Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to the Nazi-Soviet War
- Cambridge Companions to History
- The Cambridge Companion to the Nazi-Soviet War
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Part I Conceptions of War
- Part II Opposing Forces
- Part III Campaigns
- Part IV Criminality and Occupation
- 13 Mass Murder in the German-Occupied East, 1941–1944
- 14 Soviet Crimes at Times of War, 1941–1945
- Part V Home Fronts
- Part VI Comrades in Arms
- Part VII Post-war Legacies and Myth-Making
- A Guide to Further Reading
- Index
14 - Soviet Crimes at Times of War, 1941–1945
from Part IV - Criminality and Occupation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 November 2025
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Edited by
Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to the Nazi-Soviet War
- Cambridge Companions to History
- The Cambridge Companion to the Nazi-Soviet War
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Part I Conceptions of War
- Part II Opposing Forces
- Part III Campaigns
- Part IV Criminality and Occupation
- 13 Mass Murder in the German-Occupied East, 1941–1944
- 14 Soviet Crimes at Times of War, 1941–1945
- Part V Home Fronts
- Part VI Comrades in Arms
- Part VII Post-war Legacies and Myth-Making
- A Guide to Further Reading
- Index
Summary
This chapter argues that Soviet crimes at times of war were both widespread and complex in their origin, goals, logic, and trajectory. It distinguishes and explains several forms of Soviet criminality during its defensive war against Germany in 1941–1945: crimes against humanity and war crimes, both perpetrated by agents of the state and often in accordance with explicitly formulated state policy; troop crimes, not guided by state policy but often understood to be in its fulfilment by the perpetrators; and a variety of violent and criminal behaviour emanating from small group bonding, both within the military and outside of it. The chapter explains their origins and charts the reasons why there was so much silence about the criminality of the Soviet war effort after victory.
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- The Cambridge Companion to the Nazi-Soviet War , pp. 248 - 262Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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