The Story of a Soviet Rapist

This is form Rockets and People by Boris Chertok. He was a part of the Soviet mission to recover and collect rocketry equipment in Germany after World War II.

----
In the middle of the workday, Schmidt , who was usually very polite and respectful, literally burst into Villa Franka where Isayev was resting after returning from Lehesten. He yelled at Isayev, “Your soldiers are raping German women!” After calming down a bit, Schmidt explained that the woman he was living with (his wife had remained in another town) was strolling with a female acquaintance in the forest. A Russian soldier had attacked them, raped his friend, and disappeared. There was nothing for Isayev to do but to report Schmidt’s complaint to the military commandant. Captain Solodyankin, remembering Marshal Zhukov’s threatening orders, reported the incident to the commander of the division billeted in the area of Bleicherode. There they quickly determined that they should look for the perpetrator in the artillery brigade attached to the division, which was getting ready to return to the Soviet Union. To wipe away the division’s shame, the brigade commander ordered all of his men to stand in formation in the town square. He led the victim past them to identify the perpetrator. She pointed at a Kazakh soldier, who was arrested on the spot. The accused confessed during interrogation that his goal was to get revenge against the Germans for his two brothers who died at the front. He himself had never gotten the opportunity to kill a German in combat. Having learned of their impending evacuation from Germany, he decided to avenge the death of his brothers in that way.
The next day a military prosecutor was to arrive from Erfurt, and a military field trial would be held. Iron discipline was now being restored in the army, and it was not out of the question that they would sentence him to be shot.“
And it’s all my fault,” Isayev said, “I don’t know what possessed me to hurry over to the commandant with that report. I needed to calm Schmidt down. Maybe we could have agreed not to take the matter to the military tribunal.”
The next day there really was a trial and they sentenced the soldier to be shot.

I reported this to Schmidt over the telephone. He immediately rushed over to Villa Franka along with his girlfriend, the victim. She was not young, and was tall and well built. She seemed to be a woman who could stand up for herself.
Schmidt and his girlfriend shouted over each other that they were shocked by such a harsh sentence. They were prepared to forgive the soldier and asked me to intervene to save his life. I immediately called the division commander and asked if something could be done to save the soldier since the victim was stunned by the severity of the sentence, wanted to petition for a pardon, and had forgiven him.
The general was silent for a moment and then said that he would call me back in a half hour. Thirty minutes later, he reported that he had talked with Berlin.They had explained to him that Moscow had given instructions to establish rigid order among the occupation troops. Our critical incident had already been reported to the commander, and the sentence would be carried out for the edification of others, regardless of the German woman’s petition.

 

Some brave German men tried to take the hit on themselves, in order to save the German women

 

In researching my father's wartime record,I got drawn in to the story of Europe after VE day and in many ways it is more horrific than the war itself as displaced persons rampaged, raped and murdered innocent civilians including children. Revenge was rampant and although the Allies tried desperately to keep control they could not police everything. My father told us about some of the fighting during the war and also the sights he saw at the liberation of Bergen Belsen. He was in occupation with BOAR for 18 months in Hamburg and other than hearing about families living in the bombed ruins and being unable to shoot a fleeing looter, he said very little. I suspect that he saw a great deal that he could not talk about. While the Allies were celebrating victory, millions were entering a nightmare.

 

There were some 16 million refugees in what is now the FRG in 1945. Many of these were desperate and had access to weapons.
My father was based in Fallingbostel around that time. The Unit WD is full of references to gangs of armed displaced people. The DP camp at Fallingbostel was filled with the Christians Poles from Belsen who had to be separated from the Jewish Poles in Bergan-Hohne after violent confrontations.

I suspect the lawlessness was

 

Seems soldiers weren't given free reign to rape after all eh?

 

Or not. It's been noted before that some units took action to prevent rape and punish those who were guilty of it. Furthermore it's also been noted that this became the general rule at some point after the war was over. Note the above event was post war and had come after Marshal Zhukov's orders to that effect (can anyone date those?). Your observation with regards to war time rapes and those early post war is thus very questionable in general although it may be applicable to a few Soviet units. It's also been noted by the way that front line Soviet units were not the source of many of the atrocities reported.

 

Lwd,

There is no "or not" about it. STAVKA absolutely forbade any action unbecoming of the Soviet Soldier. These orders came down from the very top. This of course didnt mean that rapes didnt occur. If, however; a Red Army soldier was caught in such heinous acts by an officer, that soldier would most likely be shot.

US soldiers raped women in Vietnam. It didnt mean that were allowed to. When caught, they were reprimanded.

 

The facts seem to be rather in conflict with your assertion. Indeed from previous discussions, at least during the war, what came down form "the very top" wasn't a great deal of concern for German civilians or indeed civilians of any stripe.

 

The Red Army was not in Germany for humanitarian reasons. The priority was not the welfare of German civilians but to win the war. With that said, after numerous incidents and reports of such abuses, strict orders from STAVKA (after speaking with Stalin) were quickly handed down to the lower ranks. Any soldier within the Red Army acting in any way that is considered "unbecoming" of the uniform will be reprimanded.

Many soldiers were lined up against the wall and shot.

The idea that the Red Army soldiers simply ran around raping women with the blessings of the STAVKA is fiction.

 

When were those orders handed down and when were they enforced? Note that after the surrender the welfare of civilians in the occupied territory was the responsibility of the Soviets and it's quite clear they were deficient in executing it.

 

What I have read many German women took themselves and children and drowned in the rivers etc close to their living area. Horrible destinies, too.

I read also that for some reason the Soviet soldiers were afraid to go to the top floors of ( second floor or higher) houses. Anyone else read that? Or just another fairy story?

 

Is there any studies that show which portion of the red army committed the rapes? Like the op show, I heard that the majority of rapes were perpetrated by the troops in the rear that don't see actual combat,not by actual combat troops

 

I remember hearing that the majority of rapes committed by the red army, we're by troops in the rear. Not soldiers who usually fought at the front. Does anyone have any info on this?

 

In previous discussions I've seen support for that. Try searching for it here and on the axis history forum.

 

I'm afraid you will have to search for exact dates as they escape me. Yes, civilians in occupied territories during/after the war became the responsibilities of the armies staying there. What were the Soviets deficient in? How? What did they fail to do?

 

I have read that many Japanese civilians would also take their lives in the wake of US advance. Your point being?

As for Soviet soldiers afraid of top floors... I afraid that this is the first I'm hearing this.

 

Im not familiar with exact figures but you are correct generally speaking. From my reading material Shtrofbat battalions (comprised of gulag prisoners and reprimanded soldiers) contributed to various crimes against the populations. Many ex partisans also rarely showed mercy and took revenge on anyone suspected helping/colluding with the enemy.

 

Just the fact that how many women would they meet and where as people were escaping westwards and killing themselves, simply the battle of Berlin caused some 1 million German casualties if I recall correctly.

 

One of the best sources on this is A Woman in Berlin (the author is anonymous). Haunting.

 

I suspect that many fled to the a West for two main reasons. The first being German Propoganda and the second being the retributions the Germans feared they would receive from the Soviets for the German conduct on the Eastern front.