Write about collaborationism Soviet citizens during the Second War, it became unsafe: scientists dealing with this difficult topic are attacked by jingoists. Despite the bullying campaign, research continues.

Doctor historical sciences, Professor of Kazan federal university whom we met in European University Petersburg, has been studying this phenomenon for several decades on the example of Russian Muslim soldiers who found themselves in German captivity during the First World War, and on the example of representatives of the Turkic-Muslim peoples Soviet Union who joined the armed formations as part of the Wehrmacht, in particular, the Volga-Tatar Legion, the so-called Idel-Ural Legion.

By Iskander Gilyazov.

The creation of the eastern legions as part of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War was, to a certain extent, a surprise for the Germans themselves.

- The creation of the Eastern Legions as part of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War was to some extent a surprise for the Germans themselves. At the very beginning of the war, when a military campaign against the Soviet Union was planned, the Germans did not plan to rely on any forces from other nations at all. They had a very rigid attitude: only Germans could carry weapons, and only German weapons, victory can be won by German hands. The rest of the peoples, according to the Nazi anthropological racist theory, had their own "hierarchy", classification, so the Germans initially, according to this theory, treated them with distrust. Of course, there were peoples a little closer to them - Scandinavian, for example, and there were the so-called Untermensch - "subhuman": Slavs, gypsies, Jews, etc.

The course of hostilities against the Soviet Union, especially in the first months, practically pushed the Germans to the idea of ​​creating military formations from the eastern peoples. And, surprisingly, when there was no plan to attract these peoples, already at the end of August 1941, special commissions of the Eastern Ministry of Rosenberg began to work in prisoner of war camps. They were engaged in a kind of division of prisoners of war on a national basis and their allocation to separate special camps, which also remained, of course, prisoner of war camps, but already concentrated representatives of various nationalities. Both emigrants and German representatives, German scientists and immigrants from the Soviet Union worked in these commissions. They seemed to be working for the future, not only hoping, but implying that sooner or later it might come in handy.

The course of hostilities against the Soviet Union prompted the Germans to the idea of ​​creating military formations from the eastern peoples

The idea gradually began to take shape, and the impetus for its implementation was given German defeat near Moscow, when the blitzkrieg bogged down. And in fact, in December 1941, the go-ahead was given to the creation of formations from the eastern peoples. Of course, everything cannot be reduced to a blitzkrieg, here we must take into account several factors that influenced the creation of the eastern legions. Let's say it's unexpected a large number of prisoners of war. It was not clear what to do with them. By the end of the summer of 1941 there were great amount. There are appalling figures: by the end of the war, the Germans registered six million Soviet prisoners of war. This is a horror, a terrible tragedy!

Moreover, one must also take into account the fact that the Soviet Union practically did not comply with international conventions on the rights of prisoners of war, and these people were, as it were, abandoned to the mercy of fate by their country, according to Stalin's well-known instruction: "We have no prisoners of war!"

In relation to prisoners of war of other countries - England, the USA - these international norms nevertheless, they acted, and the Soviet prisoners of war found themselves in a terrible situation. And the Germans, realizing that no one needed them, treated them especially cruelly. It was, of course, both pestilence, and epidemics, and terrible famine, and terrible supplies ... In addition, it must be borne in mind that certain role played by representatives of the old emigration and the authorities of other countries, which to some extent influenced the Germans, expressed to them some considerations.

The Soviet Union practically did not comply with international conventions on the rights of prisoners of war, and these people were, as it were, abandoned to the mercy of fate by their country.

In the end, the Germans decided to get out of this situation and "trust the representatives of the Turkic-Muslim peoples", primarily because they considered (and the position of Rosenberg and the position of other ideologists was appropriate) that these Turkic-Muslim peoples were subject to the ideology of Turkic unity, that they, relatively speaking, will be just as united as the Aryans. In addition, it was believed that these peoples were in colonial dependence on the Soviet Union and they initially hate Russians. In addition, they are Muslims, and the Germans had an attentive attitude towards Islam. it long history, it dates back to the period of the First World War, when the Kaiser's diplomats and scientists tried to use the Islamic factor.

In the end, all this sum of factors played a role: "Turks, Muslims, colonial dependence, do not like Russians, Bolsheviks." It also seemed that the Soviet Union was a colossus with feet of clay, that if you pushed it a little, it would fall apart, especially if national forces within him, pressure will be exerted on him. This idea was formed by the end of 1941.

- Then the formation of the first legions began?

- At the end of 1941 - the beginning of 1942, the formation of the first four legions from these separated representatives, primarily from Central Asia and Caucasian peoples. Oddly enough, both Georgians and Armenians fell under this wave, although they were neither Turks nor Muslims. Therefore, at first four legions were formed - Turkestan, Caucasian-Muslim, Georgian and Armenian. The Caucasian-Muslim was subsequently divided into North Caucasian and Azerbaijani. That is, five legions were formed as part of the eastern legions, which became a single military structure in the German armed forces.

Tatar, or, as the Germans called it, Volga-Tatar Legion, or the legion "Idel-Ural", as it was called by the representatives of the peoples of the Volga region, included Tatars, Bashkirs, representatives of the peoples of the Volga region and the Urals. It was founded in late July - early August 1942. In reality, the banner was handed to him on September 6, and this date is considered the date of the founding of the legion. There were relevant rules, there were several waves of replenishment.

