If someone in your family served in the German military formations during World War II and remained in Latvia after the war, it is very likely that their personal file of filtration is preserved in the Latvian State Archives. This blog post explains what a filtration file is and the type of information it may contain.
Filtration personal files concern individuals who ended up in screening-filtration stations and camps managed by the USSR People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD). These camps were established during World War II, initially to hold Red Army soldiers who had escaped German captivity or broken out from encirclement. Later, the camps also held those who had served in German military units, including Latvian police battalions and the Latvian Legion. Additionally, individuals forcibly conscripted by the Germans for labor or who had collaborated with German occupation authorities were also sent to these camps.
After Germany’s capitulation, the camps saw an enormous influx of detainees, including repatriated Soviet citizens. Since the majority of those interned were young and able-bodied, they were used for forced labor to help restore the devastated Soviet economy. These people were assigned to special labor camps throughout the USSR.
In the Latvian State archive (LVA), filtration personal files are stored in collection (fond) 1821, organized in two inventory lists. The amount of information in each personal file varies widely; some contain extensive details, while others only have a few pages. Most documents are handwritten and in Russian.
Documents Commonly Found in Filtration Personal Files:
Detention Protocol: This document records the detainee’s full name and sometimes includes a brief description of the detention circumstances, such as the residence where the person was apprehended, especially in cases where soldiers were detained post-capitulation.
Search Protocol: Rarely found, this document lists any possessions confiscated from the detainee during searches.
Registration Form: Contains essential personal information, including nationality, education, occupation, last residence, political affiliations, military service details, and information on relatives. The purpose was not only to identify the individual but also to investigate their activities under German occupation.
Survey or Interrogation Sheet: A standardized form with questions typical of Soviet authorities, asking about the person’s social class, status, prior service with anti-Soviet forces, etc.
Questionnaire: Often completed around 1946-1947 or later upon the individual’s return to their residence, this document provides concise answers to questions on the person’s activities during the German occupation and information on family members.
Interrogation Protocol: Interrogations took place either in the filtration camps or later at the local militia department. Often the first question was, “Under what circumstances did you enter German-occupied territory?” or “Please recount your autobiography.” These questions aimed to uncover potentially incriminating information. Authorities sought to identify as many individuals as possible who might have cooperated with the Nazi German occupation or engaged in “anti-Soviet activities.” In Soviet terms, even failing to evacuate and remaining in German-occupied Latvia was considered a crime, as it implied cooperation with the German authorities.
Other documents in filtration personal files may include a handwritten autobiography, medical examination results, a temporary identification card issued in place of a passport, and a final decision on the filtration case.
Unfortunately, there is no electronic database to check whether a specific individual’s personal file of filtration exists in the Latvian State Archives. If you know the individual’s full name and date of birth, you can contact the reading room at the State Archive on Skandu Street (LVA.lasitava.Skandu14@arhivi.gov.lv) to inquire about the file's availability. However, access is restricted by data protection laws and is typically limited to relatives or cases where 30 years have passed since the individual's death.
This entry is based on Gatis Liepiņš’ article, Analysis of the Document Collection of Latvian Inhabitants Held in the USSR People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs Filtration and Verification Camps and Points. The full article is available in Latvian here.
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