Soviet prisoners of war in the memories of Yugoslav prisoners in German camps during the Second World War

Abstract

Тhe German occupation of Europe during World War II led to the imprisonment of a large number of soldiers from the defeated countries. These soldiers were held in Oflag and Stalag camps designed especially for this purpose. Despite being protected by the Geneva Convention (1929), the prisoners of war (POW) in the German camps were not treated in accordance with these laws. This was especially true for soldiers of Slavic origin, as the Germans’ attitude towards them was based on the racist ideology of the Third Reich and a specific “hierarchy of peoples”. The Geneva Convention was arbitrarily interpreted, and Yugoslav and Soviet prisoners of war received poor treatment. Upon their arrival at the camps, despite strict prohibitions by the German camp leadership, soldiers of the Yugoslav and Soviet armies quickly established contact. These contacts were built on cultural, national, linguistic, and ideological ties between representatives of the two peoples. Yugoslav POWs documented the memories of Soviet prisoners and their days in captivity in diaries, notes, letters, and memoirs, which were published after the war. These documents serve as evidence of the relationship between Yugoslav and Soviet prisoners of war and reflect some of the phenomena of life in captivity, such as the presence of shared understanding, provision and smuggling of life necessities such as food, cigarettes, and other aid, as well as joint participation in cultural life and other activities.