The closing months of war

Photograph of a Russian POW taken by Harry Fridkin during his time as a prisoner.

Harry Fridkin

In the death throes of the war, large numbers of the POW camps throughout Europe were closed down. Anticipating the approaching British and American forces (numbering several thousand) German guards marched Russian prisoners in the opposite direction to the Allied forces. This provided POWs like Charles Constable and Harry Fridkin with a chance to escape.

The majority of POWs held captive by German forces were liberated fairly quickly. British POWs were eventually returned home, but the ordeal continued for the Red Army ex-POWs: Stalin had every surrendered Russian sent to the Gulag as punishment for being captured.

This page was added by Rosie Hart on 22/11/2011.

Comments about this page

This really brings home the horrors of war but it is so important these stories are told. What a wonderful website!

By Jean Gordon
On 07/05/2012

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Prisoners of War