German PoWs forced into slave labour by Soviets

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Jeremy Chan
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German PoWs forced into slave labour by Soviets

#1

Post by Jeremy Chan » 16 Mar 2004, 08:15

I'm doing some research on German PoWs and I'd like to ask the extent of usage of German POWs for slave labour by the Soviets. It's obvious they did so, even violating the Geneva Convention's stipulation that officer POWs are no to be used for manual labour. How many PoWs did the Soviets use for forced slave labour, and what jobs were they made to do? How many inncent German PoWs died from those activities?

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#2

Post by David Thompson » 16 Mar 2004, 08:42

Colonel SteelFist -- Please post some authority to your claim so I don't have to close the thread.


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#3

Post by kelty90 » 16 Mar 2004, 10:43

Possibly an intersting approach to this would be to compare the actions of the USSR and Germany. As I recall, the Germans tended to murder Red Army POWs, either by neglect or outright slaughter. The Germans then made slaves out of civilians. The USSR however seems to have used German POWs for forced labour and then repatriated the survivors many years after the end of the war. I do not believe the USSR enslaved German civilians and took them East.
I think that I would prefer to be a German POW of the Red Army than a Red Army POW of the Germans.
I am not sure about "innocent" POWs. It is bad enough all the rubbish about "innocent" civilians. Please, there are no "innocent" combat soldiers. Whether they like it or not they are representatives of the regime they fight for.

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#4

Post by Jure » 16 Mar 2004, 11:49

I do not believe the USSR enslaved German civilians and took them East.
Really? At least according to Anthony Beevor's book Berlin: The Downfall 1945 many German civilians were sent to labour camp's in the east.
I think that I would prefer to be a German POW of the Red Army than a Red Army POW of the Germans
If i hade to choose :D i would rather be a Russian POW with the Germans.
If i don't remember wrong, Sovjet POW's could join a unit in the Wehrmacht that was made up Sovjet soldiers that had switched sides...
(I dont know if that is correct but it says something like that in a book i read)

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#5

Post by Panzermahn » 16 Mar 2004, 12:07

Hi Colonel Steelfist,

In regards to your thread, i believe i remember that i read somewhere that the Allies did used German soldiers and sailors to clear mines in Denmark and Norway if i'm not mistaken..Although i'm not so sure regarding the violation of the Geneva convention by the Allies on using POWs to undertake dangerous tasks, but i remember it was voluntary work by the Germans and it was done after the war during the peirod of 1945-1948

About Soviets using German POWs in battlefield, i'm not very sure...but i'll try to dig out some of books in my SS Panzer Group HQ

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#6

Post by Panzermahn » 16 Mar 2004, 12:26

oops, sorry..

wrong reply in wrong thread

alf
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#7

Post by alf » 16 Mar 2004, 14:02

Perhaps some research into the German uses of Soviet POW's in September 1941 to test out the effectiveness of Zyklon B gas for mass killings may be enlightening.
There Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Hoess improved the method used by Christian Wirth, substituting crystalized prussic acid-known by the trade name Zyklon B-for carbon monoxide. In September, 1941, an experimental gassing, killing about 250 ill prisoners and about 600 Russian POWs, proved the value of Zyklon B.
http://motlc.wiesenthal.com/resources/b ... hap07.html
A card index for Soviet POWs for the Fall of 1941 shows that 9997 were brought into the camp. The Auschwitz morgue registries - not to be confused with the Auschwitz Death Books - show that 7343 Soviet prisoners died in the four month period from October 1941 through January 1942, an astounding 73%
http://www.holocaust-history.org/auschw ... ss-memoirs

How is that covered by the Geneva Convention?

As for the comments about which country someone would prefer to be a POW of, the answer is neither.

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#8

Post by Eugene (J. Baker) » 16 Mar 2004, 14:10

Jure wrote:If i hade to choose :D i would rather be a Russian POW with the Germans.
If i don't remember wrong, Sovjet POW's could join a unit in the Wehrmacht that was made up Sovjet soldiers that had switched sides...
(I dont know if that is correct but it says something like that in a book i read)
German POW had chances to survive. Russian in German uniform had no one. And, you know, i think it was right.

