struggle against the existing government and regime the aim of the war.

I have come to the firm conviction that the tasks facing the Russian people can be solved in alliance and cooperation with the German people. The interests of the Russian people have always been combined with the interests of the German people, with the interests of all the peoples of Europe. In alliance and cooperation with Germany, he must build a new happy Motherland within the framework of a family of equal and free peoples of Europe.

We consider it our duty to our people and to the Fuhrer, who proclaimed the idea of ​​creating a new Europe, to bring the above to the attention of the High Command and thereby contribute to the implementation of the said idea.

Former commander of the 2nd Army, Lieutenant General Vlasov

Former commander of the 41st Infantry Division, Colonel Boyarsky.

The document, drawn up in Vinnitsa on August 8, 1942, when Germany was at the zenith of its military successes, is intended to cast a shadow on the entire officer corps of the Red Army, which allegedly faces the question: in what way can the Stalin government be overthrown and a new Russia created? In addition, the document indicates that Vlasov joined a stronger master, the Führer, and began to consider it his duty to serve Hitler, leaving his former, as he himself called him "Master". Here is what he wrote to his wife, Anna Mikhailovna Vlasova, on February 14, 1942, during our counteroffensive near Moscow: « You won't believe it, dear Anya! What joy I have in life. I talked there with our biggest Boss. This honor fell to me for the first time in my life. You cannot imagine how excited I was and how inspired I left him. You, apparently, will not even believe that such a great man has enough time even for our personal affairs. So believe me, he asked me where my wife is and how she lives. He thought you were in Moscow. I said that it was far away, so I would not stop in Moscow for an hour, but would go back to the front. The case does not wait. Dear Anya, we continue to beat the fascists and drive them to the west.

On the same day, he sent a letter to his wife in the field, military doctor Agnessa Pavlovna Podmazenko, to whom he wrote practically the same thing as to his wife: “The biggest and main owner called me to him. Imagine, he talked to me for an entire hour and a half. You can imagine how lucky I am. You won't believe such a big man and interested in our little family business. He asked me: where is my wife and in general about health. This can only be done by HE, who leads us all from victory to victory. With him we will smash the fascist reptile."

In the same letter, he congratulated Agnessa Pavlovna, who, having become pregnant from him, left the army, with the medal “For Courage”: “Dear Alya! Now let me congratulate you on a high government award - a medal for courage. You have now overtaken Comrade. Cousin: he has a medal for military merit, and you already immediately received a second one: “for courage”. I am sincerely glad, but not only me. All our employees congratulated me.” “The medal “For Courage” is awarded for personal courage and courage shown in battles with the enemies of the socialist Fatherland; in the defense of the state border of the USSR; in the performance of military duty in conditions involving a risk to life, ”and not in the bed of an army commander.

In Stalin's time, people close to the betrayer of the Motherland were declared CHSIR "members of the family of the traitor to the Motherland", and the wife became FIR - "the wife of the traitor to the Motherland." Vlasov named the name of Anna Mikhailovna when, in May 1945, he filled out the questionnaire of the arrested person at the Lubyanka. She was arrested already in 1942, and she was held in the case as "the wife of a traitor to the Motherland." Paying for the betrayal of her husband, she spent 8 years in the camps. It is known that in recent years she lived in Balakhna, Nizhny Novgorod region. Rehabilitated only in 1992. And the regimental wife, Agnes Pavlovna, did not escape this bitter fate. In 1943, by decision of the Special Meeting, she received five years in the camps. It is known that she was also serving a link. Rehabilitated in 1989, died in 1997. The former member of the military tribunal could not help but know what awaits people close to him.

The so-called Smolensk Declaration, which was declaratively propagandistic in nature, said: “Stalin's allies, the British and American capitalists, betrayed the Russian people. In an effort to use Bolshevism to master the natural wealth of our Motherland, these plutocrats not only save their own skin at the cost of the lives of millions of Russian people, but also concluded secret enslaving agreements with Stalin.

At the same time, Germany is waging war not against the Russian people and their homeland, but only against Bolshevism. Germany does not encroach on the living space of the Russian people and their national and political freedom .

The National Socialist Germany of Adolf Hitler sets as its task the organization of a New Europe without Bolsheviks and capitalists, in which every people will be provided with a place of honor. December 27, 1942 Smolensk.

