The tactics of the scorched land during the Second World War. Soviet tactics of scorched land: facts and consequences

Soviet tactics The scorched land includes many aspects: military, economic, and many others. In "The Dissolution of Eastern European Jewry" (This refers to the author's book "The disappearance of the Jews of Eastern Europe". See "On the Author" and about the book at the end of the article - approx Rx)i was only slightly touched on the topic associated with the demographic changes in the Eastern European Jews. Here I want to focus on the economic side of World War II.

The German-Soviet anti-non-aggression agreement provided for the following territorial redistribution: Estonia and Latvia passed to the Soviet sphere of interest, and Lithuania fell into German. / 1 \u200b\u200bAfter the defeat of Poland, the Soviet government began to immediately establish a strong pressure on Germany to revise the contract. . In order to preserve the world, Hitler agreed to the second contract, the so-called friendship agreement and the border of September 28, 1939, Germany refused its interests in most of Lithuania in exchange for the area between the Vistula and Bug with a population of about 3.5 million . Man, including more than 300,000 Jews. / 2 This zone was under the occupation of Soviet power very short time, but the Red Army destroyed almost the entire system of agriculture, taking the cattle and agricultural technique before retreating. As a result, the Germans had to bring food in large quantities to prevent hunger in this agricultural area. / 3 This episode should have become a lesson for Germany, but, unfortunately, did not.

Until Germany participated in the Western campaign from May 10 to June 24, 1940, the Soviet Union occupied almost all Lithuania between June 16 and 22 after an ultimatum of June 15 - that is, including even the territory that was supposed to remain within German spheres of interest in accordance with the contract. This occupation is not only a gross violation of two Soviet-German treaties, but also the Soviet-Lithuanian treaty on mutual assistance (of October 10, 1939). The government of Germany was not notified of this action. / 4 North Bukovina, one of the regions of Romania, which was outside the Soviet interests agreed in the contract, was similarly assigned by advice, although in this case the advice was given to Germany in order to give their "consent "In an ultimatimative period 24 hours before the start of the occupation. I mention these events only because they demonstrate the determination with which the USSR destroyed the German strategic advantage, acquiring their own. They also show that Germany did not have certain military goals for the Soviet Union, because otherwise it is impossible to imagine that she will have to put up with the Soviet usurpation of a strategically invaluable Lithuanian path to Leningrad and Moscow.

Scorched earth

Faced with the mass increase in the Soviet military relics along the border, and warned by the new Soviet requirements of unreal territorial concessions in Europe, Germany attacked the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. The advice immediately began to kill German prisoners of war immediately after capturing captured or after a short interrogation. Do not even gentle by serious soldiers. Numerous evidence exists in this account in the West German Research Institute of Military Help (MilitaergeSchichtliche Forschungsamt), which is known for its noticeless bias, he assesses the percentage of prisoners of German soldiers who died in Soviet captivity in 1941-1942 in 90-95 percent. / 5A.

Within a few days after the start of hostilities, the Central Committee issued the order in the Kremlin that the troops be left to the enemy only the scorched land. All valuable property was ordered to destroy, regardless of the needs of the remaining civilian population. For this, specially created detachments for the destruction of property were used. The aforementioned Military Research Institute commented: "From the very beginning of the war, Stalin and the leadership of the Soviet Union showed with the help of these measures, as far as they were concerned about this armed conflict with Germany, which was completely different for them, rather than" European War "." /5 B

The measures taken by the Soviet Union in the period from 1940 to 1942 are directed not only to the further development of the Soviet military economy, as well as the damage to the Germans even at the cost of huge losses among Soviet citizens. The Soviet tactics of the scorched land included the deportation of millions of men, women and children; transfer thousand factory; the destruction of almost the entire railway rolling stock; the destruction of most agricultural equipment, livestock and grain stocks; systematic destruction, combustion and undermining immovable infrastructure, stocks of all types, factory buildings, mines, residential areas, public buildings, state archives, and even cultural monuments; Intentional hunger among civilians who remained in the occupied territories. This policy shamelessly used the civilian population as a pawn. This policy is confirmed by many sources that there can be no different opinions here. It is strange that this topic is still not covered in the scientific literature. Until now, this scaled land policy has not been studied in the volume she deserves.

Long before the start of the German-Soviet conflict, Stalin began to prepare for the future war in Europe, developing heavy industry in the Urals and in Western Siberia.Starting from the first five-year plan in 1928. His plans were long-term. In the early 1930s, he has already announced his intention to overtake the country most developed in industrial relations no later than by June 1941 - a year, when, according to numerous testimonies and statements of Soviet leaders, including the Son Stalin, the Red Army Shot in Germany late summer. / 7 with the help of thousands of engineers and experts from Europe and North AmericaThe core of the Soviet military industry was created in the region where Europe is found with Asia. Millions of Soviet citizens were ruthlessly sacrificed in the desire to achieve the military superiority of the USSR over Germany. The Ural Industrial region was covered by an extensive network of power lines. In 1940, it was a rather small area where only four percent of the Soviet population lived, and 4 billion kWh electricity was produced, but the existing capacities were shortly significantly strengthened. / 8 in other words, in terms of the population of electric power in the Ural region Four times more. In preparation for the upcoming conflict, ammunition factories were built along the entire Southern Urals and Western Siberia. The railway network in this once a little saxated area was significantly expanded by the beginning of the war. / 9

As soon as the Germans crossed the border, the Soviet Union began to fulfill the plan for economic mobilization. This plan also included the likelihood that the enemy may take large sections of the country - as it happened during the First World War. For this reason, detailed plans were created, where dismantled plants were supposed to be transported and consistent instructions in which the destruction of what was impossible to transport was prescribed. Relationships between individual enterprises and their dependence on each other were also carefully taken into account. / 10 The carefully implemented plan included the dismantling and evacuation of equipment and people in 8-10 days before the retreat of the Red Army from the territory where the factory or factory was located 24 hours. On the destruction of the remaining valuable property with the help of special detachments. If necessary, soviet troops Dedicated resistance to ensure sufficient time to fulfill their tasks with special detachments to destroy property.

The enterprises almost always moved towards the Ural industrial region, in particular to the Sverdlovsk zone, Molotova, Ufa, Chkalov, and Magnitogorsk. This is a region where plants and factories have been built a few years before the war and where dismantled and transported enterprises from the Western regions of the Soviet Union began their work again. / 11

In just the first three months after the beginning of the war, more than 1360 large industrial enterprises were transported. Due to the tough control, evacuated enterprises began to work again in incredibly short time: only three or four weeks passed before large plants and enterprises began to provide the Red Army with products. Employees had to work for 12-14 hours a day, seven days a week. Within three to four months, Soviet production has reached a pre-war level. / 12

Evacuation

Soviet feat was possible only because millions of qualified workers, managers, engineers and specialists were delivered to these areas with their plants. In February 1940, German intelligence officers reported on the systematic deportation of the Polish, Ukrainian and Jewish population from Western Ukraine. / 13 in June 1940, to one million Jewish refugees from Poland occupied by Germans, as well as many hundreds of thousands of Poles were deported to Siberia. Then, a few weeks before June 22, 1941, mass deportations of the civilian population took place along the entire border with Germany, Hungary and Romania. Tips who informed spies, intelligence allies, and German traitors, without losing time, were deported to those civilians who were most needed in the Ural Industrial Region. / 14

Soviet historians admitted a few years ago that the Soviet Union had plans to restructure the entire railway system long before the war for military needs for a very short time. The goal was to prevent the Germans to take possession of strategically important equipment. Soviet success in this beginnation was almost complete: despite the huge number of railway cars, locomotives, and special equipment, transport in border areas intended for the deployment of troops in preparation for attacking Europe, most of the rolling stock was allocated before the Germans inflicted Your lightning strike on June 22, 1941. During the first five weeks, when the German troops pushed the Soviet troops deep into the country, only 577 locomotives, 270 passenger cars and 21,947 railway cargo cars were the prey of the Germans. In the percentage of expression, this was only 2.3, 0.8 and 2.5 percent of the total. / 15

During the first few months of war, one million railway cars, loaded with industrial equipment, raw materials, and people moved away from the front line. / 16 I will not delve into the specifics of the Soviet program of the deportation of civilians. That I did in the details in The Dissolution. It is enough to note here that before the war more than 90 million people lived in areas conquered by Germany during World War II. Tips deported about 25-30 million of them. They focused their efforts on the deportation of individual groups.

Thus, they preferred to the urban population of rural, qualified illiterate, numerous minorities (Jews and Russians in Ukraine, Belarus and Baltic countries) to the more hostile indigenous population. As the advice began their deportation program long before the sudden start of the war and due to the fact that the Western border areas were usually not tightly inhabited, Soviet cities who fell into the hands of Germans during the first few days and weeks of war, significantly dismissed - 90 percent in some Cases and more than 50 percent on average. The share of deported was more in the cities in Ukraine or Belarus, rather than in the Baltic republics, and if these cities were near the Western border, and not further east; And if there were major educated minorities in them, and the indigenous population did not prevail. / 17

The scorched land policy was extremely well prepared by advice. An extensive arms program was launched 13 years before 1941, long before Adolf Hitler was a real challenger for the post of head of Germany. Significant investments were made in sufficiently incomparable and underdeveloped areas in order to develop its transport networks, power plants and heavy industries. However, especially acutely lack of social infrastructure, such as housing and hospitals, to ensure all the necessary millions of civilians deported here between 1940 and 1941. As a result, 15-20 million civilians died of epidemics, hunger, understanding, lack of housing, lack of clothes and cruel Siberian winter.

