During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet special services intercepted many important documents of the enemy, from different angles showing the intentions of carriers of the "new order" invading our territory. The documentation of the German occupation authorities, including the recently declassified documents of the Archive of the President of the Russian Federation, is the answer to those who see the Nazis as almost "civilizers" and "saviors from the Bolshevik plague."
From the bins of Merkulov
On March 11, 1944, at a time when Kiev was already liberated by the Red Army, and the liberation of other regions of the Ukrainian SSR was actively being prepared and was a matter for the near future, the People's Commissar of State Security of the USSR Vsevolod Nikolaevich Merkulov sent an important document to Stalin with such an accompanying note: "The NKGB of the USSR at the same time presents a photocopy and translation of the" Directive for the orientation of employees "issued by the Imperial Commissioner of Ukraine. This directive was sent on June 22, 1942 by the SS leader and the head of the Ukrainian police to the SS leaders and police leaders of a number of Ukrainian regions. The document was discovered by the NKGB in Kiev "1.
The directive came from the supreme leader of the SS and police under the Reichskommissar of Ukraine Hans Adolf Prützmann2. The chief of staff, colonel of the security police, Müller-Brunkhorst, signed the document for him. The paper was sent to "the leaders of the SS and the police in Brest - Zhitomir - Kiev - Nikolaev - Dnepropetrovsk - Chernigov - Kharkov" 3.
The reason for writing the paper was one sad circumstance for the Germans: it turns out that “the employees of the imperial commissar and subordinate authorities often find themselves in a difficult situation when the Ukrainians ask them certain and, in most cases, specific questions. As can be seen from experience, these questions always concern the same areas and below they are answered in a specific order 4.
Campaign leaflet 1942.
"Workers go to Germany merry and singing …"
The directive begins with a common attitude, the main motive of which is that Ukrainians with their culture should be brushed aside with all the German bureaucratic training and beautifully told about life and work in Germany. Propaganda slogans are combined in this attitude with an emphasized disdain for the occupied population: “It is in the interests of every Ukrainian to help in his own way to ensure that this war ends victoriously for the liberator of Ukraine from the Bolshevik yoke. the question always arises whether a given matter is decisive or important in a military sense. About things that are neither decisive nor important for the war, we can only care secondarily, and now, as a rule, we can not think about them at all. By this we answer in advance many questions of Ukrainians, why we do not organize or do this or that. So, for example, at the moment we have other concerns than thinking about the development of Ukrainian literature; we can only keep this in mind."
Below are the answers to the most sensitive questions for the occupation officials. There are exactly six of these problems, four of them are especially noteworthy:
a) What geographic and state form will Ukraine take in the future?
Answer: Only the Fuehrer will give the final answer to these questions. There is no doubt that the Fuehrer will not make a decision until the end of the Eastern campaign; it is very likely that he will only make a decision at the end of the war.
b) What are the German authorities doing to develop Ukrainian culture?
Answer: In general terms, the answer to this question has already been given in the introduction. However, the creation of prerequisites for the restoration of Ukrainian culture was not the immediate goal of the struggle of our soldiers. Now it is important to jointly create the prerequisites for victory in the field of food and agriculture. This should not mean that we are trying to bring Ukraine into a state of culturelessness or that we want to oppress the cultural institutions of Ukrainians. We do not prevent Ukrainians from staging Ukrainian plays in the still existing Ukrainian theaters with the forces still at their disposal. We give them the opportunity to watch films in their cinemas again. We are supportive of Ukrainian national dress and Ukrainian folk songs. As soon as the war ends and there is enough paper again, it will be possible to re-publish the old or create a new Ukrainian literature. The fact that we have confiscated the radios and are not giving them back is due to the following: the war is waged not only with firearms, but also with spiritual weapons. Just as the rear areas must be protected from enemy fire, in the same way the population in the rear must be protected from enemy propaganda. It is well established that a significant percentage of Ukrainians, Russians and Poles are spreading enemy propaganda and thereby causing unrest and unrest. […]
e) How will the food situation develop?
Answer: The rural population of Ukraine is sufficiently supplied with food. In addition, in more or less proximity to cities, it has achieved an unprecedented prosperity. It is not our fault that the urban population cannot be adequately supplied with food. We are, of course, doing everything we can to eliminate this evil, especially in relation to those who work. Since the Bolsheviks destroyed vehicles and, in addition, many agricultural means of production, in the near future it is impossible to count on a radical change in this situation. However, these complaints are often exaggerated. Not a single Ukrainian has died of hunger yet.
f) How are Ukrainians recruited for Germany used?
Answer: There are rumors that the Ukrainians recruited for Germany are allegedly used at the front for earthworks and similar purposes. The spread of these rumors has already deterred many volunteers. Not a single Ukrainian who signed up for work in the Empire has been used until now otherwise than to work in the Empire. Workers go to Germany with joy and songs and are eager to get to know the German conditions of life 6.
Women are sent to forced labor in Germany. Kiev. Train Station.
Germans should not accept invitations from Ukrainians
Answering the burning questions, the directive further instills in German officials how to treat the peoples inhabiting Ukraine. The first on the list are local Germans, it is ordered not to offend them especially: "… it should be borne in mind that a local German is, first of all, a German. There were, allegedly, cases when the supervisory authorities beat non-imperial Germans. It goes without saying that such an attitude to local Germans will be severely punished. Local Germans need only education and direction "7.
