Boris Smyslovsky
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Boris Alexeyevich Smyslovsky (; 3 December 1897 – 5 September 1988), also known under the pseudonyms Hauptmann von Regenau and (later) Arthur Holmston (), was a Russian-Finnish general,
émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social exile or self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French verb ''émigrer'' meaning "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Hugueno ...
and
anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
. He commanded the pro-Axis collaborationist
First Russian National Army The 1st Russian National Army was a Russian Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, pro-Axis army under Boris Smyslovsky, a Russian-Finnish aristocrat and former Tsarist military officer, during World War II. History Origins Before 1945 ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


World War I

He joined the
Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...
, where he advanced to the rank of captain in the Imperial Guards.


Russian Civil War and the interwar period

During the
Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...
he fought against the
Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...
s in the
White Army The White Army, also known as the White Guard, the White Guardsmen, or simply the Whites, was a common collective name for the armed formations of the White movement and Anti-Sovietism, anti-Bolshevik governments during the Russian Civil War. T ...
and then moved to Poland and later to Germany. He attended the
Prussian Military Academy The Prussian Staff College, also Prussian War College () was the highest military facility of the Kingdom of Prussia to educate, train, and develop general staff officers. Location It originated with the ''Akademie für junge Offiziere der I ...
. His view was that foreign intervention and help was needed to free Russia from
Bolshevism Bolshevism (derived from Bolshevik) is a revolutionary socialist current of Soviet Leninist and later Marxist–Leninist political thought and political regime associated with the formation of a rigidly centralized, cohesive and disciplined p ...
.


World War II

The
White émigré White Russian émigrés were Russians who emigrated from the territory of the former Russian Empire in the wake of the Russian Revolution (1917) and Russian Civil War (1917–1923), and who were in opposition to the revolutionary Bolshevik com ...
and
Russian nationalist Russian nationalism () is a form of nationalism that promotes Russian cultural identity and unity. Russian nationalism first rose to prominence as a Pan-Slavic enterprise during the 19th century Russian Empire, and was repressed during the early ...
Boris Smyslovsky, commanded the eastern battalion of the
Russian All-Military Union The Russian All-Military Union (, abbreviated РОВС, ROVS) is a White movement organization that was founded by White Army General Pyotr Wrangel in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes on 1 September 1924. It was initially headquartered ...
based in
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
, and in July 1941 formed an Abwehr Training Battalion (Lehrbattalion) for anti-partisan and warfare duties under Wehrmacht
Army Group North Army Group North () was the name of three separate army groups of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Its rear area operations were organized by the Army Group North Rear Area. The first Army Group North was deployed during the invasion of Pol ...
. By December, he had recruited more than 10,000 Russians into 12 reconnaissance battalions, unified into ''Sonderdivision R''. In March 1942, Smyslovsky formed the ''Sonderstab R'' counterintelligence agency in Warsaw, with Colonel Mikhail M. Shapovalov controlling 1,000 agents in detachment in Pskov. He soon realized that Nazi ideology was at collision with his views of intelligent use of Russian anti-Bolshevik forces and established feelers to Switzerland in case he would need asylum at the war's end.


1st Russian National Army

Towards the end of the war Germany upgraded its Russian volunteers in the war effort, and the army led by Smyslovsky was eventually elevated to the
1st Russian National Army The 1st Russian National Army was a Russian pro-Axis army under Boris Smyslovsky, a Russian-Finnish aristocrat and former Tsarist military officer, during World War II. History Origins Before 1945, the Army was known as Sonderdivision Russland () ...
, i.e. the status of an independent
Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...
army, on 10 March 1945. By April 1945, Smyslovsky had moved his fighters to Feldkirch where he met Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich, the Romanov claimant to the Russian Imperial Crown. The whittled-down army of 462 men, 30 women, and 2 children then moved into neutral
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
on 2 May 1945, the Grand Duke, however, decided to stay in the US occupied zone in Austria because neither Liechtenstein nor Switzerland would issue him a visa. The Russians were cared for by the Liechtenstein Red Cross. On 16 August 1945, a
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
delegation came to
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
in an attempt to repatriate the Russians. About 200 of the group agreed to return. The remainder stayed in Liechtenstein for another year, resisting with support of Liechtenstein further pressure by the Soviet government to participate in the repatriation program. Eventually the government of
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
offered asylum, and about 100 people left. Smyslovsky later served as an advisor to
Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine military officer and Statesman (politician), statesman who served as the History of Argentina (1946-1955), 29th president of Argentina from 1946 to Revolución Libertad ...
. According to
Alexander Frick Alexander Frick (, ; 18 February 1910 – 31 October 1991) was a politician from Liechtenstein who served as Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1945 to 1962. He later went on to serve in the Landtag of Liechtenstein from 1966 to 1974 and as the ...
, Prime Minister of Liechtenstein, the Russians were at no point in danger of being extradited, and the local population fully supported the government in providing asylum to the Russians. The small population of the country (12,141 in 1945) supported the émigrés (4% of the population) at a rate of 30,000
Swiss francs The Swiss franc, or simply the franc, is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) i ...
per month for two years, and paid their costs to move to Argentina; they did not know that these costs were later to be reimbursed by Germany. Liechtenstein was the only country that routinely refused requests by Soviet authorities for the
extradition In an extradition, one Jurisdiction (area), jurisdiction delivers a person Suspect, accused or Conviction, convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, into the custody of the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforc ...
of Soviet citizens suspected of treasonous activities and/or war crimes during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The Liechtenstein government did not obstruct individuals who agreed voluntarily to return to the Soviet Union.


