Return after 11 years

The last German prisoners of war return from the Soviet Union

Well over three million German prisoners of war (POWs) were being held in Soviet camps by 1945. Whilst some two million had returned home by the early 1950s, the fate of many others remained a matter of uncertainty. When he was invited to Moscow for talks in September 1955, West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer took the opportunity to negotiate the return of around 10,000 POWs. The last group arrived by train in Herleshausen in northern Hesse on 14 January 1956.

Only gradually did the Germans realize how many would not return. Over a million German POWs did not survive the harsh conditions in Soviet labour camps, and a further 1.3 million military personnel still remain unaccounted for today. In comparison, 3.3 million of the 5 million Soviet POWs held in German camps died during the Second World War.