Help finding info on Vlassov's Army (ROA)

[thecanucker]

Hey guys, I'm new to the site but I am researching Vlassov's Army, the ROA (Russkaia Osvoboditelnaia Armiia) and the leader General Andrei Vlassov. There doesn't seem to be much out there about him except when he was brought over to the USA with General Gehlin as an anti-communist spy. I'd be most grateful if any of you guys out there have any information (doesn't matter how basic) on Vlassov the man and the unit he commanded for the Germans.
I'm looking at writing a book, with the help of an author friend, about Vlassov's Army because it is an interesting story from what already found out. That and there seems to be a lot of conjecture about the unit's history.
If any of you guys know of any books that discuss this topic or any pictures available then I would also like to hear from you.
Cheers,
thecanucker
or email me at [email protected]

[AHK]

Andrrei Andreevich Vlasov was never a prisioner of the USA. He was taken as a POW by the Soviets and executed in Moscow shortly after the war. For research, start with "Soviet Opposition To Stalin" by George Fischer, 1952.

[thecanucker]

Yeah I just read a better account of Vlassov's fate and he was executed in 1946 in Moscow. Gehlen just used his information and other agents linked to Vlassov's pro-tzarist network to gain favour with the USA after the war. Thanks for the tip on the book AHK, I'll have a look for a copy straight away. I just uncovered a translation of a letter he wrote about why he joined the Germans to fight against Stalin, interesting stuff although I'm told it loses a lot in the translation.
If anyone else has any more info it would be most appreciated. As seen above it also helps to clarify things, there is a lot on conflicting views on Vlassov.
Cheers,
thecanucker
or email me at [email protected]

[Rus]

Hello. You need to research alot, there are written much about him, and in the book by Catherine Andreyev, she tells about the other books about the movement. There she says that Hoffmann -Die geschichte der Wlassow-armee" is best on the military history. Myself, I like the "Against Stalin and Hitler" by Strik-Strikfeldt. That one is good if you want to know the person Andrej Andrejevich Vlasov and his ideals. Also, Andreyev has much about the political foundation and less about the short military history. The two and a half divisions of ROA only lasted from january-february to may 45.

You know, there are a lot to search if you want to find out of all the Ost-batallions which had ROA-sleeves. Then you have all the eastern legions, the cossack divisions, the 14th Ukrainian SS-divsion, the hiwis and numerous small units.

There are much information in russian about ROA, books published in USA. See Andreyev again. There are many pictures at the web-pages.

Then I will guide you to the webpage of a still going strong former ROA-soldier, at:
http://roa2.narod.ru/

Also, try to be a member of the Ostabatallion forum and ask for info:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ostbatallion/

General and good information at:
http://www.feldgrau.com/rvol.html

Page in russian and english:
http://bka-roa.chat.ru/index.htm

Another page in russian and english
http://ostbataillon.by.ru/

The fights in Prague 6-7 may 45 against germans
http://www.battlefield.ru/library/books ... a/roa.html

Booklist:

Fischer, George: Soviet opposition to Stalin. 1952.
Dwinger, Edwin Erich: General Wlassow, eine tragödie .. 1951.
Steenberg, Sven: General Wlassow, verräter oder patriot. 1968.
Eng. trans. Vlasov, traitor or patriot.
Strik-Strikfeldt, Wilfrid: Gegen Stalin und Hitler. 1970.
Eng. trans.: Against Stalin and Hitler. The John Day company. 1973.
Thorwald, Jürgen: Die illusion: Rotarmisten in Hitler´s heere. 1974.
Eng. Tran.: The illusion:..1975.
Hoffmann, Joachim: Die Geschichte der Wlassow-Armee. 1984.
Andreyev, Catherine: Vlasvov and the Russian Liberation Movement. Cambridge university press. 1987. Contains a list of literature, much in russian.
Drobjasko, S.: Russkaja osvoboditelnaja armija. 1998. Soldat series no. 5.
Okorokov, A.V.: Materialy Po Istorii Russkogo Osvoboditel Nogo Dvizheniya, three parts 1997-99. Moscow.

To read of the repatriation to the Sovietunion:
Tolstoy, Nicolay: Victims of Yalta. Hodder & Stoughton. 1977.

