Osprey Publishing Soviet Partisan vs German Security Soldier CBT44

Soviet Partisan vs German Security Soldier: Eastern Front 1941-44

An acknowledged expert investigates the clashes between Soviet partisans and their German and locally recruited opponents on the Eastern Front during World War II.

The savage partisan war on the Eastern Front during World War II saw a wide variety of forces deployed by both sides. On the Soviet side, civilian partisans fought alongside, and in co-operation with, Red Army troops and Red Army and NKVD "special forces." On the German side, German Army security divisions, with indigenous components including cavalry, fought alongside SS police and Waffen-SS units and other front-line troops employed for short periods in the anti-partisan role.

In addition to providing the background history of the forces of both sides, this study focuses upon three examples of German anti-partisan operations that show varied success in dealing with the Soviet partisan threat. Notably, it covers a major operation in north-west Russia during the spring of 1943 -- Operation Spring Clean -- that saw Wehrmacht security forces including local components fighting alongside troops under the SS umbrella against a number of Soviet partisan brigades. During the fighting, German forces even employed captured French tanks from earlier in the war against the partisans.

Featuring specially commissioned artwork and drawing upon an array of sources, this is an absorbing account of the brutal fighting between German security forces and their Soviet partisan opponents during the long struggle for victory on World War II's Eastern Front.

Key Features

• Detailed analysis of irregular warfare on the Eastern Front 1941-1944
• Three comprehensive case studies including Operation Spring Clean (1943)
• Specially commissioned artwork and tactical maps
• Expert examination of both Soviet partisan and German security forces
• Archival photographs and primary source documentation

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• The Opposing Sides
• Combat 1
• Combat 2
• Combat 3
• Analysis
• Aftermath
• Unit Organizations
• Bibliography
• Index

About This Study

This study investigates the brutal irregular warfare on the Eastern Front during World War II, specifically focusing on the clashes between Soviet partisans and German security forces from 1941 to 1944. The text examines the varied composition of these forces, from civilian partisans and NKVD special units on the Soviet side to German Army security divisions and SS police units, often supported by locally recruited indigenous components.

The volume utilizes primary archival sources and memoirs to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of both sides through three detailed case studies located in north-west Russia. These studies include Operation Spring Clean in 1943, which featured the use of captured French tanks by German forces against partisan brigades. The technical and tactical evolution of both combatants is charted, demonstrating how improvised Soviet forces gradually gained effectiveness through high-command subordination. The work is illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, tactical maps, and archival photographs.

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