At the end of 1941 - the beginning of 1942, the formation of the first four legions began from representatives of the Central Asian and Caucasian peoples

1942 and 1943 were the peak years for the creation of these eastern legions. Almost all of their base camps were located in Poland. There were constant formations. There were appropriate rules, a certain routine. It should be noted that in the legions it was allowed to create a military unit of no more than a battalion - about 900-950 people. These battalions included at least 50-80 Germans.

As a result, eight Volga-Tatar battalions were created. There were more Turkestan, Georgian and Armenian. As a result, it turned out that the Turkestan Legion turned out to be the most numerous. By at least, representatives of the Volga peoples, Tatars, Bashkirs and others, according to the most approximate ideas, about 20-25 thousand people passed through the legion "Idel-Ural".

– The very name of the legion "Idel-Ural" refers to the events of 1918, when in Kazan, at the 2nd All-Russian Muslim Military Congress on January 8 (21) - February 18 (March 3), 1918, a resolution was adopted on the creation of the state of Idel-Ural, which includes the entire Ufa province, part of Kazan, Simbirsk, Samara, Orenburg, Perm and Vyatka province?

Eight Volga-Tatar battalions were created. There were more Turkestan, Georgian and Armenian

- Most likely, it was a certain political game, because this slogan has, in principle, remained in history when, during the period civil war issues were discussed nation building on the territory of the Middle Volga region, the creation of the state or state "Idel-Ural". And it was absolutely not a separatist movement. This state was supposed to be part of Russian Federation, that is, it was not a branch. But, in the end, even this was not allowed to be created by the Bolshevik leaders. Then a softer version began to be implemented. In the course of the Civil War, as the power of the Bolsheviks increased, the idea of ​​creating the Tatar-Bashkir Republic arose. In the end, already in 1920, in completely different conditions, a scanty and not fully reflecting the interests of Tatar population Volga Republic - Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which, unfortunately, included only a quarter or one fifth of all ethnic Tatars. Even so, the territories in which they lived ethnic Tatars, for some reason ended up in other administrative entities. One can only guess why this happened.

Most of the political emigrants who had authority in the 20-30s, at least among the Tatar political emigration, were not connected to this epic with the creation of the Idel-Ural legion. The fact is that the Germans in general were very suspicious of the political emigrants of the first wave. It turned out that "more reliable people" from among the defectors, from late emigrants, from some other spheres, were involved in the creation of the legion, but not from those who had authority in the 1920s and 1930s. This applies not only to the Tatars, but also to many other peoples, for example, the Central Asian, Caucasian emigration.

With the strengthening of the power of the Bolsheviks, the idea arose of creating the Tatar-Bashkir Republic

- The relationship was specific. The army of General Vlasov was created as Russian liberation army, it did not plan any national units. Vlasov himself, judging by some of his speeches, according to some publications, adhered to, I would say, quite democratic approaches to national question. For example, in one of his speeches he spoke in favor of the full right of nations to self-determination in future Russia up to the branch. At the same time, he noted that he believes in the strength of traditions, in the strength of the ties of these peoples with the Russian people, that sooner or later this age-old tradition will play its role, and these peoples will be together with the Russian people.

And at the same time, there was distrust of General Vlasov on the part of the national leaders of the Turkic-Muslim peoples. They even jointly signed the anti-Vlasov manifesto, in which they asked the Germans not to unite them with the army of General Vlasov in any case, because, as it was written there, "General Vlasov is a Russian general, and his whole train of thought is Russian. And therefore we have - his movement, and he has his own. Although, of course, there were contacts. There were special representatives of the ROA who communicated with representatives of the Turkic-Muslim peoples, but no alliance came about.

- In addition to the military cooperation of the Germans with representatives of the Turkic-Muslim peoples of the Soviet Union, there was also political cooperation. What was it?

The army of General Vlasov was created as the Russian Liberation Army, it did not plan any national units

- In addition to military cooperation, the Germans planned to organize a kind of ideological base for all these military formations. Special so-called mediations were created under the Eastern Ministry of Rosenberg, the Ministry for the Affairs of the Occupied eastern territories, which was responsible for all this work, including with representatives of the Eastern peoples. These mediations with various Eastern peoples were German institutions within this ministry. Turkestan mediation, Tatar mediation were created.

I will talk about the latter, which I studied more carefully. It was a German institution that dealt with the Tatars. It was engaged in work among emigrants, among workers who worked on the territory of the Reich, among legionnaires, organized propaganda, political work among these people. This mediation was headed absolutely random person(I met him when he was still alive, he was more than 90 years old) - lawyer Heinz Unglaube, a very cheerful, cheerful person who spoke neither Russian nor Tatar. And he was chosen for this position because, as he himself said, he once read something about the Tatars. It shocked me!

He led this mediation almost to the end of the war. Under his auspices, a weekly newspaper for the legion and a magazine were created at the same time. Tatar literature in Tatar. In order to support the political efforts of other peoples, supplements to this newspaper have been created. He began to publish a German-Tatar messenger in two languages.

In addition to military cooperation, the Germans planned to organize a kind of ideological base for all these military formations.

