SOVIET PRISONERS OF WAR DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR: PSYCHOLOGY OF SURVIVAL
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Published:
Dec 30, 2024
Abstract
Captivity for an individual is a complex moral and psychological phenomenon which goes beyond the usual experience. The article deals with the complex phenomenon of military captivity in terms of the moral and psychological experience of Soviet prisoners of war in German detention facilities on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. The author analyses the moral and psychological impact of the Soviet state on its own soldiers, in order to prevent them from capitulating; the activities of German military intelligence and camp administration related to the impact on captured people. The article also reveals the methods of indoctrination and recruitment of the Red Army soldiers and importance of leadership among prisoners of war. Although general patterns of behavior during interrogation and detention have been identified, special attention is paid to unique perception of captivity for each individual prisoner of war. It depended on the circumstances of capture, the attitude of the German authorities, the conditions of detention and duration of captivity.
How to Cite
Pastukhova, Y. (2024). SOVIET PRISONERS OF WAR DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR: PSYCHOLOGY OF SURVIVAL. Baltic Journal of Legal and Social Sciences, (4), 401-412. https://doi.org/10.30525/2592-8813-2024-4-45
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Keywords
prisoners of war, Second World War, captivity, camps, Red Army, propaganda, indoctrination, collaboration
References
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25. Betr.: Behandlung sowjet. angeblicher Offiziere ohne Ausweis [Concerning: Treatment of Alleged Soviet Officers without Identification]. (1943, September 18). 6/270 (Seite 148 zurück), BArch, Berlin, Deutschland. [in German]
26. Kaltenbrunner, M. (2012). Flucht aus dem Todesblock. Der Massenausbruch sowjetischer Offiziere aus dem Block 20 des KZ Mauthausen und die Mühlviertler Hasenjagd Hintergründe, Folgen, Aufarbeitung [Escape from the Death Block. The Mass Escape of Soviet Officers from Block 20 of Mauthausen Concentration Camp and the Mühlviertler Rabbit Hunt Backgrounds, Consequences, Processing]. StudienVerlag. [in German]
27. Kornhuber, H. H. (1961). Soziale und angewandte Psychiatrie [Social and Applied Psychiatry]. In Psychiatrie der Gegenwart. Forschung und Praxis: Vol. 3. Soziale und angewandte Psychiatrie (pp. 631–742). Springer-Verlag. [in German]
28. Lunden, W. (1949). Captivity psychoses among prisoners of war. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 39(6), Article 4. [in English]
29. Otto, R., Keller, R., & Nagel, J. (2008). Sowjetische Kriegsgefangene in deutschem Gewahrsam 1941–1945 Zahlen und Dimensionen [Soviet Prisoners of War in In German Custody 1941–1945 Numbers and Dimensions]. Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte, 56(4), 557–602. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1524/vfzg.2008.0026/html [in German]
30. Qualter, T. H. (1962). Propaganda and psychological warfare. Random House. [in English]
31. Report of The International Committee of the Red Cross on its activities during The Second World War (Vol. 2). (1948). Imprimerie du 'Journal de geneve'. https://archive.org/details/ReportOfTheInternationalCommitteeOfTheRedCrossOnItsActivitiesDuringTheSecondWorl/Report%20of%20the%20International%20Committee%20of%20the%20Red%20Cross%20on%20its%20activities%20during%20the%20second%20world%20war%20(September%201,%201939%20-%20June%2030,%201947)%20Vol.%202/page/n253/mode/2up?view=theater [in English]
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33. Vernehmung des Kommandierenden Generals des VII Garde-Kav. Korp. [Interrogation of the Commanding General of the VII Guard Cavalry Corps]. (1943, February 24). 315 (Roll 2021, Pages 896–900), National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Maryland, United States of America. [in German]
34. Vernehmung des russischen Generals Michael Timofejewitsch Romanoff [Interrogation of In Russian General Michael Timofeyevich Romanoff]. (1941, October 6). 1387 (Inventory 1, File 104, Pages 23–26), RGMA. [in German]
35. Vernehmung des übergelaufenen Sinkjewitsch, Foma Emiljanowitsch [Interrogation of the Defector Sinkiewicz, Foma Emiljanovich]. (1941, December 16). RZ 211/105183 (Seite 25), Politisches Archiv des Auswärtigen Amts, Berlin, Deutschland. [in German]
