Prisoner of War Camp No. 126

It was founded on June 16, 1943 in the city of Shadrinsk, Kurgan Region, located on the left bank of the Iset River. The first two groups of German prisoners of war, numbering 996, arrived at the camp on September 18, 1943. Moving to Ukraine began in February 1944, first to Chernihiv, then to Krivoy Rog. When moving from the camp, 759 people were transferred to the 84th camp ( Asbestovsky ). ^[one]

On May 10, 1944, the camp was moved to Nikolaev , where it was located on part of the territory of the former German concentration camp " Stalag-364 ". The number of prisoners of war in it was 1196.

The first batch of prisoners of war in 8600 arrived in the camp in September 1944. At the end of 1945, the camp contingent totaled up to 20 thousand prisoners.

The labor of the camp contingent was used to restore the 61 Kommunar Shipbuilding Plant, the Andre Marti Shipbuilding Plant , the seaport, and the V.P. Chkalov Drama Theater. Nikolaev shipbuilding institute, construction and shipbuilding technical schools, Nikolaev TPP , roads, housing stock, tram tracks, etc.

The first release from the camp took place already in the autumn of 1945, and affected the sick, disabled and disabled, as well as those prisoners who had been tested and were not involved in war crimes, and were not suspected of such cases.

Before the closure of the camp, in May 1949, about 200 prisoners of war suspected of committing war crimes, together with about 400 people from camp No. 159 in Odessa, were transferred to other camps located in Roy and Kurakhovo.

The camp ceased to exist in 1949.

For some time, separate buildings were used as dormitories for employees of the Kommunar Shipyard, but with the resettlement of the village of Temvod in the 1980s, the remains of the camp were destroyed due to the expansion of the plant.

The contingent of the camp consisted of prisoners of war between the ages of 17 and 50 years old " capable of physical labor and carrying arms, " mainly from Germany. According to German sources, the camp also contained about a dozen women aged 20-30 from Romania.

In total, almost 28,000 prisoners passed through the camp: more than 15,000 Germans, almost 8,000 Hungarians, about 3,100 Romanians, more than 1,000 Moldovans or Bessarabians, 628 Austrians. In total, there were representatives from at least 28 countries in the camp, including gypsies and two Jews.

The contingent was divided into battalions according to the national principle: 9 German battalions, 6 - Hungarian, 2 - Romanian (in which there were other nationalities).

During the five years of the camp’s existence, up to 2,000 prisoners in it died due to illnesses. Most deaths occurred in 1944-1945. According to the data of the German People’s Union for the Care of War Graves in the Nikolaev cemetery, there are 383 graves of prisoners of war camp, dated from 1945-1949.

The labor of prisoners of war of the fascist army was used in paid forced labor to rebuild the city. Salaries were paid at republican rates in relation to civilian workers. An 8-hour working day was set for the contingent with a half-hour break at noon; in winter, in rooms without heating, the working day was reduced to 4-6 hours. Related to the wellness group worked on light jobs. This schedule sometimes, in 1944-1945, could be broken, but, as a rule, it was really observed.

Nutrition: on average, about 3200 calories per day were released per prisoner (although, for example, 1,500 were counted by a prisoner in the Soviet Gulag). With the onset of the famine of 1946-1947, an average of 2,368 calories per day. Eating was carried out twice a day and included half a liter of soup, and 200 grams of porridge for lunch. The basis of the diet was 600 grams of bread, and after 1945, baked from high-grade flour - before the surrender of Germany, beets were added to the flour. Regular prisoners were given a small amount of sugar, tobacco (shag), soap and matches. Depending on the fulfillment of the working norm, the brigades received an extra charge - when performing 80% - 100 grams, and when doing 100% - 200 grams of bread per person.

Pedestrian staging was carried out at a distance of up to 3 km, the contingent was transported by road over long distances.

The internal management of the camp was in the hands of the prisoners of war themselves, selected by the camp administration. When choosing, the role played by age, way of thinking, knowledge of the Russian language. They were relieved of work outside the camp, and monitored the maintenance of cleanliness and order in the camp.

Since the vast majority of prisoners did not have production skills, they were trained at vocational courses for plasterers, concrete workers, painters, carpenters, roofers, locksmiths, fitters, plumbers, electricians, electric welders, stove heaters.

Starting in the summer of 1946, football matches were held in the camp, which were very popular among the contingent among Germans and Hungarians.

It is known that as a result of political and educational work, some prisoners of war joined the Komsomol, joined the ranks of the Communists.

• Taras Kremin - Nikolaev Buchenwald , NikVesti, May 27, 2012

• Prisoners of war in the USSR during the Second World War
• List of Soviet camps of German prisoners of war of the Second World War