Several prominent figures in the East German government (Ulbricht, Mielke, Kessler, etc) defected to the USSR during World War II. How common were German defections, especially early in the war? Why would one leave the "winning (at that time)" side? What separated defectors and POWs?

by ChuckNorrisAteMySock

(Walter Ulbricht, leader, Erich Mielke, head of the Stasi, and Heinz Kessler, minister of defense)

madjic

Of those you named only Kessler defected during the war

Ulbricht and Mielke were active communists before the war and fled from prosecution in Germany (Mielke in 1932, Ulbricht was in Paris first and moved in 1938)