But to the Ukrainians, even to those who, according to the directive, walk and drive well-fed and cheerful, the attitude is completely different and very frank:
Ukrainians need leadership.
In the course of history, they have proven that they are incapable of independence. But if they are well managed and guided, they are an obedient workforce. Under good supervision, they are even punctual and diligent. If the Ukrainians do not work well, then, given the aforementioned circumstances, it is our fault. You can't beat Ukrainians either. But they should be led firmly. Against the lazy and stubborn elements, there is a means of discipline. Their objection that they cannot buy what they would like with our salary should be refuted by pointing out that it was not we, but the Bolsheviks who were engaged in systematic destruction and the removal of all values.
Germans should not accept invitations from Ukrainians. Extreme restraint is needed not only in conversation, but also in behavior. As you know, intimate relations with Ukrainians are not allowed."
This is the whole "new order" in an extremely naked form, this is precisely the "civilizing mission" of the Nazis who occupied Ukraine.
"The Germans make up the ruling layer in this country"
The directive prescribes even stricter treatment of Poles, Jews and Russians living in Ukraine. The Poles should be pushed in every possible way in comparison with the Ukrainians: “There are 300,000 Poles living in Volyn, who strongly emphasize their national identity. They refuse to speak other than Polish, and are the same Poles as the murderers from Bydgoszcz. They were only annexed to the Soviet Union. over the past two years. Before the war against Poland, they were part of the entire people of congress Poland, a people whose personality traits we met again in this war. They deserve exactly the same treatment as the Poles we described in Germany or as Poles in To receive invitations from them and to visit them is unworthy of a German. We should limit ourselves only to official relations with them. Their national pride will be broken. There will be no more Polish schools in Volyn, as in the whole of Ukraine. Polish culture. Only a Roman Catholic service is allowed until further notice in Polish. Incidentally, the Poles still continue to wage a national struggle against the Ukrainians. Where we appoint a Pole to any position, we insult the Ukrainian, who in most cases does not understand our behavior in this matter. Therefore, it is necessary to gradually remove Poles from leading and privileged positions and replace them with Ukrainians or Russians. When choosing, one should give preference to Ukrainians 9.
In the next year, 1943, the Polish-Ukrainian contradictions resulted, as you know, in the bloody "Volyn massacre"; and not the least role in the causes of this tragedy was played by such a German policy of playing off the two peoples, rather than the mythical "intrigues of the NKVD," as the modern Polish version says10.
For any communication with Jews, the directive threatens with severe punishments: "Anyone who has other conversations with Jews, except for purely official ones, is an unworthy person and devoid of instinct, and he must be called to order at all costs. Jews are not greeted. Any personal communication with them entails punishment "11.
In the Russians, the directive on behalf of Prützmann sees primarily convinced carriers of the ideology of the CPSU (b): “They were Bolsheviks for 25 years, and most of them are still them now. Some of them sometimes pretend to be loyal to us. sometimes they accuse of Bolshevik agitation those Russians about whom the real Bolsheviks know that they sympathize with us. Thus, they try to use our ignorance of the actual state of affairs and make us accomplices of the Bolshevik agitation. Therefore, the accusations on the part of the Russians must be carefully checked. In some cases, the Bolsheviks are already managed with our help to neutralize friendly Russians by the method - "Stop the thief." Thus, those Russians who were Bolsheviks for 25 years require special vigilance on our part. Unofficial communication with them is dangerous "12.
The Hitlerite occupiers are the only higher caste in Ukraine in the summer of 1942:
“The Germans constitute the ruling stratum in this country. People belonging to the ruling stratum cannot do the rough work in front of the rulers. It is unreasonable when German officials themselves carry their boots across the street to a shoemaker, and walk with buckets and other utensils on public roads. It is a pity in another respect, it is impossible for a German here, in Ukraine, to cultivate and dig up a garden himself. For this there are Jews and Poles, as well as Ukrainians and Russians. Neither should we Germans come to cities squatting in straw on a cart. It is necessary that a German who belongs to the ruling class could be recognized by his behavior in society alone, and not only by his form. A German who appeared drunk in front of the Ukrainians, i.e. before the public, must be punished 13.
Thus, exactly one year after the start of the war with the USSR, on June 22, 1942, the Nazi authorities very frankly and cynically explained to their subordinates the mechanisms of their misanthropic policy towards Ukraine and its population. Under the guise of "liberation from the Bolsheviks" was concealed a humiliating enslavement, which was interrupted, apart from the wishes of the occupiers, by the Red Army, which liberated Ukraine from the "ruling stratum."
Notes (edit)
1. AP RF. F. 3. Op. 58. D. 457. L. 125.
2. Prützmann Hans Adolf (1901-1945), a native of East Prussia, one of the leaders of the occupation regime in the USSR, SS Obergruppenführer (1941), Police General (1941), General of the SS Troops (1944). Since December 1941 - the highest leader of the SS and police in southern Russia. In May 1945 he was arrested by the Anglo-American troops and committed suicide in prison.
3. AP RF. F. 3. Op. 58. D. 457. L. 126.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid. L. 127.
6. Ibid. L. 127-129.
7. Ibid. L. 130.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid. L. 131-132.
10. For more details see: Y. Borisyonok Breezes rustle over the bones … Volyn massacre and "Gazeta Vyborcha": two steps back, one step forward // Motherland. 2013. N 5. S. 26-31.
11. AP RF. F. 3. Op. 58. D. 457. L. 132.
12. Ibid. L. 132-133.
13. Ibid. L. 133.
