History 12/03/20 Helmuth Pannwitz: as German became ataman of Russian Cossacks, traitors,
as the marching ataman of the Cossack camp purebred German Helmut Pannwitz not had to fight two months – this title was given to him in March 1945. However, cavalry Cossack connections the General-Lieutenant of the SS, formed from collaborators, managed to gain notorious. Kazachiy Stan feared and hated more than the Germans.
Hereditary trooper
the father of the future Cossack ataman was an officer in the hussars, it is not surprising that his son, Helmut, too, chose a military career. Pannwitz graduated from the cadet corps of Prussia. In the First world young Ulan fought as a volunteer, and in less than 17 years, his bravery was awarded the rank of Lieutenant. Suffice it to say that the war Pannwitz returned to knight two Iron crosses.
after retiring at the rank of Lieutenant in 1920, Helmuth Pannwitz for a few years changed occupation, sagalassos Manager of Polish agricultural estates. But in 1933 he returned to the military service and becomes a squadron commander Reitarska regiment. Gradually moving up the career ladder, the beginning of the Second world Pannwitz met in the rank of major. He participated in the seizure by the Nazis of Poland and France.
the Organizer of collaborators
it is Known that infantry compound, which served Helmuth Pannwitz, stormed the legendary Brest fortress. For military distinction in the first months of the war with the USSR hereditary trooper received the highest order of the Third Reich Knight’s cross of the Iron cross. Experience Pannwitz, the guide cavalry connections, the German command decided to use the unification of separate Cossack units of collaborators, formed from the volunteers in the occupied territories of the Soviet Union.
the True Aryan Hitler, as is well knownbut the Slavs and other peoples of the USSR did not complain, considering them racially inferior. But when the Red Army in 1942 poprizhat the Germans on the Eastern front, my opinion about Cossacks the führer has decided to “edit”. Thus was born the ostrogothic theory of their origin from tribes close to the Germans by blood. The potential of the Cossacks in the service of the Nazis, began to use actively. In the end, formed in 1943 Cossack camp has turned in hardly probable not the most active fighting unit among the collaborators in the entire history of the great Patriotic war.
Founded a Cossack formation of the main supporters of the Nazis in 1943, a former Colonel in the tsarist army Sergei Pavlov. But the most active Creator of Cossack units in the Wehrmacht from the German command was exactly Helmuth Pannwitz. In March 1943, he commanded a Cossack cavalry division, which Croatia fought against Yugoslavia. The hatred of the local population to the troopers Pnsize was so strong, that they refused to accept for Russian and called “Cerkez”.
scorched earth policy
Pannwitz Cossacks in the war with the guerrillas had burned every town, where they could hide people’s Avengers, and then gave the devastated land ustasha (Croatian fascists). Sweeping away everything in its path, the troopers committed mass murder, robbery and rape.
When Pannwitz, among other leaders of the Cossack associations of the Wehrmacht after the Second World war the allies gave the USSR, he explained that his subordinates were just guided by the instructions of the German command, which refers to the application of any measures against the guerrilla movement, since it is as such contrary to international standards.
Ataman-gruppenfuhrer
In 1944, the Pannwitz Cossacks in the East of Croatia, fought against the red Army, and often very successfully. The division occupied towns and caused great damage to Soviet troops.
In February 1945, this unit of horse collaborationearnest reassigned SS, and Helmuth Pannwitz became gruppenführer and Lieutenant General of the SS. And after a month and a half he got much more exotic status, the so – called Cossack Circle gave Pannwitz title Supreme marching ataman of the Cossack camp.
the Last weeks of the great Patriotic cavalry corps of collaborators fought in Croatia. In early may, the Cossacks began to retreat through the mountain passes towards the British occupation zone of Carinthia. On 12 may, the corps surrendered to the British.
All will select “kazaka”
Pannwitz could count on the fact that the allies of the Soviet Union, he will save the life of the Soviet Union on the tripartite agreement reached at the Yalta conference, was entitled to demand to issue only those war criminals who before the war were Soviet citizens. However, before addressing the issue with the chieftain-the SS was a precedent of mass extradition of Cossacks and their families of the USSR in Lienz.
Therefore, the demand of the Soviet side to pass a war criminal Pannwitz, the British granted. The Supreme chieftain marching together with the other Cossack leaders (Shkuro, Krasnov and others) in 1947 was hanged. And subordinate gruppenführer who had not been shot, spent time in Soviet camps a decent amount of time.
Russian Seven
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