REVISITING GERMANS FROM RUSSIA HISTORY

Content:

Germans in Russia in the Russian Empire - Situation at the end of XIX century - Changes after 1917 - The Civil War - The Working Comune and the  ASSR WD - 1943/1944 repatriation by the SS - Settlers hope under the Germans army occupation - Withdrawal of the Germans from Russia from the front - Deportation - Transcription of main documents related to Germans from Russia - Special settlemtns and labor army - 150 years of russian soil - 1957/1991 period

Note: I´ve got this article long ago from this site: http://www.russianrevolutionstory.ru/romanov/sovjetdeutsch.htm which presently seems it does not work. The images are from the internet.

The German population existed in the Russian Empire almost from the moment of its creation, in the Baltic provinces, even before its entry into Russia (Baltic Germans, who formed the local elite until the second half of the nineteenth century). Very often, in Russian history, the situation was repeated with the official and unofficial invitation of German academics, politicians and military to higher positions in various fields. A good example is the favor and de facto administration of the country of Ernst Johann Biron during the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna and a short period of usurpation of royal power after his death (when he was regent under Ivan VI).An example is the personality of a statesman, the Minister of the Interior von Plehve, and the most influential financier of Russia in the nineteenth century, Nikolai Bunge. In a certain proportion of the German roots were the imperial family of the Romanovs, since the permanent dynastic marriages were mainly with representatives of the highest German nobility. In addition, a large number of Russian scientists, military leaders, art representatives belonged to the German nationality. These Russian issues made a great, often invaluable, contribution to the development of humanity. These include DI Fonvizin (von Vizin), IF Kruzenshtern, FFFrom the later figures, BV Raushenbakh, one of the founders of the Soviet cosmonautics, must be taken into account. As a result, we can conclude that Germans are almost always present in Russian history.

German question in the Russian Empire.

Since the mid-nineteenth century, the critique of colonial politics has been growing in Russian society. At first it was a sober search for answers to questions about whether the Germans were really role models and flashy hosts. From the 1870s, the rational aspect of the discussions, however, began to be overcome by ultranationalist tendencies that led, especially in the areas of the western border, to the aggressive policy of Russification of the German population. This phenomenon took an even more negative turn in relation to the formation in 1871 of the German Empire and its foreign policy. The stumbling block in the "German question" was the earth.Nationalist propaganda represented the German settlers as invaders who aimed at the "Germanisation" of Russian land. The Russian people were intimidated by an additional expansion by the German settlers. In 1885-1886 The German government issued a decree on the expulsion of Russian citizens from the country. For the Russian government, this served as a pretext to adopt the "Aliens Act". This law led to the mass emigration of the Germans from Volhynia. The outbreak of World War I exacerbated the policies against the Russian Germans. Despite the loyal attitude of the German settlers towards the Russian government, it took a series of measures against them.The German Russian soldiers were removed from the German front and sent to the Turkish front. The "liquidation law" that came into force in 1915 provoked an even more ferocious persecution of German settlers in the press, which led to German pogroms. The panslavism and the Russian chauvinism, which intensified during the war, question the existence of the German colonies in Russia.

The overthrow of the tsarist regime during the bourgeois revolution of February 1917 meant for the Russian Germans a new stage in their history. They welcomed with great hope the elections to the Provisional Government. When the declaration of March 16, 1917 in Russia abolished all national and religious restrictions (Decree of Freedom), the Russian Germans also began to organize themselves politically. The German press, which was banned at the beginning of the war in 1914, began to flourish again. The German societies and unions were reformed. At the same time, the assassinations of Russian army officers by soldiers began precisely with German officers.So, for example, according to the memories of the VN cavalry guard. In March 1917, the infantry and artillery units surrounded the barracks of the Horse Guards in Luga, which demanded: "Arrest German officers!Let the traitors come here! "," All the Germans are there and they decide! "At the same time, the crowd acted beyond dependence on the names of the officers, guided by a feeling of sympathy or personal hostility," naming "Germany, for example, and the head of the Mengdem office and the Chengkov's staff captain So alone in Luga, one day, the General Knight Grant Mengdem, the equestrian grenadier, Colonel Egershtrom, the hussar of life, the captain, Count Kleinmichel, were brutally murdered ... Many Germans were Russians, Swedes, Dutch, Danish: it was enough to have a non-Russian surname, so you like the "traitors and" leeches, and Count Mengdem, and the captain of Chertkov's staff.So only in Luga, in a single day, the knight General Grant Mengdem, the equestrian grenadier, Colonel Egershtrom, the hussar of life and the captain Count Kleinmichel were brutally murdered. To please the "traitors and" leeches. and Count Mengdem, and the captain of Chertkov's staff. So only in Luga, in a single day, the knight General Grant Mengdem, the equestrian grenadier, Colonel Egershtrom, the hussar of life and the captain Count Kleinmichel were brutally murdered. To please the "traitors and" leeches.

