Unprecedented case of escape - how 5 prisoners of war escaped from the Nazi hell

At the beginning of 1942, there was an acute need for manpower in the occupied territories of Belarus. The Nazis began to use prisoners of concentration camps and prisoners of war. They were actively sent to work at factories, removal of debris, the railroad and other facilities. The project "Genocide. Without the Right to Live" tells an amazing story that happened in March 1942 in Zhdanovichi.

A German convoy from the forest prisoner-of-war concentration camp delivered another batch of workers. It was formed of prisoners. The workers immediately went to their places and under the gaze of the guards froze in anticipation of the distribution of tools and materials. The foreman (that was the name given by the camp administration to the head of the work crew) stayed longer than usual at the distribution point. Displeased about something, he was going through his tools. A dispute broke out with the guard. The foreman tried to prove that the tools were wrong and the materials were bad. An unexpected blow came from behind. The guard slowly began to sink to the floor. In an instant the German convoy was disarmed and eliminated by the prisoners.

It was an unprecedented case of a daring attack on the guards, followed by an escape. Five prisoners of war, having overpowered the convoy and taken possession of weapons, managed to escape from the Nazi hell. Subsequently, together with the residents of the Zaslavl District they organized a partisan detachment "Sturm" and fought against the occupiers.

At that time it was akin to a feat - no one had ever managed to escape from a concentration camp. Moreover, we are talking about a camp, where the regime was particularly brutal. But even in these conditions, this escape was not the only one.