The collapse of the economy in the occupied Eastern Territories

The painting for the upcoming German troops was extremely unfavorable. Rail system is destroyed. There was no rolling stock. Water pipes and power plants were destroyed. In order to organize the production of raw materials and petroleum products, the Germans created the so-called East Economic Staff.

The Soviet tactics of the scorched land very quickly forced the economic headquarters intensify work on all types of production. Even the production of consumer goods was included in the program, because the industry in the occupied territories was not able to resume production after almost complete destruction and dismantling with the advice and evacuation of most managerial personnel and technical specialists.

Electricity production amounted to 2.57 million kW in the occupied territories - which is approximately one fourth part of the total pre-war production in these territories - less than one eighth (300,000 kW) turned out to be untouched. The Soviet efforts to destroy were so thorough that until the end of March 1943, performance managed to increase no more than 630,000 kW, which was still only a quarter of the pre-war level. / 18 (see Table 1.)

Nevertheless, differences in different regions were significant. In ReikhskyistSariate (RK), Ostlata (Baltic countries and Belarus) about half of the initial capacity from 270,000 kW survived, and until the end of March 1943, almost 90 percent of pre-war capacities were returned. But in Ukraine only 7 percent (145,000 kW) of electricity, with a capacity of 2.2 million kW, has ever been functioning. The thoroughness of the efforts of the Bolsheviks is evidenced by the fact that until the end of March 1943, it was possible to return to the capacity of the capacity by no more than 350,000 kW. This is only 16 percent of pre-war capacities. In practice, even these capacities rarely worked in full force due to partisan threat and almost the absence of coal supply. Obviously, industrial production caused a fatal blow. As already mentioned, the production of electricity before the war was 10 billion kWh annually in the occupied eastern territories. The German administration has succeeded in production only 750 million kWh electricity since the occupation until the end of 1942. For 1943, it was planned to increase them to 1.4 billion kWh - which were still 86 percent below the pre-war level - which were never achieved, since only 1 billion kWh were actually produced. / 19 it is significant that The planned increase in production and production of products for 1943 was implemented only in isolated cases. The actual production of major raw materials or energy supplies were far from the stated goals, despite the increased attention paid to the re-equipment of the economy.

The consequences of planned destruction Soviet army Industrial made are shown in Table 2.

The main production of coal, iron ore, steel, electricity, cement and other were practically completely destroyed. Compared to the pre-war level, coal mining was an average of 2.4%, the production of iron ore - 1.2%, production was not at all, electricity was carried out 8.8 percent, and cement production was 11.6 percent!

Another evidence of the deplorable state of the economy in the territory of the occupied Russia was the number of labor. In 1940, Soviet specialists and workers numbered 31.2 million. / 20 At the end of 1942, employment in industry (with the exception of the food industry) amounted to only 750,000 people. If you consider employment only at industrial enterprises, that is, without taking into account the handicraft, the number of employees was only 600,000 (Table 3)

Six hundred thousand in the area in which 75 million lived before the war - it is impossible! Even if adding an unknown number of people employed in the food industry, it is obvious that employment in industry under the German administration was equivalent to one tenth pre-war level. The worst thing is that the performance of this workforce was significantly lower than the pre-war norm. It is noteworthy that in the Baltic countries (in the largest of which, Lithuania, there were very few industries) there were only 8% of the population from the pre-war level, they nevertheless constituted a quarter of all industrial labor under the German administration.

Soviet deportations of qualified personnel led to such forced measuresAs "travel" about 10,000 civilian experts from the Reich in order to overcome the most severe personnel deficit. / 21 Based on available statistical data, it can be argued that the councils deported at least 70% of employees to German occupation. This means that the number of employees engaged in the German administration (as a rule, less qualified than deported workers) ranged from 2 to 3 million. No more than a million people were engaged in production, despite the enormous need for workers, unemployment reached huge sizes (50-70 percent) in the height of giant demand literally on any type of product.

According to Soviet data, before the start of the war in areas occupied by the Germans by November 1941, 63% of coal were produced, 68% of cast iron, 58% of steel, 60% aluminum, 38% of grain and 84% sugar, from all production in the Soviet Union. / 22 Documents of the German Economic Staff "East" show, in fact, very similar numbers. Tips with help, fires, destruction, sabotage and deportation of workers and the public made it impossible to use these industrial capacities. Instead of increasing the German military and economic power, these areas have become a huge burden and created additional costs for the German economy.

Hunger

The following secret report of the German Economic Economic Staff for the period October 1-10, 1941, a description of the situation is provided:

A certain amount of food was found ... It seems that almost all reserves and raw materials were either systematically exported from these areas or are made unsuitable for use. Thus, the raw materials in small quantities is found so far, slightly facilitating the needs of Reich .... The raw materials are not supplied for some time. / 23

The same situation and in the case of food, especially with grain. We read the same report:

Our experience shows that the Russians systematically export or destroy all food reserves. The urban population of conquered cities will thus have to feed the Wehrmacht or he will have to starve. Obviously, forcing us to provide additional nutrition of the population, the Soviet leadership intends to aggravate and without the difficult situation with the food of the German Reich. Actually, the current food situation allows us to feed the Russian population from our own stocks, only if we will reduce the delivery to the army or reduce the soldering of our own population. / 24

At the very beginning of the war, all efforts to destroy property were carried out in the agrarian sector and were timed to destroy machine-tractor stations. As a rule, these stations were found devastated or with unsuitable techniques. First, the livestock livestock remained intact. But over the next week, everything has changed to the worst. As the German army is promoted from the west to East, no cattle, no grain has no fuel. Luftwaffe and prisoners of war reported that the tips were harvested with the fields before retreating. After the classes of Ukraine, it became obvious that the food situation would be becoming worse. In many cases, even the semen needed for sowing was distributed to help starving Ukrainians. This, in turn, reduced sowing areas even more. It is estimated that 43 million tons of grain were produced in the occupied eastern territories under Soviet power in 1940. Under the German administration, it was possible to collect a harvest in 1941 about 13 million tons. One of the reasons was the fact that the German offensive in Russia was the most rapid in the northern and central sites, thereby giving advice time to destroy or evacuate a significant part of the harvest in Ukraine. In 1942, even less was harvested, only 11.7 million tons. According to Dalvin, the German administration managed to sow about three quarters of pre-war seating. The fertilizers were practically not, and the yield at ACR was lower in 1942 than in previous years. Compared with the average yield on hectare of approximately 2,200 pounds (14 bushels / acre) in Ukraine in the late 1930s, the Germans managed to get only 1500 pounds (10 bushels / acre) ./ 25 the tips held by the tip of the scorched land began to appear in full : Use of seed grain to facilitate the complex situation with food in cities, an increasing partisan threat and lack of workers and techniques have greatly reduced the resulting harvest.

German equal intelligence on the outskirts of the head of the Red Army of Mogilev. 1941

German specialists were too sprayed to effectively provide the supply of agricultural products. Of course, the Germans periodically tried to "play" the terrain to find accumulated reserves, but their efforts were not crowned with special success. Departing, the Red Army also destroyed the entire distribution system of agricultural products, and the German administration was forced to create its own - a difficult task, given the conditions of military time. Not only too small amount of time and difficult conditions did not allow to organize the distribution more successfully, but also the actions of the Bolsheviks that have resistance in the occupied territories. All these difficulties arose not because of the "German mentality" or "German politics", which - contrary to the propaganda of the Soviets and Allies, was aimed at finding mutual understanding with the liberated Slavic peoples.

Stepping from the ruthlessness, which is supposedly characterized by the German occupation of Russia, it is worth saying that the Germans have never faced the inhuman concept of the total war used by the USSR. Even the Jewish historian Alexander Dallin admits:

"Soviet fee (harvest) was, in practice, much more effective (items added) than German. As a result, the German peasants could often leave themselves larger reserves than before the war. In all likelihood, hidden reserves remained very significant,. .. "/ 26

Between 1941 and 1943, fifteen thousand railway cars with agricultural equipment and machines were sent from Germany for occupied Eastern territories within the framework of the so-called OstackerProgramm ("Eastern Agricultural Program"). It included 7.000 thousand tractors, 20,000 thousand generators, 250,000 thousand steel plows, and 3,000,000 million braids. In addition, thousands of bulls, cows, pigs, and stallions were sent to these areas in breeding purposes. Available statistical data indicate that German agricultural assistance from July 1941 and 1943 amounted to 445 million PM (Reichsmarock) "/ 27

The pre-war Soviet harvest in 1940 amounted to 82 million tons of grain, of which about 30% were allocated for seeds and fodder purposes. Theoretically, the USSR population, therefore, 57 million tons were available, or a little less than 800 grams per day per person. In practice, of course, this amount was less, since part of this amount was reserved in anticipation coming war With Germany. / 28 out of thirteen million tons under the German administration in 1941 only 9 million tons were left for indigenous population. Of this amount, 2 million tons were taken by German troops. The amount requisitioned by the German army was really quite moderate. This is also evidenced by the fact that the Red Army used only 31.4 million tons of grain in 1940, in last year The world! While another 350,000 thousand tons were transferred to Germany to ensure their civilian population. About 7 million tons remained to the population of the occupied territories.