With the seizure of political power by the Bolsheviks led by Lenin on November 7 (October 25), a brief period of bourgeois-democratic government ended in Russia. The Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets, held during the uprising, dominated by the Bolsheviks, approved on November 8 (October 26) the Decree of Peace and the Decree of the Earth. They corresponded to the secret dreams of most of the country's citizens about peace and land. At the same time, a new government was formed: the Council of People's Commissars headed by Lenin. A week later, the new government adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia.With this, the Soviet government tried to answer the most important questions of the revolution about peace, land and national self-determination. The October Revolution meant new changes for the history of the Russian Germans. And they had changes in the social and political structures, in matters of property, labor relations. Historically, the fact that, as one of the national minorities, the Germans received rights, which provided ample opportunities for personal development, was new. In the course of the revolutionary changes in the lives of the Russian Germans, there were also changes that challenged their traditions, such as the role of the church.Like other nations, religion played an important role in the lives of Russian Germans. Now they faced the atheist policy of the Bolshevik state, which was reflected in the Decree on freedom of conscience, on religious and religious associations. In the course of the revolutionary changes in the lives of the Russian Germans, there were also changes that challenged their traditions, such as the role of the church. Like other nations, religion played an important role in the lives of Russian Germans. Now they faced the atheist policy of the Bolshevik state, which was reflected in the Decree on freedom of conscience, on religious and religious associations.In the course of the revolutionary changes in the lives of the Russian Germans, there were also changes that challenged their traditions, such as the role of the church. Like other nations, religion played an important role in the lives of Russian Germans. Now they faced the atheist policy of the Bolshevik state, which was reflected in the Decree on freedom of conscience, on religious and religious associations.

German question in the USSR.

When considering the relations of the German minority of the Soviet Union with Germany, three phases can be distinguished:

• From 1917 - 1918 to 1932. with the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty (March 1918), the Rapalsky treaty (1922) and the foreign policy of the Weimar Republic, especially with regard to the Soviet Union.
• From 1933 to 1945. With a totalitarian form of nationalism in the Third Reich with its policy of expansion and war against the Soviet Union.
• From 1985 to 1991. with the "perestroika" and the new foreign policy in the Soviet Union, which led to its collapse and death, and the massive emigration of ethnic Germans to the "historical homeland".

The Russian Germans, like all other peoples of the Soviet Republic, were affected by the events caused by the Civil War, Western intervention and military communism in the country. That is why it is necessary to take into account regional differences. The western part of the Black Sea coast (Bessarabia) was occupied by Romanian units, the central part was controlled by the "People's Republic of Ukraine" of the free bourgeoisie, and in the eastern part of Ukraine passed from hand to hand: the Bolsheviks ("red") or the "counterrevolutionary" target. In addition, numerous gangs were atrocious here, taking advantage of the situation of impotence and anarchy that dominated the whole country, looting and plundering peaceful colonies.The Germans in the Volga regions since the summer of 1918 were close to three fronts. In the north, the Czech Red Legionnaires (former prisoners of war) fought against the Czechs. In the south, the white guards attacked, and the Cossacks occupied areas in the east of the colonies on the side of the meadow. In most colonies, Soviet power was established during these hostilities.

