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The Germans hated the Russians (and generally anyone east of them). You had a 57% chance of dying if you were a soviet POW, compared to a 3.6% chance if you wer

The Germans hated the Russians (and generally anyone east of them). You had a 57% chance of dying if you were a soviet POW, compared to a 3.6% chance if you were British or American [0]. [0] - https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-persecution-of-soviet-prisoners-of-war https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-perse...

mbg721 6y ago
The idea of "Hogan's Heroes" resonating at all is still utterly bizarre to me, given the legacy that we have now of WWII Germany, but I guess with some countries, gentlemen's rules of war were still a thing.
- cafard 6y ago
  I'm not sure who still finds Hogan's Heroes resonant. I enjoyed it when it was on, but I was about ten, and not particularly up on history.
kstenerud 6y ago
The Russians had a reputation for brutality, and so were considered by the German army to be undeserving of the gentleman's rules of war. Once Germany finally fell, many civilians were raped or killed or starved under the occupying Russian forces. People either hunkered down and hoped for a miracle, or fled to anywhere they could find that was controlled by the French, English, or Americans, who had a reputation for the rule of law.
- excannuck 6y ago
  The Germans are lucky to still exist after what they did out East. Any other people, having suffered what the Slavs did under the Nazis would have cancelled them. Yes, I know the Soviet were mean to the poor conquered Germans. Freda Utley even wrote a book about it. Too bad. Perhaps after 1000 years of trying to invade Russia they've finally learned not to. Belarus alone lost 20% of its civilian population. Consider that the Americans (who by comparison didn't suffer at all in WW2) wanted to starve the German people to extinction after WW2 [1]. Imagine, then, the self control the Soviets, who actually did suffer in WW2, not to annihilate them. You talk of rape and speak of the Russians as being "undeserving of the gentleman's rules of war". What do you think the Germans did in Belarus, Ukraine, Russia? hand out chocolates to win the hearts and minds of the locals? [1] Morgenthau Plan
- cafard 6y ago
  The Russian POWs were treated terribly long before the Red Army had any chance to maltreat German civilians.

mbg721 6y ago

The idea of "Hogan's Heroes" resonating at all is still utterly bizarre to me, given the legacy that we have now of WWII Germany, but I guess with some countries, gentlemen's rules of war were still a thing.

cafard 6y ago
I'm not sure who still finds Hogan's Heroes resonant. I enjoyed it when it was on, but I was about ten, and not particularly up on history.

kstenerud 6y ago

The Russians had a reputation for brutality, and so were considered by the German army to be undeserving of the gentleman's rules of war. Once Germany finally fell, many civilians were raped or killed or starved under the occupying Russian forces. People either hunkered down and hoped for a miracle, or fled to anywhere they could find that was controlled by the French, English, or Americans, who had a reputation for the rule of law.

excannuck 6y ago
The Germans are lucky to still exist after what they did out East. Any other people, having suffered what the Slavs did under the Nazis would have cancelled them. Yes, I know the Soviet were mean to the poor conquered Germans. Freda Utley even wrote a book about it. Too bad. Perhaps after 1000 years of trying to invade Russia they've finally learned not to. Belarus alone lost 20% of its civilian population. Consider that the Americans (who by comparison didn't suffer at all in WW2) wanted to starve the German people to extinction after WW2 [1]. Imagine, then, the self control the Soviets, who actually did suffer in WW2, not to annihilate them. You talk of rape and speak of the Russians as being "undeserving of the gentleman's rules of war". What do you think the Germans did in Belarus, Ukraine, Russia? hand out chocolates to win the hearts and minds of the locals? [1] Morgenthau Plan
cafard 6y ago
The Russian POWs were treated terribly long before the Red Army had any chance to maltreat German civilians.