The rail war (russian: Рельсовая война, ''Rel'sovaya Voyna''; be, Рэйкавая вайна, ''Rejkavaja Vajna''; ua, Рейкова війна, ''Reykova Viyna'') was the name for the actions of

Soviet partisans Soviet partisans were members of resistance movements that fought a guerrilla war against Axis forces during World War II in the Soviet Union, the previously Soviet-occupied territories of interwar Poland in 1941–45 and eastern Finland. The ...

in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, especially in German-occupied Byelorussia and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. The operations were carried out with the intention of disrupting German logistics via the destruction of rail lines, thus preventing the travel of equipment and manpower to the front.

Overview

In June 1943, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Byelorussia adopted a resolution calling for the destruction of German rail lines, as well as a general strike of rail workers in order to prevent their reconstruction. It was also to be accompanied by intentional

train wrecks A train wreck, train collision, train accident or train crash is a type of disaster involving one or more trains. Train wrecks often occur as a result of miscommunication, as when a moving train meets another train on the same track; or an acci ...

and destruction of bridges and stations. Partisans during the Second World War frequently used tactics recommended by the CPB, but were most frequently used during Operations Rail War,

Concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

and Bagration. In fact, Ilya Starinov, one of the primary saboteurs, helped organise the latter two operations. Explosives were heavily used during the rail war to destroy German rail lines. Many partisans used explosives which had been developed for the express purpose of the rail war, but others used grenades or

improvised explosive devices An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mechan ...

. Data on the rail war differs between German and Soviet sources, but it is commonly agreed that the partisans caused large disruptions of German logistics. Between 1944 and 1945, medals dedicated to participation in the rail war were awarded in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

References

{{reflist Rail transport in the Soviet Union Military history of the Soviet Union during World War II Battles and operations of the Eastern Front of World War II

Overview

See also

References