The post that was quoted here has been removedUnlike the 'other' thread, this seems to be a much larger issue well worth talking about.
But at the risk of being judged and berated for my opinion, I think it's probably 'a bridge too far' to imply that those stating their opinions in that 'other' thread would have a similar opinion of the issues in this thread. I can even see how, on the surface, a similarity might be implied to further an agenda, but such assumptions simply may or may not be true. I will hold my judgement of others' opinions at least until I hear them, especially given the difference between the topics, a difference I see as mainly a difference of degree and intent.
Talk about a light-hearted subject for a Monday morning...
Some figures perhaps. Estimations vary, but at the high end of the spectrum it’s roughly: 800.000 German women raped by Western forces. 1.200.000 German women raped & raped-murdered by Soviet forces.
Quite staggering considering it happens within, roughly, a 8 month period.
Note-worthy is that there were various Soviet companies which, if a rapist was caught, did punish him (so the free-for-all wasn’t as accepted by military command as Stalin would, later, state).
The significance of this is that Stalin’s later justification doesn’t mean that at the time of the behaviour commanders didn’t know that rape was wrong.
There’s a great (actually don’t know if great is an appropriate discription) book (and movie) about Berlin ‘45.
It’s called “A woman in Berlin” (something like that anyway). It’s a true account by a German journalist of what life was like the Summer after Berlin fell.
I believe it was banned in Germany for quite some time. Well worth at least watching the movie.