Kaminski Brigade

Kaminski built the local militia into 10,000-15,000 man strong brigade. Its soldiers dressed in Russian style uniforms, assumed the of the Russian National LIberation Army or RONA(РОНА in the Russian cyrillic alphabet). Initially (mid-142) the brigade was made of 85% locals, mostly local Russian volunteers. The remainder came from Red Army deserters and Russian POWs. The brigade took part in sveral anti-partisan operation, e.g., in the Oriel region in May of 1943 and in Byelorussia in April-May 1944 as well as operations against the Red Army in the Siewsk-Dmitorwsk region. The RONA Brigade was again reorganized as the 29 Waffen-SS Division and evantually disbanded in November of 1944. The remaining RONA soldiers (3,000-4,000) were transported to Musingen in Wurttemberg to join General Vlasov's ROA army that was just forming at that time. The civilians accompanying RONA were, according to some accounts, sent to work in the Pomerania region