Greatest Soviet Deception Operation in World War 2: the Lost Wehrmacht Unit

In August 1944, after multiple devastating losses by the Wehrmacht, the Long Range Signal Intelligence Company (FAK 103) received a message from one of their Soviet spies. This spy, named Alexandr, stated there was a Wehrmacht unit, around 2500 men strong, trapped behind enemy lines trying to reach the German frontlines again. What followed was one of the longest-lasting, most costly, and most successful deception operations of the Second World War.
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
2:02 Background
5:26 Rescuing Scherhorn
9:58 Counter-intelligence
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The content of this video covers events, people or concepts via a lecture-style presentation that is educational and historical in nature. Every video is original content by House of History. The events relating to conflict in this video are portrayed in their historical context without either value judgment or an ideological message attached to it. There is no intent to shock, upset or disgust. The goal of my channel is to make interesting lecture-style videos, no more, no less.
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Sources:
Beaumont, R. (1982). Maskirovka: Soviet Camouflage, Concealment and Deception.
Smith, S. (2018). Otto Skorzeny: The Devil’s Disciple. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Written by House of History
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#HouseofHistory #History #worldwar2

[@akk-nd3vj]

interesting video. i am sceptical of use "army group" to describe the unit tho.

[@HoH]

In hindsight unit or regiment would have been a better term, I agree.

[@johnd2058]

@@HoH German "kampfgruppe," yes? If so, the US military equivalent is "task force"; for a literal translation, "battle group".

[@theodoros9428]

@@johnd2058 Task force think is a group of war ships

[@johnd2058]

@@theodoros9428 In the Navy, yes. For US Army examples, see Task Force Smith (Korea) or Task Force Barker (Việt Nam)... and note how, on land, bad things happen to task forces.

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

@@johnd2058 In US armored units there was the term “Combat Command” for combined arms groups of about regiment size.

[@Zen-rw2fz]

Stalin personally ordered the thing and hitler himself wrote a letter to that unit, hitler got pranked real hard and he never even knew it, absolutely based

[@eveliinatistelgren172]

Hahahahah!!!!

[@f4ust85]

Well another paradox is how much Hitler, Abwehr or Luftwaffe cared about these soldiers, especially compared to Stalin, for whom 2500 Red army personel were not worth the paper to write on.

[@captainamerica6525]

I'm gonna bet there are thousands of untold stories from WWII. Never heard the one presented today. Keep em coming.

[@HoH]

Hi Keith, I'll certainly continue steadily uploading for the next foreseeable future. About untold/unknown stories from WWII: today I uploaded a video about the life of a Chinese Wehrmacht Panzer Commander, participating in the 1938 Anschluss. Perhaps you'll find the story of his life just as interesting.

[@canthama2703]

Wow Oscar, that was a real treat, had no clue of this event at all, much appreciated my friend.

[@HoH]

It's quite the unbelievable tale, isn't it? My sister gave me the biography of Otto Skorzeny by Stuart Smith as a birthday present. Smith mentions this operation, which was the first time I ever heard of it as well. I am still not sure why this isn't more well known to be honest.

[@briannicholas2757]

Thank you for this episode, excellent as usual. Deception intel ops like this , and others throughout WWII and many other wars, played such a significant role yet rarely ever get mentioned. Partially due to the secrecy involved, but often downplayed in favor of the more "sexy" overt battles.

[@hildoschutte6200]

​@@HoH I suppose the answer is quite easy: The Cold War happened. Regarding sources, the whole operation was described a few years ago in a book and some bulletins by Karl Kleinjung, a German NKVD-operative who was deeply involved with the plan and who, after the war, made quite a career within the East German STASI. There's also the book "KG 200 The Luftwaffe's most secret unit' by Geoffrey Thomas en Barry Ketley that describes the Scherhorn affair at about the same level of detail as this clip.