A kind of result of this political work was the creation national committees who began to present themselves as governments in exile, as political organizations. And under the auspices of the Tatar mediation in the Eastern Ministry in 1944, the "Union of the struggle of the Turko-Tatars of Idel-Ural" was created, which was simply called the "Committee of Idel-Ural". Attempts to create such political organization began in 1942, but it took shape only in 1944. Program documents and transcripts of this congress have been preserved. I partially published them, including in Russian translation in the journal "Gasyrlar avazy" ("Echo of the Ages").

These documents are by and large democratic, which is quite unexpected. They are not Nazi, not fascist, they are nationalist, national. But at the same time, they largely repeat the postulates of the Tatar democratic movement of 1917-1920. The Tatars, of course, spoke out quite cautiously on issues of anti-Semitism, but anti-Semitic notes were quite strong in some of their political movements. This, of course, cannot be accepted.

- And what was the fate of the members of the Volga-Tatar legion "Idel-Ural" after the end of the war?

95% of the legionnaires, and maybe even more, were completely random people in the legions. They weren't really enemies

- 95% of the legionnaires, and maybe even more, were completely random people in the legions. They were not really enemies, many went to the legion with only one goal: to wait out, to save their lives. And of course they made a mistake. You cannot blame them for becoming traitors or fascists. Any crime must be specifically proven in court.

Their fate is not easy in many respects. Those who survived and returned to their homeland moved from one camp to another. I will not say that they were immediately shot, but almost all of them went through filtration camps. Their cases have been preserved, which in the 90s were in open access. I did not have time to work with them at that time, but there are many of them - tens of thousands.

– Have you tried to get permission to work with these materials now?

Those who were released did not receive any rights as WWII veterans

- Didn't even try. I've heard how hard access there is. Those who were released did not receive any rights as WWII veterans. This is quite understandable. On a purely human level, I just feel sorry for these people. In many ways, these are misguided people. I treat such people not only with understanding, but, at least, taking into account all the circumstances.

– A year ago, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the victory Movie "War of the Unforgiven" directed by Denis Krasilnikov about the legion "Idel-Ural" became the winner in the nomination "Best Feature Film" documentary"on the 11th Kazan international festival Muslim cinema. He caused fury among Russian nationalists. Until now, on nationalist sites, for example, on the site "Novorossiya" you can read negative comments on this film. This story with the film is another evidence of the process that we are witnessing today in Russia, the process of distorting history in order to achieve certain political goals. How can you comment on this situation?

People want to stand out, show themselves without understanding the sources

I acted as a consultant on this film. I read a lot of reviews - from enthusiastic to sharply critical. Majority critical reviews themselves do not withstand any criticism, because critics approach this film from a predetermined position. For these critical assessments, the main leitmotif is as follows: "Since this film was made about the Idel-Ural legion, it is already unambiguously bad and it already unequivocally protects this legion." And the fact that this film is not dedicated to the Idel-Ural legion, but is dedicated to those people who, being captured, being part of the legion, in these difficult conditions rose to fight against Nazism, does not bother them.

There is already some kind of rage going on here. People want to stand out, to show themselves without understanding the sources. Therefore, I considered it unnecessary to enter into polemics with them. Now, unfortunately, such a trend has begun. If in the 1990s we had a rise in interest in this topic, now we again see signs of the Soviet approach (in the bad sense of the word).

Unfortunately, we again began to glorify the war as a phenomenon. And war is, first of all, a tragedy.

In history, today we see only what we want to see. In the present, we reproject many things, transfer them to the past. Unfortunately, we again began to glorify the war as a phenomenon. I do not like it. War is, first of all, a tragedy. And it seems to me that on May 9 we should not just beat the fanfare, but stop and think, remember those people who died during the war, and maybe just keep quiet, and not shout: "Hurrah! Hurray!"

When I see in the days of May on cars the stickers "We've reached Berlin, we'll get to Washington!", I just get scared. This is a misunderstanding of history. Unfortunately, our society is beginning to see in the war only heroism and feat, and not tragedy. And it seems to me that tragedy and horror should come first in the perception of war.

Name:

Idel-Ural

General content of the project:

The project of the national state of the Tatars and Bashkirs. Depending on the trend - either as part of Russia, or as a sovereign state.

Implementation attempts have led to the emergence of several projects:

- Zabulachnaya republic that existed in the Tatar part of Kazan (March 1 - March 28, 1918),
– Cultural and national autonomy of the Turko-Tatars Inner Russia and Siberia (S. N. Maksudov),
– Ural-Volga state (G. Sharaf),
- Tatar-Bashkir Soviet Socialist Republic.

Initiating countries:

Tatar and Bashkir nationalists

Flag/logo:

The flag of the state of Idel-Ural (according to the book by Gayaz Iskhaki "Idel-Ural", 1933):

Flag of the Idel-Ural project of the 1990s. According to the constitution of Tatarstan, it is the flag of the three Volga Turkic republics - Bashkiria, Tatarstan and, possibly, Chuvashia:

Flag Volga Bulgars(amateur, zero years):

Map:

reference Information:

The February Revolution led, among other things, to an increase in political activity Tatar people. A broad discussion began on ways to develop Tatar statehood. Initially, it was proposed various forms both territorial and cultural-national autonomy of the Tatar people.

The 1st All-Russian Muslim Congress (beginning of May 1917, Moscow) adopted a resolution on territorial autonomy and a federal structure. The organization of autonomy was proclaimed at the Millat Majlis, the coordinating body of the National-Cultural Autonomy of Muslim Turko-Tatars of Inner Russia and Siberia, elected at a joint meeting of the 1st All-Russian Muslim Congress with the 1st All-Russian Muslim Military Congress and the Congress of the All-Russian Muslim Clergy on July 22 ( August 4) 1917 in Kazan.

