Figure 1.--Many of the children surviving the attrocities of retreating NAZI trrops were taken in by orphanages. Often their mothers and relatives had been killed and their fathers in the army. The younger ones were too young to rember their names and villages. In the chaotic situation, overwealmed officials lost track of where many of the children came from. Fathers reyurning frm the front had to seach for them by visiting orphanages. Many children were evacuated far from their home villages. Often they were never found by their farhers..

There were three groups of children displaced within the Soviet Uinon. First were children from countries invaded and annexed by the Soviet Union during the first 2 years of the War (1939-41). This was during the period where the Soviets and NAZIs were allies and actively carving up Europe between thm in a seties of aggressions. The NKVD deported large nunvers of of non-Russian peoples (Balts, Poles, and Romanians) wwere deported to the Soviet Union, both Central Asia and Sibria. This was primarily done in family groups. Secoind were the childreb displaced by the chaos created by the NAZI invasion and attricites (1941-44). Many families were deparated. Large numbers of people fled east. Skilled workers were evacuated east along with factories. Conditions were dreadful in the areas occupied by the NAZIs. The result of the war damage, attrocities, and deportations were a huge number of orphaned or displaced children. This problem was especially severe in the occupied areas. The NAZIs ignored the problem because their goal was to reduce the population of Slavs and the children in particular were of no economic value. Soviet authorities were thus left with a massive problem when they began liberating areas occupied by the NAZIs. Some children wondered the desolated cities or countryside. Many were taken in by orphanages. In some cases thei parents were dead. In other cases there parents or a parent survived the War but had difficulty finding what happened to their children. Third was the Soviet ethnic populations that Stalin esignated as treasones. They were also deported to Central Asia and Siberia. They included the Volga Germans, Crunen Tigers, Chechens, and others.

Orphaned Children during the Soiviet Era (1917-41)

Orphaned and dispalced children were not a problem that began with the German Barbarossa invasion (1941). This was prioblem throughout the Siviet era, but ghere sas two major periopds. The first was the Civil SWar era (1928-21). World ar I was a sisstert, but for the most part famolieds were not tin aprt. Fior yhje most part most of the casualtiues were men bdf he fighting as not in the Russian homeland. Thie Civil War was when large numbers of children were orphbnd nbdc dusplced. Another very diffivult era weas th the purches of yhe 1930s. The Shiw Trials were the tip of the horror obcuring the million sent to the Gulag and how the chidren were affected.

NKVD Deportations of Non-Soviet Children (1939-41)

The NKVD deported families from countries invaded and annexed by the Soviet Union during the first 2 years of the War (1939-41). This was during the period where the Soviets and NAZIs were allies and actively carving up Europe between thm in a seties of aggressions. The NKVD deported large nunbers of of non-Russian peoples (Balts, Poles, and Romanians) wwere deported to the Soviet Union, both Central Asia and Sibria. This was primarily done in family groups. Thus many of these children were with their families. The NKVD murdered many in the occupied countries, but primarily men.

Soviet Children Displaced by the German Invasion (1941-44)

The chaos created by the NAZI invasion separated many families. Large numbers of people fled east. Skilled workers were evacuated east along with factories. Conditions were dreadful in the areas occupied by the NAZIs. The result of the war damage, attrocities, and deportations were a huge number of orphaned or displaced children. This problem was especially severe in the occupied areas. The NAZIs ignored the problem because their goal was to reduce the population of Slavs and the children in particular were of no economic value. Soviet authorities were thus left with a massive problem when they began liberating areas occupied by the NAZIs. Some children wondered the desolated cities or countryside. The situation was handeled better than after World War I/Civil war when gangs of children banded together and roamed the countryside. Many orphanages were established to care for the children. In some cases their parents were dead. In other cases their parents or a parent survived the War but had difficulty finding what happened to their children. The problem was most severe with the younger children. They could not identify themselves and often basic records as to even the village they came from were lost in the chaotic situation. Some children were adopted or evacuated to distant locations. Fathers returning to destroyed villages had no way of knowing if their children had survived. They had to go from orphanage to orphanage. Special radio programs attempted to reunite families. Large numbers of children were never identified.

NKVD Deportations of Soviet Citizens

The NKVS deported Soviet ethnic populations that Stalin designated as treasonous. They were also deported to Central Asia and Siberia. They included the Volga Germans, Crunen Tigers, Chechens, and others.

Created: 6:01 AM 3/25/2005
Last updated: 6:25 AM 3/14/2015