[@johnweerasinghe4139]

It makes sense giving the scale of the conflict on the Eastern Front. Much is written about Allied deception especially the one before DDay...but the details of this deception must have been incredible

[@frannyfranfrancis]

Great telling of a great deception! Love this channel! Have never heard of this operation ever before. Thank you for being concise with the details and bringing this to us.

[@dub2536]

Agreed 100%!

[@HoH]

Thank you kindly

[@DanHageeStuff]

Wow I read about the "lost unit" in books about Skorzeny over the years but could never find more information about what happened to them until this video, Bolshoi Spasibo !!!

[@ottomeyer6928]

spasivaaaaaaaaa

[@f4ust85]

Thats because it didnt exist.

[@johnbarnes5237]

I recall reading this in Skorzeny's memoirs. He said, "Perhaps someday, we'll learn the truth." I guess we know now. Thanks.

[@dannyflies7197]

I have said I'll support your channel and work. You're by far, one of the best historical channels out here. I will go to patreon today and encourage others to do so as well. I truly appreciate the work you do!!!

[@HoH]

Hi Danny, thank you very much for the kind words and support! It is because of people like yourself that I am able to continue creating these videos and telling these stories. As a patron you'll also receive an additional video every month (including those from all previous months) as a thank you for your support. Take care, have a great weekend!

[@Stripedbottom]

2000 men is a weak regiment, not an army group. There's no way the Germans wouldn't have known where each of their army groups was at any given moment - the entire German army, and a fair share of their allies too, on the eastern front were organised into just three of those. "Army group " has a specific meaning as a military term, it's not just "a group of men within an army"

[@mito88]

army groups center, north and south.

[@Sociologist66]

I read this story on Charles Foley's book, "Commando Extraordinary" (1956).

[@heinzvoll7798]

Reinhard Gehlen was really a very special figure. After the war he pulled the amazing trick of quickly exchanging his Wehrmacht general's uniform against that of an American general as part of a deal he had made with the Americans.

[@garykubodera9528]

Interesting episode Oscar! Yet another tale of a small piece of history that you have managed to tell in a great way that I have enjoyed. Thank you for all your diligence and efforts to tell me and others about this forgotten story of the war. Hope you and your family is staying safe and healthy! 🙏🤘😷

[@HoH]

Thanks Gary, same to you! Have a good weekend

[@danielhutchinsonjr9325]

Thank you for your wonderful work!!! I really enjoyed this video

[@harcovanhees394]

In the Netherlands we also had such operation. We call it “Englandspiel”, the German name was operation Nordpol. About 50 Dutch resistance/SOE agents and about 7 English SOE agents fell in German hands, most of them died in prison or concentration Camps. After the daling escape of two Dutch agents, the mislead was stopped.

[@AJR250]

True... Think you mean daring not daling

[@xys7536]

Agent king kong

[@pleasenohate7505]

I have to correct you. Non Jewish people didn’t get into concentration camps.

[@pleasenohate7505]

They usually got into prison camps

[@harcovanhees394]

No, most of them via camp Vught to Mauthausen. See here englandspiel.eu/mauthausen.php?taal=en

[@markmoil3012]

This was a result of Operation Bagration offensive begun June23rd in which Army Group Centre were driven back with heavy losses...including my Opa fell on July 14 1944 in Belarus

[@theo.k]

Excellent as always. Thank you.

[@dub2536]

I never heard of this incident before. Peace!

[@raymondromanos1479]

You and Mark Felton are top notch! Thank you for your work!

[@HoH]

Thank you! Glad you enjoy it.

[@trapper1511]

Mark Felton is better. Better and objective research with clearer narration. Also you never expose the narrator in a documentary . Mark Felton is invisible in his documentaries except for his sharp and clear voice.

[@raymondromanos1479]

@@trapper1511 Mark Felton had to start from somewhere. House of History has good potential. I support that.

[@dryasslips6396]

@@raymondromanos1479 Mark Felton is a plagiarist

[@raymondromanos1479]

@@dryasslips6396 do you have evidence to back this claim up?

