• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Nice period photos (all jackets except A-2's)

Shanghai-Mayne

Well-Known Member
Never knew that either. I’m surprised that any of the POWs who were surrendered over survived post war .
Not very high ratio , perhaps. The key to stay alive for certain, is individual pow was mastered a trade or tech , that soviet needed it in urgent for rebuild work. In that case, Soviet gonna give him good life condition, as good as Soviet worker/ engineer who did the same for mother Russia.
 

Shanghai-Mayne

Well-Known Member
Yuri Gagarin , attending parachuting training.
IMG_5859.jpeg
 

Shanghai-Mayne

Well-Known Member
where he was first sentenced to death, later on it was commuted to 20 years ( if he „cooperates „… which he did not.)..
Japanese used similar method, try to make captured ROC pilots to … cooperate with them, work for china collaborator government , over years, they captured many ROC pilots, over 100 for least, but successes only once. Real man wether he came from, never turn coat against his own nation.
 

Pilot

Well-Known Member
Japanese used similar method, try to make captured ROC pilots to … cooperate with them, work for china collaborator government , over years, they captured many ROC pilots, over 100 for least, but successes only once. Real man wether he came from, never turn coat against his own nation.
You are right and it should not have happened.
Hermann Graf ( 212 confirmed aerial victories) was turned around by the NKVD and was released after only less than 5 years of GULAG..
He betrayed to say the least his inmates and former squadron members/inmates.
He was excluded of all post war reunions/ memberships/ veterans meetings/brotherhoods etc.
 
Last edited:

Shanghai-Mayne

Well-Known Member
You are right and it should not have happened.
Hermann Graf ( 212 confirmed aerial victories) was turned around by the NKVD and was released after only less than 5 years of GULAG..
He betrayed to say the least his inmates and former squadron members/inmates.
He was excluded of all post war reunions/ memberships/ veterans meetings/brotherhoods etc.
Any German military serviceman , if he really committed any real war crimes at eastern front , and Soviet authorities have a sort of solid proof, he get trialed and shot right way, after Soviet authorities got him.
 

Pilot

Well-Known Member
What was it awarded for?
 

Erwin

Well-Known Member
Hey Shanghai-Mayne, why cropped image ;) he went to gulag, as was a member of the Totenkopf Division, which was well known for committing war crimes on the eastern front [especially under the Eicke command]. Usually, members of the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf were not taken into imprisonment by Soviet soldiers. It looks like he was "lucky" to return, maybe captors didn't get his Soldbuch - this was a common thing for SS POWs.
PIC_2-13237.jpg

BTW it is good to remember that a lot of skilled civilians [especially coal miners, but also other skilled workers, also women] were taken to the soviet force labor-camps, even before the war was officially finished in May [in Europe]. This is not a very well-known fact regarding how civilians were treated by the Soviets.
 

Shanghai-Mayne

Well-Known Member
Hey Shanghai-Mayne, why cropped image ;) he went to gulag, as was a member of the Totenkopf Division, which was well known for committing war crimes on the eastern front [especially under the Eicke command]. Usually, members of the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf were not taken into imprisonment by Soviet soldiers. It looks like he was "lucky" to return, maybe captors didn't get his Soldbuch - this was a common thing for SS POWs.
PIC_2-13237.jpg

BTW it is good to remember that a lot of skilled civilians [especially coal miners, but also other skilled workers, also women] were taken to the soviet force labor-camps, even before the war was officially finished in May [in Europe]. This is not a very well-known fact regarding how civilians were treated by the Soviets.
In general I don’t like SS or W-SS, since I watched a French movie based on Oradour-sur-Glane during early 1990s.
I use Christen as example, because it looks like , Soviet authority was seeking revenge against those German servicemen, who destroyed a lot of Soviet high value equipment during the war time.
Also , if Christen did participated massacre against Soviet non-combatants or captured Soviet partisan, and Soviet authority has solid proof, why not simply shot him? Like what happened to other members of the 3rd division.

I know about a couple of stories about Soviet troops looting German population as laborer force , but those stories lack certain elements, make me believe it’s kind of psychological warfare material.
 
Top