Death

He went into exile in Argentina. In 1975 he returned to Liechtenstein with his wife Irene. He died in
Vaduz Vaduz (; or ; High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' ...
on 5 September 1988Brief obituary
/ref> and was buried there. His third wife Irene, née Kochanovich (1911–2000), an artist from Poland, was later buried next to him in the same tomb.


Awards and decorations

*
Order of Saint Stanislaus (Imperial House of Romanov) The Imperial Order of Saint Stanislaus (; ), also spelled Stanislas or Stanislav, is a Russian dynastic order of knighthood founded as '' Order of the Knights of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr'' in 1765 by King Stanisław II Augustus of th ...
3rd and 4th class with swords and ribbon *
Order of Saint Anne The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...
3rd class with swords and ribbon and 4th class for bravery *
Eastern Front Medal The Eastern Medal (), officially the Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal (), was a military award of the ''Wehrmacht'' which was created by ordinance of Adolf Hitler on 26 May 1942. The Eastern Medal was awarded to any member of the ''W ...
*
War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross () was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Merit Cross was reissued in 1957 ...
2nd class with swords *
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
2nd class *
Ostvolk Medal __NOTOC__ Medal for Gallantry and Merit for Members of the Eastern Peoples () was a military and paramilitary award of Nazi Germany. Established on 14 July 1942, it was bestowed on personnel from the former Soviet Union (Ostvolk in German, litera ...
2nd class in gold and silver with swords *
Ostvolk Medal __NOTOC__ Medal for Gallantry and Merit for Members of the Eastern Peoples () was a military and paramilitary award of Nazi Germany. Established on 14 July 1942, it was bestowed on personnel from the former Soviet Union (Ostvolk in German, litera ...
1st class in gold and silver with swords *
Order of the German Eagle The Order of Merit of the German Eagle () was an award of the German Nazi regime, predominantly to foreign diplomats. The Order was instituted on 1 May 1937 by Adolf Hitler. It ceased to be awarded following the collapse of Nazi Germany at the e ...
2nd class with swords


Movie

The 1993 French movie ''
Vent d'est Vent or vents may refer to: Science and technology Biology *Vent, the cloaca region of an animal * Vent DNA polymerase, a thermostable DNA polymerase Geology * Hydrothermal vent, a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated wat ...
'', directed by
Robert Enrico Robert Georgio Enrico (April 13, 1931 – February 23, 2001) was a French film director and scriptwriter best known for making the Oscar-winning short '' An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'' (1961). He was born in Liévin, Pas-de-Calais, in the no ...
, is based on the perambulation of Smyslovsky and his army. He is portrayed by
Malcolm McDowell Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is an English actor. He first became known for portraying Mick Travis in Lindsay Anderson's ''if....'' (1968), a role he later reprised in ''O Lucky Man!'' (1973) and ''Britannia Hospital ...
.


See also

* Russian Monument *
Russian Liberation Movement Andrey Andreyevich Vlasov (, – August 1, 1946) was a Soviet Russian Red Army general. During the Axis-Soviet campaigns of World War II, he fought (1941–1942) against the ''Wehrmacht'' in the Battle of Moscow and later was captured attem ...
*
Andrey Vlasov Andrey Andreyevich Vlasov (, – August 1, 1946) was a Soviet Russian Red Army general. During the Eastern Front (World War II), Axis-Soviet campaigns of World War II, he fought (1941–1942) against the ''Wehrmacht'' in the Battle of Moscow ...
*
Bronislav Kaminski Bronislav Vladislavovich Kaminski (; 16 June 1899 – 28 August 1944) was a Soviet Collaboration in the German-occupied Soviet Union, Nazi collaborator. Some publications mistakenly give Kaminski's first name as ''Mieczyslaw''.Janusz Marszalec: ...


