Russian participation in the French Resistance movement is still a little-known chapter of the Second World War. Meanwhile, more than 35 thousand Soviet soldiers and Russian emigrants fought against the Nazis on French soil. Seven and a half thousand of them died in battles with the enemy.
General de Gaulle's speech on London radio calling on all French people to unite to fight the invaders
The history of the participation of Russian emigrants in the Resistance movement begins from the first days of the occupation of France. At the call of General de Gaulle, they selflessly joined underground activities together with French patriots. They were guided by a sense of duty to their second homeland and a desire to contribute to the fight against the fascist invaders.
One of the first to emerge in Paris was the Civil and Military Organization, headed by World War I veteran Jacques Arthuis. The general secretary of this organization was the daughter of Russian emigrants, Princess Vera Obolenskaya. In many cities of occupied France, they created an extensive network of conspiratorial groups, which included people of various professions, estates, and religions. It is known that a week before the German attack on the Soviet Union, members of the "Civil and Military Organization" transmitted to London with great difficulty a message about the impending aggression.
Princess Vera Obolenskaya
And later, already in 1944, intelligence data on the deployment of German troops played an important role in the Allied landing in Normandy.
The active work in the organization of Vera Apollonovna Obolenskaya, the courage shown during the trials that fell to her lot after the arrest, earned her posthumous glory. She showed everyone an example of heroism in the fight against fascism.
The Resistance Group and the underground printing press were organized by the researchers of the Museum of Man in Paris, Boris Wilde and Anatoly Levitsky with their comrades. The first action of this group was the distribution in Paris of a leaflet compiled by journalist Jean Texier, which contained "33 tips on how to behave towards the occupiers without losing your dignity."
All R. December 1940, a leaflet was issued, written by Boris Vladimirovich Vilde, calling for active opposition to the invaders. The word "resistance", first mentioned in this leaflet, gave the name to the entire patriotic movement in France during the war years.
Boris Wilde
Members of this clandestine group also carried out reconnaissance missions received from London. For example, they managed to collect and transmit valuable information about the construction by the Nazis of an underground airfield near the city of Chartres and a submarine base at Saint-Nazaire.
On the denunciation of an informant who was able to infiltrate this group, all the underground members were arrested. In February 1942, Wilde, Levitsky and five other people were shot.
Among the Russian émigrés who selflessly entered the fight against the invaders are Princess Tamara Volkonskaya, Elizaveta Kuzmina-Karavaeva (mother Maria), Ariadna Scriabina (Sarah Knut) and many others. For active participation in hostilities, Princess Volkonskaya was awarded the military rank of lieutenant of the French internal forces.
During the occupation, Tamara Alekseevna lived near the town of Rufignac in the Dordogne department. Since the appearance in this department of partisan detachments consisting of Soviet fighters, she began to actively help the partisans. Princess Volkonskaya treated and looked after the sick and wounded, and returned dozens of Soviet and French fighters to the ranks of the Resistance. She distributed leaflets and proclamations, and personally took part in partisan operations.
Anatoly Levitsky
Among the Soviet and French partisans, Tamara Alekseevna Volkonskaya was known as the Red Princess. Together with a partisan detachment, she fought with weapons in her hands in the battles for the liberation of the cities of southwestern France. For active participation in the anti-fascist struggle in France, Tamara Volkonskaya was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War II degree and the Military Cross.
Elizaveta Yurievna Kuzmina-Karavaeva emigrated to France in 1920. In Paris, Elizaveta Yuryevna creates an organization "Orthodox Cause", whose activities were aimed primarily at providing assistance to compatriots in need. With the special blessing of Metropolitan Eulogia, he is ordained a nun under the name of Mother Mary.
After the occupation of France, Mother Maria and her comrades in the "Orthodox cause" sheltered Soviet prisoners of war who had escaped from the concentration camp in Paris, rescued Jewish children, helped the Russian people who turned to her for help, and gave shelter to everyone who was persecuted by the Gestapo.
