Thank you. With regar to Djilas remark of Stalin's attitude towards crimes commited by Red Army cervisemen. Malyshev, Minister of Heavy Industry under Stalin put down in his diary of March 28, 1945 put down Stalin's words in this regard:
Òîâàðèù Ñòàëèí ïîñëå ðÿäà òîñòîâ ãîñòåé çà Êðàñíóþ Àðìèþ ñêàçàë ñëåäóþùåå: «Âñå õâàëÿò íàøó Êðàñíóþ Àðìèþ. Äà, îíà ýòî çàñëóæèëà. Íî ÿ õîòåë áû, ÷òîáû íàøè ãîñòè, áóäó÷è î÷àðîâàíû Êðàñíîé Àðìèåé, íå ðàçî÷àðîâàëèñü áû ïîòîì. Äåëî â òîì, ÷òî ñåé÷àñ â Êðàñíîé Àðìèè íàõîäèòñÿ îêîëî 12 ìèë[ëèîíîâ] ÷åëîâåê. Ýòè ëþäè äàëåêî íå àíãåëû. Ýòè ëþäè îãðóáåëè âî âðåìÿ âîéíû. Ìíîãèå èç íèõ ïðîøëè â áîÿõ 2000 êì îò Ñòàëèíãðàäà äî ñåðåäèíû ×åõî-Ñëîâàêèè. Îíè âèäåëè íà ñâîåì ïóòè ìíîãî ãîðÿ è çâåðñòâ. Ïîýòîìó íå óäèâëÿéòåñü, åñëè íåêîòîðûå íàøè ëþäè â âàøåé ñòðàíå áóäóò ñåáÿ äåðæàòü íå òàê, êàê íóæíî. Ìû çíàåì, ÷òî íåêîòîðûå ìàëîñîçíàòåëüíûå ñîëäàòû ïðèñòàþò è îñêîðáëÿþò äåâóøåê è æåíùèí, áåçîáðàçíè÷àþò. Ïóñòü íàøè äðóçüÿ-÷åõîñëîâàêè çíàþò ýòî ñåé÷àñ äëÿ òîãî, ÷òîáû î÷àðîâàíèå íàøåé Êðàñíîé Àðìèåé íå ñìåíèëîñü áû ðàçî÷àðîâíèåì".
Journal Vestnik N5 of 1997, p. 128
Translation: After a number of toasts to Red Army comrade Stalin said as follows: “Everybody is glorifying our Red Army. Yes it deserved it. But I wish that our guests being enchanted with Red Army do not get disappointed in the future. The case is that there are 12 million of people in Red Army. These people are far from being angels. These people got roughened during the war. Many of them were fighting all the way covering 2000 km from Stalingrad to the middle of Czechoslovakia. They have met a lot of grief and brutalities on their way. So do not get surprised if some of our men will not properly conduct in your country. We know that some poorly conscientious soldiers importune and insult women and girls. They hell around. Let our friends Czechoslovaks learn that today in order that their fascination of the Red Army was not replaced with disappointment.
End of translation
Djilas “Face of Totalitarism”:
Stalin said of the Red Army soldiers:
Ïðåäñòàâüòå ñåáå ÷åëîâåêà,
êîòîðûé ïðîõîäèò ñ áîÿìè îò Ñòàëèíãðàäà äî Áåëãðàäà -- òûñÿ÷è êèëîìåòðîâ ïî
ñâîåé îïóñòîøåííîé çåìëå, âèäÿ ãèáåëü òîâàðèùåé è ñàìûõ áëèçêèõ ëþäåé!
Ðàçâå òàêîé ÷åëîâåê ìîæåò ðåàãèðîâàòü íîðìàëüíî? È ÷òî ñòðàøíîãî â òîì,
åñëè îí ïîøàëèò ñ æåíùèíîé ïîñëå òàêèõ óæàñîâ? Âû Êðàñíóþ Àðìèþ
ïðåäñòàâëÿëè ñåáå èäåàëüíîé. À îíà íå èäåàëüíàÿ è íå áûëà áû èäåàëüíîé,
äàæå åñëè áû â íåé íå áûëî îïðåäåëåííîãî ïðîöåíòà óãîëîâíûõ ýëåìåíòîâ -- ìû
îòêðûëè òþðüìû è âñåõ âçÿëè â àðìèþ.
Translation: Imagine a man who is fighting all his way from Stalingrad to Belgrade – thousands of kilometers on his devastated soil, he sees the deaths of his comrades and his most dear people. Can this man react normally? So is it as bad if he had some pleasure with a woman after seeing all those horrors? You imagined the Red Army to be ideal. It is not ideal and has never been even if we had not drafted a certain percentage of criminal elements – we opened prisons and conscripted all to the army.
End of translation
So you can see that both quotes are very similar but the accents are different. In his "Conversations with Stalin" Djilas describes the latter as a clown who tries to boose up his people and the same words Djilas gives in a more grotesque manner:
È ýòó àðìèþ îñêîðáèë íå êòî èíîé, êàê Äæèëàñ! Äæèëàñ, îò êîòîðîãî ÿ ýòîãî ìåíüøå âñåãî îæèäàë! Êîòîðîãî ÿ òàê òåïëî ïðèíÿë! Àðìèþ, êîòîðàÿ íå æàëåëà äëÿ âàñ ñâîåé êðîâè! Çíàåò ëè Äæèëàñ, ïèñàòåëü, ÷òî òàêîå ÷åëîâå÷åñêèå ñòðàäàíèÿ è ÷åëîâå÷åñêîå ñåðäöå? Ðàçâå îí íå ìîæåò ïîíÿòü áîéöà, ïðîøåäøåãî òûñÿ÷è êèëîìåòðîâ ñêâîçü êðîâü, è îãîíü, è ñìåðòü, åñëè òîò ïîøàëèò ñ æåíùèíîé èëè çàáåðåò êàêîé-íèáóäü ïóñòÿê?"
Translation: [Stalin said]; “None other but Djilas insulted that army (Red Army)! Djilas was the last person I expected that from. The person whom I welcomed so open-heartedly! The Army that spared her blood for you! I wonder if Djilas – a writer – knows what human grieves or human hearts mean? Can he understood a fighter who moved through blood and fire and death covering thousands kilometers. (what is so wrong) if he enjoys himself with a woman or takes a trifle?
End of translation
All that was said in a foolish manner in bizarre conditions of a Kremlin drunk party.
Anyway I think it is not the proper basis to speculate on Stalin’s intentions. Malyshev’ memoirs fell in line with issued directives and orders so I trust them better.
About the soldiers who got roughened. I remember that when I was a kid I asked vets to describe their war experience. The following story I heard from my friends grandfather (but I think it is a common story in Russia): Russian winter. Soldiers are marching forward. March rest. Soldiers are looking for a place to rest and have some snacks. It is extremely cold. My friend’s grandfather sees a log under snow. He takes a seat on the log, takes a knife and pierces it into the log to use later. Then he takes some bread and some bacon out of his bag. Takes out the knife and cleans the log from the snow to use it as a table. The “log” turns out to be a frozen human body. The soldier is very tired to search for another place. He continues sitting on the “log” and eating.
Those guys sure did not care much about the fate of German women. And sure they did not need an Erenburg to warm up their vengeance.
I also asked a vet is it true that they raped so many women in Germany. He answered that probably those who were too much greedy for a couple of cans of army pot roast. Those who were not greedy did not have to rape.
