A letter from German Cpl. Hans Brüning illustrates how the wooded areas of the Soviet Union were especially effective locations for partisan warfare: "(The forests are teeming with danger.) Any snipers who fall into our hands are of course shot; their bodies lie everywhere. Sadly, though, many of our own comrades have been lost to their dirty methods. We’re losing more men to the bandits than in the fighting itself. Hardly any sleep to be had. We’re awake and alert almost every night; you have to be in case they attack suddenly. If the sentry drops his guard just once it could be over for all of us. Traveling alone is out of the question." German Cpl. Erich Stahl wrote: "These are dangerous swine, and no soldier is safe from them. The danger is there wherever you go and wherever you stay…and you only breathe out when you’ve come back from your post unhurt. If the moon’s not out, you stay awake at your post like an ox." German Pvt. Hans Schröder described how Soviet partisan activity killed two Germans on June 19, 1942: "Two of our comrades in first company tragically lost their lives. Though we kept watch, a partisan still was able to creep up to one of our houses. A grenade chucked in through the window, and it was done. We took revenge straight away, and rightly. I used to think one should act humanely, but this subhumanity just isn’t worth it."

Germany established numerous ghettos in an effort to contain or eliminate Soviet partisan activities. In Belorussia alone, hundreds of thousands of Jews were imprisoned in more than 100 ghettos and camps. The largest ghetto was in Minsk (100,000 people); other ghettos were in Brest (34,000 people), Bobruisk (20,000 people), Vitebsk (20,000 people), Borisov (10,000 people), Slonim (24,000 people), Novogrodek (6,500 people) and so on.[19] Specifically Jewish partisan units were usually frowned upon. The Soviet command preferred to mix nationalities in so-called territorial (e.g., Belorussian, Ukrainian, etc.) units. However, a few entirely Jewish units nevertheless survived. These include those of the brothers Tuvia, Zusia, and Asael Belski in the Naliboki forests; the unit of Misha Gildenman near Korzec in western Belorussia; Dr. Yehezkel Atlas’s unit in the same general area; and the large unit commanded by Abba Kovner in the Rudniki forests in Lithuania.[20] Soviet partisan warfare against Germany became increasingly barbaric and murderous. In February 1943, 596 German prisoners were killed and many of them mutilated by Soviet partisans at Grischino. A German judge who interrogated witnesses and survivors of this atrocity remembers:[21] "You have no idea how much trouble the commanders and company chiefs had […] to restrain the German soldiers from killing every Russian prisoner of war of the Popov Army. The troop was very bitter and angry. You cannot imagine the vehemence of the soldiers after they had seen what had happened."

However, the Soviet partisans’ sabotage operations effectively tied up increasing numbers of German troops and prevented the Germans from ever feeling secure on Russian soil. By the time the bulk of Russian territory had been liberated in early 1944, a large and effective Soviet guerilla movement had emerged. Stalin’s support had allowed the Soviet partisans to survive the German anti-partisan reprisals and grow into an effective fighting force that helped the Soviet Union win the war.[22]

European Jewish Partisans
Jews actively participated in the anti-German underground movement in France. After Germany attacked Russia in June 1941, French Jewish communists discovered their anti-German patriotism. Numerous French Jews joined underground resistance organizations, or Jewish groups that actively maintained links with such organizations.[23] French resistance activity began to increase toward the end of the war. Since Allied leaders planned to invade Europe on the coast of France, French partisans received substantial weaponry and supplies to aid the Allied invasion. [continued]