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To: vbmoneyspender
couldn't you say that the Germans treated their Soviet prisoners about the same way the Soviets treated their German prisoners?

No argument, there. And as another poster pointed out, Soviet POWs who did manage to survive German POW camps went straight to Stalin's gulags after the war (if they even made it that far).

18 posted on 01/29/2002 1:07:16 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator
"And as another poster pointed out, Soviet POWs who did manage to survive German POW camps went straight to Stalin's gulags after the war (if they even made it that far)."

I know one who didn't. Vladimir was a Soviet soldier from the Crimea, was captured at Kiev and became a German POW in Austria. Happily, I might add -- he claims he had no respect for the Soviet regime.

Further, he noted he was treated very well by the Austrians who manned his camp. An ethnic Ukrainian, he liked them better than Russians.

But, as the war wound down, with the Germans obviously being defeated on all fronts, he knew he would be repatriated to the Soviet Union when the time came. He volunteered for the Russian army that was being raised from the camps to go fight for the Germans against the Soviets on the Eastern Front. All of them knew what awaited them as POWs once they were turned over to the Red Army: Siberia. Or worse. They might as well fight for themselves, they thought.

Then, he deserted. And ran like hell, across Germany to the West -- eventually managing to get himself "captured" by the Americans. He passed himself off as a Serbian partisan and managed to gain passage to the US.

He became a citizen in 1952 and, when I left the area eight years ago, Vladimir was still the best machinist in Montgomery, Alabama. Could make any part for any piece of farm equipment...

Now, instead of a farmer, I'm a writer...more or less. And I didn't think to interview him and develop one of the best human interest adventure stories that I've ever encountered.

32 posted on 01/29/2002 9:33:22 PM PST by okie01
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