In terms of per capita, this was less than 400 grams per day (less than one pound) - two times lower than in 1940. Meat and fats were rarely available. But this average indicator does not reflect the full picture. On the one hand, we noted that, probably, yields were significantly higher than the German statistics testify. This means that at least the rural population of which was most, it was harvested much better than urban. Also, many urban residents were able to get food from the peasants illegally, as it is difficult to control the black market. Thus, the city received food from the peasants, which the German authorities were not able to track, on the other hand, transport is often an insurmountable problem, so even the minimum food supply arrived in cities or late, or it was not enough for everyone. In addition, the partisans destroyed or confiscated a significant part of the collected grain. Finally, the German authorities often tried to issue additional fees for workers of the factories. Of course, it was possible only at the expense of the rest of the population. The fact that the German authorities could not succeed in obtaining special soldering for workers important industries or for those engaged in severe physical labor shows how serious the situation is. / 30 those city inhabitants who were unemployed or did not have property to trade. With the peasants were really in trouble: they were doomed to hunger.

The desperate position with food in cities show regular secret reports of the East East, sent to Berlin:

November 11, 1941:The shortage of food and the lack of even the most necessary consumer goods are the main reason that the combat spirit of the Russian and Ukrainian population is becoming more and more depressed ... Kiev did not receive any grain since its occupation of September 19, 1941 ... Partisans steal food civilians at night. Food reserves are also burned by partisans. Especially big difficulties exist in the zone of the Army Group South, where it is impossible to feed all prisoners of war due to their huge number .... The authorities constantly try to find enough food for prisoners, although even buckwheat porridge is only available in limited quantities .... We are very concerned Our abilities feed the urban population in the southern regions. / 31.

December 8, 1941: The position with food in the city of Kharkov is extremely critical. There are practically no food for the population. Bread almost no. / 32.

January 22, 1942: The regular distribution of food to the city civilian population in the "South" zone is limited more and more, and in the foreseeable future, the situation will not change for the better. / 33.

February 23, 1942: Food supplies for civilians of large cities are so small that they cause serious concerns. / 33.

March 1, 1942: The mood of the population is low due to food problems .... In the densely populated Donetsk region, there is not enough food for the entire population. As a result, several thousand people died of hunger. In some cases, even highly qualified specialists and teachers were among the victims. / 33.

March 5, 1942: Food situation continues to be very serious and some cities are actually starving. In Pushkin, it was found that trading took place with human flesh, issuing her pork. / 33

March 16, 1942 (report commander of the rear of the Central Region): in major cities (Food Situation) continues to remain unsatisfactory, and in Kharkov it is catastrophic. Over time, it becomes more and more difficult to feed the urban population .../33

June 3, 1942: The position with food in cities is worse and worse, because part of the food reserves collected for the population and sowing are destroyed by partisans. / 33.

The constant efforts of the German authorities, to ensure the supply of a sufficient amount of food for the civilian population, terribly poor harvests, a catastrophic situation with transport, partisan attacks, the destruction of food councils and the impossibility of holding a regular exchange of goods between major cities and rural areas. While the food supply of the rural population and small cities was relatively sufficient, civilian population from large cities and millions of prisoners are starval. Thus, a German reputation suffered for the actions of the Soviets.

German efforts to restore the economy

Equipment worth one billion PM was imported from Reich for mining, energy and manufacturing industries in the occupied territories. To this should be added significant costs for the transport sector, as well as for road construction equipment, the cost of which is estimated in more than one billion rehisamas. After the supply of a significant amount of coal, which was used as fuel for civil rail freight traffic, German assistance for the restoration of industry and infrastructure amounted to over 2.5 billion PM. / 34 This amount does not include agricultural assistance in the amount of about half a billion Reichsmarock. The scale of German assistance in the civilian sector can be better rated, if you realize that the cumulative amount of industrial production in these areas from the beginning of the occupation was approximately 5 billion PM in approximately 1943. (This figure includes finished products, repairs, etc.) / 35 Although the exact figure is unknown, it is worth assumed that all the assistance was a little more than 2 billion PM. / 36 in other words, the amount of German economic assistance (except with / x) was larger, The cost of all industrial products during occupation times! Annual development per employee amounted to 1,000 RM per year. For comparison: in Germany, the employee produced products for 4000 RM in 1936./37

Most of the products were absorbed by the German occupying army. Thus, the Soviet tactics of the scorched land reduced the supply of consumer goods for our own population by a number of about 50 million to a minor level. The production of consumer goods was practically zero, because the destruction and evacuation of all industrial enterprises and raw materials, deportation of personnel by the Councils, as well as the impossibility of rapid correction of the situation, thanks to the action of partisans. Thus, the urban population could offer nothing to peasants in exchange for their products. And since the peasant was not able to buy anything for the money he received, he did not want to part with his products, and the exchange was violated.

German economic assistance in the occupied Soviet territories amounted to approximately one percent of the gross national product of Germany. / 38 Even today, this figure is larger than the help of industrialized countries to developing countries. Western Germany, for example, assists in the amount of about half of the percent of GNP since 1960, that is, during the period of relative prosperity and low defense expenditures.

Indeed, economic assistance is about 3 billion PM (including in the industrial and agricultural sector) the occupied Eastern territories are also equivalent to one fourth of the total gross investments in the main funds of Germany in 1942 and 1943 (12 billion PM) ./ 39

A comparison of the volume of transportation between Reikh and Occupied Eastern Territories gives additional information.

If you take only tonnage, then in the Reich from the Eastern Territories, approximately 20 percent more than cargo than from Germany to the East. Considering also about 2 million tons of grain delivered in 1943, / 40 exchange for Germany was more profitable at first glance. However, deliveries from the eastern territories were mainly different raw materials and raw ore rather low cost in monetary terms, while products from Germany were very high cost and quality (with the exception of coal for railway transport). Since the finished products cost much more than a different raw material, then, on the other hand, this exchange was much more profitable for occupied Eastern territories, although, of course, the poor of the available data does not allow us to make calculations during a larger period even within a large error. Eastern territories have been delivered agricultural products worth 1.6 billion Reichsmarock. / 41 The cost of supplying German cars, tractors, generators, equipment of all types for industry and agriculture, amounted to about 3 billion Reichsmarock. From this amount, we must subtract the supply of raw materials and ores produced during the occupation period, as well as various services rendered by the German army. It is not known what values \u200b\u200bshould be applied for these calculations. However, due to a very small amount of raw materials and an extremely low level of industrial production, this value should be about 25 percent of a relatively small amount of 2 billion.

Thus, the occupied oriental territories as such practically did not give anything in economic plan in the fight against Bolshevism. In essence, they received incredibly generous assistance in recovery. This help was unlikely to be made of purely altruistic motives. Nevertheless, it was a unique period in the history of relations between the occupying power and the conquered territories of the country. It would be wrong to attribute the German collapse in the economy in eastern territories only by the efforts of the Soviets. All the factors that are voiced here are undoubtedly very important. However, there is another, no less important aspect. When Germany inflicted a preventive blow to the USSR, it did it with an almost complete lack of data on the real Soviet military power, the sizes of the Soviet production of arms and the preparation of the USSR to the total war. Worse, Germany was absolutely not ready for overcoming rough terrain, there were no plans to manage economies in the occupied territories, which could not work by itself, as it depended on the directives and decrees from Moscow, since enterprises from which the entire administrative, Management and technical staff was deported, could not exercise private initiative. These additional problems did an impossible task of establishing the economy in eastern territories. Chaos brought hunger, and fasting brought support for partisans.

Thus, various aid measures such as OstackerProgramm, and gigantic investments in agriculture in the occupied eastern territories were really doomed to failure, because they did not eliminate the cause of the problem.

Effects

It is indisputable that the system Soviet dismantling of factories and their shipment to the Urals, carefully planned export and destruction of stocks of raw materials and food, as well as large-scale deportation of civilians were launched long before June 22, 1941. Indeed, evidence indicate that these efforts were significantly Activated from ten to fourteen days before this date. Now we do not know whether Stalin believed that the German offensive would have to accurately on June 22, 1941, although Zorge and other information provided to him. Perhaps Stalin believed that the extension of the military potential of Germany was insufficient to allow her to attack on the day that he was told about. But this does not apply to the case. Both sides knew that the other would attack as soon as he was ready. This fact forever disproves the accusation of the Germans in a sudden attack on an unprepared, peace-loving Soviet Union

The initial German military successes were achieved not because there was an element of surprise, and in spite of the fact that Stalin knew about German preventive actions and contrary to the enormous building of the Soviet military forces to attack the central Europe - which was primarily the reason for the warning war in Germany. In addition, the statement of systematic German cruelty in Russia opens as simple Soviet propaganda. Indeed, hunger was widespread in major cities of the Soviet Union occupied by the Germans, a large number of Soviet prisoners of war of prisoners of war died from hunger, Soviet cities were in ruins after the German troops retreated, and the Soviet population lost tens of millions of those who died during World War II. However, it is also known that the inhuman Soviet tactics of the scorched land was the reason for hunger on the Soviet territories occupied by the Germans, the apocalypse of previously unprecedented in the history of the wars of destruction and death up to 20 million Soviet citizens, many of which were deported to the cold emptyness of Siberia and the Urals, where epidemics, Lack of housing I. medical care, unimaginable hard work and extreme climate allowed us to survive only the most endless. Add expensive tactics of human wave in the Soviet military strategy, and it is obvious that only Soviet cruelty is responsible for incredibly huge human losses incurred by the peoples of the Soviet Union - more than 30 million people!

