Anti-Nazi Resistance — Association of Jews of Vilna and vicinity in Israel

Life in a Partisan Unit / a chapter from the book Beyond the Clouds by Baruch Shub/Shuv, Chairman of the Israel Organization of Partisans, Underground Fighters and Ghetto Rebels.

It took a while for me to acclimatize to the unit. I was assigned a bunk at one end of the trench. The bunks were made of rough wooden boards and padded with anything soft we could lay our hands on: bits of torn blankets, worn-out clothing, bits of fur and mats, which were also used as clothing, blankets and sheets at one and the same time. During the day, the trench was empty except for a few fighters who had just returned from night activity. Most of the people preferred to stay outside. However, things changed in the evenings. Everybody would crowd inside and only the guards and officials were absent. We would only partially undress and lie down with our rifles and bullets next to our bodies with our guns and valuables at our heads. Often in the evenings, especially during the hot summer evenings, someone would light a fire, and we would sit around, relax and then someone would burst into song. We weren’t worried that the flame of the fire would give us away. Being deep in the forest, we were protected.

New additions were allocated a place to sleep at the end of the trench. The more senior they became they progressed towards the center, where there was a heater, which was where everyone got together. This is where we talked about our experiences, told jokes and drank Samogon (moonshine). Also, those in the know prepared original national dishes.

The unit was made up of diverse nationalities. There was a small number of Lithuanians, including those parachuted in, but since they were veterans and commanders, they lived in trench used as headquarters, and so there was little personal contact. Those prominent in the general fighters’ trench were the Russians, the Belarusians and the Ukrainians, with a few Uzbeks and Tartars, most of them military men, and escaped prisoners. The Poles were in the minority, local farmers who had joined us, not necessarily because they were aware of the situation but as a ‘city of refuge’: they had a rich past of theft, getting drunk and even murder. You could count the number of Jews on the fingers of both hands.

Cooking in the evening quickly became a competitive sport. Having an organized kitchen with basically a cook in charge, did not prevent the partisans from taking ingredients to cook or fry for themselves. There was no shortage of food except when those parts of the partisan forest were under siege. So, it gradually became the custom that those partisans who were not assigned to operations, would gather around the stove and taste the national dishes of whoever had done the cooking. The moonshine would loosen tongues causing provocation, for better or worse. I quickly caught on that friendships were being forged via the stomach so realized that I should join in with the cooking festivities. One evening, I said that I would prepare a Jewish Menu for the guys. I took some liver from the kitchen and started to fry it like I had so often seen it prepared at home. Never mind that it was being fried in pig fat, not exactly recommended for Jewish food, but the liver was really good which meant that I was accepted into the ‘experts’ circle, thereby promising my future as a cook.  And, since there is no meal without a drink, I was, as the host, forced to raise a glass of the sharp and revolting moonshine, again and again. I tried my best not to vomit. Luckily, my mind remained clear. This ability of drinking and staying sober helped me in the following days making the goyim pretty jealous. As a result, I was royally admitted into the partisan circle.

At the beginning, I was given the job as a guard. I was temporarily attached to a platoon under the command of Juzas, a member of the Lithuanian Komsomol, from Kovno and whose civilian occupation was chimney sweep. He was one of the first to answer the call of the Communist Party and was part of the Lithuanian nucleus of the Soviet Partisan Movement. A simple goy gushing with party rhetoric, frequently drunk resulting in a loose tongue. He treated me with contempt, either because I had fallen asleep the first time I was on guard duty, or simply because I was Jewish. However, I never heard vitriolic antisemitic expressions coming out of his mouth.

I hated guard duty. Bands of partisans would go out on operations and I was left to say goodbye and wish them good luck. To start off with, I was position in the camp itself, then I was promoted and was on guard duty in the forest, and finally also the outer perimeter. I enjoyed guard duty inside the forest the most, in the middle circle where there were guards in twos and with whom it was possible to have a discussion. Since it was far from the kitchen, this guard duty was for six hours only. Friendships which were made there, continued into battle.

The guarding the outer perimeter was the most strenuous. There, in the thick and menacing forest, the guard was on his own, either sitting in a ditch or having climbed a tree, motionless, in order to discern if anyone was approaching and, if so, whether friend or foe. Since these positions were far from base, the guard shifts were changed only after six or eight hours.

Despite the physical proximity of most of the Soviet Partisan Movement and the shred living conditions, not all of them were exactly friendly. There was a marked difference between the operational bands and the administration and service personnel. The operational bands would leave the base for a number of days and needed to catch up on sleep and rest when they returned; according to the budding hierarchy they were considered the elite. The only direct, but casual contact between them and the others, was in the kitchen, the bath house and the trench (the zemlyanka). The intimacy and camaraderie between the fighters were born and existed through the operational bands. Bands competed with each other, were jealous of each other and this was expressed through flashy clothing and better food. The fighters expected their commander to take care of their needs before seeing to others, as well as giving the band a more distinguished name.

