Stalin’s Defectors: How Red Army Soldiers became Hitler’s Collaborators, 1941-1945

Venue: Theatre D (155), Old Arts Theatre D

Presenters: Professor Mark Edele

The question of Red Army soldiers crossing the line to the Germans during the German-Soviet war of 1941-45 has long obsessed historians. Some have treated all Soviet prisoners of war as deserters to the enemy, while others have tried to minimize the phenomenon. This lecture explores newly available evidence from German and Soviet sources in an empirical exploration of the reasons, the extent, and the problems of the process of switching allegiance at the frontline. In a second step, the lecture will explore how this phenomenon adjusts our perception about the Soviet war effort and the political loyalties of ordinary Soviet citizens.

Mark Edele is Professor of History at the University of Western Australia, where he has been teaching history and historiography since 2004.

from
https://events.unimelb.edu.au/events/7105-stalin-s-defectors-how-red-army-soldiers-became-hitler-s-collaborators-1941-1945