About what "honorable place" was being prepared for the Russian people in New Europe, it was said in the General Plan "Ost". The plan itself has not been preserved, but additions to the plan have been preserved, drawn up by a certain Dr. Wetzel, head of the colonization department of the First Main Political Directorate of the Rosenberg Ministry:

Top secret

It is not only about the defeat of the state with its center in Moscow. Achieving this historic goal would never mean a final solution to the problem. The point is most likely to defeat the Russians as a people, to divide them. Only if this problem is considered from a biological, especially from a racial-biological point of view, and if the German policy in the eastern regions is carried out in accordance with this, will it be possible to eliminate the danger posed to us by the Russian people.

If the German leadership manages to... prevent the influence of German blood on the Russian people through extramarital affairs, then it is quite possible to maintain German dominance in this area, provided that we can overcome such a biological danger as the monstrous ability of these people to reproduce... There are many ways to undermine the biological the strength of the people ... The goal of German policy in relation to the population on Russian territory will be to bring the birth rate of Russians to a lower level than that of the Germans. The same applies, by the way, to the extremely prolific peoples of the Caucasus, and in the future, partly to Ukraine. So far, we are interested in increasing the Ukrainian population as opposed to the Russians. But this should not lead to the Ukrainians taking the place of the Russians over time. In order to avoid an increase in population in the eastern regions, which is undesirable for us, it is urgently necessary to abandon in the East all the measures that we used to increase the birth rate in the empire. In these areas, we must consciously pursue a policy of population reduction. By means of propaganda, especially through the press, radio, cinema, leaflets, brief pamphlets, reports, etc., we must constantly instill in the population the idea that it is harmful to have many children. It is necessary to show how much money the upbringing of children requires and what could be purchased with these funds. It is necessary to talk about the great danger to which a woman is exposed when giving birth to children, etc. In addition, the widest propaganda of contraceptives should be launched. It is necessary to establish a wide production of such funds. Their distribution and abortion should not be restricted in any way. Every effort should be made to expand the network of abortion clinics, as well as promote voluntary sterilization, prevent the struggle to reduce infant mortality, and prevent training of mothers in the care of infants and preventive measures against childhood diseases. It is necessary to reduce to a minimum the training of Russian doctors in such specialties, and not provide any support to kindergartens and other similar institutions. Apart from these measures in the field of health, there should be no obstacles to divorce. Assistance should not be given to illegitimate children. We should not provide financial assistance to large families in the form of wage supplements .., allow them any tax privileges.

For us Germans, it is important to weaken the Russian people to such an extent that they will not be able to prevent us from establishing German domination in Europe. We can achieve this goal in the above ways ...

The above document, which conveys the very essence of German fascism, is so eloquent that it does not require comments.

Here is what SS Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler said about Vlasov at one of the important meetings in front of party functionaries and representatives of the state and military leadership:

“Now we have discovered the Russian General Vlasov. Our Brigadeführer Fegelein captured this Russian general. He was the commander of one shock army. Our brave Fegelein said to his men: "Let's try to treat him like he really is a general!" And famously stood in front of him at attention: "Mr. General, Mr. General! .." After all, everyone is pleased to hear this. It's like that all over the world. And it worked here too. Still, this man, after all, had the Order of Lenin number 770, he later presented it to Brigadeführer Fegelein. When the Fuhrer awarded Fegelein with the Oak Leaves, he gave this order to the Fuhrer. The Fuhrer ordered to put it in a silver case and returned it to Fegelein. So this general was treated properly, terribly polite, terribly nice. This man gave us all his divisions, his entire plan of attack, and in general everything he knew.

The price for this betrayal? On the third day, we said to this general something like this: “The fact that there is no way back for you, you must be clear. But you are a significant person, and we guarantee you that when the war is over, you will receive a lieutenant general's pension, and in the near future - here's schnapps, cigarettes and women for you. That's how cheap you can buy such a general! Very cheap. You see, in such things one must have a damned accurate calculation. Such a person costs 20,000 marks a year. Let him live 10 or 15 years, that's 300 thousand marks. If only one battery fires well for two days, this also costs 300 thousand marks ... And this Russian pig, Mr. Vlasov, offers his services for this. Some old people here wanted to give this man an army of millions. They wanted to give weapons and equipment to this unreliable type, so that he would move with these weapons against Russia, and maybe one day, which is very likely, which is good, and against ourselves!

In no, even the most barbaric and cruel, culture of the world, in which honor and valor are valued, we will not meet with the approval and encouragement of a traitor who has changed the military oath.