Elizaveta Kuzmina-Karavaeva died in the Ravensbrück concentration camp on March 31, 1945. According to the stories, she went to the gas chamber instead of another inmate, a young woman. Elizaveta Kuzmina-Karavaeva was posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War.
Ariadna Aleksandrovna Scriabin (Sarah Knut), the daughter of a famous Russian composer, from the very beginning of the occupation, actively joined in the fight against the Nazis and their accomplices. In July 1944, a month before the liberation of France, Scriabin died in a skirmish with the Petenian gendarmes. In Toulouse, a memorial plaque was installed on the house where Ariadna Alexandrovna lived. She was posthumously awarded the French Military Cross and the Medal of the Resistance.
The day of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War in Russian émigré circles was declared the day of national mobilization. Many emigrants perceived participation in the anti-fascist movement as an opportunity to help the Motherland.
Beginning in 1942, at least 125 thousand Soviet citizens were taken from the USSR to concentration camps, for forced labor in mines and mines in France. For such a large number of prisoners in France, 39 concentration camps were built.
Wall of Fort Mont-Valerien, where Boris Wilde and Anatoly Levitsky were shot on February 23, 1942, and where in 1941-1942 4, 5 thousand members of the Resistance were executed
One of the initiators of the anti-fascist struggle in the camps was the "Group of Soviet Patriots" created by Soviet prisoners of war in the Beaumont concentration camp (Pas-de-Calais department) in early October 1942. The "group of Soviet patriots" set itself the task of organizing acts of sabotage and sabotage in mines and agitation among prisoners. The "group …" appealed to all citizens of the USSR who were in France with an appeal, in which it urged them "… not to lose heart and not to lose hope for the victory of the Red Army over the fascist invaders, to hold high and not to drop the dignity of a citizen of the USSR, to use every opportunity to harm the enemy."
The appeal of the "Group of Soviet Patriots" from the Beaumont camp was widespread in all the camps for Soviet prisoners in the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais.
In the Beaumont concentration camp, an underground committee organized sabotage groups that disabled trucks, mining equipment, and added water to fuel. Later, the prisoners of war turned to sabotage on the railways. At night, members of the sabotage groups penetrated beyond the camp through a previously prepared passage, unscrewed the railroad rails and knocked them 15–20 cm to the sides.
Echelons at high speed, loaded with coal, military equipment and ammunition, tore off the rails and left the embankment, which led to a stop in traffic for 5-7 days. The first crash of the train was timed by Soviet prisoners of war to coincide with the 26th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.
Elizaveta Yurievna Kuzmina-Karavaeva (mother Maria)
One of the sabotage groups led by Vasily Porik escaped from the Beaumont concentration camp. A small mobile guerrilla unit was soon organized and successfully carried out bold, daring operations. For the head of Vasily Porik, the Germans announced a reward of one million francs. In one of the military clashes, Vasily Porik was wounded, captured and imprisoned in Saint-Nicaez prison.
For 8 days, he bravely endured the torture and abuse of the Nazis. Having learned during the next interrogation that he had two days left to live, Vasily Porik decided to take the last battle. In the cell, he pulled out a long nail from a wooden lattice, drew attention to himself with a shout and killed the escort who had entered him with his own dagger, which he managed to take away. With the help of a dagger, he widened the gap in the window and, tearing up the linen and tying it, made an escape.
Reporting on Poric's escape from prison, the French newspapers were full of headlines: "Escape, which the history of Saint-Nicaez did not know," "Only the devil could have escaped from those casemates." Porik's fame grew every day, new people came to the detachment. Surprised by the resourcefulness and audacity of the Soviet officer, the miners of the Pas-de-Calais department said about him: "Two hundred such Poriks - and there would be no fascists in France."
Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Porik
During the active operations, Porik's detachment destroyed more than 800 fascists, derailed 11 trains, blew up 2 railway bridges, burned 14 cars, seized a large number of weapons.
On July 22, 1944, in one of the unequal battles, Vasily Porik was captured and shot. 20 years later, in 1964, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
All in all, during the war years in France, there were dozens of partisan detachments consisting of Russian emigrants and Soviet soldiers who escaped from captivity.
But more on that next time.
