Tens of thousands of Germans and some two million Austro-Hungarian POWs were theoretically released by the Russians in mid 1918.
Did any return to action elsewhere before the end of the war?
Cheers,
Sid.
Were any of the Central Powers' POWs who were released by Russia in 1918 returned to combat elsewhere?
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Re: Were any of the Central Powers' POWs who were released by Russia in 1918 returned to combat elsewhere?
Hi Sid,
There were at least half a million AH prisoners returned from Russia, but my understanding is that the majority were used to replace Russian prisoners in labor roles. The AH treatment of the returning prisoners was poorly handled and created problems. It was believed that it would take months before the returned prisoners would be ready for combat duty. I'm not sure whether they were sent to combat in any significant numbers.
The best sources I'm aware of for this are Watson's Ring of Steel and the final volume of Austria-Hungary's Last War, 1914-1918. The latter, translated by Stan Hanna, is online.
There were at least half a million AH prisoners returned from Russia, but my understanding is that the majority were used to replace Russian prisoners in labor roles. The AH treatment of the returning prisoners was poorly handled and created problems. It was believed that it would take months before the returned prisoners would be ready for combat duty. I'm not sure whether they were sent to combat in any significant numbers.
The best sources I'm aware of for this are Watson's Ring of Steel and the final volume of Austria-Hungary's Last War, 1914-1918. The latter, translated by Stan Hanna, is online.
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