The few Jews there were not particularly close and did not even form a group. In my opinion, each one just wanted to integrate and raise his status in one or other of the units, without emphasizing his Jewish origins.

As mentioned above, Haim Lazar’s group was temporarily located at our base. In the meantime, more groups of Jews, including members of the FPO, arrived from the Narocz forest. They were all destined to join the Vilna Lithuanian Brigade which was on its way from the east, and under the command of the Jewish party member Zimonas was supposed to reorganize in the Rudniki forest. Other lone Jews, in hiding in the Rudniki forest, and not organized, also found their way to Genis. There were also rumors that there were Jews amongst those parachuted into Lithuania. No-one bothered to reveal their national identity and it would seem that they were interested in doing so either.

Additional reading:

Partisans in the Narocz Forest

Partisans in the Rudniki Forest

Following the liquidation of the Vilna Ghetto, the Jewish community which had been rooted in Vilna for generations, disappeared.

A few individuals, who had been hidden by Christians, a few children hidden in churches, small groups of youths who were with the partisans and small labor camps in Vilna, were all that was left of the large Jewish community in the Jewish Vilna of days gone by.

There were two partisan headquarters in the Vilna area. One near the Narocz lake region, not far from the Glamboki forest. The second one was not far from Sorok Tatary in the Rudniki forest. At first, these were mixed groups made up of Lithuanians, Poles, White Russians and Jews under the leadership of Soviet paratroopers.

At a later stage, Jewish units were established led by Jewish fighters from the ghetto. So, in addition to the general partisan movement, there were three Jewish partisan groups in the Vilna area led by the Lithuanian Colonel Gravis.  The first one went by the name ‘Death to Facism’ and was led by the ghetto fighter Abba Kovner together with Anna Borkowska.  The second group went by the name ‘For Victory’ and was led by Abrashka Resel (Shabrinsky), with the third group being led on officer called Kriaklis.

There were more than 100 members in each group and were well armed with automatic weapons, grenades and machine guns. The lives of the Jewish and other partisans, was filled with danger despite their being free. The Jewish partisans were greatly respected for the way they often excelled in battle. Dozens of the heroic Jewish fighters gave up their young lives in the war against a bloodthirsty enemy. Those who died included fighters who destroyed bridges, others while laying explosives under railway tracks or while blowing up whole German convoys of cars on the highways and byways. Many Jewish partisan burial places can still be found on all the paths of the Rudniki forest. This is a testimony to the sacrifices and part of played by the Jewish fighters for victory and peace.

Throughout the whole period, there was close and constant contact between the Partisan Movement and the Jews in the Vilna camps. The partisans’ scouts would bring back regards from the Jewish fighters in the forests to those in the camps, as well as taking new people, medicines, weapons and other necessities back with them.

It is quite clear that there was no shortage of antisemitic acts from among the non-Jewish partisans. It must be said, that the partisan headquarters made great efforts to overcome the antisemitism.

At more elevated levels, the partisans lived in special earth huts surrounded by marshy swamps.

The women, who worked alongside the men, played a major role in the Jewish partisan movement.

In the middle of 1943, a pole was erected on the main road 40 km. from Vilna, with an inscription in German “Achtung! Partisan Area”. The Germans refrained from going to many of the villages for fear of the Red Partisans who had occupied the area.

On 9^th July 1944, the moment the Red Army drew near to Vilna, all the partisan groups started marching in a war parade from the Rudniki forest towards the city.

Vilna was liberated on 12^th July 1944. All the partisan groups, including the Jewish ones, took part in the battles to liberate the city.

During the first days following the liberation, they occupied all the important institutions in the city, as well as the police and partisan factories.

Many of the Jewish partisans were awarded the highest decoration of excellence by the Soviet government.

From: The Testimony of Dr. Moshe Feinberg

From the testimony of Chaim Lazar Litai, a member of the Jewish underground of the Vilna Ghetto, on the Ghetto Fighters House website:

The members of the underground found themselves in an embarrassing situation following Wittenberg’s extradition, and they decided to escape to the forests. Under the command of Josef Glazman, a company of the most wanted underground members, including Chaim Lazar, was formed. The night of 24^th July 1943, was a sleepless night, as the fighters were busy getting organized and arming themselves. At first light, the fighters sneaked out of the Judenrat building to the ghetto gate in order to join the Jews who were leaving to go to work.

Leaving for the forest:

Once on the street, the 21 fighters formed themselves into a group of lumberjacks equipped with axes and saws. Zundel Leizersohn dressed up as a Jewish policeman and led the group. They left the ghetto and walked towards New Vileyka, about 15 km from Vilna. Fourteen youngsters, boys and girls, joined the group of fighters on their way to the Narocz forest, about 200 km from Vilna. There were now about 35 Jews in the group.

The fighters stopped to rest in the woods towards evening and were divided into two groups – one under the command of Izka Matskevich , and the other under the command of Chaim Lazar. The fighters continued walking through the stifling night. Upon reaching the river, about 1.5 km from the forest, they realized that the single bridge was only accessible from within the village. Five fighters were sent ahead to reconnoiter. Fifty meters from the bridge, fire opened up on the other members of the group from three different directions. Some of the fighters freaked out and immediately returned fire. One long hour later, the order was given to retreat, during which time contact was lost with some of the members. 13 of the group of 35 managed to reach the swamps.