The great Suvorov spoke in his usual impetuous manner: "For a soldier - courage, for an officer - courage, for a general - courage." A captured general needs special courage. Obviously, Vlasov not only lacked the consciousness that he " has the honor of commanding", but also the courage to "pay without flinching." As it turned out, a general who lacks courage, who, because of his ambition and incompetence, does not spare the soldiers, can be bought cheaply. But for the soldiers who, due to the inept command of General Vlasov, were captured, the price was very high: suffering in captivity or death. With the same high price, that is, the suffering and death of Soviet soldiers, his betrayal was also paid. He betrayed everything he knew to the Germans, and as commander of the 2nd Shock Army and deputy commander of the Volkhov Front, he had extensive information about the disposition of the forces and means of the Red Army and about the plans of the Soviet High Command. Of course, these data were used by the German command in planning and conducting the summer campaign of 1942.

According to Protopresbyter Alexander Kiselev, Vlasov settled in a suburb of Berlin in a two-story stone house with a small garden, where he lived calmly, comfortably and prosperously on the general's pension. As for "cigarettes, schnapps" and women, Vlasov did not refuse either one or the other, or the third. With the approval of Himmler, he married again, and the widowed German aristocrat Adele Bielenberg became his chosen one. In fact, Vlasov became a polygamist, because with his legal wife, who remained in Russia and, because of his betrayal, found himself behind barbed wire, he continued to be legally married.

As for wine, one can cite the memoirs of I.L. Novosiltsev, who was present at the dinner given by the Governor-General of Poland Frank in honor of Vlasov after the signing of the manifesto in Prague. “Dinner was rich, wine, as they say, flowed like a river. Many could not resist the temptation, and their behavior disapproved of Vlasov. He himself was strict with himself and did not allow any excess. To test himself, he called Novosiltsev to him and asked in his ear: “Igor, how am I holding myself?” Apparently, not only "many", but Vlasov himself could not resist "the temptation", since he needed external control in order to find out how he behaves. But this is not the main thing, the main thing is whose invitation he accepted and whose wine he drank.

Hans Frank, one of the most sinister fascist criminals, was appointed by Hitler to carry out the following task: “Men capable of leading in Poland must be eliminated. Those that follow them... must be destroyed in their turn." At a meeting of the leadership in Krakow, Frank uttered the following words: “As for the Jews, I want to tell you quite frankly that they need to be removed one way or another ... Gentlemen, I have to ask you to get rid of any kind of pity. Our duty is to destroy the Jews." Frank, this executioner of the Polish and Jewish peoples, among other Nazi criminals, was sentenced to death by hanging by the decision of the international court in Nuremberg. The sentence was carried out on October 16, 1946 by American professional executioner John Wood. Despite the fact that Vlasov could not have been unaware of Frank's atrocities, he did not refuse the dubious "honor" of drinking at the table of a Nazi criminal who destroyed millions of people.

Obviously, Vlasov, whose goal was to save his life, was just a pawn in the war of German fascism against the Russian people. In the documents signed by Vlasov, there is an idea identical to the one that the Bolsheviks once proclaimed: "to turn the imperialist war into a civil war in order to overthrow the existing government." As a result, the people were plunged into the bloody chaos of a civil war, and Soviet power reigned over a vast country for many years. As you know, Lenin and the Bolshevik Party he led, acted on orders and with extensive financial support from Kaiser Germany, which was at war with Russia.

These ideas are not new, they sounded already in the 19th century. F. M. Dostoevsky, through the mouth of the character of his novel, Smerdyakov, whose surname speaks for itself, formulated them as follows: “There was a great invasion of Russia and it would be good if they subdued us ... A smart nation would subdue a very stupid one, sir, and annex it to itself. There would even be other orders, sir.” It is surprising that Smerdyakov's lackey point of view continues to attract supporters in our time.

The fascist leadership used the same methods as the Kaiser's, but failed to repeat the result. The Russian people during the Great Patriotic War did not fall for the bait, which in 1917 fell for the liberal-minded circles of the Russian Empire. Otherwise, if fascist Germany won, and the General Plan "Ost" would be implemented, then, indeed, "there would even be completely different orders, sir."

Once in the hands of Soviet justice, Vlasov went to cooperate with the investigation, realizing that this would save him from physical measures, perhaps he hoped to mitigate his fate. He revealed facts that could not be known to the court and the investigation, which, of course, could not arouse the approval of his fellow businessmen:

« Defendant Vlasov. The defendant Zhilenkov did not quite accurately tell the court about his role in his connections with the SS. In particular, he showed the court that it was only on my instructions that he contacted the representative of the SS. This is not entirely true. Zhilenkov was the first to have contact with representatives of the SS, and it was thanks to his role that I was accepted by Himmler. Until then, Himmler had never received me.