The 2nd All-Russian Muslim Military Congress [Kazan, January 8 (21) - February 18 (March 3), 1918] adopted a resolution on the creation of the Idel-Ural State as part of the RSFSR (the entire Ufa province, part of Kazan, Simbirsk, Samara, Orenburg , Perm, Vyatka provinces) and the formation of its legislative and executive bodies"Milli idara" ( National Administration) consisting of three ministries (spiritual, education and finance) and two committees (military and foreign affairs). There was a split at the congress with regard to Constituent Assembly and the Soviets. The left faction left the congress. However, after the start of the work of the elected bodies (boards), at the very first meeting on January 16 (29), 1918 in Kazan, the chairman of the Board G. Sharaf proposed to approve the proposals of the left faction (not supported by the Congress). After this variant of the Regulations was adopted by a majority of votes, members of the Collegium G. Gubaidullin and N. Khalfin resigned in protest.

Also, when creating the project, there was a controversy about the inclusion of the Bashkir people into the Tatars (“Tatar nation”).

In Moscow, Narkomnats on the instructions of the Council People's Commissars develops a project of the Tatar-Bashkir Republic, as a Soviet alternative to the State of Idel-Ural.

On March 22, 1918, the 2nd version of the TBSR appears. The Bolsheviks soon launched a further offensive against the "bourgeois nationalists".

By a decree of March 24 (signed by Stalin and Vakhitov), ​​Harbi Shuro was liquidated, and in April Milli Shuro was abolished with confiscation of property, on May 1, the activities of Milli Idar and all institutions associated with it were confiscated, Milli Fund was confiscated.

At the end of May, the All-Russian Central Muslim Council ceased its activities. Some of the deputies of the National Assembly formed the "Small Majlis", which continued to work in the territories free from the Bolsheviks. Although in July 1918, together with the rebel Czechoslovak Corps, has been partially restored National Administration Ural-Volga state, in fact, this has not changed anything.

At the end of 1918, the remnants of the troops of the All-Russian Muslim Military Council (Harbi Shuro) entered Kolchak's army as the 16th Tatar regiment.

The head of the Idel-Ural State, Sadri Maksudi, illegally went abroad at the end of 1918.

In the early 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the idea of ​​recreating the Ural-Volga state was popular with Tatar national public figures.

Kazan ideologists declared the existence of a special Volga-Ural civilization and the need to create the Volga-Ural state. This area with the peoples inhabiting it - Tatars, Russians, Bashkirs, Chuvashs, Mordovians, Maris, Udmurts, etc. - was declared a homogeneous and different community from Russia, within which the administrative boundaries between the territories were recognized as conditional.

Project relevance:

The growth of Islamization and the influence of the ideology of Tatar nationalism actualized the Idel-Ural project, although the consequences of this growth do not affect regions outside of Tatarstan (medium)

Reasons for implementation:

Ethnic and confessional distinctness Volga regions from neighboring "Russians".

Let's try to understand a person who, in the grip of circumstances, had to take a double oath and thrice, together with others who signed up for the Idel-Ural Legion, shout "Heil!"

It is known that the vast majority of prisoners of war, including the “Vlasovites” and the so-called legionnaires, who joined the Germans under the flag of the fight against Stalinism in order to create independent national states, were “calculated” and, with the active assistance of the allies, returned to the USSR and convicted. Even those who had been languishing in German concentration camps for many years fell under the millstones of repression.

Few of them, after serving a long term, were released. And which of these unfortunates, in conditions of colossal moral pressure, dared to write memoirs? Such cases are rare. That is why we believe that the memoirs of the former prisoner of war Ivan Skobelev are of historical value. Despite the quite understandable subjective interpretation of events, one cannot ignore new information about the actions of the underground group, which included the former political worker of the Second shock army, poet Musa Jalil, guillotined by the Nazis (later Hero of the Soviet Union, laureate of the Lenin Prize).

A few words about the fate of the memoirs. A native of the Chuvash village of Nizhny Kurmei Orenburg region Ivan Skobelev (1915) wrote them at the request of the writer and journalist, editor-in-chief of the Orenburg television studio Leonid Bolshakov, who was interested in Chuvash history (the author of the brochure "Leo Tolstoy's Chuvash Correspondents").

Apparently, after the triumphant return of Musa Jalil’s “Moabit Notebooks” to the USSR during a short “thaw”, the author had hope that the attitude towards other prisoners of the camps, as well as towards all the victims of the war, would change. Once again mentally walking along the bumpy roads of the war, he, of course, was looking for a way to gain mental stability (to keep colossal information and impressions inside is an incredible test). To tell, confess, justify to posterity, perhaps, the author thought about this too.

Brief historical background

The Volga-Tatar Legion (Legion "Idel-Ural") is a division of the Wehrmacht, consisting of representatives of the Volga peoples of the USSR (Tatars, Bashkirs, Mari, Mordovians, Chuvashs, Udmurts). Volga-Tatar legionnaires (about 40 thousand people in total) were part of 7 reinforced field battalions; 15 economic, sapper, railway and road construction companies; and 1 battle group of the Eastern Turkic SS formation. Organizationally subordinate to the Headquarters of the Command of the Eastern Legions (German: Kommando der Ostlegionen).

