Operation Vogelsang

Operation Vogelsang
Part of German anti-partisan operations in World War II
Date 5–9th of July 1942 Location Occupied Soviet Territory, Bryansk Result German/RONA Victory Territorial changes Retreat of the remaining partisans
Belligerents
Germany Russian People's Liberation Army	Soviet Partisans
Commanders and leaders
Rudolf Schmidt	Unknown
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
58 killed [1] 138 wounded [1]	1,193 killed [2] [1] 1,400 wounded [2] [1] 498 captured [1] [3]
Deportations of around 12,531 people from the region [1] [2]

Operation Vogelsang was a German operation against soviet partisans during World War II. It inflicted heavy casualties on the partisans and forced them to go underground. ^{[2] [4] [5]} It was also the first major operation that involved the RONA. ^[1]

Operation

The Operation begun on 5 July 1942, it's objective was to destroy the soviet partisans operating in the region of Bryansk and Roslavl, threatening the lines of communication to Günther von Kluge's Heeresgruppe. The German forces included: one Panzer regiment and two infantry regiments. ^[1]

The German units encircled the forest area in which the soviet partisans have been operating in. The Germans started advancing further into the center of the area, destroying villages in their path and 'evacuating' civilians who lived there. ^[3] According to one source, if the Germans kept searching the forest longer than until the 9th of July, they could prevent the partisans from reappearing. ^[3]

The victory was greatly overexaggerated by the German forces, remaining partisans retreated underground and reappered after the operation ended. ^{[4] [1]}

References

1. "Vogelsang | Operations & Codenames of WWII". codenames.info. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
2. Kochanski, Halik (2022-03-03). Resistance: The Underground War in Europe, 1939-1945. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN   978-0-14-197902-1.
3. Cooper, Matthew (1979). The Nazi War Against Soviet Partisans, 1941-1944. Stein and Day. p. 152. ISBN   9780812826005.
4. Howell, Edgar M. (2014-08-15). The Soviet Partisan Movement, 1941-1944. Pickle Partners Publishing. ISBN   978-1-78289-617-3.
5. Ziemke, Earl F. (2014-08-15). Moscow To Stalingrad - Decision In The East [Illustrated Edition]. Pickle Partners Publishing. ISBN   978-1-78289-319-6.