Rail war
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2021) |
| Rail war | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Eastern Front of World War II | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Soviet Union |
Supported By  Kingdom of Hungary | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Soviet partisans | |||||||
The rail war (Russian: Рельсовая война, romanized: Relsovaya voyna; Belarusian: Рэйкавая вайна, romanized: Rejkavaja vajna; Ukrainian: Рейкова війна, romanized: Reikova viina) was the name for a World War II action of Soviet partisans in the Soviet Union, especially in German-occupied Byelorussia and Ukraine. 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
Partisans during the Second World War frequently used tactics recommended by the CPB, but were most frequently used during Operations Rail War, Concert 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.[1]
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.[2]
See also
- 2022 rail war in Belarus
- 2022 rail war in Russia
References
- ^ Kochin, Ivan (2011). "Weapons of the Rail War". Weapons Journal: 40–44.
- ^ "History". Railways. Archived from the original on 30 June 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2021.