Defendant Zhilenkov. I do not deny Vlasov's testimony, but I want to say that only after my trip to the Lvov region and establishing contact with Himmler's representative d'Alcain, through the latter, we managed to organize a meeting between Vlasov and Himmler. I knew that Himmler called Vlasov a runaway pig and a fool. It fell to my lot to prove to d'Alken that Vlasov is not a pig and not a fool. So, with my active participation, a meeting between Vlasov and Himmler was organized.

Vlasov preferred to remain silent about his actions, which could cause legal condemnation, but his former subordinates paid him the same coin and gave out what he did not want to reveal to the investigation:

« presiding. Defendant Maltsev, when the question of moving to the south of Germany arose, did you suggest that one of your subordinates report on the eighteen arrested to Vlasov and what instructions did you give?

Defendant Maltsev. Yes, I suggested that Tukholnikov report the 18 arrested to Vlasov and ask him for instructions on how to deal with them. Moreover, cases were completed for six people from among those arrested, and I recommended insisting on their execution. Vlasov approved the execution of six people.

Defendant Vlasov. Yes, it was, but that was the only time I approved death sentences, and that was because Maltsev reported it to me.”

Approve the death sentences of their compatriots who are in captivity and, we can assume, who tried to show some kind of resistance - this very eloquently characterizes Vlasov. The lackadaisical attitude towards the new owners is also characteristic:

presiding. And what prompted you to communicate with Nedich and exchange pleasantries with him?

Defendant Vlasov. I did this mainly on the recommendation of the German representative with me. In fact, I never saw Nedic. I sent congratulatory telegrams and addresses to Ribbentrop, Himmler, Guderian on behalf of the Russian people.

presiding. You seem to have been close to the strangler of the Czechoslovak people, Frank, protector of the Czech Republic and Moravia, and sent various kinds of congratulations to him?

Defendant Vlasov. Yes, it took place. Frank at one time gave us the territory and everything we needed, and later he helped us to move to the south of Germany by road.”

In his final speech at the trial, Vlasov said: “The crimes I have committed are great, and I expect severe punishment for them. The first fall into sin is the surrender. But not only did I completely repent, although it was too late, but during the trial and investigation I tried to bring out the whole gang as clearly as possible. I expect the most severe punishment." At the trial and investigation, as well as in German captivity, he betrayed everything he knew, and "tried to reveal the whole gang as clearly as possible", but did not achieve mitigation of the fate and was sentenced to the highest degree and hanged with his accomplices.

German folk wisdom says: “To lose money - to lose nothing, to lose health - to lose something, to lose honor - to lose a lot, to lose courage - to lose everything, it would be better not to be born into the world.”

It cannot be considered that only in the Soviet Union they dealt so harshly with traitors. John Amery, son of Leo Amery, Secretary of State for India in the War Cabinet of Winston Churchill, was taken prisoner and led a detachment of English soldiers ready to fight on the side of Germany. British SS fought in the 11th Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Norland". Amery was arrested at the end of the war in Milan. He was found guilty of treason and put to death by hanging.

And yet, despite these very eloquent facts, voices are heard trying to elevate Vlasov to the rank of a national hero. The American political scientist Yu. Layen, in the book “Our Secret Allies” wrote: “For many, his name has become a banner. They are sure that someday the label of a traitor will be removed from his memory, and he will take his place among the great heroes of the free Russian spirit.”

However, as the people say, “you can’t wash a black dog white” even with the help of “secret allies”. Making a hero out of Vlasov is an attempt with clearly unsuitable means. Of course, not all Americans thought so, or think so. There were and are decent people who hold a different point of view. The captain of the American army, to whom Vlasov came in May 1945, told him: “Vell, Mr. General, now it’s all over for you! Unfortunately, you changed owners in vain and bet on a dark horse!”

In conclusion, let us cite the authoritative opinion of the great American writer, Nobel Prize winner, Ernest Hemingway, who fought against fascism with weapons in his hands: death, you begin to understand that there are things worse than war. Cowardice is worse, betrayal is worse, selfishness is worse.” Prot. Alexander Kiselev. The appearance of General Vlasov. New York. Publishing House "Way of Life", p. 62.

Ibid., p. 90.

E. Hemingway. Writer and war. June 1937 2nd Congress of American Writers vol.3. M. 1968 Hood. lit. pp. 613-615.