Russian Corps: ideology and reasons for cooperation with the Nazis

After the defeat in the Civil War, many officers of the “white” movement settled in Yugoslavia with their families.

In the summer of 1941, Serbian communist partisans massacred Russian emigrants and their families. A whole wave of murders swept across the country.

It was this moment that became the main reason for the creation of the “Russian Corps” to protect Russian emigrants in Yugoslavia. The initiator was Major General M.F. Skorodumov.

It is worth recalling that at that time Yugoslavia was occupied by the troops of the Third Reich. Therefore, coordination and approval for the creation of the above-mentioned formation was received from the German Colonel Kevish.

Officially, the creation of the “Russian Corps” started on September 12, 1941. At the same time, Skorodumov tried to achieve maximum autonomy for his unit from the Wehrmacht command, for which, in the end, he ended up in jail.

However, the corps itself did not cease to exist. It was headed by Russian emigrant B.A. Steifon.

During the war, the corps was mainly used to protect Yugoslav territory from Tito's communist partisans.
At the same time, the command of the Russian Corps, in particular its creator Skorodumov, considered the Germans as temporary allies. The ideology of this unit was based on condemnation and non-acceptance of communism and Soviet power, which, in fact, is not surprising, since it consisted mainly of “white emigrants”.

As a result, the same Skorodumov expected that the Wehrmacht would fight exclusively against the Red Army, and its goal was to overthrow Soviet power in Russia.

Meanwhile, after the atrocities that German soldiers and the SS began to commit against the civilian Russian population, the entire corps personnel considered Germany de facto their enemy. At the same time, the “Russian Corps” also did not go over to the side of the Red Army due to ideological convictions.

Shteifon, who led the corps, died at the end of April 1945. After which Colonel A.I. Rogozhin became the head of the unit. It was he who led the “Russian Corps” to Austria, where the “White emigrants” surrendered to the British.

Typically, the Soviet authorities appealed to the “Western allies” to hand over the traitors to them. However, London refused, since most of the representatives of the “Russian Corps” did not have USSR citizenship.

Comments

[Has been]

The Russians do not give up... Especially to the British. So the building is not Russian

[andrey martov]

So we witnessed the real crunch of true French rolls. Not like today's newfound advocates of the crunch of French bread. . .

[bober1982]

Quote: andrey martov

So we witnessed the real crunch of true French rolls

This is what ruined them, they had to be erased from memory, forgotten.
Take for example the mentioned General Skorodumov, he commands respect as a human being, but he waved his saber against his own Motherland almost to death, he dragged people into an adventure with the Nazis.

[Alexga]

In 2012 there was an article here that was more informative. https://topwar.ru/16454-russkiy-ohrannyy-korpus.html,
and for me this corps ceased to be “Russian” after it began to be formed with the permission of the German fascists. And his subordination was not at all Russian.

[rocket757]

Russian Corps: ideology and reasons for cooperation with the Nazis

. The class struggle is abundantly watered with blood... and then different things happen, and the worst thing is the same.

[ivan2022]

Quote: rocket757

Russian Corps: ideology and reasons for cooperation with the Nazis

. The class struggle is abundantly watered with blood... and then different things happen, and the worst thing is the same.

At one time, a driving school teacher instilled in us that “traffic rules must be respected, because they are written in the blood of drivers.” But if traffic rules are written in blood, then even more so state laws are written in blood. Humanity has no other ink. The difference is one thing: traffic rules are not always respected, but laws in Russia have never been respected at all. That's why blood flows like a river. That's what it's all about, not the class struggle.

[rocket757]

At all times, everywhere... there are many more of those who live according to the law, but little attention is paid to them, the press does not jump around them, although they are the BASIS OF THE STATE.
The opposite side, criminals and others, love to stick out their “exclusively t” and the press revolves around them, we know why...
In general, you want to pass off your fantasies as truth...

[ivan2022]

You have strange ideas about the state straight out of the Russian Empire. Whoever hates thieves and traitors the most is the “base”....Serfdom is a great sin.
The basis is those who defend fair laws!
However, it makes no sense for a Russian person to interpret this. He heh... heh.. usually a man of great intelligence and will immediately ask: “Explain to me, stupid... What is justice?”

