29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS RONA (1st Russian)
| 29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS RONA (1st Russian)' | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | August 1944 |
| Country |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Branch |
 Waffen-SS
|
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Colors | White, Blue, and Red |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Bronislav Kaminski Christoph Von Diehm |
29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS RONA (1st Russian) (German: 29. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS RONA (russische Nr.1)) was a Waffen SS Grenadier division intended to be formed from the personnel of the S.S. Sturmbrigade R.O.N.A. (also known as the Kaminski Brigade) following Heinrich Himmler's order of 1 August 1944. 29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS RONA (1st Russian) never existed as such. At that time the brigade's manpower was estimated to be 3,000-4,000 men. The reorganization was postponed during the Warsaw Uprising which started that same day. On 4 August 1944 the brigade was ordered to assist in the efforts in crushing the Uprising. A mixed regiment of 1600-1700 members of the brigade was used against the resistance until the end of August 1944. Waffen-Brigadeführer der SS Bronislav Kaminski and chief-of-staff Waffen-Obersturmbannführer Ilya Shavykin were killed by the SS under unknown circumstances shortly thereafter. The death of Kaminski and unreliability of his troops as a combat unit ended plans to expand the Kaminski Brigade to a division. In 1945 its number was reassigned to 29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Italian).
Plans to form a division from the personnel of the S.S. Sturmbrigade R.O.N.A. (also known as the Kaminski Brigade) which appeared in 1942 as an anti-partisan formation made of the people from the so-called Lokot Autonomy territory in the Nazi Germany-occupied areas of Russia during World War II. Its leader Bronislav Kaminski named it as Russian Liberation People's Army (Russkaya Osvoboditelnaya Narodnaya Armiya, RONA). In spring 1943, Kaminski Brigade increased to 10-12 thousand soldiers armed with equipment provided by captured soviet tanks and artillery. From the beginning of its existence the formation was involved in action against partisans and also took part in reprisal operations against the civilian population, committing numerous atrocities against it.
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