| POW Camps |
 |
1939 - 1944 |
| POW Camps |
|
1939 - 1944 |
.
Prisoners of War and POW Camps in Finland during Winter War 1939 - 1940 Home Troops Staff formed together
with Finnish Prison Services four POW camps and
two POW organizing camps. Fifth POW camp was formed in
March 1940. The numbers of Soviet POWs (in camps) were as
follows:
. On 3.12.1939 Supreme HQ gave an order to separate POWs into six "classes" (numbers on 8.4.1940 in parenthesis) which were:
Those who had committed war crimes during
the period they were POWs were handled individually in Department
Prisons. On 13.3.1940 POWs belonging to about 20
Soviet minorities were sent to Turku Department
Prison (Kakola) because it was noticed that Russians
had "pressured" them. That was the main reason
for even more accurate separation of political and
ethnical minorities and groups during the Continuation
War. The biggest minority group during Winter War were
the about 500 Ukrainian POWs. POW Hospitals At the end of December 1939 wounded POWs
were ordered to be sent to Military Hospital 28
at Kokkola where was formed a separate ward for POWs. Aftermath According to interim peace terms majority of POWs were changed between 16.4 - 25.4.1940. 74 of them refused to return back to USSR. The last about 170 wounded, injured by frost and sick POWs were moved to USSR during May 1940 from Military hospital 28. International Red Cross announced
after the war that Finland had accommodated and supplied
POWs according to international requirements and
agreements. Finnish POW Camps during Winter War 1939 - 1940
. Prisoners of War and POW Camps in
Finland during Continuation POW camps were initially subordinated to Home Troops Staff but since autumn 1943 they were taken under the command of Finnish Supreme HQ. On 2.9.1943 a new POW Commander Col. S. Malm started working under the General Staff. There were additionally two Inspectors of POW Camps of Supreme HQ. They were Col. M. Spåre for Western Finland and Lt.Col. C. Björklund for Eastern Finland and occupied areas. During the Continuation War between 25.6.1941 and 4.9.1944 Finns captured tens of thousands Soviet soldiers. Many of them were wounded or suffered from deseases and malnutrition when they surrendered or were captured. Physically healthy enough POWs were at first send to one of two POW Organizing Camp [Sotavankijärjestelykeskus, Sv.Järj.K] where they were registered and "classed" for further transport to a POW Camp [Sotavankileiri, Sv.leiri]. There were separate camps for higher officers who didn't have to work, for political POWs (such as known politrucs and members of the Communist Party and Komsomol) and for Finno-Ugric "tribe POWs" who were separated from other Soviet soldiers partly due to their language. Additionally there was a special discipline camp for especially troublesome POWs. On 12.7.1941 there were room for 24.000 POWs in Finnish POW camps. The real amounts exceeded much above that causing serious problems. The biggest POW camp was Ajossaari at Kemi, Northern Finland which could accommodate 5.000 POWs. Most camps were much smaller and their sizes varied from a few hundred to 2.000 POWs. By the end of August 1941 there were a total of 18 POW camps in use. All POWs wore Soviet uniforms which Finns had captured during the war. Large white letter "V" [vanki = prisoner] was painted on the back of the tunics and great coats to indicate a POW. Many prisoners worked in heavy lumbering sites and during summers floated lumber but some skilled ones worked also in factories as well as in harbours, railway stations and especially in farming. Prisoners were paid two Finnish Marks a working day as a daily allowance but they couldn't get that money for their personal disposal because money was used to obtain things POWs needed or wanted - for example extra clothes, cigarets and food. Most "employers" paid extra pays if prisoners worked well. Working day was normal 8 hours or in some cases 10 hours. Also Germans had POW camps in northern
Finland but Finns had nothing to do with these. POW Hospitals The most badly wounded and sick ones were sent to POW hospitals which were called military hospitals [Sotasairaala, Sota.S]. At the end of August 1941 about 21% of all POWs were wounded or sick, but most of them were in local "hospitals" of POW camps. On 3.7.1941 28th Military Hospital
at Kokkola, Western Finland, was reserved for POWs. Actually
it consisted of six separate hospital buildings around
the city. Other ones were 63rd Military Hospital
at Utti and 65th Military Hospital at
Lappeenranta. In 1943 there were a total of four such
hospitals which were located at Kokkola, Viipuri,
Lappeenranta and Helylä. Initially they were under the
command of Medical Department of Supreme HQ but
since late summer 1941 POW hospitals were moved under the