On the fronts of the Civil War, the Russian Germans fought on both the Red Army side and on the White Guard side. For example, on the side of the Red Army, a group of 115 Mariental volunteers against the Czechs fought. Having lost many fighters after the first battle near Volsky, the rest joined the legendary Chapaev's division. In a letter dated June 17, 1918 to Leon Trotsky, the military commissioner, members of the Commissariat for Germans of the Volga Region, Ernst Reuter and Karl Petin asked permission to create a German unit of the Red Army "for the special needs of the colonies".They suggested using the German division of the International Saratov Brigade (First International Rifle Regiment) for this. The brigade was formed in mid-1918. At the end of December 1918, the first communist regiment of Yekaterinburg, formed by 2,000 people, took part in the offensive in Ukraine against the German and Austrian troops. It was followed by other military units from the Volga regions. They contributed to the consolidation of Soviet power.Born in Germany, Lieutenant-General Baron Piotr Nikolayevich Wrangel, led the Russian insurgent army during his fight against the Bolsheviks and cheated Russia with numerous gangs of bandits and armies of the interventionists, becoming his last commander-in-chief.

The working commune of the Volga region, after overcoming the worst consequences of the famine, made some progress. There was a stable state structure. The economy thanks to the NEP recovered quickly. These successes in economic development became the basis of the decision of the 11th Congress of the Soviets of the Volga Region to convert it into an Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic (January 6, 1924). The decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of February 20, 1924, meant the transformation of ASSR NP into a matter of federal importance to the RSFSR. On March 27, 1924 there was a proclamation of the ASSR NP. A government was formed and the drafting of the Constitution began.Of particular importance to the population was the fact that the administrative organs of ASSR NP NP had powers that other regions did not have. Then, on June 12, 1924, the German language was introduced as the state language and the language of instruction in the schools. The construction of public education and the creation of a German state publishing house began at an accelerated pace. The Russian and Ukrainian languages ​​were recognized in the territory of the NP ASSR as equals (Article 11 of the Decree).

After the attack of Hitler's Germany on the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, part of the Russian Germans (about 20 percent), whom the Soviet administration failed to evacuate in time, fell under the authority of the administration military and civilian. The so-called "liberation" of Stalin's power brought them another power, with anarchy and humiliation. The German occupation authorities controlled the Russian Germans with the help of the National Socialists and the military. One of the first measures taken by the special teams of the SS "P", who called the Russian Germans "Volksdeutsche", was their division according to the racial-biological and racial-political characteristics in several categories.Four categories of origin ("German roots") were combined with four categories of political loyalty.

On the basis of the political-racial worldview, the SS team was defined as a way to counteract "the signs of the expansion of the Russian Germans by the Bolshevik government". This condition had to be corrected due to the measures to "strengthen the German". To begin with, the German minority was purged of "corrupt and defective elements" while improving the world view and standard of living (in the Nazi spirit), as well as strengthening the prestige of the "right" Volksdeutche as opposed to other occupied towns. In practice, this meant that Jews, communists, Soviet officials and production organizers were "neutralized", that is, they were transferred to concentration camps.His confiscated property was distributed among Volksdeutsche "to improve life". Under the national - socialist reeducation in the spirit of the new perspectives and values ​​of the world, national - socialist organizations paid special attention to young people. With the help of a widely branched system, from nurseries to school and the education system to several national socialist organizations, he had to "re-educate himself completely".

The "new agrarian order" in the German villages brought the Russian Germans with the hope that in the occupied areas the German authorities would abolish the collective farms and those confiscated under the Soviet power, that is, the land and the peasant farms would return to be private property But the Nazis wanted only one thing: the most efficient use of the occupied land, so they converted the existing collective farms into "agricultural cooperatives" or "community farms". The directors of these companies were appointed by the Germans of the Reich, who generously were endowed with private property. The pressure on Volksdeutsche in many places has become even stronger than under the Soviet government.Many were unhappy and preferred to work in Germany as "Ostarbeiters". The only exception to the "new order" was the territory occupied by the Romanians (allies of Germany) between the Dnieper and the Bug, where some 135,000 Russian Germans lived. There, the collective farms were disbanded and the private farms were carried out as in the framework of the NEP.