The Legion was created in Jedlino (Poland) on August 15, 1942. ideological basis Legion was the creation of an independent Volga-Ural Republic (Idel-Ural). The leading role in the ideological training of the legionnaires was played by emigrants - members of the national committees formed under the auspices of the Ministry of the Occupied Eastern Territories.

At the very first clashes with the enemy, many legionnaires, most of who were recruited against their will from among prisoners of war, went over to the side of the Red Army and the Allied armies. Huge contribution contributed to the maintenance of the spirit of the legionnaires and the rejection of Nazi views underground organization led by Musa Jalil.

War

The first day of the war passed like all the previous days, except for the announcement of the beginning of the German invasion. On June 23, part of the soldiers took the oath. For the first time they held live ammunition in their hands, for the first time they saw simple and explosive bullets. And the rifles got the same - the old model with a trihedral Russian bayonet. The war has begun, but we have not yet seen machine guns.

The people knew that a conflict with Germany was inevitable. The rank and file met the war calmly. We considered the concluded pact of friendship and non-aggression as an absurdity in the policy of our government. It was only strange to listen to the Red Army soldiers forbid by the commanders to speak of Germany as a state hostile to us.

In the evening we took off from the newly settled tents and dugouts and made a transition of about sixty kilometers to the West. We thought we were going to load to be sent to the front. The mood was cheerful, fighting. The first big hike did not exhaust me at all, although I wanted to sleep and rest.

We began to take a position, dig trenches. When everything was done, an order was received: to get together to replace the dislocation. This time we went back 25 km. Why was such maneuvering necessary, and for the entire division? Why were we treading water? The command was confused, continued to liberalize in an academic way.

The trampling on the spot ended on June 29 or 30, in the evening we were loaded onto a train and transferred overnight to the city of Gorodok Vitebsk region. Upon the arrival of the division, replenishment of the newly mobilized arrived. They could not be equipped and armed. They were forced to send to Vitebsk.

The first battles began on July 3 or 4, and ended successfully. Several armored vehicles and tanks were hit. They brought several captured Nazis. They behaved arrogantly. Shouted: "Rus kaput."

At dawn next day The attack of the main forces of the enemy began ...

When crossing the highway, they ran into a German ambush. We did not know the number of the enemy. To disperse the fire, we decided to split into several groups. I stayed in the center. At the appointed time, we crawled forward and opened fire on the enemy. I don't remember how long the fight went on. The cartridges in the clip ran out, the last grenade remained. On command, he went on the attack. I don't remember anything further.

Soon the Germans approached, who were collecting trophies.

Captivity

By evening we ended up in a camp built right in the field. About two hundred people were gathered here, all from the battlefield. The first days I was very tormented by wounds. There was a fragment sticking out in the side, the neck under the jaw was stitched with a bullet. I couldn't drink or talk.

We were soon lined up for dispatch. A special team came on bicycles and motorcycles. As soon as we went out of the gate, the sick and wounded in the leg were shot before our very eyes. The same fate befell those who fell along the way.

In Vitebsk, a camp was built on a huge square, where the warehouses of the People's Commissariat of Defense used to be. There were a lot of prisoners here. We were let in without any registration on the account. There were many soldiers without tunics and caps, like me. There was also command staff with insignia, well-groomed officers, clean, as if they had not seen the war. These people were special. They smoked, many of them already occupied the posts of senior barracks.

Doctors and paramedics came and began to treat the wounds. The Germans did not use our dressings, they handed them over to the camps. They pulled a fragment out of me, cleaned the side of crushed bones. The surgeon Petrov, having examined me, said: "You will live if you do not die in this hell."

Among the neat dandies, some wore white armbands with a black letter "P" (policeman) on their sleeves. Most of them spoke Ukrainian among themselves. They were armed with belts with a heavy buckle, which were used when necessary. They beat them mercilessly, with pleasure. They caught "witches", that is, they searched for commissars and Jews. They lived in a separate block, ate separately.

Jews and commissars were put in a ring specially fenced off with barbed wire and kept hanging on their chests with the inscription: “Judas”, “commissar”, “weather vane” (fugitive), then hung in front of the prisoners.

That's how I knew fascist order in captivity.

Branded "A" (Asian)

There was a rumor: the Germans let Ukrainians and Belarusians go home, but only civilians. After starving for three days, he exchanged torn civilian clothes for three rations of bread. I wanted to get out of this hell. So I got to the stage. We were brought to the city of Borisov. The next day they started commissioning. When they began to undress, many found Red Army linen, wounds. Without letting us come to our senses, we were sent to a prisoner of war camp. They took me to work here. They fed twice, gave two liters of good gruel from barley groats for five people, and two more loaves of bread.

Red Army uniforms were soon handed out. After they were divided into groups according to nationality, they brought out overcoats and tunics with oil paint on the backs large letters: "r" (Russian), "y" (Ukrainian), "b" (Belarusian), "a" (Asian). In the blocks, they identified Russians as policemen - Ukrainians, Belarusians - Asians, etc.

Already in the first weeks and months of the war, the Wehrmacht began to use Soviet prisoners of war as auxiliary personnel (cooks, drivers, grooms, handymen, cartridge carriers, sappers, kitchen assistants, messengers, signalmen) directly in their combat units. Later they were mobilized into security and counterguerrilla units. By the end of 1942, these people were brought into the so-called "Eastern battalions".

