by Max Barry

Latest Forum Topics

Advertisement

Search

Search

[+] Advanced...

Author:

Region:

Sort:

«12. . .5,4235,4245,4255,4265,4275,4285,429. . .5,5095,510»

Communist Volkstrad wrote:I'm good, been working on all sorts of stuff. Started reading this book I got on Slavic folklore a while back.

Nice I’ve been reading up on Turkic history

How’re your studies going?

Togeria wrote:Nice I’ve been reading up on Turkic history

That's pretty cool as well. I've been jumping around on what subjects I've been looking into, lately. On a whim I ended up on this; I got derailed really fast though, I haven't read super far into the book yet because I went off to reread The Viy since I thought of it

Togeria

I've also recently started looking into the Russian Liberation Army in WWII.

Communist Volkstrad wrote:I've also recently started looking into the Russian Liberation Army in WWII.

What they do of note?

It kind of starts with a man named Andrei Andreevich Vlasov, a largely unknown figure over here but who actually is a rather interesting figure. The ROA didn't accomplish much, but its leader certainly had a dramatic tale. He fought for the Red Army in the Russian Civil War, and worked his way up from a lowly private to a general over the following decades. He was something of a rising star in the Red Army in the late 30s, going up the ranks and even on a mission as a military adviser to Chiang Kai Shek. He was in charge of several units, such as the 99th Rifle Division, who were considered to be one of the best in the RKKA while under his command.

When the Germans invaded, he was in charge of the 4th Mechanized Corps, and managed to deal one of the first blows against them when he retook a city and held it for six days before retreating. He was in command of the 37th Army at Kiev during the battle there, and was among the last to retreat when he escaped the German encirclement. He went on, after that, to command the 20th Army in the defence of Moscow, launching a counterattack and taking back a fair bit of ground. For this, he was even called the Saviour of Moscow, and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for his actions.

He was then put in charge of the 2nd Shock Army, and he was to attempt to lead an effort to lift the Siege of Leningrad, but that's where everything went wrong. During this attempt, cohesion broke down and the effort stalled. The 2nd Shock Army was then surrounded by Axis forces. During this time, Stalin sent a plane to attempt to get Vlasov, still rather favoured, out of the area, but supposedly he refused to take the way out. I've even heard it said that he is quoted as stating "What kind of leader abandons his men?" or something along those lines. He refused to leave them, and while the 2nd Shock Army was eventually destroyed, he and a small group of his troops attempted to sneak out of the encirclement, and took shelter in what I've heard was an old believer village, but after about ten days, the locals betrayed him and he was captured.

He was imprisoned and interrogated by the Germans, and during this process he made it clear that he was very much against Stalin and Bolshevism. To this day it's debated whether this was sincere or a move out of opportunism, but from what little I know of the man I can't rule out that he meant it. It was there that he met a Baltic German by the name of Captain Strik-Strikfeldt, who sought to set up a "Russian Liberation Movement", and who had previously been associated with the Whites in the Civil War. It was him that convinced Vlasov to help in the creation of an anti-stalinist Russian movement, with the intention of setting up a new Russian state.

Vlasov then was sent to Berlin and things started to get rolling, but it was all kind of unofficial. Hitler was strongly against the idea, obviously, as he still wanted to wipe the Russians out and he didn't like the idea of setting up a guy who would be in charge of an army of Russians was not appealing to him. But the propaganda that came out of it was still useful, many Russians surrendered just to try and join this army they heard about, even though it didn't actually exist. A bunch of Soviet POWs in the camps also ended up signing up with the initiative, some out of sympathy for the goals, but many just as a way to get out of those hellish conditions. Most of these got their cool patche and then were sent off to other units where manpower was needed.

It was only in 1944 that it was actually formally established, and only got to a size of about 50,000 men. The position was not really helped by Vlasov not being entirely cooperative with playing the part of the Germans' puppet, but they did exist and engaged the Red Army at the Oder, and after a few days of battle, they retreated to Prague.

There, with Vlasov's permission, General Bunyachenko of the ROA had his men join in the Prague Uprising against the Germans, but after that, with the Red Army closing in, they bolted Westward to try and surrender to the Americans and British.

Many of them were captured by the Western Allies, but were subsequently turned over to the Soviets. Vlasov himself was captured when his convoy ran into a Soviet armoured unit. Most of the men of the ROA were tossed into the gulags, but Vlasov and the other officers were tried and hanged.

