True, although I think the NKVD were even more suspicious due to the miraculous nature of his escape and the intel on the V2 rockets he had. Zhukov at one point made it clear that even the families of those taken prisoner would be punished, rather forgetting that this would apply to the vozhd as Stalin’s son was held prisoner.
I get the mentality that there is a duty to escape and so aid the war effort by making the Germans catch me, I really do.
But knowing what I know today makes that a bit redundant. I know that any success I have in that regard will be negligible to the war effort, the Allied forces are heading for Berlin and nothing I do will really have any effect on that.
The guys at the time could not know the war only had a year to run, or that it would even be won at all, but I do know this so it would be very hard to take the very high risk of trying to escape.
Were the Soviets trying to punish their Soviet POWs for not fighting to the death? Give an incentive not to surrender?
It takes a brave man to be a coward in the Red Army
- Joseph Stalin
I would certainly put at least some effort towards escape, but just how much depends on the conditions in the prison. At the very least, I would keep an eye out for doors accidentally left unlocked, or the like, and go through them if they are. If the camp is bad enough, though, I’m going to try tunneling, bedsheets-out-the-window, or whatever else I can come up with.
In uniform or out is a tactical decision I’m going to have to make on the spot based on the conditions in play at the time, but realistically, my chances are probably better in uniform: I know no German now, and even if I manage to learn enough during my imprisonment to communicate, there’s no chance I’ll be able to pass as a local, so I might as well try to find sympathizers (or ideally, friendlies-- I don’t know how close the front line is).
And I also checked “other”: If given the opportunity, I’d try for sabotage, too.
This. Don’t speak the language, not holding any currency, not brash enough to carry off the pretense of belonging in a place I have no knowledge of. I’d be captured and/or killed in no time flat.
Inside a prison camp, I’d be quite willing to do what I could to assist the escape efforts of others. But I’d stay put and await the Allies’ victory over Germany, which, per the OP, I know is 20 months away.
This protection is irrelevant, since the German’s weren’t really observing those niceties anyway. I’d escape in civilian clothes and, since I have no German, pretend to be a Spanish supporter of the regime, maybe part of División Azul.
Approximately quoting Stalin’s adversary Solzhenitsyn (who in the context, had a bad, but not-too-terrible, time in those years): re the earlier decades of the 20th century, almost the worst thing imaginable, was to be born a Russian.
I’ll second this. However, it would not go well with me, anyway. The dipshits with whom I would end up would fuck things up so badly that I’d be executed anyway. And, some of them would probably not be executed.
That’s the problem with time travel.
You’ve effectively “Quantum Leapt” into a historical personage. Not a very important one, of course. A hapless private. Insignificant in the overall effort.
Unless, somehow, he turned out to be crucial. In “real history”, his futile escape attempt distracted and drew away enough guards that another prisoner escaped: one who DID matter historically. Maybe he held critical intelligence in his head, and just needed the opportunity to slip away and deliver it.
So, you decide you’re not a meaningful participant in the fight, and you’ll just ride out your captivity. And, in consequence, the Allies lose World War II, in spite of your sure historical knowledge to the contrary.
IMHO, saying “My participation in the war as a POW matters nothing, so I’ll just sit it out.” is the same as “My participation in the war as an infantryman means nothing, so I’ll just desert.”
I would try if I could think of a way.
From the portrayals in media like The Great Escape, Hogan’s Heroes, Victory, Stalag 17 and others, German POW camps seemed more like a slightly more boring version of Boy Scout camp. At least when compared to similar camps in Japan and later Vietnam.
Its a nice thought sure, but the reality is that the actions of any POW are simply not going to change the outcome of WW2. Say you are correct, and that crucial intelligence doesn’t make it to the Allied high command and they lose a key battle! Well, thats a shame but the allies are still going to be marching into Berlin eventually, in hindsight it was inevitable
The Allies are not going to lose WW2, it just isn’t going to happen whether I remain in captivity or whether I don’t. Unless you want to posit some mutant superhero theory where the guy I saved turned out to be Superman who was able to fly straight to Berlin and kidnap Hitler, but that isn’t going to happen is it. No, the war is going to play out pretty much the way it did regardless of any actions I take.
I’d stay and try to make the ordeal as painless as possible, for me and anyone around me. I’d know we win and it’s less than two years to go, so try to make a lot of friends and keep everyone’s spirits up would be my choice.
I generally would not try to escape. I don’t speak German, don’t have any kind of survival type training. The only skill I’d have is that I’m a marathon runner and could cover long distances on foot.
I guess there’s two schools of thought that come to mind with me
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help support the people that have the best chance of escaping. The guy that speaks German/French/Italian. The guy that can cover 100 miles of running a day for multiple days on water alone. Either by lookouts, diversions, etc.
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great escape route. a one or two person escape once a year won’t divert enemy troops. 200 people escaping every year from every camp would divert a lot of enemy troops. So yes, you’ll escape, and more than likely get caught, but it’s all about tying up the resources of the enemy.