Stalin Battalion

The Stalin Battalion was the term used for two partisan divisions that worked within the Brigate Garibaldi and operated in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The battalion was mostly composed of Soviet partisans of Russian, Polish, Georgian, Ukrainian and Cossack descent.

Activities

The battalion was made of 361 partisans, and was founded on 8 September 1943.
Initially, the party operated mostly in Cavazzo Carnico and Amaro, and its political director for most of the war was Valentin Bobkov, known as "Silos".
Their main targets were the German Army and the Cossack SS divisions stationed and governing Kosakenland. The Stalin batallion had two divisions, the first division which operated in Carnia, and the second one which operated in most of Friuli.
Most of the Georgians living in Carnia during the rule of Kosakenland started to develop a favourable opinion of Joseph Stalin due to their discrimination by other groups settled in the area, and also started to idolize the Italian partisans; Multiple would join the Stalin batallion.

Aftermath

A few days after the end of the war, on 14 May 1945, 150 partisans of the batallion departed towards the Allied-occupied Austria where they joined the Soviet forces and were pardoned, also bringing along two willing Carnese women.
97 partisans within the battalion had died by the end of the war.