The Russian Liberation Army didn't really do a whole lot militarily, but it's an interesting story, and the tale of its leader is one of a man renowned as a great hero turning into a figured reviled as the worst of traitors.

Togeria and The bio-regional cooperative of states

Badassistanian

*Slowly walks through the region with a lantern, calling for people to bring me their dead*

I've been sittin here the whole time, stretched out on my porch, dunno what you're on about.

The bio-regional cooperative of states

I'm around, just really haven't had anything to add.

The problem isn't really that people aren't here I suppose, it's kind of taking the initiative to really keep up continuous conversation. Plus everyone's got lives and all, so that's taking time as well.

I think really, for those concerned, the lack of activity kinda has to be that there hasn't been that serious spark and passion to get a big RP going or anything, like, I know for my part at least I haven't had any ideas. So I mean, not that it's particularly bothering me that we have lulls or anything, afterall, we've known eachother for so long it's not like a little inactivity now and again is going to kill the place for good, but I wouldn't be opposed if anyone wants to spitball.

Badassistanian

I wonder if theres something not as time intensive that we could do

Well, I'm open to suggestions

New flag.jpg

Togeria

Parcia wrote:New flag.jpg

well, it's unique at least

I won’t lie guys. I tried flirting with love and I didn’t get hurt but pretty damn close. How’s everyone else been though?

The bio-regional cooperative of states

Togeria wrote:I won’t lie guys. I tried flirting with love and I didn’t get hurt but pretty damn close. How’s everyone else been though?

Sucks. I've been alright, though. Still chugging along.

Togeria

Communist Volkstrad wrote:The problem isn't really that people aren't here I suppose, it's kind of taking the initiative to really keep up continuous conversation. Plus everyone's got lives and all, so that's taking time as well.

I think really, for those concerned, the lack of activity kinda has to be that there hasn't been that serious spark and passion to get a big RP going or anything, like, I know for my part at least I haven't had any ideas. So I mean, not that it's particularly bothering me that we have lulls or anything, afterall, we've known eachother for so long it's not like a little inactivity now and again is going to kill the place for good, but I wouldn't be opposed if anyone wants to spitball.

On the opposite end I’ve been thinking up some good ideas I’ve just waited for a time to start posting.

And I apologize for my lull, I usually post a lot more on the RMB to keep things active. More than work, my old laptop broke. I was using the chromebook but it’s a crap product( has this annoying feature where if you forget your password it softwipes your drive), so I hate to use it.

If not this week than by the next Ima shoot for a regular laptop so than I can use the web more.

The bio-regional cooperative of states

Togeria wrote:On the opposite end I’ve been thinking up some good ideas I’ve just waited for a time to start posting.

And I apologize for my lull, I usually post a lot more on the RMB to keep things active. More than work, my old laptop broke. I was using the chromebook but it’s a crap product( has this annoying feature where if you forget your password it softwipes your drive), so I hate to use it.

If not this week than by the next Ima shoot for a regular laptop so than I can use the web more.

Sounds good, I'd like to hear what you've got cookin'

Togeria and The bio-regional cooperative of states

The bio-regional cooperative of states

Togeria wrote:I won’t lie guys. I tried flirting with love and I didn’t get hurt but pretty damn close. How’s everyone else been though?

Glad you came out of it just fine.
I've been alright, could be doing better but I can always get out of a hole if I try hard enough. Been working on a puppet in the meanwhile.
I should take more initiative to keep things going here too though cause I'm online a lot, just doing my own thing really.
Would like to hear your idea too, it would be nice to get things up and going again since I'm slowly getting back into the writing spirit.

Togeria

Badassistanian

*The cart of dead bodies only gets heavier as I move towards the river, my lamp high upon the night sky*

The bio-regional cooperative of states

Cheery

Badassistanian

*I slowly drop the cart and wipe my head with a soft piece of cloth. I grunt as I begin to slowly unload the dead off into the eternal river*

Can’t wait for the week to be over

The bio-regional cooperative of states

I've had a pretty busy week so far but hopefully it'll calm down now

Just re-read guilt of Nimrod.

God i loved that, what ever happened to it.

«12. . .5,4235,4245,4255,4265,4275,4285,429. . .5,5095,510»

Advertisement