After the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September 1939 and annexation of eastern Poland the Soviets ordered four mass deportations from eastern Poland, the first of which took place on Febuary 10th when entire families were transported in sub-zero temperatures. Entire towns and communities were brutally deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan to Soviet forced labour camps.It is estimated that between 1 million and 2 million Poles were sent in cattle cars to the Soviet Union. Around 60-70% did not survive the ordeal, with many dying in the first year of exile. Of those deported, some 380,000 were children under 14, with many who lost their parents dying themselves from starvation or lack of care.
After the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September 1939 and annexation of eastern Poland the Soviets ordered four mass deportations from eastern Poland, the first of which took place on Febuary 10th when entire families were transported in sub-zero temperatures. Entire towns and communities were brutally deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan to Soviet forced labour camps.It is estimated that between 1 million and 2 million Poles were sent in cattle cars to the Soviet Union. Around 60-70% did not survive the ordeal, with many dying in the first year of exile. Of those deported, some 380,000 were children under 14, with many who lost their parents dying themselves from starvation or lack of care.
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