thorwald77 wrote:
One- The number drafted does not include the 500,000 non-conscripted reservists. That leaves 35.0 million to be accounted for not 34.5 million.
AFAIU they are included.
Two- I find it hard to believe that the 940,000 recovered personnel and 1,230,000 liberated POW are not included in the ranks of the 12.8 million in the forces at wars end
The first are included in the balance. The situation with POWs is more complicated. Some number of POWs were repatriated or arrived to Soviet occupational zone by June 1945 and some number after. It's clear that those who were returned under Soviet control after June couldn't be drafted by that date and so they don't affect balance calculation, though they affect "pure" demographical loss (which equals to balance deficit minus former POWs repatriated after June). The problem is that we don't know these numbers, and we have only sum figures for both civilians and military personnel: roughly 1,5 millions registered by repatriation organs by V-day, about 0.5 million arrived from western occupational zone by June 1945, all the other (more than 3 millions) after. And pay attention to the fact that POWs among internal repatriants were not demobilized and returned to civilian life, while a significant number of "external" was (about 280 thousands). That was because demobilization of older classes began on 23rd June 1945, so demobilized POWs were those who arrived after the start of demobilization. And that means that almost all internal repatriants arrived by June 1945, while a considerable number of external - after. The same conclusion folllows from Zemskov's data.
Another issue is a possible overlap between these two categories: Krivosheev assumes that there is no, but I'm not sure.
Three- Also the liberated 606,000 POW not re-conscripted should be listed with the 9.7 million discharged personnel.
No since they didn't return to Army ranks, they don't affect the balance. They are allready taken into account when demograpical loss is calculated, and the number of POWs who stayed alive but were returned under Soviet control after June 1945 is subtracted from the balance deficit. If I understand that right what we have to do is just to correct the balace method add repatriated POWs returned to Army ranks before June (let's assume that it's X) in the "in" part of the balance taking into account possible overlapping with redrafted category and then subtract (1 830 thousands - X) from the balance deficit to obtain demographical loss.