The interesting document, claimed to be the Gestapo report i found in net.
Source:Bundesarchiv Koblenz. Reichssicherheitshauptamt. R 52/182. Meldungen aus dem Reich Nr. 376. 15.4.43. S. 8-17.
From the analytical report, delivered to the local SS and SD departments (excepts)
THE HEAD OF THE GESTAPO AND SD. IIIrd Directorate. Berlin. 17 Aug. 1942. SV II, Prinz-Albertstrasse, 8.
Secret! Personal. Report immediately!II. The impression of the population about Russia.
The first ostarbeiter (eastern workers, the Soviet deportees to Germany to be used as workforce) echelons already caused wonders among the Germans because of the good nutritional state (especially of the civilian workers). Often the following could be heard:
“They don’t look as if they’re in hunger. On the contrary, they are looking fat and must’ve lived pretty good”.
The head of one of the state health departments after surveying the ostarbeiters reported: "I am amazed by the good looks of the eastern worker women. The biggest wonder were the teeth, since I have not yet encountered a single case where a Russian woman would have bad teeth. Unlike us Germans, they must be paying lots of attention to keeping their teeth in good condition".
[…] Earlier a major part of the German population was thinking that people in the USSR are marked by illiteracy and low education levels. The use of ostarbeiters has spawned contradictions, which often confuse our Germans. For example, from all local reports we receive the information that illiterate people constitute only a very small percent. In a letter from a certified engineer, who was administrating a factory in the Ukraine, for example, it was reported that only 3 of his 1800 workers were illiterate (Reichenberg). The same conclusions follow from the other local reports.
“According to the opinion of many Germans, the current Soviet school education is significantly superior to the Tsarist times”
“The comparison between the mastery of german and russian agriculture workers often is not in the favour of germans” (Stettin)
“Particulary wondering was the widespread knowledge of German language, which is studied widely even in village elementary schools” (Frankfurt-on-Oder)
“A student from Leningrad has studied German and Russian literature, she can play the piano and knows many languages, including fluent spoken German” (Breslau)
[b]“I have almost humiliated myself, reported one apprentice, when I gave the Russian a small arithmetic task. I had to concentrate all my knowledge not to fall behind his speed…” (Bremen)
“Many think that Bolshevism has led Russians out of narrow-mindedness” (Berlin)[/b]
[…] The destruction of the Russian intelligents and the fooling of the masses were an important part in explaining Bolshevism. In the German propaganda the Soviet people were presented as stupid exploited beings, as “working cattle”.
Today the German worker on the basis of the work of the ostarbeiters and their mastery is daily convinced of the exact opposite. In many agenture reports we are infromed that the ostarbeiters directed to military industry have in fact baffled the German workers with their technical knowledge (Bremen, Reichenberg, Stetting, Frankfurt-o.-O., Berlin, Halle, Dortmund, Kiel, Breslau, Beireut)
One of the workers from Beireut said: “Our propaganda always presents Russians as stupid and dumb. But here I have witnessed the opposite. During the work Russians always think and never look dumb. I better have two Russians at work than five Italians”
In many reports it’s noted that the worker from former Soviet regions professes a particulary high level of knowledge in all technical machinery. The Germans have had much experience, which has proven that the ostarbeiter, who can use the most primitive tools in work, can easily remove any type of breakdown in engines, etc. Various examples of this have been presented in a report from Frankfurt (o.O.): “In one estate a Soviet POW has easily understood an engine which German specialists did not know wnat to do with: in a very short time he had it running and then found out a damage in the transmission of the tractor which has not even been noticed by the Germans who maintained the tractor”.
In Landsberd-on-Varta german brigadiers have instructed Soviet POWs, most of whom were village citizens, on the procedure of machine part unloading. But this instructions were not accepted by the Russians, and they have not followed it. They have done the unloading a lot faster and technically practical, and the german workers were amazed by their mastery.
A director of one flax spinning factory (Glagau) said the following on ostarbeiters: “The ostarbeiters directed here immediately show technical knoweldege and require not any longer training than the germans”. Ostarbeiters can “from various rubbish” manufacture spoons, knives, etc. In one of the matting manufactures we received a report that machinery which long required a repair was set up running by easy repairs from ostarbeiters. And it was done so well as if it was a specialists’ repair.
From a large number of students between the ostarbeiters the German population concludes that the level of education in the USSR is not low as our propaganda has claimed. German workers who had the chance to witness the technical mastery of ostarbeiters, most likely think that not the best of Russians are getting into Germany, since the Bolsheviks have evacuated the most qualified workers into the Urals, but even those Russian aren’t sub-par in anything, or almost anything, to a German. In all these facts Germans find the explanation for the enormous amount of weaponry that we were reported about in the course of the Eastern campaign. The mere number of good and complex weaponry means that there are many highly qualified engineers and specialists. People who worked on the achievements of the USSR in this sphere much have undeniable technical prowess.
[…] An exceptional part in the propaganda was devoted to the GPU. Especially good results on the German impression were produced by the tales about forced labour expulsions in Siberia and shooting executions.
German enterpreneurs and workers alike were quite baffled when the German labour front (NSDAP union organization) has repeatedly pointed out that between the ostarbeiters none are found who had been repressed in their homeland. What concerns the violent methods of the GPU, which our propaganda hoped to confirm at large, we have, to common wonder, found not a single case in the major labour camps, where the relatives of ostarbeiters were forcibly exiled, arrested or shot. A part of the population is already expressing skepticism on this matter and thinks that the situation with repression and terror in the USSR is not as bad as we have always stated, like that the actions of the GPU are the main determinant of life in the Soviet Union, what people earlier thought. […] Especially concerned the Germans are about the problem of the Red Army might, which, with quantity and quality of weapons was a great surprise. [b]Until now the perseverance in battle was expained by the fear of the gun of the kommisar and politruk. Sometimes we have explained the disregard for life as an animal trait, which is common for eastern peoples. But again and again people suspect that brute violence is not enough to cause such selfless action in battle.
In various ways people arrive at the conclusion that bolshevism has led to the creation of a somewhat fanatical faith. In the USSR, possibly, many people, especially the younger generation, are of the opinion that Stalin is a great politician. [/b]At the very least, bolshevism, irrelevant how, has made the absolute majority of Russians uncompromising perseverance. It were our soldiers who have found out that such organized fervor in resistance have never been encountered in the first World War. It’s possible that the people in the east are quite different from us in racial-national relation, but behind the enemy’s war power stand the same qualities, such as a certain love for homeland, a certain courage and battle camaraderie, which the Japanese also exhibit in uncommon ways, but must be acknowledged.
Because of such observations, which are shown in local reports, the impression of the USSR and it’s people have significanly changed. All these personal observations, which contradict directly the former propaganda, create a lot of thoughts. In places where anti-bolshevik propaganda is using the old and known arguments, it no longer encounters any interest or faith from the people.
I’m interesting to see the original text of that documant in German.
Can our german friends help?
