TURKESTANI SOLDIERS IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR: MILITARY SERVICE, CAPTIVITY AND HISTORICAL MEMORY

Abstract

The participation of soldiers from historical Turkestan in the Second World War represents an important but insufficiently studied dimension of twentieth-century history. Thousands of Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Turkmens, Tajiks and representatives of other Central Asian communities served in the Soviet armed forces, worked in military industries and supported the front through agricultural production. At the same time, a considerable number of Central Asian soldiers were captured during the first years of the German–Soviet war and experienced hunger, disease, forced labour and ideological pressure in prisoner-of-war camps. Some prisoners were later recruited into military formations created by Nazi Germany, including the Turkestan Legion. This paper argues that the wartime experience of Turkestani soldiers cannot be reduced either to a heroic Soviet narrative or to accusations of collaboration. Their experiences should be examined through the broader contexts of mobilization, colonial and national identity, captivity, coercion, survival and post-war memory.