From the day of the capture until the arrival at a regular prisoner of war camp the captivity was marked by improvisation. Noone was registrated during the march to collective camps, staying there or on the transport to a POW-camp. Many died anonymous.

1941/42
At this time there were no mass capitulations. The big catastrophes are starting with Stalingrad and end with the capitulation in 1945. At this time of the war the prisoner were transportet to Kasachstan and Ural. Officers came to Grjazovec.

Stalingrad and Don
The prisoners from Stalingrad had to march in a zig zag through the far country. All those who had to give up were shot. When they finnlay reached a collective point they had to stay there for several month. 18.000 of the 91.000, who survived the battle of encirclement and annihilation, reached a POW-camp and only 6.000 of them survived captivity.

Čerkassy-Korsun:
After the encirclement battle about 11.000 prisoners came to collective points first. After that most came to the Donez area, Zaporoz'e and Kirovograd. Officers came to Grjazovec, Krasnogorsk and Moscow

Krim:
The 65.000 prisoners from the Krim had to march 40-50 kilometers dayly after they were captured. One group from Sevastopol over Bachcisaraj to Dzankoi. The second group from Belogorsk to Armavir (Caucasus), it took 4 weeks. The third group from the Perekop-isthmus  to camps around Melitopol. About 10.000 remained at the Krim, 30.000 in the Donez-area, 7.500 Caucasus, 3.000 Tambov area, 6.500 Brjansk and Bezica. One half of the 5.000 Officers came to Krasnogorsk and the other to Grjazovec. Further 3.000 came to the Urals.

Brody:
The soldiers from Brody had to march 110 to 160 kilometers to the collective points. Most of them were transported to Kiev and had to take part on the propaganda-march. After that 7.000 remained in Kiev, 7.500 came to the Donez-area, 5.000 to Cernigov area, 4.500 to Saratov at the Wolga and smaller groups to Odessa, Zitomir, Voronez, Chafkov, Javas, Lebedjan, Orsk and Kirov. Officers came to Krasnogorsk, Moscow und Grjazovec. (veteran's story)

Middle-section:
The 150.000 prisoners of the Heeresgruppe Mitte had to march zig zag also. An aggravating factor was the heat of the summer in 1944 and the lack of water. About 52.000 had to take part on the propaganda-march in Moscow and a small group on the march in Kiev. Finally 17.000 reachd the camps in the Donez-area, 10.000 Cerepovec, 10.000 Stalingrad area, 7.000 Voronez area, 5.000 Kujbysev at the Wolga, 5.000 Nikolaev at the Black Sea, 5.000 Borovici, small groups came to the Urals, Caucasus, Gorkij, Kazan (Officers) and Saratov. 15.000 men even had to endure the long transport to Kazakhstan. On the marches to the collective points every fifth soldier died. On the transports to the POW camps death yield a large crop but the soldiers were much too apathetic to give details about deceased comrades. Definitive the destiny of the Heeresgruppe Mitte prisoners was as hard than the destiny of the Stalingrad prisoners.

Romania:
After Stalingrad and the Heeresgruppe Mitte followed in Romania the capitulation of the Heeresgruppe Südukraine in August/September 1944. Also these 115.000 had to fight against the heat. 30-35 percent died during marches of more than 100 kilometers. 10-15 percent died during the tranports from the collective points to the POW camps. The survivors came to: 15.000 Donez area, 8.000 Scerbakov area, 7.500 Voronez area, 7.500 Kiev area, 5.000 North-Caucasus und 5.000 area Celjabinsk/Ural. Small groups around Gofkij, Kujbysev, Moscow, Vologda, Chafkov, Stalingrad, Astrachan, Odessa, Penza, Minsk, Molotov and at the Krim.

Hongary/Austria:
The prisoners from Hungary marched up to 200 kilometers until they reached a collective point. The prisoners from the eastern part of Austria were mainly transported to Russia. Doesn’t matter if the stayed in US or British camps before. Even German soldiers from Upper Bavaria and the Lower Palatinate were handed to the Red Army. They were transported to: 70.000 Caucasus, 40.000 Donez area, 30.000 Ural, 20.000 Ukraine, 20.000 Orel, 15.000 Javas, 15.000 Galicia, 12.000 Krim, 10.000 Gorkij, 10.000 Stalingrad, 8.000 asian part of Russia, 7.000 Moscow, 6.000 Kujbysev und 4.000 Baltic states. Small groups were found in Petrozavodsk, Archangel'sk, Leningrad, Vologda, Kirov, Minsk, Kisinev and Königsberg.

Kurland:
Just a small part of the 189.000 prisoners of the Kurlandarmee was sent to Russia. They had to march relatively short distances to the collective points. These points became POW camps later. 14.000 came to Leningrad area, 14.000 White Russia, 13.000 Ural, 10.000 asian part of Russia, 5.000 Gofkij area, 4.000 Javas area, 3.500 Voronez area and 3.000 to Ukraine. Smaller groups came to Karelia, Vologoda, Molotov, Kirov, Jarosav'l, Cerepovec, Moskow, Elabuga (Officers) and Stalingrad.

Poland/East-Germany
After the 800.000 prisoners marched up to 300 kilometers they reachd the about 60 collective points. From summer 1945 until early 1947 the camps were closed. During this period 70.000 prisoners were transferred to Poland, 30.000 criticalliy ill soldiers were send home and 100.000 died. The remaining 600.000 were spread on the 650 camps in the Soviet Union..

Berlin/Mark Brandenburg:
After long marches the journey started in Frankfurt at the Oder. During stops in Posen, Silesia orPoland the transports were mixed with POW’s from Poland/East-Germany. With some certainity it can be said that about 45.000 soldiers were send to Moskow area, 25.000 to western Ukraine, 20.000 Ural, 15.000 in das Donez-area, 15. Baltic and 10.000 Orel area. Further 4.000 to Leningrad area and Karelia, 3.000 East-Prussia, 7.000 Galicia, 3.000 Vysnij Volcek area, 4.000 Vologda area, 4.500 Izevsk area, 4.500 Kujbysev, 6.000 Saratov, 4.500 Tbilisi and 500 to the asian part.

Czechia /Saxony:
After the capitulation of the Heeresgruppe Mitte 800.000 soldiers became a prisoner in Czechia and the eastern part of Saxony. The US camps in Wallern, Pisek and Eger were handed to the Red Army. 25.000 died on marches or in collective camps, 65.000 were handed to Czechoslovakia and 75.000 had not to untergo the captivity in Russia because they were unable to work or escaped. The remaining 635.000 soldiers were transportet via Rumania, Poland, Hungary or Austra to Russia.