The real number of Soviet military losses is not the main topic of this article, and the place does not allow you to study this topic here. Nevertheless, an application is added, which is trying to come to a more realistic assessment of Soviet military losses based on the analysis of the USSR post-war census figures from 1959, 1970 and 1979 and comparing with the Soviet census of 1939, adjusted as much as possible abroad and demographic changes in The period from 1939 to 1945. Suffice it to say that the Soviet Union has lost more than 25 percent of its male and almost 9 percent of the female population. For the population remaining under the control of Stalin at the peak of German expansion in Russia, equivalent losses are 33% and 13%. It is curious that modern standard reviews of Soviet losses of the military years as a whole recognize only 20 million people. Why is this unusual understatement for a military ally? Recognition that the Soviet Union has lost almost 20 million civilians, and not 6-7 million during World War II, will be responsible for most of the non-military losses on the advice themselves.

Naturally, imaginary German dedication in Russia gently fits into the "Holocaust" fairy tale. In the end, the Soviet Union Square occupied by Germany, more than 3.5 million Jews were settled until June 22, 1941. / 42 If you add about one million Jewish refugees from Eastern Poland in early 1940, it is obvious that to maintain the accusation of genocide, it was necessary to lower the veneer of silence around Soviet many years of preparation, expectations, care, cruelty and the extent of burning land during World War II . Since the historical framework, in which the German massacres were allegedly accomplished, simply did not exist, there was a need to create myths, which appeared to be proven by the fact that it was obvious to all: the initial fast German successes and the horrific destruction of Soviet cities and rural areas after How the Germans were out ofielding.

Our duty to remove this veil of silence and harboring and replace the myth about the Soviet unpretentiousness of the terrible truth of Soviet scorched land.

Walter Sanning
Original article: Soviet Scorched-Earth Warfare: Facts and Consequences by Walter N. Sanning.
Published with minor abbreviations, without an application.

Notes

1. Helmdach, Erich. Täuschungen und Versäumnisse, BERG AM SEE: 1979, p. 155.
2. Brennecke, Gerhard. , Tuebingen: 1970, p. 303.
3. Fischer, Ludwig, and Friedrich Gollert. Warschau Unter Deutscher Herrschaft, Cracow: 1942, p. 186.
4. Brennecke, Die Nürnberger Geschichtsentstellung.pp. 303 and 322.
5. a. Das Deutsche Reich Und Der Zweite Weltkrieg (Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt, Ed.), Stuttgart: 1983, Volume 4, p. 785.
   b. ibid, p. 782.
6. Scott, John. Jenseits des ural, Stockholm: 1944, p. 304.
7. Helmdach, Erich. Überfall? Der Sowjetisch-Deutsche Aufmarsch 1941, NECKARGEMUEnd / Germany: 1978, 4th Chapter.
8. Scott, Jenseits des ural, p. 310.
9. iBID.pp. 303 and 310.
10. Telpuchowski, Boris Semionowitsch. Die Geschichte Des Großen Vaterländischen Krieges 1941-1945, (Andreas Hillgruber and Hans-Adolf Jacobsen, EDS.), FrankFurt / Main: 1961, PP. 81-83, 86.
11. Wirtschaftsstab ost. Vierzehntagesbericht Wi Stab OST (3.8.-16.8. 1941) , 30 August 1941, Military Archives Freiburg / Germany, Bestand RW 31/11.
12. Telpuchowski, , p. 81 and 82.
13. Aschenauer, Rudolf. Krieg Ohne Grenzen., Leoni, 1982, p. 115.
14. Sanning, Walter N. THE DISSOLUTION OF EASTERN EUROPEAN JEWRY, Torrance, Calif.: 1983, 3rd Chapter.
15. Reichswirtschaftsministerium. Die Udssr Anfang 1941, (Date Unknown), Federal Archives Koblenz / Germany, Bestand R 24/817.
16. Telpuchowski, Die Geschichte Des Großen Vaterländischen Krieges, p. 84.
17. Sanning The Dissolutionpp. 86-101.
18. Wirtschaftsstab OST, Chefgruppe W. Wirtschaftsgrößenordnungen Für Die Besetzten OstgeBieee, 3 March 1943, Military Archives Freiburg / Germany, Bestand RW 31/260.
19. ReichSministerium Fuer Die Besetzten OstgeBieete. , 20 November 1944. Military Archives Freiburg / Germany, Bestand RW 31/260.
20. Telpuchowski, Die Geschichte Des Großen Vaterländischen Krieges, p. 85.
21. Bericht Über Die Tätigkeit der Chefgruppe Wirtschaft Im Reichsministerium Für Die Besetzten OstgeBieee, 20 November 1944, p. four.
22. Telpuchowski, Die Geschichte Des Großen Vaterländischen Krieges, p. 78.
23. Wirtschaftsstab ost. Halbmonatsbericht Wi Stab OST (1.-15.10.41), 2 November 1941, Military Archives Freiburg / Germany, Bestand RW 31/310.
24. Memorandum Dated 3 October 1941, titled Die Versorgung Der Städte Rußlands IM Noch Unbesetzten GEBIET, Military Archives Freiburg / Germany, Bestand RW 31/11.
25. Dallin, Alexander. , London: 1957, p. 367.
26. ibid.
27. iBID., p. 368.
28. Perspektiven Zur Verpflegungsversorgung Der U.D.S.S.R. IM WINTERFELDZUG 1942/43., (Date Unknown), Chef D.Vers.d.200.schtz. Div. Der 5. Armee, Military Archives Freiburg / Germany, Bestand RW 31 / 23Z.
29. Dallin, German rule in Russia, p. 375.
30. Letter From the ReichSminister Fuer Die Besetzten OstgeBiete Dated 5 August 1942 to MinisterIldirektor Riecke Concerning The Food Supply of the Civilian Population In The Occupied Eastern Territories ( Versorgung Der Zivilbevölkerung in Den Besetzten OstgeBieen), Military Archives Freiburg / Germany, Bestand RW 31/310: Contains Excerpts from The Secret Monthly and Special Reports Made By The Economic Staff East, The German Military and The German Civilian Administration of the Rk Ostland and The Rk Ukraine.
31. Wirtschaftsstab OST, Halbmonatsbericht Wi Stab OST (16.-31.10.41), 27 November 1941, Military Archives Freiburg / Germany, Bestand RW 31/68.
32. Wirtschaftsstab OST, Halbmonatsbericht Wi Stab OST (1.-15.11.41), 8 December 1941, Military Archives Freiburg / Germany, Bestand RW 31/68.
33. Letter from the ReichSminister Für Die Besetzten OstgeBiete Dated 5 August 1942 to MinisterIaldirektor Riecke.
34. Bericht Über Die Tätigkeit der Chefgruppe Wirtschaft Im Reichsministerium Für Die Besetzten OstgeBieee, p. five.
35. ibid.
36. Statistisches Jahrbuch Für Die BundesRepublik Deutschland 1952 (Statistical Yearbook of the Federal Republic of Germany), Statistical Office, Wiesbaden, Lists The Value of Production of Industrial Countries Before The Second WORLD WAR. NET PRODUCHED THE FOLLOWING SHARS OF GROSS PRODUCTION IN THE YEARS INDICATED: U.S.A. (1939) 43%; United Kingdonl (1935) 42%; Canada (1937) 42%; Norway (1937) 36%; DENMARK (1939) 47%; Finland (1937) 42%; South Africa (1937) 45%.
37. ibid.
38. Klein, Burton H. Germany "S Economic Preparations for War, Cambridge / Mass.: 1959, p. 256. The Gross National Product of the German Reich for 1942 and 1943 WAS Given AS RM 143 and RM 160 Billion, Respectively. Relative to the Entire Reconstruction Assistance of About RM 3 Billion (incl. Agricultural AID OF RM 445 Million) Provided to the occupied Eastern Territories This Amounts to 1%.
39. ibid.
40. Dallin, German rule in Russia 1941-1945, p. 375.
41. ibid.
42. Sanning The Dissolution, p. 52.
43. iBID., 4, Chapter.

About the author.

Walter N. Sanning "The pseudonym of a scientist and a businessman who was born in 1936 in an ethnic German family in the region, which for many decades was part of the former Soviet Union. After childhood in Military Germany, in the 1950s he migrated to the United States, where he met his future wife. He graduated from the prestigious Pacific Northwest University with a bachelor's degree (with honors) in business.

Further, he was a graduate student with a scholarship in East Coast Ivy League Universities (University of Ivy League on the Eastern Coast), where he concentrated on international business, finance and economics. He then taught business, finance and economy at the level of undergraduate and magistracy at a large university of the west coast. The Sanning family moved to Germany in 1970, where he then worked for many years in the largest financial institution and took the leading position there.

Walter Singling is married and speaks English and german language. He has four children with his wife, they were all born in the United States.

In 1983, Walter Singner's writer on the basis of Jewish sources and allies data published the book "The disappearance of Eastern European Jews" ("The Dissolution of Eastern European Jewly", the German name "disappearance" - "Die Auflosung"). In this beautiful demographic study, founded almost entirely on sources of allies and Jews, Singling came to the conclusion that the losses of the Jews in the Hitler's territory are comparable to the losses of other affected peoples.

