The Sad Story Of Yakov Dzhugashvili, Stalin's Eldest Son And His Gruesome Death
Updated: Apr 15
Yakov Iosifovich Dzhugashvili held the unenviable distinction of being Joseph Stalin's eldest son. Born to Stalin's first wife, Kato Svanidze, Yakov's early life was marked by tragedy, as his mother passed away only nine months after his birth. Left in the care of his late mother's family, Yakov's upbringing was devoid of paternal presence, as Stalin, then a young revolutionary, was engrossed in his political pursuits.
It wasn't until 1921, at the age of fourteen, that Yakov was brought to Moscow, where his father had risen to prominence within the Bolshevik government. Despite this reunion, Yakov found himself overlooked by his father, who was consumed by the demands of his leadership role. Described as a reserved and melancholic youth, Yakov grappled with feelings of neglect, resulting in several attempts at suicide during his formative years.
Upon Dzhugashvili's arrival to live with Stalin, he discovered that his father had remarried and expanded the family with two children from his second marriage to Nadezhda Alliluyeva. Vasily Stalin, Dzhugashvili's brother, entered the world in 1921, followed by their sister, Svetlana, in 1926.
Each sibling bore the weight of personal tragedy — Vasily struggled with alcoholism later in life, while Svetlana, though favored by Stalin, endured her mother's tragic suicide at the tender age of six. However, Dzhugashvili's relationship with his father proved to be the most tumultuous of them all.
Dzhugashvili pursued engineering studies before his father, Joseph Stalin, insisted he undergo training as an artillery officer. Just weeks before Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Dzhugashvili completed his studies and was deployed to the front lines.
On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany and its allies initiated Operation Barbarossa, marking the invasion of the Soviet Union. Stalin, in a bid to bolster the frontline, dispatched Dzhugashvili and Artyom Sergeyev, his adopted son and fellow artillery officer, into the fray. Stationed as a lieutenant within the 14th Howitzer Regiment of the 14th Tank Division near Vitebsk, Dzhugashvili faced capture on July 16 during the Battle of Smolensk.
The circumstances surrounding his capture remain contentious. Sergeyev recounted a scene where German forces encircled Dzhugashvili's battery, ordering a retreat. Yet, Dzhugashvili, invoking his lineage as Stalin's son, defiantly refused to withdraw. However, conflicting accounts emerged, with some sources, including Soviet prisoners, suggesting a voluntary surrender, motivated by disdain for the Soviet regime. Additional evidence from Russian archives indicates a potential willingness on Dzhugashvili's part to yield to enemy forces.
The news of Dzughashvili's capture by the Germans on July 19 prompted a deeply negative reaction from Stalin. His previous decree against surrendering soldiers made the revelation of his own son's capture a source of immense disgrace. Stalin's anger intensified when he learned that Dzughashvili had not chosen suicide over capture, leading him to suspect betrayal.
Meltzer, the messenger of Dzughashvili's capture, was met with suspicion by Stalin, who promptly had her arrested. With Meltzer detained, Svetlana assumed care for Galina. In a bid to conceal his identity, Dzughashvili removed his officer's insignia and attempted to pass as a regular soldier. However, his ruse was short-lived as he was soon recognized and handed over to German military intelligence for interrogation.
During his interrogation, Dzughashvili openly criticized his division and other Red Army units, highlighting their unpreparedness for war and the poor conduct of military commanders. He expressed admiration for Germany, praising its strength as the only major empire left in Europe. Despite his wife's Jewish ethnicity, Dzughashvili exhibited openly anti-Semitic views, denigrating Jews in his statements.
"Dear Father! I have been taken prisoner. I am in good health. I will soon be sent to a camp for officers in Germany. I am being treated well. I wish you good health! Greetings to everyone. Yasha.
The Germans exploited Dzughashvili for propaganda purposes, distributing leaflets featuring him smiling alongside his captors. A letter purportedly written by Dzughashvili to Stalin after his capture was circulated, depicting a reassuring tone regarding his treatment by the Germans. In response, Soviet propaganda announced Dzughashvili's supposed award of the Order of the Red Banner for his actions during the Battle of Smolensk.
Initially held in a guarded villa in Berlin, Dzughashvili was intended for use on Russian-language radio broadcasts by Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Propaganda Minister. However, when this plan failed, he was transferred to Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
During his internment, Dzhugashvili found himself besieged by visitors eager to meet and photograph the son of Stalin, a situation that increasingly troubled him. His encounters with British prisoners often led to heated disputes and physical altercations, adding to his distress.
Following the surrender of German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus at the Battle of Stalingrad in February 1943, the Germans proposed exchanging Dzhugashvili for Paulus. However, Dzhugashvili adamantly refused to be traded for a field marshal, prompting Stalin's refusal to entertain the offer. Stalin's reasoning reflected his sentiment towards all Soviet prisoners of war, declaring that they were all his sons, and he would not prioritize one over the others.
“The fool – he couldn’t even shoot himself!”
Despite Adolf Hitler's approval of an offer for Dzhugashvili and another prisoner named Heinz to return home under the supervision of the Swedish Red Cross, Stalin vehemently rejected the proposal due to his lingering anger over Dzhugashvili's surrender. Another proposal, suggested by Hitler to exchange Dzhugashvili for his nephew Leo Raubal, also failed to gain acceptance.
On April 14, 1943, Dzhugashvili died at the Sachsenhausen camp. The circumstances surrounding his death sparked initial controversy. While one account suggested he tragically collided with the electric fence enclosing the camp, another speculated that he may have been shot by German guards. Some even entertained the possibility of suicide, citing Dzhugashvili's history of struggling with suicidal tendencies during his youth.
Upon learning of his son's demise, Stalin, albeit initially stoic, later expressed a softened perspective towards Dzhugashvili, acknowledging him as "a real man" and lamenting the injustice of fate. Meanwhile, Meltzer, who had conveyed news of Dzhugashvili's capture, was eventually released in 1946, reuniting with her daughter Galina, albeit with a noticeable emotional distance.
In 1977, Dzhugashvili posthumously received the Order of the Patriotic War, first class, though the presentation was conducted discreetly, and his family was not permitted to receive the medal themselves.
After the war, British officers overseeing captured German archives uncovered documents detailing Dzhugashvili's death. These records indicated that he was shot after attempting to flee from an argument with British prisoners by running into an electric fence, resulting in electrocution. The British Foreign Office briefly contemplated presenting these papers to Stalin during the Potsdam Conference as a gesture of condolence. However, concerns over the origins of the records led to the abandonment of this idea, fearing potential diplomatic repercussions with the Soviets.