[@danielgreen3715]

They do say that the truth is often stranger than the fiction! Cheers for telling us all about this

[@yaragi]

I'd never read or heard about this! And I have read quite a bit of WWII.. Thanks, nice work!

[@maincoon6602]

Great video. You teach me history that I would have never learn. 👍🏻

[@rizzla4871]

brilliant story and channel thank you very much

[@argplutoniumman]

When I heard “attempting to breakout and is in desperate need of supplies” that’s a big red flag to me. An army that wants to breakout tends to leave or destroy their heavy supplies and weapons in order to break out. They need swift speed and mobility. While getting more supplies etc. will encumber a unit that needs to keep light, swift and decisive.

[@lorenzomalloy5266]

I agree

[@glenmartin2437]

Thank you. I never knew of this operation.

[@Sociologist66]

Excellent video !!!!

[@hojoj.1974]

Excellent, new to me, information... Thank you.

[@HoH]

Glad you found it interesting!

[@kmcd1000]

Excellent content. Well done.

[@HoH]

Much appreciated!

[@alejandrocasalegno1657]

Great irony..........when Stalin die...........Sudoplatov was in jail for ten years.

[@barbarossa1983]

Great narration and information,many thanks

[@HoH]

Glad you thought so!

[@mattluke481]

Army group of couple of thousand of men !!! You could say - a German detachment. A German unit or even a brigade strength unit. I assure ya an army group has more people than “couple of thousands “.

[@jovanweismiller7114]

Definitely do an episode on Gehlen! He was a fascinating character!

[@HoH]

It's on my to-do list 😉

[@ottomeyer6928]

@@HoH great

[@steventhompson399]

I love die ostfront but this was new to me... so many cool obscure stories buried deep in the larger war that dont get heard

[@avnrulz8587]

First I've heard of this, very interesting!

[@TheZINGularity]

all my years of shoveling WW 2 history into my face i have never heard of this fantastic ruse. Thank you very much!

[@HoH]

Glad you found it interesting!

[@edmedlin2109]

Truly fascinating and very well done!

[@HoH]

Thank you, cheers!

[@jrgentetlientryggestad739]

Excellent video btw! Could you make an in-depth video about the seven years war from a Prussian point of view? How damaging the war was and more about the social-, political- and technological circumstances

[@HoH]

Thanks Jorgen! I'm pretty sure you'll find this interesting: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3y1d61ods-Fipo

[@Mrgunsngear]

Thanks

[@Aeyekay0]

Well that was very confusing lol, yet interesting

[@ronsilva516]

Wow Absolutely crazy must’ve happened

[@Sociologist66]

Please... Would you so kind to tape a video about the life and missions of Adrian Freiherrn Von Foelkersam?

[@mattgibbs73]

Interesting. Which Luftwaffe squadron was responsible and what were they flying, out of interest?

[@ottomeyer6928]

Gehlen warnd Hitler about 30 brand new Russian Division and was dismissed

[@kingb4490]

I noticed a Tolstoy's book in Russian under your mug. Is that just book's cover or do you read in Russian? Btw, is there any books that you could recommend on this topic of intelligence during ww2? Anyways, great video as always!

[@HoH]

A friend gave it to me as a present - I took Russian language classes in university although admittedly I should be keeping it up and improving it more consistently. In terms of books I'd recommend: Stuart Smith's biography of Otto Skorzeny is a fantastic piece of work, detailing many secret missions and behind the scenes machinations of secret operations. Another book I enjoyed, although admittedly there are some blatant mistakes/oversights was Christer Jörgensen 'Spying for the Führer.' Thanks! Have a great weekend

[@danielfmontero]

Very nice

[@johnl.7754]

Wonder if they should have let hitter know about the deception on his birthday before he died or better not telling him.

[@ChamaraSumanapala]

Extremely interesting. Skorzeny in his memoirs, describes this story as a genuine rescue attempt. But at the very end of the description he casts a doubt if it was all a deception by the Soviets. Do you think Skorzeny did not know the real story by the time he wrote the memoirs?

