AKCIABRSKI-LIUBAN PARTISAN ZONE

Akˈciabrski-ˈLiuban ˈPartiˈsan Zone

Territory of the southern rajons of Minsk and northern rajons of Paliessie voblascs under the control of partisans during the Great Patriotic War.

It was formed in the autumn of 1941 when liberated by partisans from German Nazi invaders of parts of Liuban, Starobin, Akciabrski, and Glusk rajons. The zone was held by the Minsk Partisan Formation, formation of partisan detachments of Akciabrski Rajon (13 detachments, 1.3 thousand people) led by F.I. Pawlowski, from April 1942, formation of partisan detachments of Minsk and Paliessie voblascs, from March 1943, Minsk and Paliessie Partisan formations. By June 1942, the Hitlerites had been mopped up from 418 communities, and by the end of 1942, an area of about 4,000 km² had been liberated. In 1943, the zone merged in the north with the Sluck-Kapyl Partisan Zone, in the west, with the Lienin one; a partisan kraj (locality) with an area of about 8,000 km² was formed, i.e. the territory of Akciabrski, partly Liuban, Staryja Darogi, Starobin, Sluck, Gresk, Uzda, Chyrvonaja Slabada, Kapyl, Kapatkievichy, Glusk, Zhytkavichy, Damanavichy, Pietrykaw, Parychy, Lienin, Luniniec, Gancavichy, and other rajons.

In this zone, there were the Minsk and Paliessie (since February 1943) Underground Voblasc committees of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Belarus and the Leninist Young Communist League of Belarus, party’s rajon committees, Komsomol, primary Party-Komsomol organisations, headquarters of the Minsk and Paliessie Partisan formations. Akciabrski and Liuban Rajon Executive committees functioned. Executive committees of rural councils operated in some rajons. The underground newspapers Zviazda («Звязда», lit. ‘star’), Chyrvonaja Zmiena («Чырвоная змена», lit. ‘red succession’), Bolshevik Paliessia («Большэвік Палесся», lit. ‘Bolshevik of Paliessie’), and rajon newspapers were published. Economic life was well in hand, mass political work among the population was conducted. In the autumn of 1942, Soviet schools were opened in many communities. Since May 1942, two-way radio communication with Moscow was established, and since September, regular air communication with the Big Land, i.e. partisan airfields operated on the island of Zyslaw and near Parechcha village.

The Hitlerites repeatedly tried to penetrate the zone’s territory. In March 1942, they conducted the Bamberg punitive operation with fierce battles lasting for 7 days. At the beginning of April 1942, the partisans again took control over the territory and held it with battles until January — April 1944. Almost before the complete expulsion of the German Nazi invaders from the zone’s territory (June 1944), the Hitlerites encroached on this large wooded and swampy Biarezina and Prypiac Basin no less than 10 times [punitive operations № 6, № 7 (called ‘Ignorance’), № 20, Albert I, Albert II, Franz, Harvest Fest (“Erntefest”), Hornung, Seamaid (“Nixe”), Warm Wind (“Föhn”), Marabou (“Marabu”), punitive operations of the 203rd Security Division] and, according to incomplete information, destroyed more than 25 thousand Soviet citizens, kidnapped about 6 thousand people for hard labour to Germany.

More than 40,000 partisans defended courageously the zone’s population, fought hard against much larger enemy forces, including the 203rd Security Division, 24th Police Regiment, 61th, 255th, 291st Police battalions, 339th Cavalry Company, SS Cavalry Division, two cavalry divisions and an infantry one which were stationed as permanent garrisons along the perimeter of the partisan zone along the railway Luniniec — Kalinkavichy — Zhlobin — Asipovichy — Liahavichy. In addition to these forces, other units of the Wehrmacht were involved in punitive operations. As in other large partisan zones, a significant role in the population protection from the atrocities and robbery of the German Nazi invaders, organisation of resistance to the enemy belonged to local underground bodies local as well as rajon and rural bodies of the Soviet government which were restored in some areas.

On November 7, 1942, right away from the parade and rallies dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Great October, the detachments of the K. E. Voroshilov and 2nd Minsk Partisan brigades moved on to protect the population of Janka Kupala and Gareliec villages of Puhavichy Rajon, Piaschanka and Staryca of Kapyl Rajon, and other communities. Blocking the enemy on the banks of the Pcich River and in the Staryca Forest, the partisans inflicted heavy casualties on it, destroyed a tank company of the Nazis, disrupted the invaders’ Albert I and Albert II punitive operations, did not let them into the liberated territory (see Pcich Operation of 1942, Staryca Battle of 1942). The partisans stood to their death near the Lavy Forest in Kapyl Rajon (see Lavy Battle of 1942). Brothers I. S. Tsuba and M. S. Tsuba thwarted the Nazis’ attempt to destroy the Sluck Zone Partisan Formation. The Minsk and Paliessie Partisan formations fought the most bloody and heavy battles for the defence of zones in January — February 1943 and at the beginning of 1944. Many partisan brigades experienced a critical shortage of ammunition, and under the pressure of much larger enemy forces, they were compelled to leave their cantonment and combat actions areas. However, the partisan commands quickly recovered their position, returned to the areas designated for them by the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Belarus and the Belarusian Headquarters of Partisan Movement, and continued combat actions against the German Nazi invaders.

In honour of the heroic struggle of the partisans in 1969, the Zyslaw memorial complex was opened in the centre of the former Akciabrski-Liuban Partisan Zone.