command of Home Troops Staff just like POW camps. The Disastrous Winter and Spring 1942 In winter 1941 - 1942 a bad food situation in Finland led to serious malnutrition in POW camps. Although the food portions were in theory equal for everyone (except for Finnish front soldiers), POWs, who were weaker than average civilians in Finland, began dieing in malnutrition and various deseases. During the worst months much more than 1.000 POWs died. Althought Finland suffered from the serious lack of food in winter and spring 1942 the food portions of POWs were slightly enlarged when the lowest possible portion was suspended. International Red Cross also delivered vitamine pills which corrected the worst situation by summer 1942. It took until the next harvest in the late summer 1942 when other measures began affecting. Later in 1943 Red Cross supplied food packages from USA (sic!), Sweden, Switzerland and even from Argentina. Since late 1942 food portions were again enlarged and by the summer 1943 the dying rate had dropped back to normal level. The health situation among POWs improved significantly when many of them began working in farms - sometimes even without armed sentries. POWs received now extra portions because they usually ate the same food as the others. The following table shows the total numbers
of Soviet POWs in Finland and the numbers of died Soviet
POWs in Finland during Continuation War:
. Escapings and Punishments A total of 1.132 Soviet POWs escaped from Finnish camps and according to Finnish sources about 200 of them succeeded in returning back to USSR and most likely were sent to Soviet camps. About 1.000 Soviet POWs were shot or executed during the war in Finland. Sentries shot them during unsuccesful escape attempts or for self-defense but there have also been questionable cases. Thirteen Finnish sentries were killed in camps when POWs attacked them. During the war hundreds of Soviet spyes (secret agents), desants, partisans and soldiers in other special secret duties were captured and usually sentenced to death after examination and military trial. Enemy soldiers met in civilian clothes or in Finnish uniforms didn't have the status of POW and were executed. In certain Finnish POW camps whipping was a
common punishment for continuous insubordination. It was
allowed only for the permission of camp commander. Its
use was although reduced during the war. Aftermath After the Continuaton War a total of 44.453 Soviet POWs were returned back to Soviet Union during October and November 1944. In autumn 1944 about 1.400 former POWs escaped to Sweden because they didn't want to return to Soviet Union. Many of them were former volunteer tribal soldiers or those who had co-operated with Finns. After the war about 300 Finnish sentries
were sentenced for the killing of Soviet POWs in unclear
conditions. The proves were in most cases so weak that
sentences were short or suspended. |
.
Finnish
POW Camps during Continuation and Lapland Wars 1941 - 1945
| Finnish Name (Name in English): |
Location (Main Camp): |
Dates: (s = summer; a =autumn) |
No. of Sub- camps: |
Notes: Commander |
| Sotavankijärjestelyleiri 1 (POW Organizing Camp 1) Sotavankijärjestelyleiri 2 |
Nastola . Naarajärvi |
7.41 - 14.11.44 . 7.41 - 11.44 |
4 . 3 |
Lt.Col. C. Björklund . Col.
H. Kalm |
| Sotavankileiri 1 (POW Camp 1) Sotavankileiri 2 Sotavankileiri
3 Sotavankileiri
4 Sotavankileiri
5 Sotavankileiri
6 Sotavankileiri
7 Sotavankileiri
8 Sotavankileiri
9 Sotavankileiri
10 Sotavankileiri
11 Sotavankileiri
12 Sotavankileiri
13 Sotavankileiri 14 Sotavankileiri
15 Sotavankileiri
16 Sotavankileiri
17 Sotavankileiri
18 Sotavankileiri
19 Sotavankileiri
20 Sotavankileiri
21 Sotavankileiri
22 Sotavankileiri
23 Sotavankileiri
24 Sotavankileiri
31 Sotavankileiri
32 Sotavankileiri
33 Sotavankileiri
34 Sotavankileiri
51 |
Köyliö . Karvia Huittinen Pelso Orimattila Tuusula Karkkila Kolosjoki Kemi (Ajossaari) Värtsilä Valkeakoski Kurkijoki Ylikruunu Isokyrö Peräseinäjoki Impilahti Rautalampi Kälviä Kiuruvesi Paavola Liminka Pori Orivesi Riitasensuo Karhumäki *** Suomussalmi Perkjärvi Valkjärvi Latva |
7.41 - 11.44 . 7.41 - 10.42 7.41 - 7.41 - 2.42 7.41 - 7.41 - 7.41 - 8.41 - 7.41 - 9.41 - 4.43 8.41 - 1.42 8.41 - 12.42 8.41 - 2.42 7.41 - 7.41 - 8.41 - 7.41 - 7.41 - 1.42 7.41 - 7.41 - 7.41 - 11.41 - 2.42 12.41 - 12.42 6.42 - 5.43 - 6.44 5.43 - 9.43 - 6.44 3.44 - 6.44 5.42 - 6.44 |
- . - - - ? ? ? - 3 - - - - ? ? 8 - - ? 1 - - - 1 - 6 - - - |
For officer POWs. . Suspended in
October 1942. For
political POWs. Suspended
in February 1942. . . . . Lt. U.
Hannula Suspended
in April 1943. Suspended
in January 1942. Suspended
in December 1942. Ylikruunu
is at Kirvu. . . . . Suspended
in January 1942. . Paavola is
near Raahe. For Finno-Ugric
"tribal POWs". Suspended
in February 1942. Suspended
in December 1942. Discipline
camp. . Capt. A.
Jantunen . . Also known
as Latvajärvi. |
| Sotavankileiri 40 (POW Camp 40) Sotavankileiri 41 |
Vääksy . Oulu |
a 44 - ?.45 . 11.44 - ?.45 |
- . - |
For German POWs who were relieved to USSR. For German POWs who were |
| * Aunuksenkaupunki = Olonets ** Äänislinna = Petrozavodsk (Petroskoi) *** Karhumäki = Medvezegorsk POW camps of which location is
written with bright blue are inside the current Finnish
borders. |
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Sources: TALHI [4], JATHI [6],
PIEEI1 |
© 2003 - 30.1.2004 Harri Anttonen