Shanghai-Mayne
Well-Known Member
Burt. Western allies made an agreement with Soviet. For POWs who surrender themselves to the western allies, they have to hand over to soviets , if their units were fought in eastern front.
-
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)
- Thread starter Kermit3D
- Start date
B-Man2
Well-Known Member
Never knew that either. I’m surprised that any of the POWs who were surrendered over survived post war .
Shanghai-Mayne
Well-Known Member
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.
Shanghai-Mayne
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.
Pilot
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.
Last edited:
Shanghai-Mayne
Well-Known Member
Fritz Christen , the first private who awarded Knight Cross , get full tens years in gulag as well.
Shanghai-Mayne
Well-Known Member
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
101% correct.
With solid evendences of real war crimes, ( according to international laws ) his chances of survival were near zero.
Thomas Koehle
Well-Known Member
What was it awarded for?
Pilot
Well-Known Member
Fritz Christen
Fritz Christen (June 29, 1921 – September 23, 1995) was a decorated soldier of the Totenkopf division of the Waffen-SS during World War II. Having missed the Polish campaign, and having cut its teeth successfully in France, the Totenkopf division was heavily embroiled in combat on the Eastern...
Shanghai-Mayne
Well-Known Member
Sept 1941, he destroyed seven T34 single handed after his gun crew were all killed, in result stoped a potential Soviet breakthrough upon German line.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thomas Koehle
Well-Known Member
@Pilot and @Shanghai-Mayne thanks for the hints ...
Shanghai-Mayne
Well-Known Member
In general I don’t like SS or W-SS, since I watched a French movie based on Oradour-sur-Glane during early 1990s.Hey Shanghai-Mayne, why cropped image
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.
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.
Shanghai-Mayne
Well-Known Member
Barkhorn ,Hartmann ,Steinhoff and Rall
Shanghai-Mayne
Well-Known Member
canadian troops at Italy
Shanghai-Mayne
Well-Known Member
An orphan at Kunming , he was adoptioned by 14th AF
Shanghai-Mayne
Well-Known Member
Soviet paratrooper at Praha.
