The Partisan’s Story

I will tell you a story that was conveyed to me by partisan Velvl Mirkin about one of the diversionary attacks behind the enemy lines in which the Jewish partisan detachments of the First Lithuanian Partisan Brigade excelled. Velvl Mirkin was an active participant in that operation.

Here is his story.

This happened in the summer of 1944 when the partisan detachments of the First Lithuanian Partisan Brigade received a combat mission to blow up a multi-kilometer stretch of railroad tracks and its bridges in order to hamper the German troops’ retreat.

During a short meeting, the list of partisans who would take part in the mission was presented, and the commanders set the time for beginning the operation and the procedures for receiving equipment, ammunition and explosives. I was appointed as a participant at that point.

At the appointed time, the whole battle group was lined up for last instructions. The commander of our partisan detachment and staff officers told us that all partisan units of the Lithuanian zone would be taking part in the operation. They also gave us an active password to be used only for that military campaign.

On the very long route from the partisan zone secured by outposts and listening posts to the place of the diversionary operation, we had to march ahead carefully through the night, and then rest during the day’s halt in the forest, after which we took another long night’s walk into the enemy’s rear.

After the command was received, we started moving toward the frontier of the partisan zone. We went over the soft silky grass and velvety moss. The light breeze rustled the branches of tall pine trees, constant witnesses of our march toward the diversionary operation. My courageous friends, Jewish partisans, were all around me. All of them had escaped from ghettoes. Their grim faces reflected their sheer determination, their hatred of the enemy, their desire to avenge the murder of their families and friends, and the tragedy of all Jewish people.

We neared the frontier of the guarded partisan zone. The scouts who were in the vanguard of our battle group exchanged passwords with the partisan sentries. After a short rest, we kept moving into the segment controlled by the enemy where it was possible that we would encounter unexpected danger at any moment.

We moved in the dark through forest paths and meadows, forded the small rivers trying to avoid going into the villages. We did our utmost to remain unnoticed. The night was quiet with almost no wind. We heard only the croaking of the frogs, the hoots of the owls, and the chirring of the grasshoppers and crickets.

Suddenly our scouts gave us the warning signal of danger ahead. Within a split second our group laid down along both sides of the forest path and partisans got ready for combat. However, in 15 minutes we received the all-clear signal. The danger had passed, and we resumed our march to the railroad. The night sky slowly was becoming lighter in the east. The weather changed. The wind started blowing and the sky became covered with clouds.

For the day’s halt our battle group chose a forest region overgrown with bushes far away from the roads. The sentries were posted on look-out duty. We stopped for breakfast consisting of dry rations, and then settled to rest on a carpet of green moss under branches of the trees. I covered my face with an old scarf, curled up and was trying to sleep under the drizzling rain. However, the raindrops dripped constantly from the wet leaves onto my face through the scarf quickly soaking me. I could not sleep. The ground became wet, and I got up and did not try lying down again. Then I sat down on the wet ground and leaned my head against the tree taking a nap. After my nap, I ate a big portion of the dry rations once more and started wandering around the place of our bivouac. Soon the sky began to darken, and the sentries came back from their posts. We began preparing for the night’s march in complete silence. The scouts were sent forward to reconnoiter the situation to see if it was safe to resume the march. After a while, we received the signal from them to start moving. We marched in single file with everyone trying not to lose sight of the partisan in front of him. Night was our proven ally despite the difficulties of marching in the dark.

Just before sunrise, our group cautiously approached the location of the diversionary operation. The Germans had already cut down the trees and bushes on both sides of the railroad tracks to improve the visibility of access to the security object. The German security guards were moving along those openings watching over the railroad.

A few partisans killed the German guards when a patrol came close to our ambush position without any shots being fired.

Our group commander and scouts determined a section of railroad that the partisans were going to blow up. The outpost guards took up their assigned positions.

Then at the command, the partisans climbed up to the railroad bed in groups of three and mined the railroad tracks. We put the blasting cartridges under each track joint, and inserted a Bickford fuse into each detonator. Then when the command was given, the partisans set the fire to the long Bickford fuses and ran away far from the railroad bed. All the surroundings were notified of our diversionary attack by the deafening blast that accompanied a series of dull explosions and a blinding blaze of light. The partisans immediately retreated from the battleground, and were far away from the center of the action by sunrise. Apparently, the Germans were stunned by the unexpected attack so they even did not chase us.

The partisans destroyed in that combat mission six railroad bridges and blew up a long stretch of railroad tracks. Thus, the German entire military rail traffic was suspended for a long time in that area.

The partisans of the First Lithuanian Brigade during all its combat operations in Byelorussia and Lithuania destroyed 51 trains with military equipment and personnel, many bridges and dozens of miles of railroad tracks, killed hundreds of the Hitlerite soldiers and officers, and captured enemy arms and ammunition. The partisans took part in the liberation of the city of Vilnius and of other territories of Lithuania and Byelorussia.