After attending Queen Katherine School, Kendal, Cumbria, Alexander Hill gained a place to read History at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge. From the University of Cambridge he gained both his BA and doctorate, which forms the basis for this work. Whilst preparing his thesis he learnt Russian and spent nearly two years working in Russia. He is currently Temporary Lecturer in Contemporary Russian History at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London.

• Acknowledgements Glossary Introduction Chapter 1 - The Soviet partisan movement and German occupation policy in Western, Soviet and post?Soviet writing Chapter 2 - The case study area - The Rear Areas of Army Group NorthChapter 3 - Soviet and German preparations for occupation and resistance Chapter 4 - The establishment and nature of German military government Chapter 5 - The fledgling partisan movement Chapter 6 - Who was winning the partisan war during 1941? - The military effectiveness of the partisan movement Chapter 7 - Life under German military government c. December 1941 - spring/summer 1943 Chapter 8 - German 'anti-partisan' warfare and the civilian population Chapter 9 - The Soviet partisan movement comes of age Chapter 10 - The suppression of the adolescent partisan movement - Partisan losses, the fragmentation of units and forced withdrawal to Soviet linesChapter 11 - Evacuation, scorched earth, and the emergence of a 'vsenarodnoe' partisan movement Conclusion - German brutality, the changing fortunes of the partisan movement and the partisan movement in the general context of the Soviet war effort Sources

'The detailed documentation and analysis of his work adds much to the debate on the effectiveness of the partisan movement and civil life behind the lines, which has hitherto been argued without benefit of Russian archival material.' - Slavic Review'Hill's work provides new insights into the specific nature and structure of the Soviet partisan movement in northwest Russia.' - The Journal of Military History