General Vlasov

The Soviet propaganda used to create images of a traitors exactly with the same profusion as a heroes and often they have not been a people who deserved this name.

One reason the bunkers are neglected and forgotten is the personal conflict between Stalin and the man in the picture.  This is General Andrey Andreyevich Vlasov who commanded all of Kiev's fortified areas.

In Soviet times the name Vlasov was a synonym for a traitor. All Vlasov's have been unlucky people, they had to explain everywhere that they are not relatives of General Vlasov the Traitor.  Even for offical papers when they put their signature, they often added /not relative of General Vlasov/.

He still not rehabilitated here. To judge who this man really was is a question history should reconsider. He was a very talented military leader, rebelian, a man with idea.

Vlasov observed how millions were dying for no good reason.  His perception was that liberating Soviet Union from Stalin was more important than defending from Hitler's attack.  With the support of the Germans he raised army of Soviet captives, later thousands of dissidents joined his army.  The Soviet judgement was harsh. 

He was sentenced to death in 1946.

Soviet history presents the battle at Kiev's fortified area as a failure of General Vlasov.  It is why later the bunkers were abandoned and their story forgotten.

From my point of view his efforts were not a failure. Germans didn't break through all the defence lines.  Here, for the first time in this war the Soviet army  counter-attacked, overcoming the onslaught of Hitler's Blitzkrieg.

The Soviet Army began a retreat from the fortified area because German army kept advancing to the East. Cities and towns fell one after another and soon Kiev appeared to be in danger of capture. Stalin didn't want to retreat meanwhile all the smart military commanders in Kremlin warned him of a catastrophe.  Stalin never gave the order to withdraw. The decision to retreat was taken by marshals and it was taken too late.

Everyone hoped they would break a way through, but as columns of technics, army and civilians moved some 70 kms on East, they became trapped in the so called- "Kiev Encirclement" and more than 600.000 died or been captured.

Here, we are in Borshov village.

Soviet troops intended to cross Trubeg river at this place. As they came by, they found out that there wasn't a bridge which everyone had on their maps. It was a topographic mistake. Columns stuck on the marshy bank and gotten under bombardment.

In this battle generals stood side by side with soldiers, fighting the way through encirclement. Commander of all Soviet South-West army Kirponos died with carabin in hands.

The only successful escape through the encirclement was lead by General Vlasov.

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