Kaminski was on the Dark side....
Wikipedia
S.S. Sturmbrigade R.O.N.A. (also known as the Kaminski Brigade) was an anti-partisan formation made of the people from so-called Lokot Autonomy territory in the Nazi Germany-occupied areas of the Russia during World War II. Appeared at late 1941 as auxiliary police unit numbered 200 person by mid of 1943 it increased to 10-12 thousands equipped with provided by Germans captured soviet tanks and artillery and it’s leader Bronislav Kaminski named it as Russian National Liberation Army (Russkaya Osvoboditelnaya Narodnaya Armiya, RONA). From the beginning of existence formation was involved in action against partisans and also took part in reprisal operations against the civilian population committing numerous atrocities against it. After Operation Citadel personnel of the R.O.N.A. retreated to Belarus and stationed Lepel area of Vitebsk were also involved into anti-partisan activities and committed numerous atrocities against civilian population. In March 1944, the unit was renamed Volksheer-Brigade Kaminski (Peoples- Brigade Kaminski) for a brief period, before it was absorbed as a part of the Waffen-SS in June 1944. With its transfer to the Waffen-SS, the brigade was renamed Waffen-Sturm-Brigade RONA, and Kaminski was given the rank of Waffen-Brigadeführer der SS, as the only man with such rank. After Operation Bagration personnel retreated again further west and by the end of July 1944 remains of the Kaminski unit (3-4 thousands (some sources gives 6-7 thousands ) was collected at the SS training camp Neuhammer. On the Kaminski unit base, SS leaders planned to create a SS Division - 29.Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (russische Nr.1). But the Warsaw Uprising staged at same day as Himmler signed an order for the division establishing. Procedures of the division formation were not started and part of the “RONA”- Brigade was forwarded to Warsaw were unit committed numerous war-crimes. August 18 1944 Bronislav Kaminski was killed - according to various sources he was either tried first by an SS court or simply executed by the Gestapo out of hand. By August 27, the German commanders decided the brigade was too undisciplined and unreliable and removed it from Warsaw. Suffered heavy losses remains of the brigade was forwarded farther West. After Slovak appraisal remnants of the brigade was used against Slovak partisans. After end of October 1944 inspection the brigade it was disbanded and remaining personnel was forwarded to be folded into General Andrey Vlasov's Russian Liberation Army
15 June 2009, 10:00:11 PM