He dedicated for a long time and a lot of efforts to research in American and German archives. He all the time involuntarily has to operate with controversial estimates; For him, the Israeli, German, Polish and Soviet archives were not available; Countless difficulties arose when working with Jewish statistics: who is a Jew (a hundred years ago, it was clear, but in the era of cultural assimilation, religious indifference and mixed marriages, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the Jew from non-Jewish); Zionist and Soviet statistics are unreliable, and in the USA, Jews, as such, are not fixed at all.

Singling proved that the overwhelming majority of European Jews are illegally, that is, bypassing official statistics, emigrated to Palestine, USA and other countries. In addition, a significant part of the Jews was in the USSR, and much much than it is approved in Holocaust myths ™.

So, according to Sanning, more than half of the Jews fled from the Poland occupied by the Germans, more than half of the Jews, and the Nazis welcomed when the Jews voluntarily left their occupation zone. These data cannot be confirmed by official figures, since the overwhelming majority of these Jews were deported and a significant part died towards Siberia or in Soviet camps. In any case, the responsibility for their death lies with the USSR. Next, based on these censuses and reports of various sources, such as, for example, as the US Jewish Council for the Assistance of Russia, which existed in the war years, or the Ainikeit Soviet newspaper emerging, Singling concluded that the vast majority of Jews from Western regions The USSR (about 80%) was evacuated and saved. If the German Ainzattsky and the Jews shot, then only as partisans, saboteurs and sabotuzhniki.

SENNING also analyzed the demographic data on Jews in other regions occupied by the Germans during World War II. He took into account the facts that the number of Jewish emigrants in the war (only from Constanta in Romania by the sea went to Istanbul 100 thousand), extremely active pre-war emigration, as well as negative rates of birth growth, etc.

He took all this data from allied, Jewish and colision sources. The obtained results of SENNING then compared with the results of the first census, held immediately after the war in the respective states (most often in 1946, and sometimes in 1947) and led the number of 1.27 million "missing" Jews, which, apparently, did not They hit the census. There is really a significant part of the "missing" emigrated after the war due to completely understandable causes. Why was the Jew-Nommunist to remain in the ruined of the war Poland, where was the anti-Semitism, and the authorities moved to Stalinistam? In view of such a gloomy perspective of any Jew at the first opportunity - and the borders were at that time not very on the castle - she tried to flush away from the country, in the USA, Palestine, France or somewhere else.

In one post-war Germany in the camps of "displaced persons" there were 250 thousand Jews, which then went out of anyone. Singling tracks this emigrant flow and shows what, sometimes adventurous, the Jews came to their new homeland: many years lived in Iran or Cyprus, others, before reaching the goal, called to Morocco or Tunisia.

According to Senning's estimates, 130 thousand killed in the USSR, in other countries occupied by the Germans - just over 300 thousand Jews.

For more information on Senning, you can read in the book of Yurgen Count "Great False of the XX Century".

As the winged expression says: "Want the world - get ready for war." Here, dear friends, that's what business. We often read catchy headlines in the media, they say - the militants agreed to pass the weapons, under the control of Syria, with the support of Russia, 30 cities were moved immediately, etc. All this is often perceived as something of granted, but whether we are often asked - what price is these victories?

It is necessary to understand that the enemy, too, neither the inches of the earth just will not return. Here, you see, even in football, adult men cry from the fact that a couple of balls flew into their gate, and the team suffered defeat. But this is nothing compared to lesions that Russia inflicts the enemy in the Arab Republic. There rates are much higher - it is not the balls in the net grid, but human life, the price of which the opponent held his position for a long time.

Therefore, leave the city, the settlement - for them there is much more defeat, one can say tragedy of the whole life. Therefore, they be afraid to death, to the last cartridge, so as not to lose their possessions. To defeat such an opponent on the front, to put it mildly, very difficult. In this article, we will tell us on a specific example, which incredible efforts are taking our servicemen to ensure that beautiful headlines come out the next day.

So, we remind the chronology of the events of the last week. Exactly a week ago, in the past weekend, our servicemen met with representatives of the rebels in the city of Bursra Al-Sham. Then we managed to sell our position slightly, and armed groups agreed to pass their positions. However, the problem is that illegal armed groups in the Arab Republic - as fleas in a stray dog. This is an endless Syrian wedding in Malinovka, where the power changes every day. And it's not entirely clear what to negotiate. Thus, a few days after the transaction on July 1, in the middle of the week we again encountered a problem - part of the groupings refused to take a peaceful decision. It is worth notify that Russia's actions are very hard, but the problem is solved very quickly. When our servicemen once again collided with the impenetrable intractability of militants, we had to resort to radical measures. But for starters, let's notice, for what items we could not agree?

FirstlyOur party demanded immediate delivery of all weapons and heavy equipment. The militants insisted on the phased arms, calculating the "clearing the traces."

SecondlyThe militants demanded the opportunity to freely leave the area of \u200b\u200bhostilities. So it was in the case of Eastern Guto, when we granted the rebels "green buses". But, apparently, this practice is tired of our military, as the release of militants, later we have to fight with these people in other parts of Syria. Therefore, the requirement is simple - either the transition to the side of the Syrian army, or a shooting.

As a result, the rebels of the requirements of our side rejected. Having introduced himself to Alexander, the Russian officer threatened to militants that if they did not agree to the transaction, 40 aircraft will immediately leave the airbase of Hmeimim to start blows on the positions of the rebels. This warning did not work, but the officer kept his words. On Wednesday, on July 4, an unprecedented operation of Russian VKS operations began in the southwest. Starting combat departures on Wednesday, our pilots for 15 hours without a break struck shocks at the opponent's positions, releaseing more than 600 missiles during this time. The operation ended only the next day - on Thursday July 5. Think about the work done! This is the question of the price of our victories. But on the same day, Hussein Abazid, representing the interests of the south-western group of militants, said that the rebels are ready for negotiations again. And also complained, they say - not honestly, Russia holds the tactics of "scorched land." Negotiations took place on Friday on July 6th. At the end of the meeting, an agreement was reached that Syrian troops and the Russian military police will take a number of settlements in the east of the province of Daria.

In addition, under the control of government troops, the most important settlement of NASIB, where the control and passing point is located on the border with Jordan. To achieve local success, earlier in this area under the control of the Syrian army, the strategically important city of Side has passed. Thus, at the moment, the Syrian-Jordan border is almost fully controlled by the soldiers of the Syrian army and the Rosgvardia's military personnel. As for the southern part, where clashes continue, there are 30 settlements on the conditions of the Russian side, they agreed to join the cease-fire regime. At the moment, the militants are firmly holding their position in the West Daria - the city of Tafas is under their control. In general, the South-West Front of the militants is doomed to defeat, now it is only a matter of time. At the moment, more than 60% of the territory of the south-west of Syria is already under the control of the Syrian army. I would like all this to end as soon as possible. It's time to think about people too - 320 thousand people have already left their homes. For some three weeks. Of these, approximately 60 thousand languages \u200b\u200bat the border of Jordan.

On the street there is a heat 45 degrees. So people have very difficult. Our guys, respectively, service is also not sugar.

The tactics of the "scorched land" involves the complete destruction of any objects during the retreat so that they do not get the enemy. During the Great Patriotic War, both Soviet and German side were used.

Manstein was one of the supporters of this tactic. In 1942-1944, he commanded the Don and South Army Group. In the fall of 1943, during the retreat on the left-bank Ukraine, Manstein, fulfilling the order of Goering, applied this technique.

He wrote: "In the zone 20-30 km in front of the Dnipro was destroyed, destroyed or exported in the rear, everything that could help the enemy immediately continue his offensive on a wide front on the other side of the river, that is, everything that could appear for him when concentrating forces In front of our Dnieper positions by the shelter or the place of quartering, and everything that the supply could easier him, especially the food supply of his troops. "

According to the commander, from the left-willed areas, reserves, economic property and cars that could be used for military production were taken out. Also taken non-ferrous metals, grain and technical crops, as well as horses and cattle.

At the same time, Manstein stipulates that "in the German army - in contrast to the rest - the robbery was not allowed," "was established strict control to exclude the possibility of exporting any illegal cargo." According to the commander, exported property and stocks were exclusively state, not private property.

Manstein adds that a significant part of the local population then voluntarily followed the retreating parts, "to get away from the tips they feared." "Long columns were formed, which we later had to see also in East Germany," says the warlord.

The tactics of the scorched land is a way of conducting hostilities, implying the destruction of all suitable for use, or potentially useful for the enemy. It is usually applied when retreat (retreating, troops are left behind an empty territory) or in conditions of combating partisans.

Initially, the term belonged to the practice of burning crops on the fields for the destruction of food sources for the enemy, currently the term includes the destruction of shelters, means of movement, communications, industry and industrial resources.

For the first time this method of war was described in the book. The use of such tactics is known since the time of antiquity. Justification Tactics B. the newest time Belongs to Prussian General Carlo Ludwig von Fully.

In a modern sense, this term is used since the time of the Vietnamese war, when American troops began to actively apply napalm to destroy the strategic objects of the enemy (mainly ground food warehouses), as well as places of the alleged accumulation of the enemy. The cunning was that the napalm after hitting the land was even a long time, penetrating into narrow catacombs, filling asylum caustic smoke, thereby making them unsuitable for shelter.

