It is well known that the alliance of Britain and the United States with Communist Russia was uneasy at best, the discovery of the mass grave at Katyn had the potential to cause a diplomatic disaster.
The Mass Grave in Katyn Forest
In April 1943 German soldiers, acting on information from the local residents, uncovered a mass grave in Katyn Forest containing thousands of bodies dressed in Polish Army uniforms. It was clear to the soldiers that although the bodies were relatively well preserved they were certainly not fresh and had been in the grave for some time. Nazi Germany immediately, and correctly, declared the Soviet Secret Police – the NKVD – responsible for the massacre.
Hitler’s Exploitation of the Massacre
When information about the discovery of the mass grave reached Hitler and the rest of the Nazi leadership, it was immediately used to justify the fight against Bolshevism and the war on the Eastern Front. The discovery of the grave came just two months after the Nazis were defeated at the battle of Stalingrad, a major defeat and a significant turning point in the Second World War. The massacre was an ideal opportunity to galvanise the German population as support for the war had decreased and morale was low.
The Allies’ Reaction to the Massacre
The discovery of the mass grave was broadcast throughout Germany and the news soon reached the Allies monitoring German radio. Britain and the United States were doubtful that Russian forces were responsible as that claim came from Goebbels’ Ministry of Propaganda. Soviet Russia claimed the Nazis were responsible for the massacre and pretended to discover the grave at a convenient time to sour relations between the Allies. Due to the Red Army’s victory at Stalingrad, the Allies refused to believe Nazi Germany and were not going to hold the Soviets responsible, despite the little amount of trust between them. Evidence of who carried out the massacre at the time was scant and in the hands of the Germans, for diplomatic reasons and the war effort it was much more convenient to blame Nazi Germany.
The Massacre and the Nuremberg Trials 1946
After the Second World War and Germany’s surrender, the Allies had captured a number of prominent Nazis and decided to put them on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The trials were presided over by judges from the victorious nations and the Russian prosecutors ironically attempted to use the Katyn massacre in their indictment. However there was more than enough evidence to charge the defendants and the massacre was dismissed.
Russia admits Responsibility for the Massacre
Despite Nazi Germany’s insistence of Soviet Russia’s culpability, it was not until the collapse of Communism that Gorbachev admitted – 50 years after the event – that Stalin had ordered the massacre in 1940. The thousands of victims were all Polish, captured by the Red Army and held in POW camps run by the NKVD until they were executed on Stalin’s orders and hastily buried in the forest.
Sources:
Burleigh, M. The Third Reich: A New History. London: Macmillan, 2001.
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