36. Vernehmungs-Ergebnisse [Interrogation Results]. (n.d.). RZ 211/105183 (Seiten 123–125), Politisches Archiv des Auswärtigen Amts, Berlin, Deutschland. [in German]
2. Artizov, A. N. (Red.). (2015). General Vlasov: Istoriia predatelstva: T. 1. Natsistskii proekt «Aktion Wlassow» [General Vlasov: The story of betrayal: Vol. 1. Nazi project «Operation Vlasov»]. ROSSPEN. [in Russian]
3. Brychev, N. F. (1941). Voin Krasnoi Armii v plen ne sdaetsia! [A soldier of the Red Army does not surrender!]. Voenizdat. [in Russian]
4. Dolhoruchenko, K. O. (2021). Orhanizatsiia ta diialnist spetsialnoho aparatu propahandy hitlerivskoi Nimechchyny na terytorii Reikskomisariatu «Ukraina» (na materialakh spetsviddilu «Vineta»): Istoryko-pravove doslidzhennia [Organization and activities of the special apparatus of Nazi In Germany's propaganda in the Reichskommissariat «Ukraine» (based on materials of the special department «Vineta»): Historical-legal research] (Dis. d-ra filosofii v haluzi prava). Dnipropetrovskyi derzhavnyi universytet vnutrishnikh sprav Ministerstva vnutrishnikh sprav Ukrainy. [in Ukrainian]
5. Krysko, V. G. (1999). Sekrety psykholohicheskoi voiny (tceli, zadachi, metody, formy, opyt) [Secrets of psychological warfare (goals, objectives, methods, forms, experience)]. Harvest. [in Russian]
6. Minaieva, T. V. (2013). Osoblyvosti adaptatsii rosiiskykh viiskovopolonenikh do umov perebuvannia v taborakh v roky Pershoi svitovoi voiny [Features of the adaptation of In Russian prisoners of war to the conditions in camps during the First World War]. Istorychna panorama, (16), 18–39. [in Ukrainian]
7. Naumov, V. (1996). Sudba voennoplennykh i deportirovannykh grazhdan SSSR [The fate of prisoners of war and deported citizens of the USSR]. Materialy Komissii po reabilitatsii zhertv politicheskikh repressii. Novaia i noveishaia istoriia, (2), 92. [in Russian]
8. Novobranets, V. A. (2009). «Ia preduprezhdal o voine Stalina»: Zapiski voennogo razvedchika [I Warned About the War with Stalin»: Notes of a Military Scout]. Eksmo. [in Russian]
9. Osiodlo, V. I. (2016). Druha svitova viina v psykholohichnomu vymiri [The Second World War in Psychological Perspective]. Ukrainskyi psykholohichnyi zhurnal, (1), 87–103. [in Ukrainian]
10. Palii, P. N., & Vashchenko, N. (1987). V nemetskom plenu: T. 7. Nashe nedavnee [In In German Captivity: Vol. 7. Our Recent Past]. YMCA-PRESS. [in Russian]
11. Pastushenko, T. V. (2021, December 11). Nimetskii polon 1941 roku: Ponad 2 miliiony polonenikh mizh zahybelliu, zvilnenniam i vyzyvanniam [In German Captivity 1941: Over 2 Million Prisoners Between Death, Liberation, and Survival]. Radio Svoboda. https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/nimetskyy-polon-1941/31603834.html [in Ukrainian]
12. Prikaz № 270 Stavki Verkhovnogo Glavnogo Komandovaniia Krasnoi Armii 16 avgusta 1941 goda [Order No. 270 of the High Command of the Red Army, August 16, 1941]. (1988). Voennoistoricheskii zhurnal, (9), 26–28. [in Russian]
13. Ugolovnyi Kodeks RSFSR redaktsii 1926 goda [Criminal Code of the RSFSR, 1926 Edition]. (1926). V Sobranie uzakonenii i rasporyazhenii raboche-krestianskogo pravitelstva RSFSR za 1926 g. (p. 600). https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/Ugolovnyi_kodeks_RSFSR_1926_goda/Redaktsiia_05.03.1926 [in Russian]
14. Cheron, F. Ia., & Lugin, I. A. (1987). Nemetskii plen i sovetskoe osvobozhdenie [In German Captivity and Soviet Liberation]. Polglotka svobody (Vol. 6). YMCA-Press. [in Russian]
15. Shirobokov, Iu. M. (2016). Stadii viiskovoho polonu ta osoblyvosti yikh vplyvu na psykiku viiskovosluzhbovtsiv [Stages of Military Captivity and Their Effects on the Psyche of Servicemen]. Problemy ekstrialnoi ta kryzovoi psykholohii, (20), 313–321. [in Ukrainian]
16. Shirobokov, Iu. M. (2018). Etymolohichni ta asotsiatyvni skladovi katehorii «Polon» [Etymological and Associative Components of the Category «Captivity»]. Naukovyi visnyk Khersonskoho derzhavnoho universytetu. Seriia Psykholohichni nauky, Vol 1(3), 148–152. [in Ukrainian]
17. Shirobokov, Iu. M. (2019). Henenez viiskovoho polonu v kulturno-istorychnomu rozvytku Ukrainy [Genesis of Military Captivity in the Cultural-Historical Development of Ukraine]. Teoriia i praktyka suchasnoi psykholohii, Vol. 2(6), 183–187. [in Ukrainian]
18. Shirobokov, Iu. M. (2020). Psykholohiia viiskovoho polonu [Psychology of Military Captivity] (Neopubl. dis. d-ra psykhol. nauk). Kharkivskyi Natsionalnyi universytet povitrianykh syl imeni Ivana Kozheduba. [in Ukrainian]
