Pripyat swamps (punitive operation)

"Pripyat swamps" (German: "Pripiatsee"), also "Pripyat march" was the codename of the punitive operation conducted by the German forces in July and August 1941. The operation was aimed at the mass murder of the local Jewish population^[1], brought from the territories of 9 rayons of Byelorussian SSR and 3 rayons of Ukrainian SSR in the region of the Pripyat swamps and Pripyat river.

The operation is considered to be the first planned mass extermination operation conducted by Nazi Germany.^[2]. In the course of the operation, no fewer than 13,788 people were killed^[3]. The villages of Dvarets, Khochan', Azyarany, Starazhowtsy, Kremna, were completely destroyed by burning and Turaw was partially destroyed. The principal means of execution employed was mass shootings, after the local populace had been rounded up. Other methods were also tried, including driving people into the swamp and drowning them.

The operation was conducted on the order of SS leader Heinrich Himmler by the SS Cavalry Brigade, as well as^[4] the regular army 162nd and 252nd infantry divisions, under the general command of HSSPF Erich von dem Bach. July 19, 1941 is considered the beginning date of the operation, and lasted to either August 29^[2] or August 31.^[4] The operation was conducted in two stages, with the second stage beginning on August 14, 1941. There is no data on the SS troops' losses in their report^[2].

The captured German documents about the operation reached Moscow in January 1942, and was published in the USSR People Commissary (Minister) of Foreign Relations note, issued on April 27, 1942 and addressed to all countries with which USSR had maintained the diplomatic relations. It is considered that the international publicity and shock caused by this data prompted Nazis to hide or destroy other materials concerned with this operation^[2].

Beginning of the events

The July 19, 1941 is considered the beginning date of the operation. On that day, by Himmler's order, 1st and 2nd SS cavalry regiments were placed under the von dem Bach command, effective July 21, 1941, and transferred to Baranavichy in order to "systematically comb out the Pripyat swamps".

By Himmler's order (issued in Baranavichy, July 27, 1941), the SS cavalry brigade was formed under the Fegelein from the 1st and 2nd SS Cavalry Regiments. Also, Himmler ordered von dem Bach to present him the well thought out military plan of the extermination operation^[5]. "Special order" of Himmler (July 28, 1941) demanded of von dem Bach to harshly exterminate the Pripyat swamps region's population "with disagreeable attitude to Germans"^[6] — to shoot men, deport women and children, confiscate livestock and food, burn habitations. On the other hand, population "showing agreeable attitude to Germans" was to be "spared" and even to be partially armed^[6].

The first stage

The forces of 1st SS Cavalry Regiment moved from Baranavichy in the direction of Lyakhavichy — Hantsavichy, Baranavichy — Ivatsevichy — Byaroza — Pruzhany, and "combed" the territory to the South, South-East and South-West reaching the Pripyat river.

The forces of 2nd SS Cavalry Regiment moved from Lutsk in the directions of Kamen'-Kashirski — Drahichyn — Ivanava and Sarny — Luninyets — Pinsk, and "combed" the territory to the South and North of the Pripyat river, until making contact with 1st SS Cavalry Regiment.

Coordinating with the 2nd SS Cavalry Regiment move, the Einsatzgruppe B conducted the mass extermination of the Jewish population in Pinsk.

Besides that, several elements of the 1st and 2nd SS Cavalry Regiments formed the leading force^[2], which was to block some Soviet forces which broke out of the encirclement in the vicinity of Slutsk—Babruysk highway on July 27, 1941.

The second stage

The forces of the SS Cavalry Brigade moved from the initial line of Baranavichy — Luninyets railroad to the East, conducting the "cleansing" of the right and left coasts of the Pripyat river keeping South of the highway R-1 (Brest — Slutsk — Babruysk).

In the course of this stage the 2nd regiment encountered and battled the force of 1 to 2 battalions of the Soviet regular and irregular troops (on August 21, 1941 near Turaw). According to the report (August 29, 1941), the brigade's losses were 23 of dead and wounded, and the losses of Soviet troops were from 600 to 700 dead, 10 prisoners.

In the course of following days the 1st regiment combed the region of Starobin — Lyuban — Ptsich, and the 2nd regiment advanced to the East of the line of Kol'na — Lyakhavichy (Knyaz'-Vozyera) towards the Ptsich river.

References

1. ^ By the definition of Alexey Litvin, who considers that the previous definition of operation, given by V. Lazyebnikaw and V. Pase, "operation... against the encircled units of Red Army, partisans and local population", is overly generalized and so imprecise.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} (Litvin 2003).
3. ^ Data of the SS cavalry brigade report "On conducting of the Pripyat pacification operation..." dated August 13, 1941.
4. ^ ^{a b} (Lazyebnikaw and Pase).
5. ^ This plan wasn't yet found, so the information on it is reconstructed. (Litvin 2003)...
6. ^ ^{a b} Turonek, p.101.

Sources

• (Lazyebnikaw and Pase) Лазебнікаў В. С., Пасэ У. С. Прыпяцкія балоты // Belarusian Soviet Encyclopedia, V.8. p.604.
• (Litvin 2003) Литвин Алексей. Убийцы // Советская Белоруссия №226 (21892), 3.12.2003. — Newspaper's archive in the net.
• (Turonek) Jerzy Turonek. Białoruś pod okupacją niemiecką. Warszawa—Wrocław: WERS, 1989. 186 p., ill.