On the Situation in Belorussia

P. Ponomarenko, On the Situation in Belorussia. July 12, 1941

 

Original Source: Izvestiia TsK KPSS, 7/1990, pp. 210-211.

Top secret
To the Central Committee of the VKP(b) Comrade I.V. Stalin
On the situation in Belorussia

Of the 100 districts of Belorussia in the old boundaries, 51 districts are in our hands and on the territory in the enemy’s rear about 20 districts are under our control, as the enemy moves along the roads and along the front – they have not secured what they have passed through with infantry.

The mood of the Belorussians is exceptionally patriotic and ready to fight. [ … ] More and more we are beginning to receive reports of splendid acts by the partisans.

[ … ]

In the occupied districts the Germans try to ingratiate themselves with the peasants.

Coming into a village, soldiers and officers shake hands with the most respectable peasants, give out chocolates to the children and here and there give each of the women 2-3 meters of cotton material, mainly of pre-revolutionary coloring.

Orally and in leaflets they declare the following:

1. That they will give land and work to everyone, and it will be their property.

2. There will be no deductions from the pennies earned by workers and employees.

3. There will be no voluntary signed undertakings (with regard to loans).

4. The Stakhanovite press will be smashed.

5. The cross and icons, churches and mosques will be returned to believers.

All their agitation, both oral and written, is being conducted under the flag of the struggle with the Jews and communists, which are regarded as synonymous.

In the district town of Chervene the Germans gathered the men and started to agitate in the spirit set out above and when they concluded that their statement was meeting a hostile reception they fired on the crowd with machine guns. All the population left the town.

In the same district in one of the villages the Germans asked the old men: ‘What ruler do you want?’ One of the old men replied: ‘The one which would leave our village in peace.’

Despite the fact that the reply was sufficiently evasive, after his reply to the Germans the old man was beaten by his fellow villagers for giving such a reply.

We are now following our contacts and studying closely the measures taken by the Germans and the state of affairs in the occupied districts of Belorussia.

In conclusion one must stress the exceptional fearlessness, determination and intransigence towards the enemy of the collective farm workers, in contrast to a certain part of the employees in the town, who think of nothing except saving their skins. This is explained to a known degree by the large Jewish stratum in the towns. An animal fear in the face of Hitler has seized them, and instead of fighting they flee.

In conclusion I further repeat the plea for help with weapons for the collective farm workers, communists and Komsomols, as the front assigns me nothing apart from grenades.

The Germans’ leaflets are attached to the top copy.

Secretary of the CC of the CP of Belorussia, Member of the Military council of the Western front P. Ponomarenko

Source: Felix Corley, ed., Religion in the Soviet Union: an Archival Reader (New York: New York University Press, 1996), Doc. 82.

 

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