Text taken from a post in the Russian/Soviet history site istmat.org
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics.
[ColonelCassad] Document signed by Zhukov on violations on the line of contact with the Allied troops in Germany. The other side of the "spirit of the Elbe".
ORDER OF THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE GROUP OF SOVIET OCCUPATION FORCES IN GERMANY.
AUGUST 29, 1945 No. 090 POTSDAM
On the facts of violations of the regime on the line of contact with the Allied troops and the unworthy behavior of a number of officers in the performance of their official duties.
Recently, numerous cases of violation of military discipline and border regulations on the line of contact with the Allied forces have reached threatening proportions.
Servicemen and especially officers cross the border without permission, meet and establish contact with English and American soldiers and officers on Allied territory. They organize joint drinks with them, take photographs, conduct official conversations, and also travel around the cities of Western Germany and France, visit theaters, museums, brothels, and as a result of laxness and chatter, divulge military secrets.
On July 22 of this year, the assistant chief of the intelligence department of the 27th Guards Division headquarters, Captain Ivanov, together with the commander of the 3rd battalion of the 76th Guards Regiment, Major Chernousov, while checking the security service, entered into a conversation with an American sentry and demanded that he call American officers for negotiations.
Captain Ivanov, together with a sentry, went to the American outpost, brought back four officers and 20 liters of wine and organized a drinking party with the Americans right at the border. The head of the medical service of the 27th Guards Rifle Division, Major of the Medical Service Katalkin, the senior doctor of the 76th Guards Rifle Regiment, Captain Satanovsky and Major Chernousov also took part in the drinking party.
Having drunk the brought wine, the drunken company went to continue drinking in a restaurant.
In the evening, a film was shown to the American officers at the location of the 7th Rifle Division of the 76th Guards Rifle Regiment.
During the drinking party, the officers held conversations regarding the numbering and deployment areas of the units. Captain Ivanov willingly answered the questions of the American officers.
On July 23 of this year, Captain Ivanov and Major of the Medical Service Katalkin with the driver Butovsky traveled in a passenger car to the side of the American troops, where they again met with American officers. Subsequently, the driver Butovsky deserted from his unit.
The commander of the 1st battalion of the 712th Rifle Regiment of the 139th Rifle Division (47th army), Major Slepnikov, and his deputy for political affairs, Captain Lagutsky, repeatedly sent their orderlies to the side of the allied forces for alcoholic beverages.
On July 5 and 7 of this year, the outpost chief of the 1281st Rifle Regiment of the 60th rifle division (47th army), Lieutenant Atayev, and on July 29, the deputy battalion commander of the 316th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 102nd Guards Rifle Division (2nd Infantry Division), Lieutenant Yankovchuk, went without permission to the British side, from where they brought alcoholic beverages and other things.
Privates Moguyev (286th Rifle Regiment of the 90th Rifle Division), Kolobanov, Zaikov (316th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 102nd Guards Rifle Division), trying to desert, went over to the side of the British troops, changed into civilian clothes and drank for several days. The deserters were detained. Officers and privates of the allied armies are also going over to our side, taking advantage of the assistance of our military personnel.
On July 14 of this year, four American soldiers detained at the border presented a pass for the right to cross the line of contact, issued by the deputy commander of the 3rd battalion of the 712th Regiment, Captain Lushin.
These American soldiers were in our unit, where they drank alcoholic beverages together with Captain Lushin and Lieutenant Kapustinsky. On July 16, the aforementioned soldiers, already in a Willis, heading "to visit" Captain Lushin, were again detained at the border. Captain Lushin, who arrived at the place of detention, ordered the release of the detainees at gunpoint. As it turned out, Lushin received two cans of gasoline from the American soldiers, 20 liters each.
On July 23, an American car with three unknown persons detained at the border was released by the senior officer of the post, Junior Sergeant Andreyev (712th Rifle Regiment of the 47th Army), and Andreyev received a bottle of vodka for this.
Individual servicemen of our troops, sent by the command to the zone of occupation of the allied forces with special assignments, without any need for it, travel around the cities of other foreign countries, where they meet, talk and take pictures with servicemen of these countries.
On July 13 of this year, officers of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 8th Guards Army - Major Simonyan and translator Altaeva, sent to the city of MUNICH to accompany pilots of the 14th Squadron of the 9th Air Fleet of the American army, organized a meeting with American officers and "traveled" with them for a long time in the zone of their occupation.
On July 28, Simonyan, Altaeva and driver Pavlov were again sent on an assignment to the city of FRANKFURT am MAIN, and the deputy. chief of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 8th Guards Army - Lieutenant Colonel Matusov to the area of ​​the city of MUNICH.
