Some statistics for you to ponder on the Great Patriotic War

[MKSheppard]

Retyped and cleaned up from the original Russlish (Russian/English) that I found on the World Affairs Board from the poster "Garry"

During the Great Patriotic War (World War II to the Russians), the Nazis fought against Soviet Partisan movements in occupied territories severely. Due to the difficulty of actually locating and killing the partisans, and having to show "progress" to their higher ups, destroying entire villages along with their inhabitants became a easy and quick way to show "progress" against the Partisan menace.

One such example was the destruction of the village of Khatyn. It was destroyed in a joint action by the 118th Police Battalion, which was stationed in Pleschinitsy, and the SS "Direlwanger" Battalion, stationed in Logoisk.

Among one of the worst hit areas was Byelorussia, or present day Belarus.

Statistics wise from the beginning of the occupation in 1941 to final liberation in 1944, the following happened in Byelorussia:

Settlements destroyed with most or all of their inhabitants during punitive expeditions/operations:

186 were never rebuilt at all.
442 were rebuilt postwar.
628 in total were destroyed from 1941-44.

Settlements destroyed with part of their population during punitive expeditions/operations:

325 were never rebuilt at all.
4,342 were rebuilt postwar.
4,667 in total were destroyed from 1941-44.

In total, the Nazis destroyed 5,295~ settlements with all or part of their population in Byelorussia during the war.

In the Vitebsk Region:
243 villages were burned down twice.
83 villages were burned down thrice.
22 villages were burned down 4 times or more.

In the Minsk Region:
92 villages were burned down twice.
40 villages were burned down thrice.
9 villages were burned down four times.
6 villages were burned down five or more times

Percentage wise:
3% of the settlements destroyed were destroyed in 1941.
16% of the settlements destroyed were destroyed in 1942.
63% of the settlements destroyed were destroyed in 1943.
18% of the settlements destroyed were destroyed in 1944.

The outcome of this and other Nazi policies was that 2,230,000~ people at least were killed during the three years of occupation from 1941 to 1944. Early post-war counts indicated that one out of every four Byelorussians died. Later refined counts indicate that every third person in Byelorussia died.

[Jack Bauer]

And the point of this is? How is this even news?

[Durandal]

Is this some pathetic attempt to make excuses for the massacres that have been reported in Iraq?

[MKSheppard]

Is this some pathetic attempt to make excuses for the massacres that have been reported in Iraq?

Okay, you're really reaching here, Durandal. A long time ago, I once heard the statistic that over 600 villages were destroyed in Byelorussia alone during WWII; it wasn't until the last couple of days that I found more detailed information on that statistic; it's a very sobering read; if you feel that this isn't appropriate for N&P, go ahead and move it to OT, then.

[fgalkin]

Not really news, or politics. Moved.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[K. A. Pital]

Due to the difficulty of actually locating and killing the partisans, and having to show "progress" to their higher ups, destroying entire villages along with their inhabitants became a easy and quick way to show "progress" against the Partisan menace.

Actually, they were doing it under sanctions from above - the secret orders issued for the Eastern Front relieved Nazi soldiers of all possible judiciary punishment - the Fuehrer Decree, 13 May 1941, on Regulation of Conduct of Troops in District "Barbarossa" and Handling of Opposition, and Order#21, Keitel, Concerning Jurisdiction of Military, SS, and Police Forces During Barbarossa. So not only was it a genocidal "rash" from below, it was ensured, and encouraged, from the very top.
And however horrible the destruction of small settlements, the Nazis also planned total genocide for major Soviet cities, such as Moscow and Leningrad.
Also, the genocide started even before the partisan movement aquired power in Byelorus - the Baltics and Ukraine were the first to be declared "judenfrei", and punitive total destruction of villages in the Baltics and Belarus started just in the second month of the war.