[@nikolaynovichkov166]

As far as I'm aware, he did: the story was declassified before his death, but he simply refused to believe it, thinking it was a Soviet propaganda stunt.

[@f4ust85]

The Soviets claimed he didnt, although East German papers already wrote about the story during his life. He probably just refused to believe it.

[@andreasleonardo6793]

WOW what nice & strange war story ...its proving...every probability are occurring during love & war status

[@jensnimike176]

Read this fantastic story in Günther W Gellermann's book in german Moskau ruft Heeresgruppe Mitte. Thanks for posting!

[@torbjornkvist]

A good one!

[@christopherellis2663]

The Art of Deception

[@dereklindman6914]

For your intro, I wonder if instead of a "Russian spy sent messages to the Germans..." it was "During the great Soviet offensive of 1994, the German high command received word of thousands of German soldiers trapped behind enemy lines..." I think that makes your reveal at the end of your intro a bit stronger even if the title might give it away. Thank you for your hard work :)

[@ottomeyer6928]

1994?

[@markprange4386]

1:00 Photo of Germans attacking Barrikady factory in Stalingrad.

[@1986tessie]

Do the Budapest breakout plz. It's a great story.

[@HoH]

It's definitely on the list of topics I want to cover relatively soon. Unfortunately the local library is closed due to the pandemic, so I have to rely on those bookcases behind me for the next foreseeable future.

[@1986tessie]

@@HoH i look forward to it when you get the chance.

[@dylanesworthy9532]

The Budapest siege in it’s entirety for that matter. Second longest of the war. My building is still pock marked with the scars of that battle. Many still are

[@1986tessie]

@@dylanesworthy9532 That's amazing, my grandmother fled Hungary when the soviets took over. Her brother was put in a concentration camp for being a priest (so I'm told). I still have family in Hungary but haven't spoken to them too much about the war.

[@jahmah519]

Very clever, but when you see espionage used on the general public & sales technics nowadays i personally admire this remarkable intelligence, how the Soiets decieved the germans here, I wonder if Bletchley Park was really behind this🤔

[@61zulu77]

The picture of the SS officer in your thumbnail was reversed!

[@odonkers]

Similar story but other way around with “england spiel” where England dropped secret agents right into German hands in the Netherlands during ww2.

[@HoH]

Thanks Otto, that's definitely a topic to explore in a future video!

[@teekey1754]

Soviet gulags had better condition than German camps for Soviet POW.

[@LTPottenger]

That must be why 90% of germans they captured died

[@teekey1754]

@@LTPottenger That's what happened to Russian POWs before.

[@LTPottenger]

@@teekey1754 russians had 5x more chance to survive.

[@teekey1754]

@@LTPottenger Your sources ?

[@dominikobora5385]

@@teekey1754 even a germen historian who was previously a nazi (erich maschke) believed that 30% of germen POWs died(still a huge number) I found a book on it which should have some good info and sources but im currently on my phone and away from so i cant go through it, but once im back at ny pc i will

[@intermodus2180]

Malaya. Can't get enough. That's the Topic.

[@bskrishnamurthy7258]

It was "operation nord pole" in reverse.

[@combrogi]

So is it scherhorst like the subtitles or sherhorn as you say?

[@HoH]

Hi combrogi, thank you for your comment. It is Scherhorn and has been corrected in the subtitles.

[@BernardBakker]

I wonder why there is a book by Tolstoy so prominently visible...

[@tilohertel8523]

I can strongly recommend "Война и мир" written by Lev Tolstoy. Today they rarely seem to read it, as it is a very "long" book.

[@f4ust85]

To posture as a russian insider. Unfortunately, he mispronounces the name Sudoplatov every time.

[@hitman2111979]

Ha! he said Sudapotlov. Reading not so simple as you thought

[@donfarlan214]

to me they all go to kill for the same reasoning it must be correct the winners never get repremanded

[@randyrobinson8751]

They sure got duped

[@teekey1754]

"Tion" in "Bagration" is not to be pronounced like in "information" etc.

