IVIANIEC-NALIBOKI PARTISAN ZONE

Iviaˈniec-Naliˈboki ˈPartiˈsan Zone

Territory of Ivianiec and part of neighbouring Valozhyn, Dziarzhynsk, Zaslawje, Minsk, Mir, Radashkovichy, and Stowbcy rajons which were controlled by partisans during the Great Patriotic War.

It was formed in the summer of 1942 in the course of merciless battles of partisan detachments and groups against German Nazi invaders in the forward defence line of the Stowbcy — Minsk and Maladziechna — Minsk railways.

The centre of this zone was the Naliboki Pushcha whence neutralisation of the enemy garrisons was started in the villages of Volma and Naliboki (see Naliboki battles of 1942,1943) in the spring and summer of 1942. From August 1942 to April 1943, the leadership of the partisan zone was conducted by the command of the Special Formation of Partisan Detachments (commander was V. V. Shcharbina). By the autumn of 1943, the territory of the zone had occupied 2.5 thousand km², it was held by 9 thousand partisans from five partisan brigades and three independent detachments of the Ivianiec Partisan Formation with part of the forces of the Stowbcy Partisan Formation.

The Soviet regime was restored in the partisan zone whose activities were performed by partisan commandants; German estates and fattening stations were eliminated; the property stolen from peasants (livestock, agricultural equipment, grain) was returned to them (to peasants). The zone population provided full assistance to the partisans in the fight against the invaders. The partisans conducted mass political and organisational work among the population to form partisan reserves and protected it from the punitive forces. The Baranavichy Underground Voblasc Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Belarus, the Baranavichy Partisan Formation, the Ivianiec Underground Interrajon Party Centre of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Belarus, Ivianiec Underground Interrajon Centre of the Leninist Young Communist League of Belarus as well as the Valozhyn, Ivianiec, Minsk, and Stowbcy Underground Rajon сommittees of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Belarus and of the Leninist Young Communist League of Belarus were based in the territory of the zone. The Chyrvonaja Zviazda («Чырвоная звязда»; lit.‘red star’), Molodoj Mstitel («Молодой мститель»; lit. ‘young avenger), Narodnyj Mstitel («Народный мститель»; lit. ‘people’s avenger’), Iskra («Искра»; lit. ‘spark’) underground newspapers were published.

The Hitlerites repeatedly tried to neutralise the zone. The end of 1942 saw the beginning of merciless battles with the punishers for defence of the partisan zone. The 54th K. E. Voroshilov (see K. E. Voroshilov Partisan Brigade), Oryol (see Lienin Partisan Brigade), 3649th [see “Pieramoga” (Victory) Partisan Brigade] detachments distinguished themselves in the battles which delayed the advance of the Hitlerites at first on the borders of the Shchara River and, after it, directly in the forward defence line of the Naliboki Pushcha. With persistent defence and rapid manoeuvres, the partisans thwarted the Hitlerites’ attempts to neutralise the partisan zone (see Swamp Fever, Hamburg). Partisans and the local population confronted with particularly difficult challenges in the summer of 1943 in the course of one of the largest Hermann punitive operations.

Under the leadership of the Baranavichy Underground Voblasc Committee and Ivianiec Underground Interrajon Party Centre, a zone defence plan was developed in advance, brigades and detachments determined the locations of the main and reserve forces. Tactical methods of combating the much larger forces of the punitive forces included night raids on the location of enemy subunits and the actions of large ambush groups. In case of a complete blockading and combing the zone, manoeuvre of brigades and detachments in deployment places, way to new areas, breakthrough of the blockade by joint forces and withdrawal along a predetermined route were planned. A distinctive feature of zone defence organisation and management was that the partisans, using all the advantages of their tactics and geographical location, never left the deployment areas and protected the population from the punitive forces. In a radiogram addressed to the secretary of the Baranavichy Underground Voblasc Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Belarus, the Central Headquarters of Partisan Movement noted, ‘...your brilliant victory over the enemy shall go down in the history of the heroic struggle of the Belarusian people for freedom and independence. Convey to all the partisans, males and females,... thanks for their courageous resistance to German torturers and murderers’.

Partisans contained the zone until the liberation of Belarus in July 1944.