Another 07/03/20 Soldiers of any nation were captured by the red Army in the Great Patriotic
the Figures are the number of prisoners taken by the red Army during the great Patriotic war, long known and published. However, they need the notes.
the Countries of the “axis” and their voluntary and involuntary allies
First of all evident that the prisoners in Soviet statistics posted in the Western meaning of the word nationality – citizenship of a particular country (with two exceptions, about which more below), and the former to the Second world war. Thus, the counted Austrians separately from Germans, but Czechs and Slovaks are considered together, as well as all the peoples of Yugoslavia.
most for the period from 22 June 1941 to 2 September 1945, was considered in Soviet captivity Germans, that is, citizens of Germany in the borders before the start of 1938 (before the Anschluss) – 2.4 million round number. With the Austrians along their more than 2.5 million followed by the Japanese – more than 600 thousand. In third place – the Hungarians (more than half a million). From the Hungarians, the Romanians have much lower – less than 200 thousand. Such a large predominance of the Hungarians over Romanians was due to the fact that the Hungarian army resisted the Soviet troops on its territory until the end, whereas Romania in August 1944, defected from the coalition “axis” in the camp of the victors.
the satellites of the axis is less likely in Soviet captivity were Finns – about 2.4 thousand That’s less than some peoples, about which more will be discussed. Finnish army almost suffered defeats from the red army, and in September 1944, Finland’s truce with the Soviet Union.
it May come as a surprise to the figure of 60 thousand Polish prisoners of war – more than the Italians, the German allies. This is because on the territory of pre-war Germany in the Eastern region lived a lot of poles. After the occupation of Poland by the Wehrmacht, a significant part of it has been formally incorporated into the Reich, and her naselthe message was drafted into the German army on a General basis. Once in Soviet captivity after 22 June 1941, the poles were profitable to call their own nationality, even if they were citizens of Germany before 1939.
the Czechs and Slovaks, despite the smaller numbers of these peoples compared with the poles, fell into Soviet captivity – is nearly 70 thousand. There are two reasons. First – the army of “independent” Slovakia was an ally of Hitler and fought on the Eastern front. The second is the population of the Czech Republic (“the protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia”) recruited into the Wehrmacht, especially in the last stages of the war.
Curiously, the Czechs and the poles in Soviet captivity was higher than the Italians (49 thousand), while in December 1942, on the middle don, the Soviet troops were completely defeated by the 8th Italian army. Captives of the Yugoslavs (22 thousand) was the same as the French – again despite the fact that Croatia was the official ally of Hitler. French POWs is not only the volunteers who were in the Wehrmacht and the SS. The territory of Alsace and Lorraine was annexed by Hitler into the Reich, and it was carried out mobilization. In Soviet captivity its inhabitants were considered as French, even if were Germans by ethnicity. All the natives of the countries of Western Europe occupied by Germany (excluding Austria), as well as neutral, in Soviet captivity, there were more than 32 thousand.
Mobilization in the occupied enemy territories is also due to the presence of prisoners of war, 13 thousand Chinese, Koreans, 7800, 3600 Mongols. 14 thousand prisoners were counted as Moldovans, apart from the Romanians. It is unlikely it was the former Soviet citizens, as to those who have not used the concept of war prisoners and “traitors”. It was probably still born in Romania, over the Prut, fit to affect Moldovans.
Jews and Gypsies
the Two nationalities, which did not have statehood, was separated as a special category. It is the Jews (10 173 POWs) Gypsies (383). Their counting was carried out separatelyflax because of the Nazi policy of destruction of these nationalities. In addition, the direction of their repatriation after the liberation was controversial. So, in 1945 it was already known about the upcoming creation of the state of Israel, and the Jews could be sent there directly.
But how Jews and Gypsies were in Soviet captivity? They could be mobilized in any of the armies of Germany’s allies like Hungary and Romania, and sometimes also in the Wehrmacht. It is known that a small number of the other nationality thus saved from genocide. Already in Soviet captivity they can freely disclose their ethnic affiliation.
How many never returned from captivity
According to official data, on April 22, 1956, all the remaining surviving prisoners of war were repatriated from the Soviet Union. Died in captivity about 15% of all prisoners of war. Among the many European nationalities, the mortality rate was significantly below average (less than 10%). But in Soviet captivity died as many Romanians (54,6 thousand – 29,1%), how much and Hungarians (54.8 – 10.7 per cent), despite the fact that the total number of Romanian prisoners of war was two and a half times lower. This is due to the fact that the bulk of the Romanian prisoners were taken Stalingrad in a depleted condition. For the same reason he died more than half (27.7 thousand – 56,5%) of Italians, fallen into Soviet captivity.
However, these official figures do not include Japanese prisoners of war. The question of how much they really had taken into Soviet captivity and how many returned from it, still serves as the subject of historical debate and political speculations. According to some information, in fact, has been deprived of freedom in the Soviet camps, more than 1 million 70 thousand Japanese citizens (including civilians) of them returned home only 730 thousand.
Soviet collaborators
In the various military and paramilitary formations of the Wehrmacht and the SS, as well as in a Union of quasi-public (such as Vlasov ROA) “armies”, were about half a million people of different nationalities, before the war, the former citizens of the USSR. A considerable part of them were captured by Soviet troops. The Soviet collaborators of the rules of prisoners of war did not apply. They were accused of “treason” and were subjected to punishments.
they Also arrested as “traitors” former subjects of the Russian Empire and their foreign-born descendants, have never been Soviet citizens and who fought on the side of the axis, as well as members of their families. The Americans and British also captured many Russians and representatives of other nationalities of the USSR who fought in the Wehrmacht and the SS on the Western and Italian fronts. For the elucidation of their nationality they are, as a rule, transferred to the Soviet authorities.
Exact numbers of how many former Soviet citizens and Russian citizens who fought on the side of Germany and its allies, was captured by the red army (apart from accused of “collaboration with the enemy” on other grounds), is not called.
Yaroslav Butakov
Source:
© Russian Seven
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