Hi everybody; The photos of the time could not carry the vastness of the wildernesses of Eastern Europe of the time so...I took some "artistic liberties" on this one. I hope nobody is offended. JeffiinMNUSA PS. Added another colorized Partisan BW. And it does seem that the lady on the rt was wading through the marshes in her bloomers.
Well here's some variations. Mixing primitive B&W's with digital technology might be anathema to purists, but it is inevitable that people will want to see these fantastic shots updated.
I found this interesting as I am half way through the book "Defiance, The Bielski Partisans" by Nechama Tec. The group shot is the same as the one on the front of the dust jacket and repeated inside. The caption below the group shot inside is: 'A group of Bielski partisans sent to guard a partisan airport for one month, 1943-1944."
More writings on the Partisan Wars; http://www.ww2f.com/search.php?searchid=331578 It is a fascinating-and still controversial- subject. The best book on the subject is the Grenkevich account; The Soviet Partisan Movement, 1941-1945: Critical Analysis of Historiography - Leonid D. Grenkevich, David M. Glantz - Google Books The Russians have been somewhat more forthcoming on opening archives since Grenkevich but much remains to be done; Stalin’s Guerrillas Estimates on the effect of the Partisan wars on the overall picture vary wildly but I am inclined to believe that the guerrillas were a decisive factor in the eventual Soviet victory. partisan effect - Google Search The "Defiance" movie is a wildly exaggerated Hollywood account that had little to do with the Bielski brothers' doings in 1942-but I still love this flick if only for it's "real deal feel." Defiance – Edward Zwick Interview What the flick also brought out was the geographic fact of the East European forest primeval-a vast and magnificent fact that provided the escapees with sanctuary, and a fortress from whence to strike out at the enemy. JeffinMNUSA PS. Some more Partisan "artwork"-I was still working on my "secret recipe" when I doctored these up.
