Stalin’s Torch Men Command № 0428 confirmed.
Stalin’s “Torch-men-Order” finally confirmed by Russia itself
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The so-called “torch-men order” (Fackelmännerbefehl) is the command № 0428, issued November 17th, 1941 by Stalin. It declares that Russian partisans in German uniforms, particularly those of the Waffen-SS, were to destroy all settlements within a swathe of about 40 – 60 km depth from the main battle lines and to ruthlessly kill the civilian population. With these tactics it was important to leave a few survivors, which would report the supposed German terror attacks. This method of warfare was also confirmed by German soldiers who captured many Russian partisans wearing German uniforms.
Stalin, in a Radio announcement from 3rd June 1941, had called on all peoples of the Soviet Union to wage a merciless partisan war against Germany.
Almost daily, reports were being issued by the media, that the German forces advanced with the declared politics and aim of a “scorched earth” approach, which devastated the vast Russian lands in the most horrific way. Apart from the logical fact that no invader destroys the infrastructure necessary for his advancement in an occupied territory, there is also other evidence running counter to Stalin’s command № 0428 from Nov. 17th 1941:
At the contrary: Germany’s Program, called “Ostacker Programm” (Eastern fields program) was designed to restore the devastated lands.
The Stawka headquarters of the highest commands orders:
All settlements, in which German troops are found, up to a depth of 40 – 60km from the main lines of battle, are to be destroyed and set on fire, also 20-30km from the roads. For the destruction of the settled areas in the required radius, the air force will be made available, also artillery and rocket-launchers will be used extensively, as well as intelligence units, skiers and Partisan divisions, who are equipped with bottles with flammable liquid. These hunting expeditions in their activities of destruction are to be dressed to the greatest extent in German soldier’s uniforms and uniforms of the Waffen-SS looted from the German army.
This will ignite hatred toward all fascist occupiers and make the conscription of partisans from the outlaying areas of fascist territories easier. It is important to have survivors who will tell about “German atrocities”. For this purpose every regiment is to form hunter-units of about 20- 30 men strong with the task to detonate and incinerate the villages. We have to select brave fighters for this action of destruction of settled areas. These men will be especially recommended to receive bravery awards when working in German uniforms behind enemy lines and destroying those settlement outposts. Among the population we have to spread the rumor that the Germans are burning the villages in order to punish the Partisans.
(Archive Series 429, Rolle 461, General’s Headquarters of the Army, Division, foreign Units East II H 3/70 Fr 6439568. Filed: National Archive Washington) [1] [in progress] “Fackelmänner Befehl” (torch men-order) confirmed. Russian Security Service FSB published Stalin’s order No. 0428.
It is obvious that scientific knowledge receives constantly new views and information. Historic events count among these as well, even if “Revisionism”, particularly in Europe, attracts the greatest opposition of reactionary dogmatists. When we published Stalin’s so-called torch-men order (“Fackelmänner-Befehl”) for the first time in spring 1997 (OB 12/97) , we had nothing else to support us but the files found in the Washington National Archive, filed away under: (Archive Series 429, Roll 461, General’s Headquarters of the Army, Division, Foreign Units East II H 3/70 Fr 6439568.
But in the meantime the Russian State Security Service FSB decided to officially publish Stalin’s command № 0428 of 17th November 1941. The command released by Stalin, popularly named the ‘torch men order’ (“Fackelmänner-Befehl”) envisaged, that Soviet “hunting commandos” would penetrate deeply, by about 40- 60km into territory of the Soviet Union of that time, already occupied by the German army, in order to “destroy it and set it aflame.” For this “the hunting units would be dressed for the most part in uniforms of Germans soldiers and in particular, the Waffen-SS units, looted from the Germans, in order to be able to execute the commanded ‘destruction activities’.”
“This,” according to the context of the order, “will ignite hatred toward the fascist occupiers and makes the conscription of partisans from the outlying areas of fascist territories easier. It is important that some survivors remain, who will be able to tell about the “German atrocities.” Furthermore, according to the order, “every regiment is to form hunter-units of about 20-30 men strong with the task of detonating and incinerating the targeted villages. We have to select brave fighters for these bold actions of destruction in settled areas. These men will be especially recommended to receive bravery awards, when working in enemy uniforms behind German lines, destroying those settlement outposts.”
It is evident, that with this order, Stalin laid the foundation and practice of the “scorched Earth” tactics, which the German side had repeatedly been accused of and even charged with for obvious propaganda reasons. These criminal mercenary acts were clearly outside the convention of land warfare as stipulated in Den Haag in 1907 and which occurrences were vehemently denied by the German side.
The news magazine Der Spiegel (6/2000) quotes an example of the partisan Sonja Kosmodemjanskaja, who came to be honoured (by force), even in the “young pioneer” movement of the DDR, for her part of setting aflame the village Petrischtschewo near Moscow together with other mercenaries who followed the Stalin order.
This woman was eventually betrayed into the hands of the German army by the Soviet side and hanged but later declared to be a “heroine of the great patriotic war.” The Stalin order, now confirmed by Moscow, forces historians, researching into the events of German-Soviet war, to see the occurrences in the light of criminal offences, as from the viewpoint of Stalin’s “torch-men” order (“Fackelmänner-Befehls”).
Without doubt, in this scenario belongs the propaganda show by the tobacco millionaire Reemtsma, who, for reasons of untrue fabrications and falsified pictures was busted and who had to take into consideration these revealed facts. As reported, the scientific examination of his anti-Wehrmacht (anti-German army) exhibition took longer than the originally planned three months. Is this the first sign of some integrity? [2]
1. Stalin’s “torch-men” order, fabricated German atrocities.
2. Peter Fischer in Das Ostpreussenblatt Newspaper for the compatriots of of East Prussia eV. 12th Feb. 2000.
