BARBARA

ˈBarbara

Code name for the punitive operation by German Nazi invaders against the partisans and the civilian population in Vasilievichy and Kalinkavichy rajons of Paliessie Voblasc on October 9–16, 1943, during the Great Patriotic War.

It was conducted by the forces of the Wehrmacht and Gendarmerie Сombat groups as part of the 105th Grenadier and 57th Security regiments, seven independent security battalions, artillery battalions, special sapper, and other subunits. An armoured train was supposed to back them.

The territory of the so-called ‘Wet Triangle’ (among the Dniapro, Prypiac, and Biarezina rivers) was designated by the command of Army Group Centre for the location of the rears of the 2nd German Army which was retreating during the Chernihiv-Prypiac offensive of 1943. According to the results of the Hitlerites reconnaissance of the Wet Triangle, the head of the operational department of the rear security headquarters of the 2nd Army reported that ‘the situation in the army’s new rear is fundamentally different from the situation in the former rear areas... Here... only some large settlements (Rechyca, Bragin, Hojniki, Mazyr) are managed and controlled by the German institutions, with the rest of the territory being under the control of partisans…’. To ‘pacificate’ this area, the leadership of the 2nd Army conducted the Barbara punitive operation.

Battles took place in the Kalinkavichy-Zhlobin-Rechyca triangle. The main assault was taken by the brigades and detachments of the Paliessie and Gomiel Partisan formations. With the aim to ‘annihilate partisans and those sympathising with them, requisition or destroy agricultural products, deprive the partisans of their food stocks’, as defined in the order for this operation, the punitive forces conducted ‘mopping marches’ in order to suppress the partisans and the population that accompanied them to the Kalinkavichy — Zhlobin railway. But even before the operation was started, the punitive forces had suffered significant losses. On October 7, the armoured train was exploded, a tank and several trucks with soldiers and officers were undermined.

Persistent combats were deployed on October 10 around the villages of Buda, Smalianka, Jesipava Rudnia, Zamoscie, Dudzichy, Rudnia Antonawskaja. The village of Bulawki, Kalinkavichy Rajon, changed hands several times for which the 99th Kalinkavichy Partisan Brigade fought. On October 12, the Hitlerites invaded the villages of Nasavichy, Karma, Zalatuha, Luki, Hamichy, Viazavica, Lipaw, entered the Halodniki — Davydavichy line, completing the encirclement of the Barbara operation’s area. But by this time, the Vasilievichy P. K. Ponomarenko Partisan Detachment had led the population to the location of the Gomiel Partisan Formation, hiding livestock and bread in the forests. On October 16, the 99th Kalinkavichy Partisan Brigade remained in the blockade, distracting the punitive forces. It went on a rush through the Halodniki — Lipaw highroad. From the side of the Hitlerite garrison in Lipaw, the brigade was covered by 20 partisans from the 1st K. E. Voroshilov Detachment under F. G. Ukhnalev. They repulsed the attacks of much larger forces of the Hitlerites, neutralised about 40 punitive soldiers and ensured the escape line of the brigade’s main forces from the blockade.

In the area of the punitive operation, the Hitlerites executed about 200 Soviet citizens, burned several villages, established new strong points, and strengthened the surviving garrisons. But the partisans once again infiltrated the areas of their deployment in small subversive groups and attacked the enemy’s communications.

The Church Consecration (“Kirchweih”) and Hubertus punitive operations continued the Barbara one.