Organization of the Detention of Prisoners of War of the German Army and Its Allies in the USSR (A Case Study of Cherepovets Camp no. 158)

Abstract

The subject of this article is the study of the detention of prisoners of war of the German army and its allies in the Cherepovets NKVD–MVD Camp тo. 158. The specific feature of this camp was that it operated from 1942 to 1948, i.e. from the initial period of the Great Patriotic War until the completion of the repatriation of the majority of prisoners of war. That is why, the application of historical genetic and historical systemic methods, it is possible to consider the evolution of the policy of the Soviet state in relation to the enemy soldiers who found themselves at its mercy and to identify the mechanisms of its implementation in a single detention facility. Based on the analysis of a wide range of sources, the author considers the principles of the internal structure of the camp and the characteristics of the material and living situation of the prisoners of war detained there and the features of medical care for prisoners of war; the connection between the provision of prisoners of war with food, medical care, and clothing, on the one hand, and their physical condition, morbidity and mortality rates are determined; the content and dynamics of political propaganda among prisoners of war are revealed; the features of the repatriation process are shown.

Keywords

• the great patriotic war
• prisoner of war camp
• custodial control and security
• food supply
• medical care
• political work
• repatriation