Notes


References


Bibliography

* Beyda O., ‘Les collaborationnistes russes et la principalité du Liechtenstein,’ Nasha Gazeta. Édition Russe-Français, no. 16 (2020): 44-60 * Geiger F., Schlapp M. Russen in Liechtenstein. Flucht und Internierung der Wehrmacht-Armee Holmston 1945–1948. Mit der Liste der Interniert und dem russischen Tagebuch des Georgij Simon. – Vaduz: Schalun Verlag; Zürich:
Chronos Verlag Chronos Publishing AG is a book publishing company based in Zürich, Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the ...
, 1996. – S. 170-184. * Geiger P., Schlapp M. Russen in Lichtenstein. Flucht und Internierung der Wehrmacht-Armee Holmstons 1945–1948. – Vaduz: Schalun Verlag / Zürich: Schalun Verlag /
Chronos Verlag Chronos Publishing AG is a book publishing company based in Zürich, Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the ...
, 1996. – 370 S. * Geiger Peter. Kriegszeit. Liechtenstein 1939 bis 1945. – 2 Bände, Chronos-Verlag, Zürich, 2010. – 1328 S. * Grimm C. Internierte Russen in Liechtenstein / Jahrbuch des Historisches Vereins für das Fürstentum Liechtenstein. Vaduz, 1971. * Jud Ursina. Liechtenstein und die Flüchtlinge zur Zeit des Nationalsozialismus (Studie 1). Veröffentlichungen der Unabhängigen Historikerkommission Liechtenstein Zweiter Weltkrieg. Verlag des Historischen Vereins für das Fürstentum Liechtenstein. – Vaduz, und *
Chronos Verlag Chronos Publishing AG is a book publishing company based in Zürich, Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the ...
, Zürich, 2005. – 310 S. * Littlejohn D. Foreign Legions of the Third Reich. Vol. 4. San Jose: R. James Benoer Publishing, 1994. 382 p.; David Littlejohn. Patriotic Traitors: History of Collaboration in German Occupied Europe, 1940-45. – London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1972. – 391 p. * Грибков, И. В. Особый штаб «Россия» / И.В. Грибков, Д.А. Жуков, И.И. Ковтун. – М.: Вече, 2011. – 464 с. * Дробязко, С. И. Иностранные формирования Третьего рейха: Иностранцы на службе нацизма: история европейского коллаборационизма / С. И. Дробязко, О. В. Романько, К. К. Семенов. – 2-е издание, переработанное и дополненное. – Москва: АСТ; Астрель; Харвест, 2011. – 832 с. * Дробязко, С. И. Эпопея генерала Смысловского // Материалы по истории Русского Освободительного движения: Сб. статей, документов и воспоминаний. Вып. 4. – М.: Архив РОА, 1999. – С. 116-143. * Мартынов, А. В. К вопросу о моральном состоянии коллаборантов на примере 1-й Русской национальной армии // История. Научное обозрение OSTKRAFT. – 2020. – № 1(13). – С. 100-106. * Мартынов, А. В. Лихтенштейн как проблема и проблема Лихтенштейна: судьба воинов 1-й русской национальной армии / А. В. Мартынов // Философические письма. Русско-европейский диалог. – 2022. – Т. 5. – № 3. – С. 51-72. * Мартынов, А. В. По обе стороны правды. Власовское движение и отечественная коллаборация. – М.: Вече, 2014. – 384 с. * На заколдованных путях. Восточный поход (Философия войны) / Борис Хольмстон-Смысловский; Пер. с нем., вступ. ст. и комм. Д. А. Жукова и И. И. Ковтуна.] — М.: Галея-принт, 2014. * Полян, П. М. От Вены до Вадуца: дневник интернированного коллаборанта Г. Томина (Симона) (з апреля - 2 октября 1945 Г.) / П. М. Полян // Журнал российских и восточноевропейских исторических исследований. – 2018. – № 3(14). – С. 131-162. * :ru:Попов,_Андрей_Владимирович_(историк), Попов, А. В. Обзор личного архивного фонда Б. А. Смысловского в Национальном архиве княжества Лихтенштейн — Holmston-Smyslowsky, Arthur Graf von. 1831—1988 гг. // Вестник архивиста. — 2023. — № 3. — С. 876—891 * :ru:Попов,_Андрей_Владимирович_(историк), Попов, А. В. Пребывание в 1945–1947 гг. отряда Б. А. Смысловского в Лихтенштейне. По документам Национального архива Княжества Лихтенштейн (Landesarchiv des Fürstentums Liechtenstein) // Вестник архивиста. – 2023. – № 4. – С. 1067–1081.


External links


''Vent d'est'' (1993) movie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smyslovsky, Boris 1897 births 1988 deaths People from Zelenogorsk, Saint Petersburg Military personnel from Viipuri Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) White movement generals Major generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) 1940s in Liechtenstein Russian military personnel of World War I People of the Russian Civil War Military personnel of the Russian Empire Nazis who fled to Argentina White Russian collaborators with Nazi Germany White Russian emigrants to Argentina White Russian emigrants to Germany White Russian emigrants to Liechtenstein