Krasnodar—The Trial of 1943 (review)

Film Review Krasnodar-The Trial of 1943, produced by Irmgard and Bengt von zur Mühlen, 1987; 16mm color film, 55 minutes; rental $150.00. The first World War II war crimes trial was convened by the Soviet authorities in Krasnodar in July 1943, not in Nuremberg by the allied powers in the autumn of 1945, as many believe. This film documents the activities of S.S. Group 10A and their Soviet collaborators during the German occupation between August 1942 and February 1943. During these six months, thirteen thousand Soviets, beginning with the Jews, were murdered in Krasnodar by the same means employed by the Nazis in the concentration camps. The documentary footage shown here was also used to inform the world about Nazi selection of victims and systematic extermination by gassing. The post-war claim by some of the allies that nothing was known about mass exterminations is thus refuted. As one might expect, the Soviets were particularly interested in bringing to justice Soviet collaborators. The Nazis of German nationality were to be punished, too, but the full measure of their retribution was to be meted out after the war. From 1941 to 1945, the years of the Russo-German War, Stalin was apprehensive about Soviet cooperation with the German invaders, and with good reason. By the time this conflict broke out, there was scarcely a Soviet family that had not suffered the loss of one of its members through Stalin's mass purges of the late 1930s, or as a result of his mismanagement of collectivization, or liquidation of "the class enemy" in conjunction with the collectivization drive. It took many months after the German invasion for Stalin to realize that his countrymen would fight for their nation without threats or blandishments of the Soviet leadership. During the first weeks of the war, the Soviets suffered great defeats, not only because the Germans had surprised Stalin's armies, but also because of ineffectual or incompetent leadership and some significant desertions. At the instigation of the Nazis, a so-called "liberation army" comprised of Soviet deserters was created and led by General Vlasov. Only because the Nazis never fully trusted this force until it was too late in the war, was it never effectively employed. Following World War II, whole Soviet populations, whether merely suspected of aiding the enemy, or having actually assisted them, were deported to remote areas or concentration camps, where many perished. The trial filmed in Krasnodar may have been the first of its kind of 71 World War II, but in at least one respect, it was no novelty in the USSR. In 1936, the world watched films of the old bolsheviks, Lenin's original collaborators , confessing in open court to crimes against the state. The trial at Krasnodar had about it the aspect of public confession, too. In both cases, the film maker eschewed any attempt to stir pity for the accused, and public confession of crimes was intended to precede punishment. Seemingly convinced of their guilt, both the old bolsheviks and the collaborators admitted their wrongdoings and seemed willing and ready to accept the punishment that was no more than their due for crimes against the Soviet people. The war-time film at Krasnodar, however, goes one step further than the show trial films by including footage of the execution of the collaborators. War time conditions had intensified the struggle against the class enemy, both on the battle field and at home. At last, "Krasnodar" conveys the impression, from the words of a witness to the execution, that this action has been willed by the nation against members of the class enemy. The executions, therefore, symbolize more than the single individual's, or a smaller group's, desire for revenge. The judgment of Krasnodar becomes the harbinger of collective national justice against the true capitalist instigators of the world conflict. Though wars and revolutions had hitherto fostered similar developments, collective judgment and punishment became standard practice with World War II, and have remained with us ever since. But perhaps the most important point made by this West German film towards the conclusion is that while the Soviets have continued to prosecute Soviet collaborators...