Presence of the B. A. Smyslovsky’s Detachment in Liechtenstein in 1945–47: Documents of the National Archive of the Principality of Liechtenstein (Landesarchiv des Furstentums Liechtenstein)

Scientific article

УДК 930.25+002.6.01/.09+651.5+930.23+930.24+002.6.048.26+002.61+308+304.5+316.42+304.444+32.019.5+327.3+35.081.716+34.096+327.35+172.4+323.1+323.13+327.39+35.977.535.3

doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2023-4-1067-1081

Popov, A. V.

Russian State University of the Humanities, Moscow, Russian Federation

Presence of the B. A. Smyslovsky’s Detachment in Liechtenstein in 1945–47: Documents of the National Archive of the Principality of Liechtenstein (Landesarchiv des Furstentums Liechtenstein)

Abstract

The article presents an archivistics review of documents on Russian displaced persons, their internment and subsequent repatriation after end of World War II, which were deposited in the National Archive of the Principality of Liechtenstein (Liechtenstein Landesarchiv). In the fond of the Government of Liechtenstein from the National Archive of the Principality of Liechtenstein, there are some few documents on displaced persons of the Second World War; some shed light on the stay of the detachment of B. A. Smyslovsky on the territory of the principality in 1945–47. A group of 494 Russian servicemen led by B. A. Smyslovsky crossed the Liechtenstein border near Schellenberg overnight into May 3, 1945. Later, 290 voluntarily returned to the USSR. The fate of those internees who remained in Liechtenstein was decided in 1947. B. A. Smyslovsky obtained permission to enter Argentina, about 100 former servicemen of the 1st RNA moved to Argentina with him. Some few army officers and soldiers were able to leave for European countries, primarily, France. The last servicemen of the B. A. Smyslovsky’s detachment left the principality in October 1947. In general, documents from the National Archive of the Principality of Liechtenstein are quite informative and useful for researchers of the history of post-war displaced persons. However, they need to be checked. In addition, researchers can refer to the documents of the personal provenance fond of the rector of the Intercession Church in Zurich, archpriest David Chubov, which is kept in the Museum of Russian Culture in San Francisco in the United States. The fond contains archpriest David Chubov’s correspondence with servicemen interned in Liechtenstein, his correspondence with the government of the principality, Protopresbyter Konstantin Izraztsov, the Argentine Consulate in Switzerland, and charitable organizations discussing legal paperwork for entry into Argentina. Since 2003, the documents have become available for Russian researchers in the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF) in form of microfilms. The documents of the Museum of Russian Culture in San Francisco were acquired by the GARF in 2002-03. In 2003, they formed a separate collection “Microfilm Collection of the Museum of Russian Culture in San Francisco. 1948-2000.”

Keywords

Archive, Russia, World War II, Liechtenstein, National Archive of the Principality of Liechtenstein, migration, displaced persons, post-war Europe, Russian emigration, Russian abroad, Smyslovsky, Argentina,

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References

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About the authors

Popov Andrey Vladimirovich, PhD in History, associate professor, Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russia, +7-916-770-86-74; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

ORCID 0000-0003-4398-8154

Submitted 27.03.2023, published (for citation):

POPOV, A. V. Prebyvanie v 1945-1947 gg. otryada B. A. Smyslovskogo v Likhtenshteine po dokumentam Natsional'nogo arkhiva Knyazhestva Likhtenshtein (Landesarchiv des F?rstentums Liechtenstein) [Presence of the B. A. Smyslovsky’s Detachment in Liechtenstein in 1945–47: Documents of the National Archive of the Principality of Liechtenstein (Landesarchiv des F?rstentums Liechtenstein). In Russ.]. IN: Vestnik arhivista / Herald of an Archivist, 2023, no. 4, pp. 1067-1081. doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2023-4-1067-1081