By the last period of the war, when Germany had run out of human reserves, they remembered those who tried from the very first days of the war to become an ally of Germany and in the future to obtain at least a minimum of independence for their people. At the first stage of the war, they were brushed aside like annoying flies. No wonder, because Germany was strong, and its army was at Moscow itself.

At a critical moment, the Germans remembered the prisoners of war. Paradoxical situation developed at the front by the end of the war, when it was discovered that the few German military units for 40-50 percent or more consist of natives of the Soviet Union and various exotic countries. So, after the assault on the Reich Chancellery soviet soldiers with astonishment looked at the corpses of her dead defenders with an Asian slit in the eyes.

After the end of the war, part of the legionnaires, with the support of influential friends from a number of governments Muslim countries, took refuge in the Middle East and Turkey. Those who remained in the USSR were repressed.

In the circles of hell

They drove us to Minsk on foot. There were many shootings along the way. The first victims remained on the outskirts of the city of Borisov, near a warehouse with fertilizers. For more than a week they fed us without salt. As they passed by this warehouse, the exhausted people mistook the fertilizer for salt, and the front column rushed forward, made a dump. The convoy opened fire on the crowd with submachine guns and machine guns.

... A new camp was built on the territory of Lithuania on the site of a military camp. The whole area is covered with greenery. Gigantic lindens all around. Gorgeous barracks. But nothing pleased us, except for the grass, which grew abundantly in the camp. The hungry pounced on pasture. They ate raw grass, ate it with water and salt. Didn't eat! And there was nothing tastier than plantain. Ate and stocked up. As a result, 1500-2000 people ate all the grass in a huge area in three days. And the prisoners kept coming and coming. Inside the camp, even the trees were gnawed. The windows were smashed in order to scrape the fibers of the trees with a piece of glass for food. Luxurious lindens now stood completely naked.

The weather was damp and cold. The inhabitants of the camp were concentrated in barracks and stables. They fed badly. All stories about past life, about work and relatives ended with memories of some memorable dinner. In this mass, consisting of adults and intelligently reasoning people, all thoughts revolved only around food. If they had said that we would feed them and then shoot them, perhaps no one would have refused such a “mercy”. They didn't think about life. With a dream of food, they fell asleep and woke up.

Prisons are the same everywhere. I came to this conclusion later. I mean not only external and internal organization, but also the regime, and so on - dampness, darkness, punishment cells, rooms for investigation with torture equipment. Such were the prisons in Stetin, Gdansk, Brest, Minsk, and after the war - in Cheboksary. How much sophistication in them for greater human suffering! How carefully the staff is selected for this!

People who have not gone through the circles of hell sometimes argue: it’s good there, but it’s bad here, and they give the sentenced before execution to eat to their fill and even drink. These are people - dreamers, braggarts, stuffing their own worth, as if they have seen a lot in life.

In prisons everywhere hard and hungry. But in prisons, where they look at you like an enemy and treat you like a dangerous animal, it's even harder. Processing of our camera began at the end of January 1942. Seven Lithuanians passed before me, three of them returned to the cell from the first interrogation - beaten beyond recognition.

My turn came too. The interrogation began peacefully and quietly: who, where, how was he captured? For the first time, I gave my last name, where I came from and who was by nationality. To the accusations that I was left for espionage work, that I was a communist, I answered with a categorical refusal. Then he fell off his chair from the impact. They beat with anything. According to the stories of my comrades, I lay motionless for three days.

Soon we were loaded into the train. On the road they gave 100 g of liver sausage and a loaf of bread. Everyone ate all this immediately, and for three days they went hungry. They unloaded us in the afternoon at one of the small railway stations in Saxony. In Stadtlager No. 314, they let me go through sanitation, gave us old German tunics and shod them in wooden blocks. A tin plate with a number was hung around his neck. My number is 154155 (probably according to the number of prisoners).

Here in separate zones lived the British, Americans, French and Greeks. All of them, in comparison with us, looked like well-fed stallions. They were not driven to work, they were fed well. Their clothes and shoes were new army, in the form of their countries. They were allowed to receive letters and parcels through the Red Cross. They were playing sport games and read newspapers. The Germans treated them as equals. At the same time, Soviet prisoners were dying of hunger, beatings and hellish conditions created especially for them.

The prisoner does not know the reasons for the change

In Stadtlager No. 314 we were imprisoned in a block national minorities. Georgians and Armenians occupied separate zones here, the Volga and Central Asian nationalities were located at the other end. After sanitation, we were given overcoats, boots with socks and trousers. The food here was different.

We did not know the true reason for this change. They explained in their own way that the war had dragged on, the Germans, fearing for their own skins, were trying to smooth over their crimes, etc. For persuasiveness, they reminded that there was an ultimatum from Molotov to Germany about responsibility for violating international rules for keeping prisoners of war. In a word, everyone invented something, argued, reasoned in anticipation of the good.

The strong and well-fed kept apart, ruled over the weak, chose best places and tried to stand out in front of the camp authorities.

During the 10-year stay in the camp after the war, I had to meet with such "world-eaters" more than once. They settled here too, became the same as they were in fascist camps, - thieves, robbers and murderers of honest workers. They never realized their guilt for the lost souls, in many cases through their fault, in fascist captivity. They grumbled at Soviet power, on Stalin, on the party. They hated the people and lived only for the sake of their belly.

