Involvement of the political bodies of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army in the organizing the guerilla movement at the occupied territory of the Central Chernozem region (1941-1942)

Abstract

This article considers involvement of the political bodies of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army in organizing of the guerilla struggle in the Central Chernozem Region in 1941-1942. For the first time in the Russian historiography the activity of the political bodies of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army in organizing guerilla struggle is considered on the basis of the documents from the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation first presented to the scientists. Special attention is paid to the participation of the political bodies of the fronts and armies in forming guerilla brigades and to the coordination of their activity at the territory of Central Chernozem Region occupied by troops of Nazi Germany in 1941-1942. It has been concluded that the contribution of the army political bodies to the organizing the Resistance was limited to the assistance to partisans in crossing the front line and spreading agitating material at the occupied territories.