POW Labor

[tjk]

The Germans made extensive use of Hiwis (ex-Soviet personnel) in most of their units as both combat (Ost Batallion) and in supply and construction units. Did these auxiliaries exist in Romanian units and how common was the practice ? Thank you for your help.

[Victor]

No. Some were used in Romania for agricultural work.

[Florin]

QUOTE

.......ex-Soviet personnel........Did these auxiliaries exist in Romanian units and how common was the practice ? Thank you for your help.

Hi,

In another post of mine, I mentioned how the commander of the Romanian 2nd mountain division had a Russian driver for a period.
I also mentioned how the Russian asked for a leave to see his family. The permission was granted, and later the guy returned through the front lines to re-take in charge his driver job.

What I didn't mentioned there:
Even before August 23, 1944 it was clear that sooner or later Romania will be occupied by Soviet Union. So one day the Russian driver asked for papers/documents stating that actually he worked in Romania in an agricultural farm. The Romanians did that for him.

However, you can be sure this case was not a common one.

Florin

[Dr_V]

If you can name this work, a group of Russin POWs that were good at singing were used to perform at holydays, birthdays, weadings and other social events in the area where they were kept. The commander of the unit assigned to guard the POWs in that county also used this goup extenssively as a musical band for entertainment of the troops stationed in the area.

This was happening in the area of the Calarasi county, where about 200 Russian POWs were employed in agricultural work. I couldn't locate the exact place, as the old man that told me that was a Romanian worker at the same farm, belonging to a noble man (boier) and this farm was demolished by the commys and the land nationalised, now there is no place that has the same name it had than.

The agricultural work done by the POWs in that area did not ment an exhausting labor, but almost the same work they were doing at home, in Russia (mani Russian soldiers were peasans). At that farm they were "guarded" by a seargent and 3 men, who were bored to death by their job, as the Russians did no attempt to flee. The POWs were living in temporary barraks and worked together with the Romanian employees. There were no special punishments or limitations for the POWs, they were treated as the usual Romanian employees, the only difference being that they were not payed.