Regards,
Michael

[thecanucker]

Thanks for the info Michael, that should help a lot. At this stage I'm narrowly focusing on Vlassov himself and the two divisions of ROA he formed from the POW camps to fight in 1945, and their last stand in Prague and eventual handing over to the Soviets in Operation Keelhaul.
Anyway, thanks again for the reading list and websites.
Cheers,
thecanucker
or email me at [email protected]

[sid guttridge]

There is also a good Czech paperback book published in the mid 1990s about the Vlassov forces in Prague, etc. in 1945. If memory serves me, it was written by a Czech who acted as an interpreter for the ROA at that time. However, it is not a simple memoir and more of a genuine military history book. It includes a German organigramme of one of the ROA divisions and dozens of photos. I will find the details for you.

Cheers.,

Sid.

[thecanucker]

Thanks for the help Sid, that would be great if you could find that Czech book. Also thanks to Michael for pointing out some of those websites, I looked at a couple which were quite helpful.
Does anyone know anything about the guys (Lt. Gen Wladyslaw Anders and Antonio Munoz) who wrote the article at: http://www.feldgrau.com/rvol.html? Whether they are members of this forum. That article was very good and very informative, I'd like to contact them as to how they wrote it (whether it was for publishing? I noticed the editors comments in the endnotes.) Anyone if anyone else has any good information it would all be much appreciated.
Cheers,
thecanucker
or email me at [email protected]

[sid guttridge]

The book mentioned in my previous posting is:

"Vojska Generala Vlasova V Cechach" by Stanislav A. Ausky. Vysehrad, 1996. ISBN 80-7021-154-7.

I found the book when I was passing through Prague in about 1998. On the off chance I went to the publisher's address and they put me through on the phone to Ausky. He spoke English but I was not able to do much more than congratulate him on the book as I had to leave Prague that day. He may still be alive and contactable. Perhaps a glance in the Prague telephone directory will turn up only a few Ausky's.

I am quit suprised that some publisher such as Axis Europa (with which Antonio Munoz is connected?) hasn't snapped the book up.

Good luck.

Sid.

[thecanucker]

Thanks again Sid, I'll try and get a copy of the book. Is it printed in English or German? (Or even Russian, I have a friend who can translate for me). Thanks again.
Cheers,
thecanucker
or email me at [email protected]

[sid guttridge]

Hi Thecanucker,

I am afraid the book I have is in Czech and I am unaware of it being published in other languages. It certainly should be.

Nevertheless, it is a relatively cheap paperback with about 130 photos, an organigramme, a four-page bibliography, an index, several maps etc., and is therefore accessible in many areas even for non-Czech speakers. I don't read Czech myself, but I get a great deal from it.

Cheers,

Sid.

[Rus]

Hello again
I just saw that you were looking for info of the good researcher Munoz, he can be contacted through the axis europa bookstore. Try e-mail [email protected]

The webpage is
http://www.axiseuropa.com/

Info on ROA are in the small book "Russian volunteers in Hitler´s army".

Michael

P.S: I am trying to get the books by Ausky from Prague, from a internetstore, and the language are only in czech. And his last book wasn´t there. So I am not sure if it works. He has published another one; Kozaci in 1999. I believe that it means cossacks.

Hi Sid, what was the name of the publisher?

[thecanucker]

I have to say big thanks to Michael again. I followed some of your suggested sources and am now in contact with a former ROA volunteer who has agreed to assist with my research. I'll chase up that other book you last suggested, it seems hard to get foreign language books in Australia but I'll keep trying or wait till I get back to North America.
Anyway, if anyone has any further suggestions of information it is all greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
thecanucker
or email me at [email protected]

[thecanucker]

I was wondering if any of you guys out there had read a two part article written by A.A. Maslov in the Journal of Slavic Studies about General Vlasov and the ROA movement. The second part of the article appeared in Volume 14.1. I am hopelessly trying to get a copy of the article and have been in contact with the publishers to which I got an email about photocopying fees. So I'm hoping someone else has go a copy they could allow me to read or I'll have to wait till I'm in North America in a few months to get my hands on it.
Cheers,
thecanucker

[Rus]

Hello again
Yes, I have ordered the article from a library. I think that you can do the same. Or just copy it when you´re there. I can also send it to you. But I don´t think that it said some extraordinary new things about the generals in ROA. And the russian sources aren´t very interesting. Much of the info on the service for ROA I have read before in "Against Stalin and Hitler" by Strik-Strikfeldt.

Michael

[thecanucker]

That would be great Michael, when you get a copy if you could send one on to me.
Cheers,
thecanucker
or email me at [email protected]