In July 1941 already the police regiment "Center" went on a punitive raid in Byelowezhskaya Puscha and vinicity, destroying several settlements. In August 1941 the police units 221 and 286 destroyed in punitive actions the population of Ivantsevichi and Lepel, the units from 162 and 252 infanterie-divisions - in Bogushevsky region. In a report from the Bogushevsk action, the commander reported of summary execution of 13 788 civilians. The villages Goloshyakino, Zastenki, Sprugi, Navyazki, Tesny and others were burned to the ground.

The Nazi savagery was extreme, but it rose to unprecedented high in 1943...

Photos:
"The Russian must die so that we live. "Tough guys" from 6th Company"

Ostland (Baltics&Byelorus) colonization maps. Belorus population was deemed "racially unfit for germanization" accoding to the Generalplan Ost, and thus 75% of it's population were scheduled for destruction, 25% - for germanization.

[The Grim Squeaker]

4/5 through "Stalingrad" By Antony Beevor (An excellent book that I highly recomend, I'll be reading "Berlin the fall" after it"), and I feel the urge to add more statistics:
The temperature could fall to under -40c
("Operation Barbarossa" gives an example of it nearing -63c on an open plain at night with the wind, with soldiers dying due to their piss freezing half way through- A highly painful and unpleasant way to die I'm sure
you'll agree).

German Tank production: 500 tanks a month.
Russian tank production in 1942 (They actually let the women work in the factories): first 6 months- 11k total.
next 6 months- an average of 2,200 tanks a month or 13,600 tanks over 6 months.
That children is why a massive industrial advantage and population base is more important than a technology edge (Which was actually inferior with the heavy tanks and on terrain with the wide tracked T-34's) is more important than "Will"

[The Grim Squeaker]

4/5 through "Stalingrad" By Antony Beevor (An excellent book that I highly recomend, I'll be reading "Berlin the fall" after it"), and I feel the urge to add more statistics:
The temperature could fall to under -40c
("Operation Barbarossa" gives an example of it nearing -63c on an open plain at night with the wind, with soldiers dying due to their piss freezing half way through- A highly painful and unpleasant way to die I'm sure
you'll agree).

German Tank production: 500 tanks a month.
Russian tank production in 1942 (They actually let the women work in the factories): first 6 months- 11k total.
next 6 months- an average of 2,200 tanks a month or 13,600 tanks over 6 months.
That children is why a massive industrial advantage and population base is more important than a technology edge (Which was actually inferior with the heavy tanks and on terrain with the wide tracked T-34's) is more important than "Will"

[Elfdart]

I thought Hitler planned to kill every non-Aryan west of the Urals, with Jews and Gypsies given highest priority for mass murder.

[K. A. Pital]

I thought Hitler planned to kill every non-Aryan west of the Urals

Well, essentially, yes. He planned to murder or deport to North Siberia 200,000,000 Eastern territories citizens.

[Sea Skimmer]

I thought Hitler planned to kill every non-Aryan west of the Urals, with Jews and Gypsies given highest priority for mass murder.

The plan was that certain ethnic groups or more often certain parts of groups would be spared and ‘Germanized’ to provide extra colonists, often ‘Germanization’ would involve forced marriages to German soldiers. But the very considerabul majority would have been murdered or deported, with most of those deported then dieing on arrival in Siberia.

Interestingly Nazi plans for the USSR also called for forced relocations of German civilians, because it was recognized that few Germans would actually want to leave Germany and go build a whole new existence a thousand miles away amid a sea of death and destruction. How this would have been accomplished is unknown, a lot of Nazi long term planning was nothing more then Hitler raving ideas while someone took notes.
So much for the dire need for more 'living space'.

[The Grim Squeaker]

elocations of German civilians, because it was recognized that few Germans would actually want to leave Germany and go build a whole new existence a thousand miles away amid a sea of death and destruction. How this would have been accomplished is unknown, a lot of Nazi long term planning was nothing more then Hitler raving ideas while someone took notes.
So much for the dire need for more 'living space'.

Actually I read that there were plans for most of the invading Soldiers to get a plot of land allocated to them, as well as the soldiers wanting it and planning for it, which does make sense from a morale (As in military morale) perspective (Giving the soldiers a concrete goal and a real physical immediate reason to fight for).