 While the Soviet Union had not signed the Geneva convention , this did not mean their soldiers were entirely exempted from the protection it afforded ; Germany had signed the treaty and was thus obligated to offer Soviet POWs treatment according to its provisions ( as they generally did with other Allied POWs ) . Article 82 of the convention specified that " In case , in time of war , one of the belligerents is not a party to the Convention , its provisions shall nevertheless remain in force as between the belligerents who are parties thereto . " Despite this Hitler called for the battle against the Soviet Union to be a " struggle for existence " and accordingly authorized crimes against Soviet prisoners of war . A Nazi memorandum from 16 July 1941 , recorded by Martin Bormann , quotes Hitler saying , " The giant [ occupied ] area must naturally be pacified as quickly as possible ; this will happen at best if anyone who just looks funny should be shot " . 
