Press releases

Partisan Chronicles: Komsomol Unit

MINSK, 27 March (BelTA) - On the night of 8 April 1944 the Komsomol Unit of Minsk Brigade No.1 was preparing to take up their deployment positions. Intelligence reported that Germans had been raiding the village of Pudetskaya Sloboda, Minsk Oblast, for two weeks to loot and kill civilians. The Wehrmacht unit had two automatic cannons, lots of guns, other weapons and up to 70 fighters.

Later the command of Minsk Brigade No.1 would hail the heroism of the partisans in the intense battle in the village of Pudetskaya Sloboda. The fighters of the Komsomol Unit defeated the enemy and seized many good trophies, among them the legendary Oerlikon cannons.

“Partisan Chronicles: Komsomol Unit” is a new page of the joint project of BelTA and the Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War History. The project is based on a unique collection of handwritten partisan journals provided by the Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War History. The collection was assigned the status of historical and cultural value of international importance (Class 1).

Every week BelTA brings these chronicles to light and posts their digital copies. Each of them sheds light on various aspects of partisans’ life, gives a glimpse into thoughts and feelings of people who risked their lives to fight a battle behind enemy lines.

Till 3 July 2019 BelTA will publish digests of these chronicles and upload their digital versions complementing the unique content with photos from its own archives.

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