Occupation of Kharkiv during the Great Patriotic War in the memoirs of K. P. Vlasov

The subject of the study is the memoirs of Kharkiv scholar K. P. Vlasov, dedicated to the German occupation of Kharkiv during the Great Patriotic War. This topic consistently interests historians. The aim of the article is to analyze the representation of the occupation of Kharkiv in K. P. Vlasov's memories. The factual information provided is compared with data from other memoirs. It examines Vlasov's designation of the dates for the beginning and end of the Kharkiv occupation, his observations regarding the attitude of Kharkiv residents toward the invaders, the description of the "new order in German style," accounts of the severe consequences of the Nazi occupation for the residents of Kharkiv, and other issues. Undoubtedly, any memoirs are subjective. However, the lack of an ideological component allowed the author to qualify them as a source with a high degree of objectivity. The research method is content analysis, through which the content of the memoirs was analyzed, leading to corresponding conclusions. It should be noted that this method is individualized, as it assumes the author's interpretation of the text. Interpretations by different authors may not coincide. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that K. P. Vlasov's memoirs are being studied in historiography for the first time. They have not gained widespread recognition because their author was not a prominent figure. The main conclusions of the article emphasize the significant source value of Vlasov's memoirs. The author underscores the undeniable interest in the detailed description of the memoirist’s observations on the attitude of Kharkiv residents toward the occupiers, the "new order in German style," and the severe consequences of the occupation for local residents. One conclusion is that Vlasov was a teenager during the war and could not remember everything he saw. The boy relied on his own visual experiences and narratives from adults. He virtually did not witness the armed struggle of Kharkiv residents against the invaders with his own eyes. According to the author, his memoirs mainly contain those facts that the memoirist considered essential and interesting for a broad readership. A comparative analysis of Vlasov’s memoirs and those of other Kharkiv residents (L. R. Alksnis, B. A. Gunder, I. D. Shamray, etc.) shows that they complement each other. The information from the examined memoirs will be useful for further research on the German occupation of Kharkiv.

K. P. Vlasov, memoirs, Kharkiv, Kharkiv residents, Ukraine, occupation, Great Patriotic War, Germans, Hitler, children of war