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To: TopQuark
"During WWII, the Soviets purposefully moved almost all surviving industry beyond the Ural mountains, to Siberia. I am not aware of any precedent for a similar move, before or after. That "Siberian industry" was created purposefully, quickly, and is still a backbone of the Russian production system."

During the battle of Stalingrad, the NKVD (Stalin's secret police) set up gas-cooled machine guns behind their own lines; they were ordered to shoot any Russian soldier that surrendered or retreated. Anton Beevor, in his excellent book "Stalingrad", reports that over 13,000 Russian soldiers were liquidated by their own countrymen in a six-month period for retreating or surrendering. In fact, the Germans became so desperate for Russian defections for intelligence purposes that they actually had to move their *armor forward to cover surrendering Russian soldiers* from friendly fire.

Beevor also reports that when the final victory of Stalingrad was won, when the 62nd and 64th Red Armies had routed the 6th German Army in the "Kessel", or pocket, they found approximately 50,000 Russians that had switched sides and were fighting with the Germans. This was due to the harsh, "motivational" discipline of their Russian superiors.

I guess it depends on what motivates this wonderful socialist production, huh?

44 posted on 08/18/2002 7:00:24 PM PDT by HumanaeVitae
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To: HumanaeVitae
This is an interesting and very telling account about the evil nature of the Soviet regime. The question I have is similar to the previous post: what does it have to do with anything on this thread?
49 posted on 08/18/2002 9:19:41 PM PDT by TopQuark
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