History 22/03/20 As Stalin wanted to save the General from German captivity Vlasov
the Prisoner and the betrayal of General Vlasov, one of the most discussed issues relating to the great Patriotic war. And not always the act of one of the favorites of Stalin causes a negative evaluation.
the Inevitable end
In January 1942, in the course of Luban offensive of the troops of the 2nd shock army of the Volkhov front successfully broke through the German defenses. However, not having the strength for a future attack, they are thoroughly enmeshed in the German rear, threatened the environment.
This situation prevailed until April 20, when the commander of the 2nd shock army, retaining the post of Deputy commander of the Volkhov front, was appointed Lieutenant-General Andrei Vlasov. “He got the troops, almost no longer able to fight, received the army, which had to be saved, writes the journalist Vladimir Beshanov in the book “defense of Leningrad”.
All further attempts of the 2nd army to break out of German clutches and also the 52nd and 59th armies to break through towards her were not successful. The only thing that managed our troops is to break through a narrow gap in the German redoubts and save a significant portion of the 2nd shock army. On 25 June, the enemy eliminated the corridor and the encirclement tightly closed: it was about 20 thousand Soviet soldiers.
Military writer Oleg Smyslov has no doubt that the main fault in this situation lies with the headquarters of the 2nd shock army, in particular, to the commanding General Vlasov, who is confused and has lost the ability to control not only the troops but also his staff.
By order of the Rates for evacuation Vlasov was sent to the plane, but he refused. Why the army chief did not want to resort to the help of the government, as later did also breaks out of the encirclement of General Aleksei Afanasiev? The most obvious answer – Vlasov refused to throw at the fate of its own soldiers. But there is another version according to which the Vlasov figured out Stalin’s cunning: the head of the USSR was supposedly intended to remove unwanted warlord in the rear, to immediately bring to justice.
Where the Vlasov since June 25, 1942, for almost three weeks significantly no one can say. But it is established that on 11 July in search of food General together with your companion, chef Maria Raven went to the village of old believers Tohawaii. The house where they went was the local housing warden – he passed the German auxiliary police.
According to Raven, Vlasov insisted posing as refugee teachers, and the next day it was identified by a photograph in a newspaper. According to another report, when the police came to the locked in the barn prisoners, out of the darkness in German was: “don’t shoot, I am General Vlasov!”.
For reasons of ambition
Already at the first interrogation Vlasov showed their willingness to cooperate with the German leadership, giving information about deploying troops and giving the characteristics of the Soviet commanders. But, given that the General long time was not aware of the plans of the General staff, the information could be unreliable. A few weeks later, being in Vinnytsia camp for captured officers, he already offers its services in the fight against the Soviet regime.
What prompted the General, who was favored by Stalin himself, to take the path of infidelity? The traditional version says that General Vlasov disliked personally to Stalin and to set up the dictatorship and therefore decided that the service of the Nazis is a choice of lesser of two evils. Vlasov’s supporters, mostly from among the post-war emigration, argued that the hero of the defense of Moscow became anti-Soviet stance before the war. For this he was allegedly pushed the sad outcome of Stalin’s collectivization that affected his village.
after the war, the Vlasov during interrogation confessed to the investigators of MGB that it is extremely difficult acreageroVal for cleaning in the ranks of the red army, held in 1937-38. Largely this fact led him to treason.
the editor of the “Society” of the Internet portal “Arguments and facts” Andrey Sidorchik not inclined to believe the statements of Vlasov. He believes that the true reason for the betrayal of General to be found in his insatiable love of fame and career growth. Captured Vlasov could hardly count on a decent career and a life of honour in his homeland, and so the only way for him to stand on the side of the enemy.
Similar thoughts were expressed by the writer and journalist Ilya Ehrenburg. Vlasov was not a brute and not a Prince Kurbsky, writes Ehrenburg, everything is much simpler: he expected to perform its mandated task, to accept the greetings of Stalin, to the next order and, ultimately, to rise. But it turned out otherwise. Once captured, he was afraid his career was arocena. If he wins, the Soviet Union, it is at best demoted. So, one thing remains: to accept the proposal of the Germans and to do everything to the defeated Germany. Top scored ambition, – the journalist concludes.
by fate
There is information that despite the encirclement of the 2nd shock army, Stalin still trusted Vlasov and before the capture of the General, he was going to give him an important sector of the front near Stalingrad. For this reason, for Vlasov, and was sent to the aircraft. Might come back Vlasov the Soviet rear, all would be well and left. And it is possible that a talented military commander could get the laurels of the winner, who later gave Zhukov and Rokossovsky. But as fate would have to dispose of otherwise.
One of the few evidence depicting the presence of Vlasov in captivity, are the words of the German captain Wilfrid Shtrik-of Strikfeldt. He on behalf of the intelligence chief of the German General staff Colonel Reinhard Gehlen was looking for among the Soviet prisoners of a man who could lead the anti-Stalinist movement. It is noteworthy that Strikfeldt was a Russian German, born and Petaedburga who served in the Imperial army.
According to the captain, the conversation with Vlasov had been of an extremely confidential nature. He asked General questions, such as: “Is the fight against Stalin’s case not only Germans, but also by deed, the Russian and other peoples of the Soviet Union?”. Vlasov seriously thought about this, and after painful deliberation I made the choice in favor of the struggle against Bolshevism, Strikfeldt.
If a German officer and played a key role in solving the Vlasov, or at least pushed him to this choice. High self-esteem, painful feelings, stress, and confusion of the Soviet General good contributed.
an Important fact, which suggests that Vlasov was not an ideological fighter against Stalinism. During a process in 1946, he didn’t even try to defend their beliefs, even though he had nothing to lose: he knew that in any case it would be shot. On the contrary, Vlasov repented in the committed betrayal.
Stalinist agent
recently become a popular version that Vlasov actually was a strategic agent of the Kremlin, smuggled into the heart of the Third Reich. Done for the purpose of this action is to capture the leadership of the Eastern formations of the Wehrmacht and the SS.
For example, Russian military historian Viktor Filatov in the book “How many persons were General Vlasov?” writes that the sending of the Vlasov on the Volkhov front was part of a special operation, planned by Stalin and the Soviet intelligence. According to the writer, Stalin knew that the Germans are preparing to make millions of Soviet prisoners of war parts for use at the front against the red army. In order not to let the process take its course in the place of the head of the “foreign Legion” and was sent Vlasov.
as a confirmation of his theory Filatov refers to the whole course of hostilities involving ROA. So, during the Berlin operation, Zhukov was struck exactly in the area of defense, where the 1st division of ROA Coloneland Bunyachenko. The offensive began on 16 April 1945, and before April 15, Vlasov, allegedly, by prior arrangement, left their positions.
a Former Soviet intelligence officer Stanislav Lekarev argues that the Soviet command used the Vlasov part, and to confront the allies. According to him, Stalin understood that the Anglo-American troops can pass without resistance the whole of Central and Eastern Europe and block the Soviet army within the borders of the Soviet Union 1939-40. That is why at the Tehran conference, the Soviet leader insisted that the allies landed in the South of France, in Normandy. After all, much of the Western part of the Atlantic wall was defended by Eastern battalions of the Wehrmacht, under the control of General Vlasov.
supporters of the official version of the treachery of General Vlasov – have a lot of questions to this frankly conspiracy theories. Chief among them, why then Stalin executed his protege? The most popular answer: “Vlasov was executed in order not to violate conspiracy”.
Taras Repin
Source:
© Russian Seven
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