Figure 1.--
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Figure 1.-- |
Some authors have addressed the subject of the differeing behavior of soldiers from the various combatant nations behind the font lines. The results are somewhat surprising. Red Army soldiers, among the most disciplined on the battlefield, were suprisingly undesciplined hehind the lines. The British appea to have been the most diciplined occupation troops, in part because of the strength of their NCO system.
Author Anthony Beaver only have jokeingly suggests that the Americans as occupiers because of high pay and a seemingly endlessly supply of chcolates, cigarettes, nd nylons with which to buy favor from German girls. [Beaver, C-Span]
The British appea to have been the most diciplined occupation troops, in part because of the strength of their NCO system. [Beaver, C-Span]
The French Army was knocked out of the War in June 1940 by the successful German offensive in the West. For the duraion of the War, the Frech were interred in German POW camps. Small numbers of Fench French troops continued the War and played a role in North Africa and in France after Normandy. The French were among the bost illbehaved in Germany. The worst incident was the seizure of Stugart by French black colonial troops. [Beaver, C-Span]
The Germans are notorious for their brutal actions against the Jews and others in the East. Most of the killing was done by SS formations, but the Wehrmacht was also involved. I know less about the behavior of German soldiers not involved in the various ciins ordered against civilians. I also know little about the behavior of German soldiers in the the coutries they occupied in the East.
Red Army soldiers, among the most disciplined on the battlefield, were suprisingly undesciplined hehind the lines. The Russians after the conquest of Berlin were given 3 days in which they could do what ever thy wanted, including rape German women and girls and loot what they wanted. Germand civilians had to leave their doors open. [Beaver, The Fall of Berlin, 1945] All told, about 2 million German girls and women were raped by Red Army soldiers. Families did their best to hide girls. As harshly disciplined as the Rd army was, it was actually dangerous for officers to try to stop rhese acts. One writer says that the only way of dealing with incidnts was to take out his revlver and shoot the offenders. Otherwise the soldirts would shoot the officers. Little has been written about this. The Red Army's valiant victory over the vaunted Wehrmacht is a subject of almost religious devotion in Russia. Any criticism of the Red Army has been avoided even by Russians not sympathetic to the Communists. Russians often justify this behavior as jutified by whatvthe Germans did in Russia. It was, however, not only German women that wer targeted. Many slave laborers, including girl Russian girls brought to Germny by the Germans were raped. [Beaver, C-Span]
Anthony Beaver, C-Span, broadcasted September 1, 2002, I'm not sure when the prgram was recorded.
Anthony Beaver, The Fall of Berlin, 1945.
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