[@PORRRIDGE_GUN]

barg-rat-ee-yon?

[@teekey1754]

@@PORRRIDGE_GUN Exactly, but it should be spelled "bagration" not "bargration" :)

[@Calligraphybooster]

The germans should have or at least could have relayed the information concerning their contact with Scherhorn to Gieske, the man who ran the England Spiel from The Netherlands. I have little doubt he would have smelled a rat. But they didn't, and I like it that way.

[@f4ust85]

It is valuable to put this on the timeline: operation Berezino (as the Soviets called it) started just after the July plot on Hitler when Canaris and Abwehr were largely liquidated and not trusted. So there were very few experienced officers at that time and Skorzeny of course was a commando, not an intelligence guy who would understand anti-partisan warfare or spy networks.

[@CJM-rg5rt]

It's hilarious imagining stereotypical Russians excited about the airdropped chocolate and panzerfausts and capturing unannounced investigators and trying to hold it together while they tell the head command that they found the group.

[@f4ust85]

The Soviet operation in the field was lead by Naum Eitingon. His daughter retold the story that the Germans first sent in Latvians to check it all out without waring the "lost unit"; those were unbelievably reckless and unprofessional and got caught immediatelly. Then they sent in 3 German SS officers, 2 of which agreed to cooperate, the 3rd didnt so he got shot. Which caused some problems because they needed his password to confirm the thing is real. They instead informed the Germans that he has a serious head injury from the fall.

[@RoscoesRiffs]

Love it! 😂

[@JohnDoe-tx8lq]

What a terrible choice for the captured german men. They were obviously brave patriotic soldiers, but when you’re captured and given the stark choice, in cold blood, ‘cooperate or die’ it’s difficult to simply choose to die. I imagine that had they known for sure how many of their fellow country men would be captured and die in the deception, they would have refused and accepted their fate. Impossible to know what you would do until you face it for real.

[@harryfineberg5075]

In this case "patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels "with apologies to dr.johnson.

[@JohnDoe-tx8lq]

@@harryfineberg5075 an utterly meaningless generalisation about ordinary soldiers.

[@hildoschutte6200]

I wouldn't have that much sympathy for Scherhorn and his associates. His unit was involved in counter-partisan operations in what's now Bielorussia, an area that lost one third (!) of its population during the war mainly due to German actions.

[@thechekist2044]

@@JohnDoe-tx8lq Calm down nazi.

[@f4ust85]

Many of them were war criminals involved in anti-artisan terror and burning entire villages. Also not all were "brave patriotic Germans", they sent in a lot of Latvians instead. On the other end, almost everyone who agreed to cooperate except for Schoerner was later shot nonetheless. The Soviets also killed dozens of local people who were sympathetic to the cause and were willing to help the Germans against the Bolsheviks.

[@halnywiatr]

@ 5:33 What is the source for the claim that Skorzeny had Poles in the Jagdverband Ost? The Soviet sources were notorious for claiming active Polish collaboration to discredit the Polish Home Army. But corroboration is lacking for those assertions. I have not been able to find any records of Poles being combatants in the German forces. Poles were in fact specifically excluded from serving because they were classed as untermenschen. There was added confusion from the volksdeutsch Germans that came from within the borders of Poland. They "rediscovered" and claimed being Polish on their capture. But the real Polish army units in the west quickly dealt with such imposters. In the East the Soviets used them for propaganda.

[@HoH]

Hi halnywiatr, thanks for your comment and question. I got this information from: Smith, S. (2018). Otto Skorzeny: The Devil’s Disciple. Bloomsbury Publishing. On page 126 it says: "The rescue and behind-the-lines operations would be a test mission for Skorzeny's Jagdverband Ost. The unit had been supplemented by Balts, Russians and Poles, and Skorzeny was, at that very moment, forging it into a behind-the-lines force. Once Jodl at OKW had given the go-ahead for the mission and Hitler was in the loop, there was no going back."

