Abwehrgruppe 218 (Kampfgruppe Edelweiss). Nejasná bilancia jasných činov zvláštnej nacistickej jednotky na slovenskom území v rokoch 1944-1945
Abwehrgruppe 218 (Kampfgruppe Edelweiss). An unclear balance of clear acts carried out by the special Nazi unit in Slovakia between 1944 and 1945

Summary/Abstract: The year 1943 had a crucial impact on the course of the second war of the 20thcentury when the immense military and civilian casualties brought about a fundamentalchange in the proportion of forces on the key fronts between the Axispowers, which provoked the global conflict, and the Allies who carried out a defensivemilitary strategy. The achievements on the battlefields motivated the Czechoslovakpoliticians and diplomats in exile to new activities, but also sparked resistanceand even an open fight against the German Nazi authorities, the occupationalWehrmacht units and the domestic collaborative governments. This initiative alsofound response in the war-time Slovak Republic, a progressive supporter of NaziGermany, when the government of Vojtech Tuka together with President Msgr. JozefTiso announced measures aimed at the destruction of any anti-German or antigovernmentresistance, thus continuing in Slovakia‘s role of an obedient vassal.A fundamental transformation of the governmental plans in Slovakia‘s everydaypractice was precipitated by the preparation of an armed uprising, which was announcedon 29 August 1944, and which was headed by its main military power,the 1st Czechoslovak Army in Slovakia and numerous partisan units that were declaredpart of the Czechoslovak defence force. The insurgents had to face fully alertedDomobrana units, the Hlinka Guards (or the Hlinka Guard Emergency Divisions,from the mid-September), the Freiwillige Schutzstaffel (Voluntary Protection Corps)and Heimatschutz (or Heimatschutz Slowakei), the Slovak German protection unitsand most importantly the German military, security, intelligence and special unitsoperating against the partisans and insurgents, but also persecuting the Jews, gypsiesand citizens supporting the uprising. The most prominent unit that earned anexceptional status was Edelweiß, which was subordinated to Abwehr, the Germanmilitary intelligence and counter-intelligence service. It gathered intelligence on itsopponents in the subjected states, but also participated in direct liquidation of enemiesthrough special forces using any possible means and forms. The units werecommanded by reliable, war-proven soldiers such as Oberleutnant Erwein SigmundGraf von Thun-Hohenstein, one of the chosen ones, who were to deal with the „partisangangs and disobedient army“ in the shortest possible time and establish orderin Slovakia. He had „worked“ on his prestigious position of an officer fully dedicatedto Nazism since 1940 when he was assigned to Zur besonderen Verwendung(ZbV) No. 800 Lehrregiment Brandenburg (i.e. Special Operations Unit No. 800 ofthe Brandenburg Training Regiment) where he commanded training of a sabotageunit and then, following the successful German-Slovak campaign against the SovietUnion from 22 June 1941, he was entrusted with recruitment of volunteers amongSoviet prisoners of war, preferably Ukrainian nationalists and Cossaks. For a time, he commanded Bataillon Ukrainische Gruppe Nachtigall (the Ukrainian NightingaleBattalion, also referred to as the Ukrainian Nationalist Legion) where he tookpart in most of the unit‘s actions. It is therefore most likely that he was not a mere silentwitness of the massacres of Jewish population in Lviv. In September 1944, he wasassigned to Abwehrgruppe 218 (Defense Unit 218) with the code name „Edelweiß“(also referred to as Kampfgruppe Edelweiß, i.e. Edelweiss Combat Group), whichat the end of October launched operations against partisans in central and westernSlovakia with the strength of military headquarter and four units. The unit focusedon liquidation of partisan groups in the rear of the German Army across the entireterritory of Czechoslovakia where the repressions were actively carried out by a Slovakdivision commanded by Capt. Ladislav Nižňanský. Col. Thun-Hohenstein personallysummarized the unit‘s activity as follows: „From October 1944 to the capitulation,Abwehrgruppe 218 participated in operations against partisans. There wereabout 500 operations and we captured about 500–600 people. About 50–60 partisanswere killed during the fighting.“ However, this enumeration is misleadingand false. Abwehrgruppe 218 achieved extraordinary intelligence „trophies“ suchas the capture of the American Office of Strategic Services members commanded byLieutenant James Holt Green and the British Special Operations Executive missioncommanded by Major John Sehmer at Veľký bok in the Low Tatras on 26 December1944. The most tragic operations of the Abwehrgruppe 218 units, supported by thelocal Heimatschutz groups, also included barbarian attacks against civilian populationsof the villages of Prochoť, Župkov, Hrabičov, Kľak and Ostrý Grúň in theVtáčník Range between 21 and 24 January 1945. It is therefore apparent that thebalance of murdering committed by Abwehrgruppe 218 is still unclear and alarmingeven after 80 years of freedom.

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