Moscow: Mess Kit of a Güssing Prisoner of War Exhibition Detail

This exhibition feature explores the story of a prisoner of war who exchanged extra labor for a mess kit in a Soviet camp during 1945. It provides a window into the scarcity, black markets, and daily life of Austrian soldiers held in post-war captivity.

The field mess kit featured here was acquired by Emmerich Marth, a soldier from Güssing, while held in Soviet captivity starting in March 1945. Assigned to a labor brigade, Marth could earn extra food rations by exceeding daily work quotas. He utilized these extra rations to obtain this mess kit, which replaced his previous, makeshift tin can for receiving meals. This object serves as a poignant testament to the extreme scarcity and daily survival strategies characterizing the lives of millions of Austrian Wehrmacht soldiers in the aftermath of the war. Beyond the personal experience of the POW, the exhibit highlights the broader systemic challenges of 1945, including the strained relationships between occupied populations and allied forces, the widespread rationing of food and basic goods, and the proliferation of black markets. Through this individual lens, the exhibition illustrates the precarious existence of both civilians and those in prisoner-of-war camps, emphasizing the difficult path toward normalcy in the immediate post-war era.