Editing Lokot Autonomy (section)

=="Lepel Republic"==
From the end of August 1943, Kaminski tried to set up a new "Lepel Republic" in the [[Lepel]] area, which met with strong opposition from the local population. Partisans overran this area, and the brigade was involved in heavy combat for the rest of the year.

During the retreat, desertions from the brigade increased significantly, and the entire formation seemed close to disintegration. When the commander of the 2nd Regiment, Major Tarasov, decided to join the partisans with all of his regiment (he was offered amnesty if his entire regiment joined the partisans), Kaminski flew to his headquarters and, according to one account, strangled him and eight others in front of his men. {{citation needed|date=December 2013}} Despite this, up to 200 people deserted within two days.

By the beginning of October 1943, the brigade lost 2/3 of its previous personnel number.

On January 27, 1944, [[Heinrich Himmler]] decorated Kaminski with the [[Iron Cross]] 2nd Class and the Iron Cross 1st Class on the same day.

On February 15, 1944, Kaminski issued an order to relocate the brigade and Lokot administration further west to the [[Dzyatlava|Dyatlovo]] area in [[Western Belorussia|West Belarus]].