Russian Germans are traditionally very religious. Therefore, they were fully reflected in the Stalinist policy of fighting against religion, and they hoped that the "German liberators" would again allow freedom of religion and encourage a religious lifestyle. In fact, they faced the cynical attitude of the Nazis in the face of their religious feelings and new humiliations. The rebirth of church life among Russian Germans "did not fit" into the Nazi worldview, with their ideas of obedience to the Führer and the rituals that replaced religion with them.

On March 18, 1944, a German soldier snapped this photograph of the Nazi mass evacuation of 400 households with 1,900 ethnic Germans from the village of Glückstal in Ukraine.   Image provided to Dr. Eric J. Schmaltz, courtesy of Mr. Ken Flemmer.

In 1943-44, when, after the defeat of the Germans in Stalingrad, military success began to change them, the SS headquarters began to implement the last great migratory movement. Around 350,000 Volksdeuische organized in numerous cars, mainly from Transnistria and the part occupied by the Germans of Ukraine, began to be resettled as administrative migrants to East Germany and then to Bartagau, where many of them received German citizenship. The people in these cars walked more than a thousand kilometers, constantly in danger and deprivation. Bad weather, lack of warm clothes, bombings and bombings, the Soviet offensive, illness, fatigue and lack of hygiene caused victims and the death of cattle.In the place, in Vartegau, they were attended by ghettos, surrounded by barbed wire and in resettlement camps guarded by the SS. There, the immigrants who arrived were registered, categorized, organized citizenship. But in the fields, the Russian Germans had to be convinced that they were simply deceived, not only by depriving their farms, but also by selecting cattle after such a difficult journey, thousands of kilometers and, in addition, the peasant pride: the horses. It was the most offensive. After the process of obtaining citizenship, some of them were assigned to work in the nearby villages of the German peasants as agricultural workers (!).The men of military age were taken mainly to the SS troops and sent to the eastern front. So the families of the Russian Germans from the areas occupied by the Germans after the resettlement were destroyed, they became financially and morally impoverished. 

At the beginning of the war, there were around 100,000 German-Russian men in the Red Army, including 1,500 officers. Many of them fell in the first months of the war in the performance of military service. Of the decision of the Committee of Defense of the State of the USSR of September 8, 1941 No. 35105 on the transfer of German citizens to the battalions of construction of the internal military districts: in military units, military academies, schools and institutes and others organs of the Red Army, to assign to the German citizens. and transfer them to the construction battalions of the internal military districts.In those cases, if commanders and commissaries of military formations deem it appropriate to leave military personnel of German nationality in military units, they are obliged to submit the corresponding request through the military soviets of the fronts,

The evacuation of the Germans from the areas where the fascists attacked the remote parts of the country was the first reaction of the Soviet Union to the unexpected attack of Hitler in Germany. More massive evacuations were planned, such as for 40,000 to 50,000 Crimean Germans on August 20, 1941. The Soviet government feared that the Russian Germans would cooperate with the German occupation authorities. These fears were confirmed by the corresponding "messages" of SS propaganda and examples of cooperation in other countries captured by Germany.The basis for the evacuation of 3,65800 German nationals and Russian Germans from Crimea, Ukraine and the South Caucasus from 3 to 20 September was the "Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the resettlement of Germans who live in the Volga region, dated August 28, 1941. But in the eastern part of Ukraine (east of the Dnieper), due to the rapid onset of German troops, the Soviet administration could only withdraw the men, the Germans of recruitment age. Of the 420000 Russian Germans living in Ukraine in 1941, approximately 100,000 were resettled in the eastern parts of the country from July to October. The last massive resettlement affected the Germans of the South Caucasus in October 1941;Nearly 25,000 Germans were transported to Kazakhstan through Baku through the Caspian Sea.