P.S. I know all your quirks in advance... Heh.. heh.. “BASIS!”.. Wow...

[rocket757]

It’s funny... EVERYTHING is the same everywhere, not fundamentally different... although different groups of the population, some isolated groups, may have their own quirks, but this does not change the overall picture at all.

[Galleon]

Short but interesting. Thanks for the note!

[Amateur]

Typically, the Soviet authorities appealed to the “Western allies” to hand over the traitors to them. However, London refused, since most of the representatives of the “Russian Corps” did not have USSR citizenship.

The very fact that London refused indicates that they are collaborators with Nazism. And London needed these enemies of the USSR to organize espionage and sabotage activities against the USSR.

[Senior seaman]

In the summer of 1941, Serbian communist partisans massacred Russian emigrants and their families.

As far as I understand, not only communists showed up there. There was a war of everyone against everyone.
It’s just that the Serbs, having surrendered to the Germans, began to look for scapegoats. It was not possible to win back against the Croats and Bosniaks. And here are the Russian emigrants...
And if you think about it, they had no other choice.

[bober1982]

Quote: Senior Sailor

It’s just that the Serbs, having surrendered to the Germans, began to look for scapegoats.

The Russian emigration in Serbia was very poor and starving even before the arrival of the Germans, literally immediately after the end of the First World War, no matter how bitter it sounds - the Serbs did not feel any gratitude to their Russian brothers.
The older generation of Serbs treated the Russians with respect, unlike the youth and middle generation, who were the majority and, by the beginning of the Second World War, as they say, see above (pogroms, massacres).

[72jora72]

As far as I understand, not only communists showed up there. There was a war of everyone against everyone.
It’s just that the Serbs, having surrendered to the Germans, began to look for scapegoats. It was not possible to win back against the Croats and Bosniaks.

I apologize wildly, but you apparently have an extremely vague idea of ​​what happened in the Balkans in those years, it happens. By the way, the Croats (Ustashi) and Bosnians were the first to rush to slaughter Serbs, Slovenes, Jews and Gypsies, and they slaughtered entire villages.

[Senior seaman]

Quote: 72jora72

I apologize wildly, but you apparently have a very vague idea of ​​what was happening in the Balkans in those years,

Sergey, you are reading extremely inattentively.

Quote: 72jora72

By the way, the Croats (Ustasha) and Bosnians were the first to rush

Did I write the opposite somewhere?
It was about Russian emigrants who turned out to be strangers to everyone at this “celebration” of life.
Including seemingly fellow believers, the Serbs.

Quote: 72jora72

is

Am I arguing?

[runway-1]

In fact, the presented text is not objective, but rather the opposite. Here's what they write on this topic:

In the spring of 1941, after the occupation of Yugoslavia, the German administration appointed Major General Mikhail Fedorovich Skorodumov as chief of the Russian emigration in Serbia.
... After Germany attacked the USSR, the former major general turned to the German military authorities with a proposal to create a Russian division from emigrants. At first, he was refused because he insisted on sending the future formation to the Eastern Front, while the German command needed units to perform security service in the territory of occupied Yugoslavia. However, soon the chief of staff of the Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht in the South-East, Colonel Kevish, allowed Skorodumov to form the so-called Russian Security Corps from among the White emigrants.
Interesting point. In their numerous memoirs, veterans of the Russian Security Corps try to present their service to the Germans as an act of self-defense in response to the persecution of Russian emigrants in Serbia by local communists. However, if we accept this version, then it becomes completely incomprehensible why General Skorodumov and other leaders of the emigration so persistently sought to send Russian formations to the Eastern Front.
It seems that in an attempt to whitewash themselves, former collaborators are passing off the effect as the cause. The fact is that, like white emigrants in other countries, they were eager to take revenge for the defeat in the Civil War, even with the help of Hitler. It is not surprising that after this, in the eyes of the majority of the Serbian population, Russian emigrants became German servants. September 12, 1941 M.F. Skorodumov issued an order to the Russian emigrant colony with a call to join the Corps. It ended with the words “I will lead you to Russia!”