Brought to Poland, in the town of Sedlice. I ended up in the "weak team" of the Tatar camp. We were divided into companies, platoons and squads. Two battalions were formed before us, and drill exercises were already underway. There were no weapons. They fed according to the norm of a German soldier.

Soon the purpose of the importation and formation became somewhat clear. I was especially struck by the introduction of the hour of namaz (prayer) and its submissive performance by the prisoners. Mullahs were found from somewhere, and they were by no means old men.

In the "weak company", except for me and two Mordvins, everyone was Tatars. Nobody knew that I was a Chuvash, because I spoke Tatar perfectly.

Mulla calls for worship

When they lined up for prayer, I joined the tail. The command came (of course, in Tatar): "Sit down for prayer." An internal protest held me like an idol. Mullah's voice brought me to my senses, and I got out of line and stood on the flank. He stood for 20-30 minutes while the mullah read a prayer, and then ranted about the onset of a “happy time”.

After the prayer, they dragged me to the officer: “Why didn’t you pray?” Through an interpreter, I replied that I was a Christian and a Chuvash by nationality.

This incident changed my position somewhat. If earlier they looked like a “goal” (he was terribly thin, instead of 72 kg he weighed only 42). Released from outfits, drills. Thanks to this incident, I became closely acquainted with the Tatar Yangurazi, with whom we fought in the same division. This act played an important role in my later life in Germany and facilitated a meeting with Musa Jalil.

Soon the battalion commanders began to be led into the city in groups with one escort. They visited "Soldatenheims", "Vufs" (brothels), from where they brought schnapps and bimbras (moonshine). Belated but true news began to arrive: Leningrad was standing, the Germans' attempts to reach the Volga had failed. But prostitutes also spread false information.

On one of the difficult days, three “gentlemen” in civilian clothes arrived at the Sedlice camp. They began to call the prisoners to the headquarters of the camp. An elderly Tatar was talking to me. By the way, he did not speak his native language well.

A few days later we were put into a passenger car and sent to special camp Eastern Ministry. Most likely, it was a filtration (checking) point: the intelligentsia of all nationalities of the USSR was concentrated here. After 2-3 months, I found out: General Vlasov was gathering a million-strong army for a campaign against Stalin. A little later I had to meet with Vlasov himself.

Tie presses the neck like a collar

The camp had a club and a library with publications in Russian. There were many books by immigrant writers. Movies were shown in the club, lectures were given on the National Socialist program. Mein Kampf was brought straight to the barracks.

These days there was a rumor that Musa Jalil, the chairman of the Union of Tatar Writers, was nearby, in a quarantine camp. Among us were people who knew him. This is Alish children's writer, before the war - head. Department of Pioneers of the Tatar Regional Committee of the Komsomol), an employee of the editorial office of the newspaper "Krasnaya Tatariya" Satarov.

Two weeks later, everyone was summoned to the headquarters of the camp, forced to fill out and sign a form with the following content: “A prisoner of war such and such is released, and at the same time he undertakes to work with the German authorities where they are sent.” Under fear death penalty made a commitment not to associate with German women.

After that they took us to Berlin. Here they brought to the warehouse of one of the shops, dressed in civilian clothes. Leaving the store, I told my friend that a paper collar with a German tie pulled around the neck was crushing the neck like a collar.

From the memoirs of a prisoner of war Rushad Khisamutdinov

... The Tatars were reluctant to join the German legion. Then the Nazis decided to find a man who could carry all the prisoners with him. The recruiters were persistent. It is known that high-ranking officials were busy around Musa Jalil at that time - both Rosenberg and Unglyaube, and the notorious "president" of the imaginary state "Idel-Ural" Shafi Almaz. But Musa at first did not want to hear about serving with the Germans. Only later, realizing that the idea of ​​​​the Nazis opens up the opportunity for him to engage in anti-fascist propaganda in the legions, he agreed. The path that Musa took was difficult and dangerous.

... After the arrival of a new replenishment, a musical chapel (cult platoon) was organized. Thirteen people were selected as "artists". None of them were professional artists. Gainan is a teacher, Abdulla is a senior political instructor, etc. However, our Edlnin "musicians" - Garif Malikov, Ivan Skobelev, Sadykov and others also did not have a special education.

From the book "Memories of Musa Jalil", Kazan, 1966.

Lieutenant General X. Helmich at the next inspection of the battalion of the Volga-Tatar Legion. Presumably - 1943

What Tatars do the Chuvashs stand in solidarity with?

For three weeks we lived in a hotel of the third category "Anhalter Baikhov". We ate in the canteen with ration cards. They didn't know the language, so they had to stay in the room. Sometimes they went for a walk in the city.

During this time, he became closely acquainted with Alishev, Shabaev, Bulatov, Sabirov. Especially a good relationship formed with Alishev. I appreciated his frankness and simplicity. I learned from him that the poet Musa Jalil, a favorite of the Tatar people, would soon arrive here.

The group was often taken on excursions to theaters. A guy from Donbass, a student of the institute, was attached to us foreign languages surname (doubtful) Sultan. He also issued food cards, stamps and pfennigs. Sometimes some of the "goal", including me, were not taken on excursions, because due to our thinness, the Germans could have an unsatisfactory idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe Tatars. On such days we killed time by studying German from a soldier's handbook.

