22/12/19 more Than the Soviet citizens most surprised German soldiers
Before the Second world war German propaganda painted the Russian people as an inferior race, barbarians who have no culture do not know about God, which whips and threats, the Bolsheviks and the NKVD forced to build an incomprehensible new system.
the Myths were dispelled as soon as the German army crossed the border. What surprised the German military?
the stamina and the courage
the First thing that struck of the Germans, the equipment of the red Army and the morale of soldiers. The chief of staff of the Luftwaffe command of General Hoffmann von Waldau wrote that the level of the pilots of Soviet Russia is much higher than expected, and the people’s resistance corresponds to the representation of the Russian Germans. Russian pilots are fighting selflessly, even if there is no hope of victory.
overwhelming astonishment, the Germans called the defenders of the Brest fortress, which “defended the border guards and women,” all killed but did not give up.
General Friedrich von Mellenthin in his book “Tank battles”, recalled that the Russian did not exist obstacles: swamps, thickets, marshes, steppes Russian feel at home. Russian soldiers “crossing the wide river on improvised means, everywhere paves the road. In a few days they make a Causeway through the impenetrable swamps”.
“They take in every bump and not give a single inch of ground without a fight. They fight for every rock, the worst thing is night fighting, he never retreats a single step” (from a letter of a German soldier).
the appearance of the Russian
it was thought that the population of Russia lives so bad that he would be happy the coming of the “German civilization”. It turned out that this is another myth. The invaders found that Russian does not suffer from exhaustion and don’t look emaciated. “They happen to have fat cheeks, and – surprisingly – but they lived well!”
the Germans estimated the Russian, like cattle, meticulously inspecting for signs of lameness. A special surprise was the condition of the teeth in women. “They seem to give the teeth a lot of attention, we have no such”, – wrote one of the doctors of the city of Dortmund.
Architect Rudolph Walters, who worked in the occupied territory, was already familiar with life in Russia: he took part in the industrialization of the country in the early 1930-ies. He wrote that the local dress well and eat well. But he was particularly struck by women who have “some part of the body was strongly developed”. Obviously, the architect was referring to gradastaeti selyanok Krasnodar region. Some Germans thought it was from the sunflower seeds that are high in vitamins. Surprised at their cleanliness and Russian, as well as the desire to decorate their homes.
the Religious population
German propaganda claimed that Russia religion there, but it turned out that most Ostarbeiters hanging down their necks, crosses, and some Holy pictures. Almost all were deeply religious, prayed and celebrated Christian holidays. Christmas was decorating the Christmas tree and sang religious songs.
According to the Federal archive of Germany Koblenz, Ostarbeiters in Breslau, pointed out the affiliation to the Russian Orthodox Church. And the camp workers in Verdun appeared a Christian community where believers were gathered for joint prayers.
Education and qualifications
Promotion considered Russian by the working mass, which can be used in unskilled jobs. What was the surprise of the Nazis, when it turned out that the Russian education is often superior to the Germans, and the illiterate — one. Upstairs reported that the Russian versed in the art, using the simplest of tools can troubleshoot and handle even in those cases when the Germans don’t know what to do. A owned German language, “even studied in rural schools”.
fascinated by the number of Studentov and the students and their skills. Some of the girls spoke several languages, played the piano, spoke German literature.
a High morale
the Germans had amazed even the feelings of kinship that Russians harbored towards the close. Surprised at their need for our people to write letters to each other, take pictures together, send cards to relatives, to give gifts.
the Nazis were impressed by the high morale of the girls and women. They noted that, when the work was gathered, people from different villages, no one was whoring, and the children born workers appeared in Russian families.
In Breslau at the factory film “Wolfen” was conducted in the medical examination of girls between the ages of 17-29 years, and found that 90% virgin. The Germans believed that this well describes Russian men who respect their women.
the Attitude of the USSR
the Nazis expected to see a downtrodden population, afraid of the NKVD, but it turned out that most Russians are not afraid of the Bolsheviks. Many do not even have family or friends who have suffered from repression.
Sympathy
most of the Germans was struck by the compassion they were shown the population at the end of the war. Yesterday they bullied Russian, but here’s the skinny old woman feeding a German prisoner, giving him part of his food – that was remembered by a military interpreter Elena Rzhevskaya. In the village of Lyskovo mistress fed the prisoner, saying that she was sorry for not him, but his mother, who “gave birth to and raised such a fellow himself and others for torture”. The German was struck to the core.
Even when German prisoners of war held in Moscow in the summer of 1944, it did not cause malice. Muscovites (women and children) “as if numb”. Someone was crying, looked at the prisoners even with sympathy, and some gave food.
Meeting on the Elbe: the Soviet soldiers defeated the Americans
the Soviet people are surprised not only their enemies, but to the Western allies. That is not indifferent to the Americans during the meetingsand the two armies on the Elbe, see our video.
Maya Novik
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