Places:
Козельск (Kozielsk), Калужская область, Россия
| City | Козельск |
| State/Province | Калужская область |
| Country | Россия |
| Latitude | 54°02′N |
| Longitude | 35°47′E |
Gallery
Kozelsk coat of arms
Narrative
After the outbreak of World War II, a POW camp was established in the monastery for Polish officers taken captive by the Red Army during the Polish Defensive War of 1939.
Between April and May of 1940, the NKVD transferred approximately 4,500 of them to a forest near Katyn, where they were executed in what became known as the Katyn massacre.
The remaining 200 officers were sent to a camp in Pavlishchev Bor and then to Gryazovets.
The town was occupied by the German army from October of 1941 until December 27, 1941