On July 29, Matusov traveled from MUNICH to FRANKFURT am MAIN without permission, where he met with Simonyan. That same day, all of the above-mentioned individuals, on their own initiative, left for PARIS, and also visited many other cities in France and Germany, where they visited theaters, museums, brothels, and interacted with foreign servicemen. While in PARIS, Matusov and Simonyan exchanged occupation marks for francs at banks, for which they purchased various items for personal use.
A number of servicemen, while guarding the western border of the Soviet occupation zone, illegally allowed Germans to cross to our side, as well as to the side of the allied forces.
On July 28, at the 2nd battalion of the 951st Rifle Regiment of the 265th Rifle Division (3rd Infantry Division), sentry sergeant Mamedov allowed 15 Germans to cross the contact line, having received from them a bribe of 5 watches.
On August 5 and 8, the commander of the 2nd battalion of the 151st Guards Regiment of the 52nd Guards Division (3rd Infantry Division) — Lieutenant Kulakov and the sergeant major of the same company Arshinov allowed 4 Germans to cross to the Allied side and back.
Lieutenant Kulakov and sergeant major Arshinov were tried by the Military Tribunal. Sergeant Mamedov was sentenced to 2.5 years in a labor camp.
The listed facts testify to the lack of discipline on the border of the Soviet occupation zone and are the result of low demands and weak control of superiors over subordinates and direct violation of official duty on the part of a number of military personnel and officers, mainly.
I ORDER:
1. Army commanders, commanders of formations and units to establish a strict border regime and categorically prohibit unauthorized meetings and communications of military personnel of all categories with military personnel of the allied armies, both on the territory of our zone and on the territory of the allied occupation zone.
2. Official meetings to resolve official issues, as well as business trips with special assignments to the territory of the allies, are to be carried out only with the permission of the Military Council of the Group.
3. Servicemen of all categories shall be removed from their posts and brought to trial by a Military Tribunal for dissoluteness, unauthorized crossing into territory occupied by the allies, communication with servicemen of the allied armies, illegal issuance of passes for crossing into our territory and into the territory of the allies, and violation of their official duties while guarding the border.
4. For violation of their official duties and unworthy behavior in the performance of their official duties, the assistant chief of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 27th Guards Rifle Division, Captain Ivanov, shall be removed from his post and brought to trial by a Military Tribunal.
Privates of the 286th Rifle Regiment of the 90th Rifle Division, the 316th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 102nd Guards Rifle Division, shall be brought to trial by a Military Tribunal as deserters.
To remove from office - the commander of the 3rd battalion of the 76th Guards Rifle Regiment, Major Chernousov,
The head of the medical service of the 27th Guards Rifle Division, and
The commander of the 102nd Guards Rifle Division, Major Ivanov.
Major Katalkin, deputy. commander of the 3rd rifle battalion of the 712th Rifle Regiment,
Captain Lushin, head of the 2nd section of the reconnaissance department of the 8th Guards.
Major Simonyan, senior doctor of the 76th Guards Rifle Regiment -
Captain Satanovsky, company commander of the 1281st Rifle Regiment -
Lieutenant Atayev, deputy. battalion commander of the 316th Guards Rifle Regiment
Lieutenant Yankovchuk and appoint all with a demotion of 1 - 2 categories.
Junior sergeant Andreev (712th Rifle Regiment 47th Army) - demote to private.
Ouch!
Commander of the 1st rifle battalion of the 712th Rifle Regiment - Major Slepkov, deputy, commander of the 1st rifle battalion of the 712th Rifle Regiment
Captain Lagutsky, commander of the medium 712th Rifle Regiment -
Lieutenant Kapustinsky and an interpreter of the reconnaissance department of the headquarters of the 8th Guards. A - To Altayev, the army commanders, to punish by their authority and report to me.
The order is to be announced in front of the formation to the entire officer corps up to and including the platoon commander. The sergeants and privates are to explain the essence of the order.
Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany Marshal of the Soviet Union G. Zhukov
Member of the Military Council of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany Lieutenant General Telegin
Chief of Staff of the Group Colonel General Malinin
Archives of the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. F. 1227. Op. 1. D. 41. L. 415-416ob
And so, along with the wine fumes, the notorious "spirit of the Elbe" gradually evaporated.
By the way, I found something interesting here It turns out that they punished not only for rape, but even for the simple fact of cohabitation with German women in the territory controlled by Germany.
Guards Senior Lieutenant Stepanov was dismissed from the ranks of the Red Army for the revealed facts of cohabitation with German women, drunkenness and looting as morally corrupt. And several other officers along with him.
The order on them was read out in all units of the Red Army group in Germany.