I'll also point out quickly that many Soviet POWs were also victims of the concentration camp system. I also recommend Yitzhak Arad's book Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka: The Operation Reinhard Death Camps, which has more information on the role of the Trawniki men source for the Soviet POW figures is Christian Streit, Keine Kameraden, the seminal work on the subject) (Sources: USHMM Holocaust Encyclopedia, Browning op cit. Demjanjuk noted himself in his trial testimony that collaboration was basically the only option for survival for many Soviet prisoners (about 3.3 million Soviet prisoners died in German captivity out of 5.7 million the Germans captured, or 58%). Some authors (such as Christopher Browning in Ordinary Men) have noted that the Germans screened these prisoners and selected those who were believed to be anti-Communist and antisemitic, but several other authors have suggested that the primary motivation was self-interest and survival, rather than personal belief. This was and is a touchy subject in Holocaust historiography, because while the Trawniki men were unquestionably collaborators in the Nazi genocide, they faced a choice that essentially amounted to "collaborate or starve" due to the horrible conditions in the German camps for Soviet POWs. There were about 5,000 of these "Trawniki men", who were part of a larger group of collaborators known as Hilfswillige, or Hiwis ("volunteers" or, literally, "willing helpers"). In the case of guards like Demjanjuk, they were selected from camps for Soviet POWs and specially trained at a camp called Trawniki in Poland before being incorporated into the SS and assigned as guards in the extermination camps. Previous AMAs | Previous Roundtables Featuresįeature posts are posted weekly. May 25th | Panel AMA with /r/AskBibleScholars Please Subscribe to our Google Calendar for Upcoming AMAs and Events To nominate someone else as a Quality Contributor, message the mods. Our flaired users have detailed knowledge of their historical specialty and a proven record of excellent contributions to /r/AskHistorians. Please Read and Understand the Rules Before Contributing. Report Comments That Break Reddiquette or the Subreddit Rules. Serious On-Topic Comments Only: No Jokes, Anecdotes, Clutter, or other Digressions. Provide Primary and Secondary Sources If Asked. Write Original, In-Depth and Comprehensive Answers, Using Good Historical Practices. Questions should be clear and specific in what they ask, and should be able to get detailed answers from historians whose expertise is likely to be in particular times and places. Nothing Less Than 20 Years Old, and Don't Soapbox. Be Nice: No Racism, Bigotry, or Offensive Behavior. Downvote and Report comments that are unhelpful or grossly off-topic.Upvote informative, well sourced answers.New to /r/AskHistorians? Please read our subreddit rules and FAQ before posting! Apply for Flair
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