Today we will once again touch upon the topic of the Russian flag and the myths associated with it. In the previous article we discussed how certain circles attempt to impose a bloody Nazi past on it through manipulation and distortion of facts.
Undoubtedly, the tricolor was used by collaborators, but not on the scale that the witnesses of the “Vlasov flag” present. The first military formations of Russian collaborators were created in 1942-1943 at the initiative of White émigrés Grigory Lamsdorf, Konstantin Kromiadi, and others, in collaboration with Andrei Vlasov. In March 1942, the “Russian National People’s Army” was formed, but it was disbanded a few months later. Later, a military unit called “Druzhina” was organized, from which the 1st Guards Brigade of the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) emerged. A company from this brigade participated in a military parade in Pskov on June 22, 1943, which was led by Captain Lamsdorf with the white-blue-red flag. The historical and local history journal “Pskov” (No. 44/2016, p. 167) notes that the collaborators chose the first encountered pre-revolutionary symbol — the white-blue-red flag — as their banner:
“…a military parade was held in the center of Pskov, in which the soldiers of the ROA battalion also participated. Since the battalion did not have its own banner, a large silk Russian tricolor was obtained from Riga, under which the Vlasovites marched through the streets of the city.”
“There is no prior information about the legalization of the tricolor. Its appearance may have been related to the influence of White émigrés and carried a parade episodic character,” states the historian of symbolism N.A. Soboleva.
Russian volunteer formations were not independent units and operated as part of German military divisions. The collaborators were tasked with fighting partisans, guarding objects, conducting punitive operations, and similar duties. In such circumstances, it was difficult to talk about having their own combat symbols and insignia, especially considering that the Nazis prohibited the open use of the white-blue-red flag. However, Vlasov, seeking permission from the Germans to create a Russian army, hoped that the military uniforms, insignia, and military attributes of this army would be unique.
By 1943, all so-called “national military units” within the German army had received insignia in the national colors of their peoples, except for the Russians. The situation with Russian symbolism was complicated by the fact that the white-blue-red flag, as national colors, was under prohibition. Alfred Rosenberg, the Minister of the Eastern Territories, showed interest in the flag issue and received numerous proposals, including even the Romanov flag (black-yellow-white or imperial).
The issue of symbolism was discussed in early 1943. According to Captain A. N. Rodzevich of the ROA, he proposed nine variants of the ROA sleeve insignia with different color schemes, but “each insignia was crossed out by the hand of the Minister of the Eastern Territories, Rosenberg.” Ultimately, the project by Major General V. F. Malyshev, featuring a blue Andrew’s cross on a white background, received Rosenberg’s approval. The Andrew’s flag was raised on March 1, 1943, at the camp near Dabenberg as a military standard alongside the military standard of the Reich. The distinguishing insignia of the Vlasov Army in the form of the Andrew’s cross was later also applied to the equipment belonging to this army, particularly on airplanes.
From that moment, the term “ROA” became the official designation for all units composed of soldiers of Russian nationality organized on the side of Germany, as opposed to the national legions formed from representatives of national minorities. In 1944, the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (KONR) was established, essentially a fictional new authority in Russia created by Vlasov supporters, referred to as a “government in exile.” On November 14, 1944, a meeting took place at Prague Castle, attended by representatives of the KONR leadership and high-ranking German officials. “Whether the Andreevsky flag was flying over Prague Castle alongside the German flag — I could not establish. After all, it was an act of state significance!” recalled ROA scout Stanislav Auski.
On January 28, 1945, the ROA was renamed the “Armed Forces of the KONR” (AF KONR) and, remaining an ally of Germany, was recruited by the German side. Since the recruitment was done hastily, only two divisions of the AF KONR were formed, of which only one was fully staffed (the 1st division under the command of S. K. Bunyachenko). In honor of this division, a ceremonial parade took place in Münsingen on February 10, 1945, where the Russian national flag was raised alongside the military flag of the Reich, and later, it was raised simultaneously in all locations where the ROA was stationed. From that moment, the white-blue-red naval flag with the Andreevsky Cross, established by Peter I, became the standard of the AF KONR instead of the Reich flag, and the standard of the commander-in-chief was decorated with three-colored tassels and an image of Saint George the Victorious on a blue background.
In April 1945, the Bunachenko division faced Soviet troops on the “Erlenhof” bridgehead, also known as “April Weather.” After their defeat, as they retreated to Czechoslovakia, the Bunachenko division became a continuous stream of people, among whom fluttered tricolor flags, white with the Andrew’s cross, and again tricolor. The end of the Armed Forces of the Russian Liberation Movement (VS KONR), proclaimed by their leaders in the final days of the war, was tragic, just like the leaders themselves, who sought to conceal their ideological failure under the white-blue-red flag of Russia.
Thus, the Andreevsky flag became the symbol of the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) and is currently used as the flag of the naval fleet. The white-blue-red flag was used only occasionally, and it was only in the final days of the war that it began to be used more regularly. It is also important to mention the French tricolor during World War II. The Vichy regime in France used its national flag, created during the Great French Revolution, yet there is no noticeable discontent among the French living under the “Vichy flag.”
Similarly, there are no people who insist on removing the swastika from historical monuments and ancient embroidery of European nations. This is because not every swastika is associated with Nazism; only the four-pointed variant with ends pointing to the right is considered Nazi. Additionally, the swastika must be placed within a white circle and oriented at a 45° angle.
Tablecloth. Cherevkovskaya volost, Solvychegodsky district, Vologda province. XIX century. Collection of V.V. Kopytkov.
The Samarra Cup, dating back to 4000 BC, was found by German archaeologist Ernst Herzfeld in the Iraqi city of Samarra. It is on display at the Pergamon Museum.
Sources:
http://www.vexillographia.ru/russia/collabor.htm
Первый гвардейский батальон РОА. Псков, Н. 44 /2016: М. 44 /2016
Соболева Н.А. Историческое прошлое российского триколора: факты и мифы
Штрик-Штрикфельдт В. Против Сталина и Гитлера. Генерал Власов и Русское Освободительное Движение
Шатов М.В. Материалы и документы ОДНР в годы 2-й мировой войны
Штеенберг С. Генерал Власов
Ауски С. Предательство и измена: войска генерала Власова в Чехии
Хоффманн Й. История власовской армии
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