British soldiers burn the boots houses

Using the tactics of the scorched land to the Second World War

Scythian hike Darius I

Patriotic War of 1812

Second English-Board War 1899-1902

Using the tactics of "scorched land" of the Red Army

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, on July 3, 1941, I. V. Stalin made an appeal to the people with a speech, in which there are the following words: "With a forced waste of the Red Army, you need to invade the entire mobile railway composition, not to leave the enemy not a single locomotive or One car, not to leave the enemy not a single kilogram of bread, nor a liter fuel. The collective farmers must treat all cattle, to pass under the preservation of government agencies to remove it into the rear districts. All valuable property, including non-ferrous metals, bread and fuel, which can not be exported, must be unconditionally destroyed.

In busy, the enemy areas need to create partisan detachments, horse and hiking, create sabotage groups to combat parts of the enemy army, to incite the partisan war everywhere and everywhere, for explosion of bridges, roads, spoons of telephone and telegraph communications, fabrics, warehouses, warehouses. In the captured areas, create unbearable conditions for the enemy and all of his accomplices, pursue and destroy them at every step, disrupt all their events. "

A few days later, on July 10, 1941, in the note by the secretary of the Central Committee of the CP (b) of Ukraine, N. S. Khrushchev, I. Stalin appeals to Khrushchev: "Your suggestions for the destruction of the entire property contradict the settings given in speech by T. Stalin, where The destruction of the entire valuable property was said due to the forced waste of the units of the Red Army. Your suggestions are due to the immediate destruction of the entire valuable property, bread and livestock in the zone of 100-150 kilometers from the enemy, regardless of the state of the front. Such an event can demoralize the population, to cause dissatisfaction with the Soviet government, upset the rear of the Red Army and create both in the army and among the population of the mandatory waste, instead of determining the enemy. "

On November 17, 1941, the order of the Supreme Commanding rate, which obliging "with the forced waste of our parts on a particular site to take away the Soviet population with him and be sure to destroy all settlements without exception so that the enemy could not use them. First of all, for this purpose, use the hunters selected in the shelves. "

What is the scorched land policy?

The scorched land policy is a military strategy that is aimed at everything that can be useful to the enemy when passing or leaving the area. In particular, all assets that are used or can be used by the enemy are aimed at facilities such as sources of food, transport, communication, industrial resources and, even on people in the area.

This strategy can be used by the military on the enemy territory or even on their own land. It can overlap on each other, but this is not the same as the punitive destruction of the enemy's resources, which is done in purely strategic / political reasons, and not on strategic / operational reasons.

Famous historical examples of scorched land tactics include a strategy russian army During a failed invasion of Napoleon to Russia, Marsha William Tekums Sherman in the sea during the civil war in America, the speech of Lord Kitchener against the drills, the initial Soviet retreat under the command of Joseph Stalin during the invasion of the German army to the Soviet Union in World War II, as well as the subsequent The retreat of Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front.

The strategy for the destruction of food and water supply of civilians in the conflict zone was prohibited, in accordance with Article 54 of the First Protocol of the 1977 Geneva Conventions. The corresponding passage says:

It is forbidden to attack, destroy, export or lead to the unsuitability of the objects necessary for the survival of civilians, such as food reserves, agricultural areas producing food, crops, cattle, facilities for supplying drinking water, as well as irrigation facilities in order to prevent their use of civil The population or side of the enemy, regardless of the motives, whether to cause famine among the civilian population, force them to leave or for any other reason.

"Tactics of the scorched land" in ancient times

Scythians used the methods of scorched ground against the Persian King Darius of the Great during his European Scythian Campaign. Scythians that were nomadic cattle retreats retreated deep into the steppes, destroying food reserves and pooling wells. A lot of Darius soldiers died from hunger or dehydration.

The Greek General Xenophon recorded in his book "Anabasis" that Armenians burned their crops and food, before their departure, due to the onset of the ten-thousandth army of Greek goplites.

Greek hired general Memnon offered to the Persian satrapa to use the tactics of the scorched land against Alexander, when he moved to Small Asia. As a result, Alexander retreated.

Strategy of "Scorched Earth" in the Roman Epoch

The system of punitive destruction of property and subordination of people when conducting a military campaign was known as Vastatio. Two of the first recorded applications of the tactics of the scorched land occurred during the Gallic military. The first time this tactics was used by Celtic Gelvets due to the invasion of unfriendly German tribes. They were forced to leave their homes in South Germany and Switzerland. To add a stimulus to leave their lands, Gelviet destroyed everything that could not take with them. After they were defeated by the Roman-Gallic army, the Gelviet were forced to rebuild the ruined German and Swiss plains, which they themselves destroyed.

The second case demonstrates the actual military value: during the Global Gallic War, Galla under the control of Versingetoric planned to lure the Roman army in Gallia, and then catch and destroy them. To this end, they ruined the countryside of Benilyuks and France countries. This, indeed, created huge problems for the Romans, but the Roman military triumphs over the Gallian Union showed that only this is not enough to save Gallia from Roman enslavement.

During the second Punic War in 218-202. BC, Carthaginian selectively used this method during the passage through Italy. After the end of the third Punic War in 146 BC The Roman Senate also decided to use this method for the final destruction of the Carthage Capital Carthage (near the modern Tunisia). The buildings were demolished, stones are scattered, so there is no even rubble left, and the fields burned. However, the story that they soaked the land of salt is apocryphal.

In 363, N.E. The invasion of Emperor Julian in Sassanid Persia was interrupted by using the tactics of the scorched land:

The extensive region located between the Tiger River and the Mountains of Media ... was in a very improved state of cultivation. Julian could expect the conqueror who owns two impressive belief tools - steel and gold, could easily ensure a rich existence due to the fear or greed of the local population. But, with the approach of the Romans, the rich and smiling perspective instantly disappeared. Wherever they move ... there was no livestock; Grass and ripe grains were destroyed by fire; And as soon as the flame that Julian's hike interrupted, he saw the melancholic face of the smoking and naked desert. This desperate, but effective protection method can only be used due to the enthusiasm of people who prefer the independence of their property; or the severity of the leader ruler, which takes into account public security, without providing people with freedom of choice.

Using the "tactics of the scorched land" in the Middle Ages

Tactics of medieval battles

British monk guilds In his tract of the sixth century, "On the ruins of Britain" wrote about an earlier invasion "For the fire of revenge ... spread from the sea to the sea ... and did not stop until he destroyed the neighboring cities and land, and reached the other side of the island "

During the great invasion of Vikings in England against Alfred Great and other Saxon and Welsh rulers, the leader of Wiking Hes Stains, at the end of the summer of 893, sent its people to Chester to take the destroyed Roman fortress. The reinforced fortress was to become an excellent base for the arrival of raids for the Northern Mercius, but it was witnessed that the Merceans had decisive measures to destroy all crops and livestock in the surrounding villages to label Danes. As a result, the invaders left Chester next year and went to Wales.

Conquest of North England

During the campaign of the attack on the north, the decision of Wilhelm's conqueror to stop the uprising in 1069 was the cruel conquest and conquest of North England. William people burned whole villages from Hambert to Tis and killed all the inhabitants. Food warehouses and livestock were destroyed, so anyone survived after the massacre was soon forced to starve during the winter. Destruction is depicted on the tapestry Baye. The survivors were forced to resort to cannibalism. The message has been preserved that, since the skulls of the dead were broken and their brains could be opened. About 100 - 150 thousand people died, and whatever the land recovered from the damage to the century.

Military Tactic in the Epoch of the Late Middle Ages

During the century of war, both the British and the French conducted Chevauchée raids on the enemy territory in order to destroy the infrastructure.

Robert I Bruce advised to use these operational methods to keep the strength of the English king Eduard, when the British invaded Scotland, according to an anonymous poem of the XIV century:

In 1336, the defenders of Pyleni in Lithuania set fire to the castle and committed mass suicide to make a more expensive victory of the attacker of the Teutonic Order.

This strategy was widely used in the Romanian Principles of Valahia and Moldova. Prince Mircea I used it from Valahia against Ottomans in 1395, and Prince Stefan III from Moldova burned the land in his own country, when the Ottoman army occurred in 1475 and 1476.

"To compose from the ground" is a deliberate, partial or complete, destruction of strengthening without resistance. Sometimes, for example, during the War for the Independence of Scotland and during the British Civil War, the goal was to turn the construction to an unsuitable state for further use. In England in the Middle Ages, adulterial locks, in the case of capture, the king was usually destroyed. During the military for the independence of Scotland, Robert I Bruce adopted a strategy for the destruction of Scottish castles in order to prevent their occupation by the British. The strategy for the destruction of castles in Palestine used Mamli in wars with crusaders.

Use the "tactics of the scorched" land at the beginning of the modern era

Further British use of the scorched land tactics in the war was noticed in the XVI century in Ireland, where it was used by English commanders, such as Walter Demo and Richard Bingham.

Rebells in Desmond is a well-known case of using tactics in Ireland. Most of the province of Münster was devastated. Poet Edmund Spencer left a report on this:

At the end of these wars in Münster; Despite the fact that on this earth was the richest and fertile country, full of grain and cattle, that you might think that this country will have a long time, but in just a year and a half she was brought to such a mission that the stone heart looked Also. From each corner of the forest and ravines, people crawled in their arms, because their legs could no longer bear them; They looked like an anatomy of death, they spoke like ghosts, crying over the sami graves; They ate rotten meat, happy that was able to find it, yes, and soon each other, and every corpse that they were able to embroider from the graves; And if they found a plot with watercress or acids, they flocked from everywhere as if for a holiday, but still, unable to continue it for a long time; so that in a small space almost no one left, and sometime the most densely populated and rich country Suddenly remained without a person or beast.