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#9

Post by Kunikov » 16 Mar 2004, 14:26

Jure wrote:
I do not believe the USSR enslaved German civilians and took them East.
Really? At least according to Anthony Beevor's book Berlin: The Downfall 1945 many German civilians were sent to labour camp's in the east.
Quote the book.

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Re: German PoWs forced into slave labour by Soviets

#10

Post by Kunikov » 16 Mar 2004, 14:27

Colonel SteelFist wrote:I'm doing some research on German PoWs and I'd like to ask the extent of usage of German POWs for slave labour by the Soviets. It's obvious they did so, even violating the Geneva Convention's stipulation that officer POWs are no to be used for manual labour. How many PoWs did the Soviets use for forced slave labour, and what jobs were they made to do? How many inncent German PoWs died from those activities?
The Geneva convention doesn't matter here, the German Army destroyed a large part of the infrastructure of the Soviet Union and they had to rebuild it, none were kept after 1950 who were not convicted of warcrimes.

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#11

Post by Eugene (J. Baker) » 16 Mar 2004, 14:39

Kunikov wrote:
Jure wrote:
I do not believe the USSR enslaved German civilians and took them East.
Really? At least according to Anthony Beevor's book Berlin: The Downfall 1945 many German civilians were sent to labour camp's in the east.
Quote the book.
:) I think this book have no reasons to be quoted.

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#12

Post by KalaVelka » 16 Mar 2004, 14:39

Blaablaablaa...Germans did this, germans did that. What was the question?
I'm doing some research on German PoWs and I'd like to ask the extent of usage of German POWs for slave labour by the Soviets. It's obvious they did so, even violating the Geneva Convention's stipulation that officer POWs are no to be used for manual labour. How many PoWs did the Soviets use for forced slave labour, and what jobs were they made to do? How many inncent German PoWs died from those activities?
I am really getting tired of this. Everytime somebody asks something ugly about Allies, then some apologist dig out some "But look what germans did!" [Insulting and profane comments deleted by moderator -- DT.] This is about what did the SOVIETS do with german PoWs. If you want, you can make your own topic about how evil the germans were (or just continue one of the 1.000.000 other topics about same issue).

Thanks
Kasper
The evil progerman

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Kunikov
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#13

Post by Kunikov » 16 Mar 2004, 14:46

Eugene (J. Baker) wrote:
Kunikov wrote:
Jure wrote:
I do not believe the USSR enslaved German civilians and took them East.
Really? At least according to Anthony Beevor's book Berlin: The Downfall 1945 many German civilians were sent to labour camp's in the east.
Quote the book.
:) I think this book have no reasons to be quoted.
I agree.

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Kunikov
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#14

Post by Kunikov » 16 Mar 2004, 14:48

KalaVelka wrote:
I am really getting tired of this. Everytime somebody asks something ugly about Allies, then some apologist dig out some "But look what germans did!"-bs. Shut the fuc* up! This is about what did the SOVIETS do with german PoWs. If you want, you can make your own topic about how evil the germans were (or just continue one of the 1.000.000 other topics about same issue).

Thanks
Kasper
The evil progerman
One can be the direct cause of another, so no, it is very important to know what the Germans were doing to Soviet POW's.

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#15

Post by Eugene (J. Baker) » 16 Mar 2004, 14:48

KalaVelka wrote:Blaablaablaa...Germans did this, germans did that. What was the question?
I'm doing some research on German PoWs and I'd like to ask the extent of usage of German POWs for slave labour by the Soviets. It's obvious they did so, even violating the Geneva Convention's stipulation that officer POWs are no to be used for manual labour. How many PoWs did the Soviets use for forced slave labour, and what jobs were they made to do? How many inncent German PoWs died from those activities?
I am really getting tired of this. Everytime somebody asks something ugly about Allies, then some apologist dig out some "But look what germans did!"-bs. Shut the fuc* up! This is about what did the SOVIETS do with german PoWs. If you want, you can make your own topic about how evil the germans were (or just continue one of the 1.000.000 other topics about same issue).

Thanks
Kasper
The evil progerman

:) If you read russian - try http://ef.1939-1945.net/010_captives_01.shtml

this is article about feeding labour POWs in NKVD camps - so it have very many numerals which can be useful.

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