One evening we wandered into the "birnetube", which was located in the basement, where the Belgians and the French gathered. For the first time I saw the situation described by Gorky and other writers: a beer hall, immersed in smoke and mud, with painted and disheveled girls on the laps of men. Behind the counter stood a pot-bellied, red-faced owner, who carefully took stamps and pfennigs, as well as smuggled goods, gold rings and other souvenirs, and poured schnapps or ersatzbeer.

Our appearance did not go unnoticed. Three Frenchmen surrounded us. We did not understand them, they did not understand us either, the phrase "Russian Gefangen" (Russian prisoners) explained everything. The French put us at the table, offered beer, but we refused due to lack of money. They slapped us on the shoulder, called us comrades, treated us to cigarettes. But soon a policeman came up and took us to the hotel, ordered the hostess not to let us go anywhere alone.

Days passed full of languor and anxiety. One day the group was ordered to be on the spot. At 18 o'clock the interpreter Sultan took us to the restaurant "Exeldtser".

I had never seen such splendidly decorated halls before: hundreds of tables, booths, chandeliers, serving buffets, fluttering waiters... The smell of high-grade cigarettes was intoxicating. There is no war here, here they do not know about hunger, pain and deprivation.

We were led through a huge hall, probably in order to show how richly live and confidently behave fascist degenerates.

Several men and women met us in a small hall. They turned out to be Tatars who had remained in Germany since the First World War (the women were their wives and daughters). Our arrival revived the company. Among the prisoners, they were looking for their fellow countrymen and relatives. Soon an old Tatar man appeared, who in Sedlice picked up the people he needed. With him came a man of average height, baggy and haggard-looking. He modestly greeted Alishev (embraced) and followed the old man forward. It was Musa Jalil (Gumerov, as he introduced himself).

They offered to take a seat. The German and the old man announced the opening of an evening of acquaintances of the Tatars in Berlin with "newly arrived gentlemen" (efendi). An old Tatar man, who was named Shafi Almaz, said that we were gathered to fight against Bolshevism, to form with the help of the Nazis independent nation states. And we, the "color of the nation", were supposed to lead this business. It was announced that a leading center called "Tatar mediation" was being created in Berlin under the Eastern Ministry. A newspaper in the Tatar language "Idel-Ural" will be published.

Then there was dinner at the expense of unused cards. The ladies wanted to hear Tatar songs. Nazipov and a young boy, whose last name I don't remember, spoke. Then they began to ask Musa Jalil to read something. He readily agreed, read humorous poems. One of them, I remember, was called "Parachute".

My acquaintance with Jalil took place on the same evening. He approached me himself. At first they spoke Russian, and then they switched to Tatar. He asked if I had been in captivity for a long time, where I had fought, how I had been captured. I don’t know what impression I made on Jalil, but after that the attitude of the “well-fed” towards me changed somewhat.

The following days they settled in the premises allocated for the "Tatar Mediation". Then responsibilities were assigned. All this happened without the participation of Jalil.

"Tatar Mediation" was located on Noenburger Street on the third floor of a brick house. The second floor was occupied by "Turkestan mediation" (Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kirghiz, etc.).

A day later, a meeting of mediation workers was held. Many Germans were present, there was even an SS general (later they found out that they were a representative of the Eastern Ministry, Professor von Medsarich and two secretaries: Frau von Budberg and maid of honor Döbling). There were three Tatars in military uniform who arrived from the legion. At this meeting, it was announced: "Tatar mediation" will be the center of the struggle for the liberation of the Tatar people from Bolshevism and the establishment of such independence as it was before they were conquered by the Russians.

Gunafin, Sultan, Gilyadiev and someone else spoke, called to fight for a "just cause", the emphasis was on the Fuhrer, and at the end they shouted: "Heil Hitler!"

When these tirades were over, they asked: “What will our Chuvash friend say?” I answered: “If there were as many of my relatives as Tatars, a lot could be said, but so far I can only say one thing: I stand in solidarity with the Tatars.” Frau von Budberg translated my words to the Germans. Shafi Almaz asked: why did I speak in Russian when I speak Tatar perfectly? “I did not speak, but answered your question. To speak, you need to prepare, ”I answered.

During the break, M. Jalil approached me. He asked: what kind of Tatars do the Chuvashs stand in solidarity with? There was no one nearby, and I boldly answered: we were and will be in solidarity with all neighbors, regardless of nationality. He shook my hand and turned to Yangurazi who came up: “You seem to be great friends, this is the second time I see you together.” The friend replied: “Yes, we are from the same division.”

After that, they talked in Tatar: where he was captured, who else is with the Germans, etc. But then Jalil was summoned to the "chief".

It was soon announced that Unglyaube would lead the organization from the Germans, and Shafi Almaz from the Tatars (translators Sultan and Jalil). Organizational and propaganda departments were created, as well as the editorial staff (Ishmaev, Gilyadiev, Alishev, Satarov, Sabirov, and others). Yangurazi and I were out of work.

Everyone was given ration cards, monthly salary. We had to start living in a private apartment, we had to come to work every day.

Soon we were given foreign passports. Passed a commission to determine race (they measured the head, the shape of the eyes, and God knows what else). And what do you think? I, a Chuvash, and 15 other Tatars received an assessment similar to the Aryan race. Everything came together in size. Then we laughed that we were canonized as saints.

(Ending to follow)