russian: 1ая. Русская национальная армия , image = First Russian National Army - 2.svg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Patch of the First Russian National Army , dates = July 1941 (Sonderdivision Russland)
4 April 1945 to the middle April 1945 , disbanded = , country = , countries = , allegiance = , branch = , type = , role = , size = 6,000–10,000 , command_structure = , garrison = , garrison_label = , nickname = , patron = , motto = , colors = , colors_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = , decorations = , battle_honours = , battle_honours_label = , website = , current_commander = , commander1 = , commander1_label = , commander2 = , commander2_label = , notable_commanders =

Boris Smyslovsky Boris Alexeyevich Smyslovsky, pseudonyms (Hauptmann) von Regenau and (later) Arthur Holmston (3 December 1897 – 5 September 1988), was a Russian-Finnish general, émigré and anti-communist. He commanded the pro-Axis collaborationist Fi ...

, identification_symbol = , identification_symbol_label = , identification_symbol_2 = , identification_symbol_2_label = The 1st Russian National Army was a Russian pro-Axis army under

, a Russian nobleman and former Tsarist guard officer, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

History

Origins

Before 1945, the Army was known as Sonderdivision Russland (german: Special Division Russia), an organisation composed of White emigrants, who trained prisoners of war and defectors from the Red Army to obtain information about the partisan movement, like the names of the main leaders and their locations. Initially part of the Nazi German

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

, Smyslovsky's forces were elevated to the ''1st Russian National Army'' on 10 March 1945. On 4 April 1945 it received a status of the independent allied army.

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...

was the only state which denied Soviet demands for the extradition of Russians who fought on the side of the Axis powers.

Retreat and repatriation

By April 1945, Smyslovsky had moved his remaining fighters to

Feldkirch Feldkirch may refer to: Places * Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, a medieval city and capital of an administrative district in Austria ** Feldkirch (district), an administrative division of Vorarlberg, Austria * Feldkirch (Hartheim), a village in the munici ...

where he met Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich, the

Romanov The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to ...

claimant to the

Russian Imperial Crown The Imperial Crown of Russia (russian: Императорская Корона России), also known as the Great Imperial Crown (russian: Великая Императорская Корона), was used by the monarchs of Russia from 1762 ...

. The whittled-down army of 462 men, 30 women, and 2 children then moved into neutral Liechtenstein on 2 May 1945, the Grand Duke, however, decided to stay in the US occupied zone in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

because neither

nor Switzerland would issue him a visa. The Russians were cared for by the Liechtenstein Red Cross. On 16 August 1945, a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

delegation came to Liechtenstein in an attempt to repatriate the Russians. Homesick and subject to cajoling and menacing, about 200 of the group agreed to return. They departed in a train to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and nothing was ever heard of them again. 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 ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

offered asylum, and about a hundred people left. According to Alexander Frick,

Prime Minister of Liechtenstein This is a list of heads of government of Liechtenstein. The current () is Daniel Risch, since 25 March 2021. Head of government Provincial administrator (1861–1921) The () was the title of the head of government from 1861 to 1921. Prim ...

(1945–1962), the Russians were at no point in danger of being

extradited Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdi ...

, 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 CHF 30,000 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 Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Western Allies The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy ...

and other countries in Europe complied with Soviet requests to

repatriate Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...

Soviet citizens regardless of their individual wishes. Liechtenstein was the only country that rejected this demand and informed the Soviet government that only those Russians who wanted to go home would be permitted to go. A monument for these Russians was erected in Liechtenstein.

References

{{Authority control Foreign volunteer units of the Wehrmacht Russian collaborators with Nazi Germany Military units and formations established in 1945 1940s in Liechtenstein People who emigrated to escape Bolshevism History of Argentina (1943–1955) Fascism in Argentina Russian and Soviet emigrants to Argentina History of Liechtenstein

History

Origins

Retreat and repatriation

See also

References