“PUT A MACHINE GUN BEHIND ME”: THE MOOD AND BEHAVIOR OF THE INMATES OF THE KOLTUBAN NKVD FILTRATION CAMP (1942–1943)

The article examines the mood and behavior of the Red Army soldiers who were filtered into the Koltuban NKVD camp in 1942–1943, returned from enemy captivity or lived in the occupied territory for a long time. An assessment is given of the reliability and completeness of the NKVD data on their thoughts and actions. The survey of sentiments is based on the statements recorded in the reports of the political department of the camp. The author reveals the inmates’ desire to get to the front as soon as possible, their demands to speed up the filtration, dissatisfaction with the futility of their stay in the camp to win the war, but also statements about their consent to remain in the camp until the end of the war. The NKVD data on the behavior of inmates are analyzed: violations of the regime, attitude to work, circumstances of absences, escapes and suicides. Among the prisoners, groups with special behavior were singled out: women, command staff, persons who held lower administrative positions. The data on the interactions and conflicts of prisoners with each other are considered, the tension in the relations between the bulk of the prisoners and the camp servants is highlighted. In the moods and behavior of the Koltuban camp prisoners, what is common and unique in comparison with other filtration camps is traced. Conclusions are drawn about the evolution of the identity of the prisoners during the filtration, the degree of their acceptance of the idea of guilt for misbehavior on the battlefield, the impact on these processes of the special conditions of the Koltuban camp.