[@halnywiatr]

Thank you for the reply. It appears that Stuart Smith fell for either the German shorthand of listing geographic origin instead of ethnicity, or the Soviet propaganda. Everything I'm finding points to the members being volksdeutsche such as Adrian von Fölkersam: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_von_F%C3%B6lkersam Or; on the western front they were like Richard Jarczyk; another "Pole" who was actually volksdeutsche.

[@f4ust85]

Russian sources talk about Latvians in this case, which is more probable.

[@billd.iniowa2263]

What a great story! Never heard of anything like this. Always warms my heart to hear when nazis are made fools of. When a thief gets ripped off, everybody wins! Well, except the thief. Thats called justice. ;-)

[@f4ust85]

Well it is less heartwarming when you realize hundreds of people were executed, not only Latvians and others the Germans sent in, but local people that were sympathetic to Germans or critical of the Bolshevik occupiers. These were ratted out and shot in the course of this operation.

[@levski19]

The germans were truly fouled, but it's interesting to compare them to the soviets. They at least tried to help their men as best they could considering their dwindling resourses. While Vlasov for example was left to his own by the soviets.

[@stephenbrand5661]

Damn that's actually a really good point. The Germans were just so epically doomed but they resisted fanatically in the east and it's not hard to understand why.

[@user-ig3ic3fq7u]

There were 4 attempts to save the 2nd Shock Army - on the 31st of May, 3rd, 5th, and 10th of June, done with the forces of 59th army. They all failed, though. Still, it hardly can be called "leaving to his own fate"

[@levski19]

@@user-ig3ic3fq7u Well his fate was sealed when he was surrounded and permission to retreat wasn't given. Still point taken for the attempts. No air drops though.

[@lapensulo4684]

I am sure some peasants in the are got some good stuff from the sky.

[@f4ust85]

In fact many of the peasants got shot by the Soviets for willingness to help the "Germans".

[@kanclerz7407]

Finally ,another bad days for German tourist in Eastern Europe....

[@horatio8213]

Otto Skorzeny never used Poles in his operations. He used man that were living in Poland but with German ethincity. They were not Poles, but Germans! Poles in mass never colabrated with Nazi. Also Otto Skorzeny would never have a chance to form any cooperation because that was forbbiden by Hitler.

[@HoH]

Hi Horatio82, thanks for your comment and question. I got this information from: Smith, S. (2018). Otto Skorzeny: The Devil’s Disciple. Bloomsbury Publishing. On page 126 it says: "The rescue and behind-the-lines operations would be a test mission for Skorzeny's Jagdverband Ost. The unit had been supplemented by Balts, Russians and Poles, and Skorzeny was, at that very moment, forging it into a behind-the-lines force. Once Jodl at OKW had given the go-ahead for the mission and Hitler was in the loop, there was no going back."

[@f4ust85]

In this case he used a lot of Latvians.

[@hakeemzahardi9207]

in summary, German's Intelligence Service throughout the war was full of sh*t

[@f4ust85]

Not really, but this all happened after the July 20 plot when the whole Abwehr was liquidated out of paranoia.

[@sebastianrutkowski7316]

i highly doubt,among skorzenny's soldiers were any Poles. any proof?? NO EFFIN WAY.

[@hildoschutte6200]

I wouldn't be too surprised. Research of the University of Silesia in Katowice put the number of Poles serving in the Wehrmacht and SS somewhere between 295.000 and 500.000. Heck, even the granddad of the previous Polish President served in the Wehrmacht.

[@oldmanriver1955]

My German language teacher was born in a 'german' area of Poland before the war and was conscripted into the army in the early 1940s. Moved to Australia in the 1950s.

[@HoH]

Hi Sebastian Rutkowski, thanks for your comment and question. I got this information from: Smith, S. (2018). Otto Skorzeny: The Devil’s Disciple. Bloomsbury Publishing. On page 126 it says: "The rescue and behind-the-lines operations would be a test mission for Skorzeny's Jagdverband Ost. The unit had been supplemented by Balts, Russians and Poles, and Skorzeny was, at that very moment, forging it into a behind-the-lines force. Once Jodl at OKW had given the go-ahead for the mission and Hitler was in the loop, there was no going back."