In 1630, Field Marshal General Torcvato Conti commanded imperial forces during the thirty-year war. Forced to retreat from the coming Swedish army King Gustav Adolf, Conti ordered his troops to burn at home, destroy the villages and, in general, to cause as greater damage to property and people. His actions were remembered as follows:

To take revenge on the Duke of Pomerania, the imperial general allowed his troops, after his retreat, to show all sorts of barbarism over the unfortunate residents of Pomerania, who had already suffered so much, but even more suffered from his greed. Under the pretext of the deprivation of the Swedes of resources, the whole country was devastated and looted; And often, when the imperialists could no longer support the place, they burned him down to leave the enemy only ruins.

During the Great Northern War, Russia lifted the land on the path of the Swedish troops of King Charles XII.

Romanian Ottoman Wars

In 1462, the massive Ottoman army headed by Sultan Mehmed II entered Valachia. Vlad Chain retreated in transylvania. During the retreat, he spent the tactics of the scorched land to repel the offensive of Sultan Mehmed II. When Ottoman troops approached the Tyrgovist, they encountered more than 20,000 people planted on the stakes of the soldiers of Vlad Charechez, from which the "forest" of the dead or dying. This brutal, painful spectacle forced Sultan Mehmed II to leave the battle and, instead, send Rada, Brother Vlad, fight with Vlad Charenem.

Great Siege Malta

In early 1565, Magister Jean Pariot de Vallett ordered the harvest of all cultures in Malta, including immature grain to deprive Ottomans of any local food reserves, because spies warned about the impending attack Ottoman Empire. In addition, the knights poisoned all the wells with bitter herbs and dead animals. Osmans arrived on May 18 of the same year, and it was then that the Great Siege of Malta began. Osmans managed to capture one fort, but ultimately they were defeated by knights, the Maltese military and Spanish forces of naval support.

Decan wars

Shivaji Maharaj presented the tactics of the scorched land, known as Kava Ghania. His forces plundered the merchants and entrepreneurs of the emperor Mongols of Aurganseb and burned cities, but at the same time, the soldiers were strictly ordered not to rape and not harm in any unnecessary civilians, as well as not to make any disrespectful actions to any religious Societies.

Son Shivaji, Sambhaji Maharaj, hated all the Mongol Empire for his tactics of the scorched land, while he and his people were not captured by Macharbár Khan and his Mongolian army, consisting of 25,000 people. March 11, 1689, the Mongol Group of Kadi charged and sentenced Sambhaji to the death penalty for indulgence of random torture, arson, robbery and mass murders of imperial subjects, but what is most noticeable for providing the shelter to Sultan Muhammad Akbaru, the fourth son of Aurangseeb, who requested the help of Sambhaji, In order to dismiss the Mongolian throne at his father-emperor. Despite all this, Sambhaji was convicted of three day ruins committed after the battle at Burkhanpur.

In 1747, Marathi, headed by Raggegoi I Bhonsle, began to make raids, robbery and join the territories in Oissehe, owned by the Mongolian Empire, and there was Navaba Bengal, Alward Khan. Cavalry Maratha numbered 40 thousand riders who plundered the city of Midnapore and burned granaries and villages.

Military tactics "scorched land" at the turn of the 19th century

Napoleonic Wars

For 1810, during the third) Napoleonic invasion of Portugal, the Portuguese population retreated in the direction of Lisbon, ordered to destroy all the food reserves that the French could capture, forage and hide in a wide belt throughout the country. (Despite the fact that effective methods of food canning were invented, they were still not suitable for military use, because the appropriate durable container was still not invented.) The order was executed because of French robbery and total ill-treatment with civilians in previous invasions. Poor, outraged people would rather destroy everything that could not take with them, just not to leave anything to the French.

After Boussako, the Massena army went to Coimbra, where most of the old university and the city library were destroyed, houses and furniture were destroyed, and several civilians who were not looking for refuge in the south were killed. Although there were cases of such behavior of British soldiers, given that Portugal was their ally, such crimes were usually investigated, and those who were convicted - punished. The progress of Coimbra made the population even more decisive in the process of destroying property, and when the French troops reached the Torres line on the way to Lisbon, French soldiers reported that the country "seemed empty before them." When Massena reached the city of Viseu, wanting to replenish the food reserves of his armies, not a single resident in the city remained. From food there were only grapes and lemons, which, if they eat them in large quantities, become laxative, not sources of calories. Low moral spirit, hunger, disease and undisciplined led to the fact that the French Army of Portugal became much weaker and was forced to retreat the next spring. This method was later recommended by Russia, when Napoleon made his turn.

In 1812, Tsar Alexander I was able to bring Napoleon's invasion of Napoleon to Russia useless, using the method of scorched land, similar to the fact that Portuguese was used. When Russian troops were removed from the upcoming French army, they burned the countryside (and, presumably, Moscow) on which they passed, not leaving anything valuable for the persisting of their French army. Faced with desert and useless land, the Great Army of Napoleon was deprived of the opportunity to use the usual teachings on how to live outside the land conquered by her. Constantly moving forward, despite the shrinking number of soldiers, Great Army Meets with a disaster when the invasion continued. Napoleon's army arrived in practically abandoned Moscow, which was exhausted by the starving shell of its former species, largely due to the use of the tactics of the scorched land during the retreat of the Russians. In fact, without capturing anything, Napoleon's troops retreated, and again the scorched land policy entered into force, because, despite the fact that some large food warehouses were installed on promotion, the route was linked and was already used once, so French The army of starvation, when he was held through the depleted invasion route for the second time. Unfortunately, the consequences of this policy for the civilian population in those areas in which it was used is equally, if not more devastating than for the Great Army.

South American War for Independence

In August 1812, the Argentine General Manuel Belgrano headed the "Jujuysky care", the massive movement of people from the current provinces of Jujuy and South South. "Zhuhuji Care" was powered by the patriotic forces of the Army of the North, which fought with the royal army.

Belgrano, faced with the prospect of complete defeat and territorial losses, ordered all people to pack their essentials, including food and furniture, and follow him, in cars or on foot, together with cattle and animals that could transfer the journey. The rest (houses, crops, food reserves, as well as any iron items) were to be burned to deprive the loyalists of resources, following the strict tactics of the scorched land. On July 29, 1812, Belgrano asked people Juzhuya "show their heroism" and join the army retreat under his command "If, as you assure, you want to be free." The punishment for ignoring the order was the death and destruction of property. Belgrano worked to win the support of the population, and then reported that most people would have followed him without the need to use force.

Care began on August 23 and gathered people from Juzhuya and Salta; People went to the south of about 250 km, and finally arrived on the bank of the Pasadzhi River, which is in the province of Tucuman, in the morning of August 29. Patriots applied the politics of the scorched land and the Spaniard invaded the wasteland. The army Belgrano destroyed everything that she could provide asylum or be useful for royalists.

Philippino-American War

The US attacks on the Philippine Countryside often included campaigns on the scorched land, where whole villages were burned and destroyed, torture (torture drink) was used and civilians were collected in "Protected Zones". Many deaths among civilians became the result of disease and hunger.

Pursuing the partisan general Emilio Agagaldo, American troops, also poisoned the wells to try to oust the Philippine rebels.

American Civil War

In the American Civil War, trade union forces under the command of Sheridan and Sherman were widely used this tactic. General Sherman used her during his march to the sea. In another event of the Civil War, it happened: in response to Raid Kontrille on Lawrence, Kansas, and numerous civilian victims, according to the total order of the US Army No. 11 (1863), received an order for almost complete evacuation of three and a half districts in West Missouri , south of the city of Kansas, who, subsequently, were looted and burned with the troops of the US Army. Commander of the Allied Forces, which published General Order No. 11 was Brigadier General Thomas Yingg Ml., Schurin Sherman. Under the general guidance of Sherman, General Sheridan followed this policy in the Shenandoa valley in Virginia, and then during Indian military on great plains.

When the forces of General Grant broke through Richmond Defense, Jefferson Davis ordered the destroying of all military significant objects in Richmond; As a result of the fire, a lot was destroyed - mostly commercial buildings and some southern warships docked to the James River. The civilian population in panic was forced to escape from fires started by confederates.

Indian Wars

During wars with the Indian tribes of the American West, under the guidance of James Carlton, Keith Carson used the politics of the scorched land, burning the fields and houses of Navajo, as well as warp or killing their cattle. It was helped by other Indian tribes with whom Navajo hosts for a long time, mainly tribe. Navaoj were forced to surrender due to the destruction of their livestock and food. In the spring of 1864, 8,000 men Navajo, women and children were forced to pass 300 miles to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Navajo called this path "Long Walk". Many died on this path or over the next four years of their internation.

The military expedition, under the command of the US Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie, was sent to the Texas Paradl district and in Oklahoma, the territory in the Paradle area in 1874, in order to move Indians in Oklahoma's reservation. Mackenzie's expedition captured about 1,200 horses of the Indians, took them to the Tula Canyon and shot. Sended without its main source of means to the existence and being demoralized, the teams and kisos left this area (see Canyon Palo-Doro).

Anglo-Board War

Lord Kitchener applied the politics of the scorched land at the end of the second Board War (1899-1902). Burtsy, refusing to take a military defeat, adopted the modern form of what we know today as partisan WarDespite the capture of their two capitals. As a result, the British ordered to destroy farms and houses of civilians in order to prevent the provision of food boots and supply items. An eloquent description of these events is obtained from the officer of the army of that time. This destruction left women and children without means for survival, since the crop and cattle were also destroyed.