19. Anordnungen des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht für die Behandlung sowjetischer Kriegsgefangener [Orders of the High Command of the Wehrmacht for the Treatment of Soviet Prisoners of War]. (1941a, September 8). https://www.1000dokumente.de. [in German]
20. Anordnungen des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht für die Behandlung sowjetischer Kriegsgefangener [Orders of the High Command of the Wehrmacht for the Treatment of Soviet Prisoners of War]. (1941b, September 8). RW 6/279 (Seiten 27–37), BArch, Freiburg, Deutschland. [in German]
21. Beilage Nr. 1 zu Bericht Nr. 104 – GH Schattenfroh [Appendix No. 1 to Report No. 104 – GH Schattenfroh]. (1941, October 13). RZ 211/105183 (Seite 53), Politisches Archiv des Auswärtigen Amts, Berlin, Deutschland. [in German]
22. Beilage Nr. 2 zu Bericht Nr. 104 – Gr. Schattenfroh [Appendix No. 2 to Report No. 104 – Gr. Schattenfroh]. (1941a, October 11). RZ 211/105183 (Seite 56), Politisches Archiv des Auswärtigen Amts, Berlin, Deutschland. [in German]
23. Beilage Nr. 2 zu Bericht Nr. 104 – Gr. Schattenfroh [Appendix No. 2 to Report No. 104 – Gr. Schattenfroh]. (1941b, October 11). RZ 211/105183 (Seiten 56–59), Politisches Archiv des Auswärtigen Amts, Berlin, Deutschland. [in German]
24. Beilage Nr. 3 zu Bericht Nr. 104. Vernehmungs-Ergebnisse [Appendix No. 3 to Report No. 104. Interrogation Results]. (1941, October 15). RZ 211/105183 (Seite 60), Politisches Archiv des Auswärtigen Amts, Berlin, Deutschland. [in German]
25. Betr.: Behandlung sowjet. angeblicher Offiziere ohne Ausweis [Concerning: Treatment of Alleged Soviet Officers without Identification]. (1943, September 18). 6/270 (Seite 148 zurück), BArch, Berlin, Deutschland. [in German]
26. Kaltenbrunner, M. (2012). Flucht aus dem Todesblock. Der Massenausbruch sowjetischer Offiziere aus dem Block 20 des KZ Mauthausen und die Mühlviertler Hasenjagd Hintergründe, Folgen, Aufarbeitung [Escape from the Death Block. The Mass Escape of Soviet Officers from Block 20 of Mauthausen Concentration Camp and the Mühlviertler Rabbit Hunt Backgrounds, Consequences, Processing]. StudienVerlag. [in German]
27. Kornhuber, H. H. (1961). Soziale und angewandte Psychiatrie [Social and Applied Psychiatry]. In Psychiatrie der Gegenwart. Forschung und Praxis: Vol. 3. Soziale und angewandte Psychiatrie (pp. 631–742). Springer-Verlag. [in German]
28. Lunden, W. (1949). Captivity psychoses among prisoners of war. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 39(6), Article 4. [in English]
29. Otto, R., Keller, R., & Nagel, J. (2008). Sowjetische Kriegsgefangene in deutschem Gewahrsam 1941–1945 Zahlen und Dimensionen [Soviet Prisoners of War in In German Custody 1941–1945 Numbers and Dimensions]. Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte, 56(4), 557–602. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1524/vfzg.2008.0026/html [in German]
30. Qualter, T. H. (1962). Propaganda and psychological warfare. Random House. [in English]
31. Report of The International Committee of the Red Cross on its activities during The Second World War (Vol. 2). (1948). Imprimerie du 'Journal de geneve'. https://archive.org/details/ReportOfTheInternationalCommitteeOfTheRedCrossOnItsActivitiesDuringTheSecondWorl/Report%20of%20the%20International%20Committee%20of%20the%20Red%20Cross%20on%20its%20activities%20during%20the%20second%20world%20war%20(September%201,%201939%20-%20June%2030,%201947)%20Vol.%202/page/n253/mode/2up?view=theater [in English]
32. Vernehmung des Generalmajors Kulikow [Interrogation of Major General Kulikov]. (1941, September 29). 1387 (Inventory 1, File. 103, Pages 2–5), RGMA. [in German]
33. Vernehmung des Kommandierenden Generals des VII Garde-Kav. Korp. [Interrogation of the Commanding General of the VII Guard Cavalry Corps]. (1943, February 24). 315 (Roll 2021, Pages 896–900), National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Maryland, United States of America. [in German]
34. Vernehmung des russischen Generals Michael Timofejewitsch Romanoff [Interrogation of In Russian General Michael Timofeyevich Romanoff]. (1941, October 6). 1387 (Inventory 1, File 104, Pages 23–26), RGMA. [in German]
35. Vernehmung des übergelaufenen Sinkjewitsch, Foma Emiljanowitsch [Interrogation of the Defector Sinkiewicz, Foma Emiljanovich]. (1941, December 16). RZ 211/105183 (Seite 25), Politisches Archiv des Auswärtigen Amts, Berlin, Deutschland. [in German]
36. Vernehmungs-Ergebnisse [Interrogation Results]. (n.d.). RZ 211/105183 (Seiten 123–125), Politisches Archiv des Auswärtigen Amts, Berlin, Deutschland. [in German]