A claim exists that one German soldier escaped from the Stalingrad encirclement on foot and reached German lines, but I don't know the truth of the matter.
However, while I was researching the German defense of the Crimea in 1943 through 1944, I discovered that the Soviet Red Army used numerous German and probably Romanian prisoners of war captured at Stalingrad and elsewhere to help construct underwater bridges needed to move tanks and motorized vehicles across the Sivash swamp region. (See the map posted below.)
German Stukas and fighter-bombers routinely attacked this region to disrupt the Soviet construction efforts. Following one German air attack, a few German prisoners escaped during the confusion and managed to reach the German and Romanian defensive lines. There was only a brief mention of these individuals in the German records. German intelligence officers interrogated these men to validate their claims, but I was unable to discern their eventual fate.
Typically, German soldiers who escaped Soviet captivity—a rare event—were transferred to other theaters of war. This was done to protect them from undoubtedly harsh retribution in the event they ever fell into Soviet hands again.
Related:
What did the German soldiers think of the American soldiers during World War ll?
Many were frustrated by the American way of warfare, especially the officers who could not call upon the resources that their enemy could. The common soldier was... (Read Full)