http://istorya.ru/book/soldaty/03.php

[runway-1]

Continued:

In 1944, the Corps fought the hardest battles with the advanced Soviet units of the 57th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front and the Bulgarian army, which were advancing together with the partisans. On October 22, 1944, the Commander-in-Chief of Army Group E, General von Lehr, issued an order to form all those available in the river area. IBR Russian units of the battle group subordinate to Lieutenant Colonel (later Major General) B.V. Gontareva. The group was tasked with clearing the Ramka-Sarajevo route from partisans, thereby ensuring the withdrawal of German troops from Greece through southern Serbia and Bosnia. On October 26, 1944, a Consolidated Regiment was created from all Russian units in the area of ​​Čačak and Donja Milonovets under the command of Colonel A.I. Rogozhina. The regiment consisted of three rifle battalions and one reserve battalion. On November 27, this regiment came under the command of the commander of the 5th SS Mountain Corps, General Krieger.

[zombirusrev]

They carried out reprisals against anyone they wanted. Don't whitewash your Nazi friends. This is well described in the book “Dead Swell” and even the film “Operation Trest” was made. These citizens, together with their German like-minded people, made a mark in the USSR both before the war (White Terror) and during the war.

[Yaroslav Tekkel]

A smelly article. However, considering that Ilyin is rated at the highest level in our country, and the Russian Orthodox Church promotes the even more odious Shmelev, there is little surprise here.

[IgorIP]

A long time ago I read a rather mediocre book called something like: “Russian Corps in the Balkans. 1941-1945”... The book was compiled from the memories of participants in the events (fortunately, after the war they were not particularly persecuted)... So, I was then I was struck by that animal hatred for the Bolsheviks, the USSR, the Red Army... And the wild joy that their ideological brothers - the Nazis - attacked the USSR. I don’t remember anything in the book about any massacre in the summer of 1941, but this rabble constantly demanded that the Russian security corps be transferred to the Eastern Front, so that they could begin to kill their class opponents in the same ranks with their Nazi brothers.

[72jora72]

The article stinks.

Meanwhile, after the atrocities that German soldiers and the SS began to commit against the civilian Russian population, the entire corps personnel considered Germany de facto their enemy.

And this is absolutely a masterpiece! Actually, on November 30, 1942, the corps was included in the Wehrmacht, German regulations, German uniforms and insignia were introduced, and the personnel had to swear allegiance to the Fuhrer. This is how the Republic of Kazakhstan was at enmity with the Germans)). And there was also a “Cossack camp”, consisting of Cossacks living on the territory of Yugoslavia, the Cossacks were led by the Head of the Cossack Troops Reserve at the General Staff of the SS Troops, Wehrmacht Lieutenant General Andrei Shkuro......

[Alexander Kuksin]

The topic of the *Russian Corps* has generally been little studied and was not particularly popular in the Soviet Union. As is the role of former White Guards in World War II.
If only because in terms of quantitative composition it was significantly smaller than the ROA. Despite the fact that having learned what the Germans were doing in Russia, the composition of the Republic of Kazakhstan began to decrease significantly and lose its combat effectiveness.
The issue of the struggle of former White Guards against the Nazis in partisan detachments and other military organizations has also been little studied. For example, in the famous Normandy-Niemen, both former White Guards and their children fought as pilots, doctors, signalmen, etc. We did not persecute them... And they were subjects of France. So it’s stupid to consider them traitors. I once gave material with photographs about Normandy to LiRu. We need to look in the archive.
Still, I think no one reading can give an honest answer to himself about how he behaved in captivity. I'm on the side of the lawyers here! We need to deal with everyone.
One of the intelligence reports from Ukraine says that in the Vladimir-Volynsk command camp in the fall of 1941 there were 8000 people. Until March 1942, 6000 people from this group died, and the remaining 2000 died in April-May. (RGASPI. F.69. 1.D. 740. L.9.)
On the topic, I can suggest the work of Peter Krikunov *Cossacks. Between Hitler and Stalin* Moscow, *Yauza* *EXMO* 2005.