The existence of the concentration camps was revealed by Emily Hobhaus, which visited many camps and began to submit to the British government, whatever it changed their policy. In an attempt to withstand the activity of Hobhaus, the British caused the Commission of Fosette, which confirmed the findings of Hobhaus. Later, the British perceived concentration camps as a humanitarian measure, taken to care for displaced persons before the end of the war, in response to the messages Hobhaus and Fosette. Rectare from the British, the lack of planning, supplies and overpopulation led to a large number of human victims. Ten years after the war, P. L. Goldman officially determined that a strikingly large number of drills died in concentration camps - 27,927 people: 26 251 Woman and children (of which more than 22,000 were younger than 16 years old), 1676 people over 16 years old , of which 1421 were elderly people.

Other examples of using the tactics of the "scorched land"

In 1868, TEUE tribe was covered by Maori's leader those Kuti, and because of this, the politics of the scorched land was subjected to, as a result of which their grain and buildings were destroyed, and people who were able to hold the weapons in their hands.

Examples of using the tactics of "scorched land" in the 20th century

World War I

In the First World War, the imperial troops of the Russian army created a zone of destruction using a large-scale strategy of the scorched land during the retreat from the German army in the summer / in the fall of 1915. Russian troops retreating to the front by more than 600 miles, destroyed everything that could be useful for their enemy, including crops, houses, railways and whole cities. They, too, forcibly moved a huge number of people. Owing Russians to their homeland, the German army received a large territory from the Russian Empire (in the area that is Poland today, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia and Lithuania).

On February 24, 1917, the German army used the tactics of the scorched land during a strategic waste from the SMU battlefield to the prepared fortifications of the Hindenburg line, thereby reducing the front line, which they had to occupy. Due to the fact that the campaign of the scorched land demands that the war would pass in motion, during the First World War, in general, there were few opportunities for using this tactics, as fights, in this tightened war, took place on the same territories .

Greco-Turkish war (1919-22)

During the Greek-Turkish War (1919-22), the retreating Greek army used the tactics of the scorched land at the final stage of the war, leaving Anatolia. The historian of the Middle East, Sydney Nettleton Fisher wrote that: "During retreat, the Greek army used the tactics of the scorched lands, and also made all possible inconsistencies against the defenseless Turkish inhabitants who met on her way." Norman M. Namarka noted that "Greek retreat was even more destructive for the local population than the occupation."

Second Sino-Japanese War

During the second Sino-Japanese war, the imperial Japanese army used the tactics of the scorched land, known as the "Politics of the Three" All ". It was recorded that the use of Japanese politicians of the scorched land caused huge damage to the environment and infrastructure. In addition, it contributed to the complete destruction of entire villages and partial death of entire cities, such as Chongqing or Nanjing.

The Chinese National Revolutionary Army destroyed the dam, trying to flood the land to slow down the promotion of Japanese soldiers, which even more enhanced the environmental impact. This policy led to Huang Hue flood in 1938.

The Second World War

When Germany attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941, many district governments assumed the initiative to start the execution of the "partial" policy of the scorched land to deprive the invaders of electric, telecommunication, rail and industrial resources. Parts of the telegraph network were destroyed, some railway and car bridges are blown up, most electrical generators were sabotaged by removing key components, and many mines are destroyed. These actions were repeated later, in the war of the German troops of the Army Army Group and the Army Group Erich von Manstein DON, which the harvest was stolen during several military operations, destroyed farms and settlements of at least a city and less. The rationale for destruction was that these armies will slowly pursue Soviet troops, forcing them to save their citizens. In the post-war memoirs of Manstein, the policy was justified, as a means of preventing the Soviet pests and housing in their own civilians. The most famous victims of the German policy of the scorched land were people of the historic city of Novgorod, which was destroyed in the winter of 1944 to defend the retreat of the Army Group North from Leningrad.

At the end of World War II, Finland, who signed the Separate World with the Allies, was to evict the German troops, which fought against the Soviets together with the Finnish troops in the northern part of the country. Finnish troops under the leadership of General Hyalmar Siylasvo aggressively attacked in August 1944, making landing in Tornio. It accelerated the retreat of Germany, and by November 1944 the Germans left most of Northern Finland. German troops, forced to retreat due to a common strategic situation, covered their retreat towards Norway, destroying large areas of Northern Finland, using the strategy of the scorched land. More than a third of the dwellings in the area were destroyed, and the provincial capital of Rovaniemi was burned down. All but two bridges in the province of Lapland were blown up, and the roads are mined. In Northern Norway, where at the same time the Soviet troops were invaded in pursuit of the retreating German army in 1944, the Germans also used the tactics of the scorched land, destroying every building that could offer asylum and, thus, created the belt "scorched land", among themselves and allies.

In 1945, Adolf Hitler ordered his minister of weapons Albert Spear to conduct a nationwide policy of the scorched land, in the future this order became known as the "Neron" plan. Steeper, who looked into the future, actively resisted the orders, just as he had previously refused the Hitler's order to destroy the French industry, when the Wehrmacht was expelled from France, and managed to continue to do this, even after Hitler learned about his actions.

During World War II, the railway plow was used in Germany, Czechoslovakia and other countries to prevent the enemy use of railways, through their partial destruction in the process of retreat.

Malay State of State

Britain was the first country that was used by herbicides and defolients (mainly Orange Agent), in order to destroy crops and bushes of communist rebels in Malaya during Malay emergency In the 1950s. The goal was to prevent the rebels to use them as a cover for an ambush to the British troops undergoing convoy and destroy the possibilities of peasants to provide support to the rebels.

Indian Annexia Goa

In response to the invasion of India in the 451-year-old Portuguese colony of Goa in December 1961, during the accession of Portuguese India, the President of Portugal called on to use the tactics of the scorched land - Goa had to be destroyed before India was transferred.

However, despite the order from Lisbon, the Governor-General Manuel Antonio Vassalo and Silva summed up the total superiority of the Indian troops, as well as the supply of food and ammunition available to his troops, and decided to surrender. Later, he described the order to destroy Goa as "Um Sacrifício Inútil" (useless victim).

War in Vietnam

The United States used an Orange agent as part of the Herbicidal War program during the Vietnam War, the Ranch Hand operation, the purpose of which consisted of destroying crops and foliage to detect possible enemy shelters. The BLO agent used on rice fields to eliminate the reserves of Vietkong food.

War in the Persian Gulf

During the war in the Persian Gulf in 1990, when Iraqi troops were expelled from Kuwait, during the retreat they set fire to petroleum wells. Possible reasons This is discussed in more detail in the article about Kuwaiti oil fires. These fires were caused by the Iraqi armed forces who set fire to more than 600 oil wells in the framework of the scorched land policy, during their retreat from Kuwait in 1991, after the invasion of the country, but in the future they were forced to leave the country due to coalition armed forces ( See the war in the bay). Fires began in January-February 1991, and the latter was awesome by November of the same year.

Rios Montta political regime

Efrain Rios Montt used this method in Guatemalan Highlands in 1981-1982, although the tactics of the scorched land was used for the first time with the previous President of Romeo Lucas Garcia. After joining the position, Rios Montt implemented a new strategy for the fight against the rebels, calling for the use of the tactics of the scorched land for the fight against the uprising of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity, known as the Plan of Victoria 82 (Plan Victoria 82) or, most often, on the nicknamed strategy to pacify the local population - Fusiles y frijoles (bullets and beans). The policy of Rios Montta led to the death of thousands (most of them were indigenous Miami).

Indonesian National Revolution

Indonesian military and pro-Indonesian militias used this method in their campaign of the scorched Land of Timor Leste, about the time during the referendum for the independence of Eastern Timor in 1999. Prior to this, during the Indonesian National Revolution, various cities and strategic places in Indonesia were also subjected to the use of this tactics in order to prevent the use of the same strategy by the allied troops (especially British), and then Dutch troops. It is noteworthy that in 1946 the Indonesian military and militia burned the city of Bandung in West Java Dotley, for the same purposes.

Use tactics of "scorched land" in modern history

Darfur conflict in Sudan

The Sudanese government used the strategy of the scorched land as a military strategy in Darfur.

Civil War in Sri Lanka

During the Civil War in Sri Lanka in 2009, the United Nations Regional Information Center (Ricozon) accused the Sri Lankan government to use the tactics of the scorched land.

Libyan civil war

During the Civil War in Libya in 2011, the forces devoted to Muammar Gaddafi involved a large number of ground mines in the Brecha oil port, in order to prevent the use of port structures during the promotion of the rebel forces. In addition, Libyan rebel forces practiced the politics of the scorched land when they completely destroyed and refused to restore an important infrastructure in cities previously loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, such as Sirt and Tavarg.

Syrian civil war

In the course of the Syrian Civil War, the forces devoted to Bashar Al-Assad, located in the north of Syria, burned large sections of trees and forests, which were used as a cover by the fighters of the free Syrian army, which was hiding among the trees when they did not participate in the battles. The forests were mainly burned in the northern regions of Aleppo provinces, Idlib and Latakia, with the fires, sometimes, spread across the border to Turkey. The first time the forest was burned deliberately, but as soon as the loyalists of Assad came out of these areas, they used artillery fire to burn forests. It is said that you need about 80 years to fully restore the environment from damage done.