Russian children's forced blood donation for Wehrmacht

[Bubbie]

This subject is depicted in the movie "The North Star" released in the United States in 1943.

[Tawneyfarm]

Based on the movie and short story by the same name: North Star, 1943. Plot: Nazis invaded Ukraine, then a part of the Soviet Union, declared villagers enemies and did use children to provide blood for wounded solders, killing many. These villagers were not Jewish, they were Ukrainians. Film starred Anne Baxter, Dana Andrew's and Walter Brennan among others. It isn't shown very often, probably because it was later considered too pro Soviet for american audiences. Occasionally available on Turner Classic Movies. The film, by Lewis Milestone, was suppose to help generate American support for our Russian allies. In that respect ot was a war time propaganda film. But the Hearst owned papers didn't appreciate the friendly attitude toward a Soviet farm collective. The US government believed the reports from border countries like Ukraine and Poland regarding transfusions to be true. That's why it is a feature in the film.

[michael mills]

That wartime feature film is hardly evidence for the truth of the claims about children being forced to donate blood.