[@TheYeti308]

I got a story for you too .!

[@sabahtaha5888]

The germans suffered 350,000 casualties during Bagration not 1/2 million. Cheers

[@johnallright6847]

Is that a Masonic symbol on the cup?

[@jaydeister9305]

'sudo' = 'pseudo'.

[@F_Tim1961]

This story is almost as fascinating as the UK Operation Mincemeat. Like Mincemeat , this one had many opportunities to go wrong but the Soviets crossed all the tees. I doubt if contemporary Russians could mount such an exercise now. The place is a disorganised mess from what I an see. Tim Fidler , NZL

[@AndreasConfirmed]

They say the Russians have made Trump president of the USA, so I would say all their weakness is only a deception :)

[@theodoros9428]

This incident born another myth the Germans soldiers who fought with the Stepan Bandera's guerrilas The Ukrainian nationalists fought against the Soviet State until 1953 Later Bandera assassinated from KGB in 1959 to Germany

[@thechekist2044]

Good

[@Pfsif]

Man, those NKVD guys could convince they whole world a simple cold was really a deadly pandemic.

[@dylanesworthy9532]

Please don’t sully a respectable historical channel thread with conspiracy theories. But feel free to bring that to the 4chan abyss where it belongs

[@Pfsif]

@@dylanesworthy9532 Put your mask on prop-boy.

[@oacy16]

SudoplA'tov

[@alasseon99]

Gulags were much better than German POW camps that always should be said!

[@gorkyd7912]

Depends. If you're an American or British soldier, definitely not.

[@alasseon99]

@@gorkyd7912 I agree, just pointing that Slavs were threaded very bad in German POW camps and people always saying gulags. Death rate of German POW was 10% (would be lower if they haven't been starved by German command at Stalingrad) and 90% of Soviet POW died in German captivity. But gulags are so frightening. Ballocks!

[@gorkyd7912]

@@alasseon99 Gulags are still more frightening because if you were put in one in 1944 you may not get out until 1965.

[@kaiyuzheng7663]

@@gorkyd7912 Surely walking out of a Gulag in 1965 is better than flying out of the chimney of a concentration camp in 1944, unless you had already lost the will to live when captured.

[@f4ust85]

​@@alasseon99 Death rate of German POW was 10 % huh? Hilarious. According to German archives, 3,060,000 were taken prisoner by the USSR and 1,094,250 died in captivity, thats 30 %. Even the official stalinist fairytale is 15 % at (silly) 356 700 dead. Thats more than many extermination camps.

[@jamespasquali7693]

Wimpy traitors. What happened to the guy when he went back to East Germany? Many of the “Stalingrad Traitors” were murdered on the train ride home in 1954 or 1956 (I can’t remember which).

[@f4ust85]

I wonder what you would do, Pasquali. He died in 1972 in Cologne, his son became a rather well known professor of economy.

[@paulfewings2688]

Interesting.. Blessings To Fellow American Patriots Amen

[@f4ust85]

What the HELL are you on, Paul?

[@robertdurning6641]

"Heeresgruppe Mitte"? Would it be that much trouble to just say Army Group Center?

[@f4ust85]

He sells the fact that he can pronounce German. Unfortunatelly he cannot even pronounce mainstream Russian surnames such as Sudoplatov.

[@biacampbell676]

CCCP FOREVER GREAT ❤️

[@combrogi]

You make an interesting story sound utterly boring. You need someone who can put some emotion and energy into speaking instead of sending us all to sleep 💤

[@billd.iniowa2263]

What a great story! Never heard of anything like this. Always warms my heart to hear when nazis are made fools of. When a thief gets ripped off, everybody wins! Well, except the thief. Thats called justice. ;-)