Soviet prisoners of war were the first to be deported for forced labor to the Reich. Their situation was simply terrible: overcrowded barracks, famine, diseases, lack of warm clothing, isolation, and constant physical violence. The museum presents samples of documents of prisoners of war and their letters home. Each Soviet prisoner of war obtained a personal card in the prison camp. The museum exhibits card samples from prisoners of the military district of Hamburg. The back of these cards carried one of the places of work – the village of Steyerberg, where the Eibia GmbH powder factory was located.
Letter samples from Soviet prisoners of war held in the camps of Germany and Finland were found in the State Archives of the Sumy region. These letters read only, “I am all right, I am alive and well.” But in reality, this was written in order for the letter to pass censorship, or because men who wrote these letters did not want their families to worry too much.
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- Olexiy Antoshchenko, born in 1919, Shostka. Photo 1946 In 1941, graduated from the Artillery College. Captured. Stayed in POW camps and at the Mauthausen concentration camp.
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- Letter from prisoner Borys Mogylka from Finland to his friend Ivan Cherevka in the village of Vyrovka, Konotop district. 1942 (State archive of Sumy region)
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- Letter from prisoner Borys Mogylka: I live in Finland and so far, I live well. I am in the hospital for treatment. Finnish doctors are treating me well despite the fact that we are captives.
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- Letter from prisoner Mykhailo Nesvitailo from Finland to his parents in the village of Klyshky, Shostka district. 1943 (State archive of Sumy region)
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- Letter from prisoner Mykhailo Nesvitailo (page 2))
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- Letter from prisoner Ivan Litvinenko from Stalag XI-B (Falingbostel, Lower Saxony, Germany) to relatives in the village of Klyshki Shostka region. 1943 (State archive of Sumy region)
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- Letter from prisoner Ivan Litvinenko (page 2) “I inform you that I am alive and well, I am in Germany”
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- Letter from prisoner of war Volodymyr Lyakhovka to his wife Anastasia in Krolevets. 1943 (State archive of Sumy region)
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- Letter from prisoner of war Volodymyr Lyakhovka. 1943 (page 2) Nad’ko, if you manage to find yourself a husband, have yourself another. You will be happy and you will thank me because my health is bad. I do not hope to come to you. Don’t hope, Nadia, for me because I’m still alive today, but look for another one, Nadia, for happiness is found in young years. Your husband Volodya.
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- Personal card account for Soviet prisoners of war (Hamburg Military District). 1943. (https://obd-memorial.ru )
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- The reverse side of a personal card accounting for a Soviet prisoner of war. It can be seen here that the prisoner was forced labor in the village of Steyerberg, that is, in the powder factory of Aibia.
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- Personal card account for Soviet prisoners of war (Hamburg Military District). 1943.
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- The reverse side of a personal card accounting for a Soviet prisoner of war. It can be seen here that the prisoner was forced labor in the village of Steyerberg, that is, in the powder factory of Aibia.
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- Personal card account for Soviet prisoners of war (Hamburg Military District). 1943. (obd-memorial.ru)
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- The reverse side of a personal card accounting for a Soviet prisoner of war. It can be seen here that the prisoner was forced labor in the village of Steyerberg, that is, in the powder factory of Aibia.
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- Personal card account for Soviet prisoners of war (Hamburg Military District). 1943. (obd-memorial.ru)
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- The reverse side of a personal card accounting for a Soviet prisoner of war. It can be seen here that the prisoner was forced labor in the village of Steyerberg, that is, in the powder factory of Aibia.
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- Personal card account for Soviet prisoners of war (Hamburg Military District). 1943. (obd-memorial.ru)
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- The reverse side of a personal card accounting for a Soviet prisoner of war. It can be seen here that the prisoner was forced labor in the village of Steyerberg, that is, in the powder factory of Aibia.
