Another question for the crowd

[jefflgarrison]

In researching my medal for Gdansk, I came across information about the state of the city during the fight from the perspective of the Germans. Seems they were describing being unable to stay in the houses because of the intense heat form all the fires raging in the city.

This conflicts with one former Polish soldiers account that the city wasn't so heavily damaged by the end of the fight but was plundered and burned AFTER they captured it and everything of worth was taken back to Russia. Windows, doors, window panes and such.

Granted when an Army of 300k-500k attack a city, there is going to be a lot of destruction from both ground and air, but what about the reports of ransacking a city (town) afterwards. I also know that the factories in Selesia were dismantled and taken back to Russia but housing material?

Is this true OR is it a myth created to make the Russians look bad?

[Alfred]

Hello Jeff,

here is a film available from the german gouverment administration "Bundesarchiv Filmarchiv".

German language
filmarchives online — filmarchives online

English language
filmarchives online — filmarchives online

It seems to be that there are pictures from the city and pictures from rising the polish flag.

"Danzig: Angriff der Roten Armee, Einmarsch russischer Soldaten, polnische Fahne wird gehisst, Soldaten singen, zerstörte Kirche, zerstörtes Danzig. Danzig vor Zerstörung: Schwenk vom Kanal auf Häuser, Kirchturm, Danzig aus der Ferne"

good luck
Andreas

[desantnik]

Granted when an Army of 300k-500k attack a city, there is going to be a lot of destruction from both ground and air, but what about the reports of ransacking a city (town) afterwards. I also know that the factories in Selesia were dismantled and taken back to Russia but housing material?

Is this true OR is it a myth created to make the Russians look bad?

The full-scale, officially-sanctioned looting occurring in both "liberated" as well as occupied territory by Soviet "exploitation" units is well documented.

[jefflgarrison]

But to say that a city that was 80% destroyed was the work done after the end of fighting, is that true as well?

There are a number of building in the city of Gdansk that were spared. Even the house that I purchased 10 years ago had the original windows attested to by the panes in the windows and the photos of the house before the war.

So my question is more of "to what extreme" were these "exploitation" units removing things?

Windows, doors, door casings, window panes?

It seems to be that there are pictures from the city and pictures from rising the polish flag.

Yes, I have seen this film. It was filmed two days after the fighting ended. However, it is not of the actual event.

[desantnik]

There are a number of building in the city of Gdansk that were spared. Even the house that I purchased 10 years ago had the original windows attested to by the panes in the windows and the photos of the house before the war.

So my question is more of "to what extreme" were these "exploitation" units removing things?

Windows, doors, door casings, window panes?

If the Soviet evacuation of its barracks on the territory of the former DDR and other locales such as Hungary is an indication - yes - doors, wiring, kitchen sink. I saw such stripped barracks just outside of Berlin a mere month or two after their return home.

In a similar vein modern antique stores in places as far as Uzbekistan are stocked with looted turn of the 19-20 century and up to the 1930s furniture with German-language and period identification tags. I can't remember the source, but it mentioned Soviet soldiers taking light bulbs and telephones home to their native villages not understanding that there needed to be an existing infrastructure for these devices to work.

[CtahhR]

My cousin was in the British Army attached to a Canadian unit from France all the way to a liberated Berlin. He stayed to occupy Berlin for an additional 18 months before returning back to Britain. He told me that when he got to the Fuhrerbunker (where he was posted) the Soviets had looted absolutely everything that was portable, furniture, metals, linen, food, everything - except items that had absolutely no use (and the ownership of such may have caused some suspicion from the NKGB) - unused Nazi insignia and worthless paper money. Those became his trophies. In my collection today is just one of the unused cloth Reichsadler insignia that was for Hitler's own attire.

It would be interesting to know if there are any official numbers of railway cars or tonnage of loot that made its way eastwards between Bagration and the foundation of the DDR. It may make the Berlin Airlift look like a folly in comparison.

[Al-muell]

Let me post here a piece of I.I. Svetlakov's (Interior troops automobile service officer) memoires from 1946:
"At that time, the Aviation factories has received the trains containing equipment taken from Germany. The factories of the Ministry of Aviation Industry had no equipment to unload and transport the machines. The automobile directorate of the GUVS in military unit nr. 100 had a Voroshilovets tractor, 10-tonne automobile crane and 3 10-tonne off-road vehicles. According to the contract, for each unloaded railway transport, the GUVS would receive 10 machines from that transport picked immediately during the unloading. With such equipment, we were able to unload 25-30 railway cars in 25-40 minutes. The factories (in the towns of Khimiki and Stupino) wouldn't have to pay a fine and we would obtanin machines we couldn't have even dreamed of. We obtained a total of over 500 machines."
Gives some hint on the scale, doesn't it?

[CtahhR]

I think the correct term for that would be "spillage".