Fear started to eat away at the members of the group. A scout was sent to locate the rest of the members. Shooting could be heard getting nearer, until they felt that they were being surrounded. Suddenly, Shaike, the scout, disappeared. The fighters decided not to return to the ghetto but to wait in the forest till first light. In the morning, they met two youngsters who told them about the encounter from the previous night and the hunt for the partisans. They advised them to get out of the forest.

One of the young men brought the fighters food and acted as their guide. Three members of the group decided to return to the ghetto. They were given what was left of the food and went on their way. It was later learned that they had been captured by the enemy. The guide led them into the forest where they parted ways. The fighters gave him the little money they had left and pressed on. Throughout the day, they sent scouts disguised as farmers to reconnoiter and, when night fell, the group took the route checked out by the scouts. It took them 14 instead of five days to reach their destination.

The front must not be abandoned:

On the eve of Rosh Hashana 1943, the commander came and informed the partisan company that they would be going into action the following day. Nine fighters were chosen to go, three of whom, Chaim Lazar, Shlomo Kanterovich and Tebka Halperin, were Jewish. Their mission was to go the Vilna-Grodno Road and set an ambush for the German army in order to disrupt the movement of vehicles going to the front. The idea was to destroy German vehicles together with their occupants.

Lazar and Kanterovich were assigned the heavy machine gun, and Halperin was assigned to the light machine gun crew. They set off at dawn, set up the ambush in the bushes which lined the road, and waited for a signal from the operation commander.

The sound of cars coming from Grodno could be heard drawing near. The signal was given. The fighters opened fire on the vehicles. Only a few gun shots were heard. Some of the weapons did not work. Shouts could be heard from the German trucks carrying soldiers, but they stopped a long way from the ambush. Contrary to the partisan fighting principle, according to which no action format can be repeated in the same place, the commander decided to set up another ambush in the same bushes. About an hour later, cars could be heard coming, this time from the direction of Vilna. The fighters opened fire, but this time the Germans returned heavy fire.

Lazar and Kanterovich felt that they were alone. Looking around, they saw that their comrades in arms were running to the forest in panic. Angry with the cowardly partisans, Lazar and Kanterovich stepped up their fire on the Germans, who retaliated in force. Eventually, they had no option but to retreat. Kanterovich caught up with the rest of the force, but Lazar lagged behind as he was carrying the heavy machine gun. He came across Halperin who was also laden with ammunition. The Germans started pursuing the partisans, gradually closing in on them. Realizing that they could not continue running with their loads, Halperin and Lazar decided to hide until the Germans had passed them by. A few hours later, the sound of gunfire had subsided. Hunger was gnawing at them, and they decided to wait in their hiding place until dark.

In the meantime, the rest of the fighters had reached the partisan camp with neither clothes nor weapons. There was a great deal of embarrassment. They were upset about the two missing fighters and the lost machine gun. During the night, the camp guard discerned two people approaching. The partisans were at the ready. When the guard approached the two figures, he saw that it was Lazar and Halperin.

After their return to camp, a roll call was held. The commander rebuked the fighters who had abandoned the fight and praised the two Jewish fighters who had risked their lives and not abandoned their weapons. From that day on, the esteem of the Jews in the partisan camp rose. The following day, it was learned that three officers and 15 German soldiers had been killed in the operation.

Freedom Day in the Lithuanian forests:

Pesach (Passover) 1944. Rumors abounded for a few days about planes carrying arms coming from Moscow. On the night of the second day of Pesach the fighters went to wait for the planes which had been delayed en route. At midnight, many of the fighters returned to camp; the fire beacons had died down, and even the commanders seemed to have given up hope of the airplanes arriving. Suddenly, there was a distant sound of aircraft engines, which got louder and louder. Everyone was gripped by anticipation. The fires were rekindled. The planes flew low around the fires and dropped large packages. At dawn, the partisans roamed the forest collecting the packages. By lunchtime, a rumor had begun to spread around the camp: new weapons were being distributed to the fighters!

That same night, an ambush was set up on the Vilna-Grodno road. A few hours later, a convoy of heavy German vehicles passed by and was ambushed. The fighters opened fire on the convoy and, once they had recovered from the shock, the Germans returned fire. The fighters were close to retreating when they noticed that one of the armored vehicles was on fire. They mustered up courage and attacked the convoy. The Germans retreated in panic.

At dusk, the fighters gathered around a bonfire and gave vent to their feelings of elation by singing at the top of their voices. Suddenly, there was dead silence. One of the senior members of the group started to speak: “Today is Pesach. We haven’t changed the order of things or eaten matza. But I doubt whether, somewhere in the whole wide world, there are any other Jews who have fulfilled the festival’s mitzvot (commandments) as we have done”.