Casualties among Red Army Personnel Conscripted in the Kalmyk ASSR, 1941–1945: Volume 4 of The Memory. Sanl Analyzed

Abstract

Introduction. The article provides statistical interpretations of data contained in volume 4 of The Memory. Sanl that publishes an annotated list of ca. 9,500 Red Army soldiers and officers largely conscripted in the Kalmyk ASSR — and subsequently classified as KIAs and MIAs between 1941 and 1945. Goals. The work examines the mentioned edition and attempts a respective database (supplemented with statistical analysis) of Soviet Kalmykia’s natives drafted into the Red Army in 1941–1945. Materials and methods. The paper focuses on the annotated list of casualties among Soviet troops introduced in volume 4 of The Memory. Sanl. The wide range of research methods employed includes both specifically historical and general scientific ones. The need for statistical analysis leads to an active use of the statistical method and that of extrapolation. Results. The analysis reveals an essential number of repetitions (personalities) characterized by mistakes, inaccuracies, and discrepancies. So, the edition mentions both outdated and contemporary geographic names. Despite all this, the compiled and corrected database involves extensive statistical data that may yield an efficient prosopographic analysis of Red Army personnel conscripted in Kalmykia during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.