The life of German prisoners in the USSR after the war
The Great Patriotic War, like any other, was not without prisoners. Tens of millions of soldiers and officers from different European countries were involved in the hostilities. Therefore, it is not surprising that after the end of the war and the capitulation of Germany, about 2.5-3 million German prisoners remained in the USSR. This figure is not accurate, and different sources give contradictory data. For example, there is an opinion that after the war only about 850,000 captured Germans remained on the territory of the USSR. Not everyone made it back home.
Occupation of prisoners of war
German prisoners of war were held in camps or prisons. There they did various jobs. Most of their work was aimed at rebuilding what had been destroyed during the war. I had to work a lot. In 1949, by order of the government of the USSR, the prisoners, which included not only Germans, but also Hungarians, Romanians and other enemies, began to be paid money in addition to food. The prisoners could spend them at their own discretion.
The main activity of the prisoners of war was the construction of:
– residential buildings;
– industrial buildings;
– And even military-strategic facilities.
Only a few, only highly qualified specialists were hired for the construction of military-strategic facilities. The desire of the majority of Germans was to return to their homeland. But it happened that during their captivity they met love.
Reasons for the non-return of Germans to their homeland
Not all Germans returned. There were several prerequisites for this. After 1949, the life of German prisoners of war was not so bad. They were given a place in a dormitory and relative freedom of movement. Soviet citizens softened their attitude towards them, became more benevolent, and the burning hatred inherent in the first post-war years disappeared. The first couples began to appear between captured Germans and Soviet girls.
The Germans knew how to take care of girls, they did it very beautifully, they were gallant, they gave compliments, they provided all possible help with the housework, which was very important in those difficult years. In addition, the war took the lives of many Soviet soldiers, and a huge number of women were left without husbands. They needed a strong man’s shoulder that would provide support, even if it was German.
Difficulties in adapting
Germans who remained for permanent residence in the USSR experienced minor difficulties in adapting. The government has taken a neutral stance towards them. They did not evict them, they tried not to single them out in any way. For this reason, even now it is not fully known how many captured Germans remained in the USSR. Some researchers believe that there were about 120-150 thousand of them. But no one can confirm the reliability of the data.
In most cases, adaptation was easy. Already in the 1950s and 1960s, they were able to obtain Soviet citizenship. They were hired without much difficulty. Like any Soviet citizen, they received a salary and spent their time repairing cars. Their appearance was no different from that of a Soviet man. Their distinguishing feature was their accent. It was by him that you could recognize that it was a German. But within 10-15 years, it softened significantly, and for many it disappeared.