Reichsprotektorat Turkestan
Reichsprotektorat Turkestan
Foundation and Territory
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1942 and the subsequent German occupation of vast eastern regions, Berlin decided to establish a new protectorate in Central Asia: the Reichsprotektorat Turkestan. This entity encompassed the former territories of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan, considered strategic due to their energy resources, trade routes, and role as a buffer zone against Japanese expansionism in the east.
The protectorate was formally established in 1943 with its capital in Tashkent. It was conceived as a buffer state under German control but with a strong presence of local Muslim collaborationist elites. Berlin exploited Turkestani nationalist sentiment, promising cultural and religious autonomy in exchange for strict political loyalty.
Wilhelm Mohnke — The Reich’s “Viceroy” in Turkestan
German command was entrusted to SS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke, a veteran Waffen-SS officer and decorated hero of multiple Eastern Front campaigns. Awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Mohnke was known both for his relentless discipline and for his brutality against internal enemies. In Turkestan, he became the de facto “viceroy” of the Reich, overseeing both civil administration and local military forces.
Army and Structure
The Reichsprotektorat Turkestan organized its own auxiliary army, the Turkestan Legion, composed of Soviet deserters, prisoners of war, and local volunteers. This legion, under the supervision of the SS and Heer, became the main military force of the protectorate, participating in counterinsurgency operations against Soviet remnants and rebellious Islamist groups across the steppes.
Additionally, the protectorate hosted important Waffen-SS training camps for Muslim recruits, viewed by Berlin as valuable for future operations in Asia and the Middle East.
Administration and Politics
Under Mohnke, Turkestan was structured as a hybrid entity:
- Direct German military control over key resources such as cotton, oil, and railway transport.
- Subordinate local governments, led by Muslim councils acting as regional administrators.
- Islamo-nationalist propaganda, encouraged by Berlin to consolidate an anti-Bolshevik and anti-British ideological bloc, portraying the Reich as the protector of Turkic peoples against “Russian imperialism.”
Security and Repression
Turkestan, however, was a difficult region to control. Various rebel groups — clandestine communists, Islamist guerrillas, and hostile nomadic tribes — rose periodically against the German administration. Mohnke responded with a combination of punitive military campaigns and alliances with local clans, thereby ensuring a fragile peace.
Strategic Importance
For the Reich, Turkestan represented the key to Asia: a territory that connected the Caucasus with Mongolia and China, while also serving as an advanced base against Japanese ambitions. Its location made it a central piece of the new German order, though one marked by constant tension between collaboration, insurgency, and economic exploitation.
