Forces of WWII: Inside the Units
Former Soviets Who Joined Nazi SS and Terrorized Warsaw: Kaminski Brigade
14m
The Kaminski Brigade was one of the most notorious collaborationist formations created from Soviet citizens during the Second World War. Emerging in German-occupied Soviet territory, RONA grew from a local militia into a force of thousands, including former Soviet prisoners of war.
The brigade fought Soviet partisans while participating in the murder of civilians and destruction of villages. In 1944, it was incorporated into the Waffen-SS and sent to Warsaw, where its men became notorious for mass murder, rape, and looting during the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising.
Its brutality ultimately contributed to its downfall. Commander Bronislav Kaminski was secretly killed on the orders of the SS leadership, and the brigade soon disintegrated. Some of its members later faced justice for their crimes.
Up Next in Season 1
-
Hitler’s 6th Army: From War Crimes to...
Hitler’s 6th Army became one of Nazi Germany’s most infamous formations on the Eastern Front. Under Walter von Reichenau, it supported mass murder, enforced starvation policies and assisted SS killing units in crimes against civilians and Jews in occupied Soviet territory.
In 1942, now commanded...
-
Waffen-SS Division Behind Mass Killin...
The 4th SS Police Panzergrenadier Division began the Second World War as a formation of around 16,000 ordinary German policemen before becoming part of the Waffen-SS. After fighting in France and on the Eastern Front, the division was transferred to occupied Greece, where its soldiers conducted a...
-
Serbian Volunteer Corps: The Collapse...
The Serbian Volunteer Corps was a Serbian collaborationist military formation that fought alongside Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Established in 1941 under German occupation, it was closely associated with ZBOR, a fascist political movement led by Dimitrije Ljotić.
Commanded by Kosta...
