Russian Liberation Army question.

[Josh Beckett]

I once worked in a welding shop with the son of a member of the Russian Liberation Army. He said his dad earned an Eastern Peoples Medal, the son remembered it distinctly, even that is had a green ribbon, but it was lost when his house was destroyed in a bombing raid that they barely escaped. After that, his dad was shipped to Dachau along with his family. The son told me he was interned at the Dachau camp, his dad wore his uniform and strutted around like he owned the place, and he, the son, never saw anything bad going on in the camp, other that a bunch of displaced persons.

I asked the son several times over the years if I could talk to his dad about the war and his experiences, but he always said his dad had no interest in talking about it. So all I got was the son's reflections.

BTW, another guy that worked there was the son of a SS-Prinz Eugen member. He brought in an old family photo of him and his brothers and sisters as children with his dad in SS uniform and his mom. He was Volks-Deutsch from Yugoslavia. They had to leave and walk to Germany at the end of the war. This guy was fascinated that I was interested in the war and dug out the photo to show me, but no one else at the shop except the son of the ROA member.

So some members of the ROA for sure survived the war...

Tom

Thats really cool!!!

[VtwinVince]

The Swedes and the English were the worst at handing over POW Cossacks to the Russians, all along knowing that they would be executed. Pretty cynical.

[Uno]

Here the reference to Russian site http://www.omolenko.com/istoria/vlasov.htm#Nav. Can to you will interesting. The citation through the translator:
"In the winter 1941/42 years the former Soviet captain Kaminsky has generated so-called Russian Emancipating National Army (RЕNA). Hitlerites have made Kaminsky in major generals. The old Bolshevik Kaminsky in a captivity became the nazi. Its "army" which actually was a division was same also. At first RЕNA battled to the Soviet guerrillas, and later it has appeared at the front. In the summer of 1944, having had by heavy losses, RЕNA have removed from front and have taken away to East Prussia. There RЕNA have transferred in Himmler's conducting and have reformed in brigade SS."
Excuse for my bad English.

[JaimeH]

The allies did return most Russian and foreign POWs to the Russians because the Russians liberated and held a large number of allied POWs. I've read some accounts where the American POWs felt the Russians that held them (post May 9th) were worse than the Germans. They understood the lack of food and medicine by the Germans but not their allies the Russians. They became pawns in a post war game.

[PlaceOfBayonets]

What about the 20,000 U.S. POW's who the Russians never repatriated?

W.

[DennyB]

What about the 20,000 U.S. POW's who the Russians never repatriated?

W.

I have not heard of that. How did so many Americans fall into Soviet hands?

[PlaceOfBayonets]

Captured on the west front or Airmen who were sent east into German Captivity. Then Soviet forces over ran the camps.

W.