Decree of the USSR AFP "On the resettlement of Germans living in the Volga region"

 Copy of the original - Source: Alexander Shpack, wolgadeutsche.net founder

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 28, 1941.
"On the resettlement of Germans living in the Volga region". 
The German version is cited in the central press in 1941. The 
Russian translation is Sergei Ivanov.

Decree of the Praesidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On the Volos Rayons live" 28. August 1941. According to credible news received by the military authorities, there are some people living in the Volga-Rayons of the German population. Ine in the y the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the in the German uts Ray About the annoyance of such a big one In the case of diversion files, on instructions from Germany dürtschütülünster and spies in the Republic of Sein, to take punitive measures. But in order to avoid undesirable events of this kind, the land to be resettled should be allocated and state support given to the new districts should be granted. For the settlement, the arable land-rich districts of Novosibirsk and Omsk, Altaj, Kazakhstan and other neighboring areas have been allocated. In connection with this, the State Defense Committee has been instructed to relocate The Chairman of the Praesidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Attractions M. Kalinin The secretary of the presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR gez A. Gorkin Moscow, Kremlin, 28. August 1941.

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 28, 1941. "On the resettlement of Germans living in the Volga region". August 28, 1941. According to the reliable information obtained by the Military Services, there are thousands and tens of thousands of Diverters and Spies among the German population living in the Volga region, who, upon receiving a signal from Germany, should make explosions in the regions of the Volga populated by Germans. On the presence of such a large number of saboteurs and spies among the Germans of the Volga region, none of the German population living in the Volga regions of the region informed the Soviet services, so the German population of the Volga region hides among itself the enemies of the Soviet people and the Soviet power. In the case of deviation laws, which will be produced by German orders by German servants and deviators in the Republic of the Volga Germans or in the Borderlands, and in case of possible bloodshed, the Soviet government will he will be forced to apply a punishment compatible with the laws of War. To eliminate such undesirable events and prevent serious bloodshed, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR considers it necessary for all Germans living in the Volga region to move to other regions and at the same time arrange for the allocation of land and State support for the resettlement of immigrants in new regions. resettlement For settlements, areas rich in arable land are allocated to the Novosibirsk and Omsk regions, the Altai region, Kazakhstan and other adjacent areas. According to this, the State Committee of Defense declares that the resettlement of all the Germans of the Volga and the allocation of plots for gardens and arable land in new areas of resettlement begin immediately. President of the presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR M. Kalinin. signed by ... Secretary of the presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR A. Gorkin. signed by Moscow, the Kremlin. August 28, 1941. EVICT WITH A BANG!!! (Joseph Stalin)

Special settlements and workers army.

After reaching the settlement areas, the evacuated and relocated people were placed under the control of the "General Directorate of Special Settlers" of the NKVD (People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs). As a general rule, these settlements had to be built first, but they were partially distributed among the local population. According to the order of the State Defense Committee of the USSR of January 10, 1942, all men between 17 and 50 years were covered by the so-called labor army. In October, the age range was extended from 15 to 55 years. This was followed by the mobilization of women from 16 to 45 years of age in the labor army, if they did not have children under 3 years of age (see the Charter "On the mobilization of Germans from the territory of Altai").The basis for the creation of working armies was Stalin's order of September 8, 1941. According to him, all Red Army soldiers of German nationality were to be covered in special work battalions or columns for use in the rear. The order of January 10, 1942 contained not only instructions on the mobilization of men in the labor army, but also on the mode of operation in the work columns. They lived under the harsh laws of a special regime, organized according to a military model, and worked in the restoration of the evacuated industry, in the mines, in the construction of roads and railways, and also in agriculture and forestry.Despite the difficult living and working conditions, they achieved outstanding job success. This served as the basis for the decision of the state agencies to award medals to the Russian Germans for their heroic work during the Great Patriotic War. The order of January 10, 1942 contained not only instructions on the mobilization of men in the labor army, but also on the mode of operation in the work columns. They lived under the harsh laws of a special regime, organized according to a military model, and worked in the restoration of the evacuated industry, in the mines, in the construction of roads and railways, and also in agriculture and forestry.Despite the difficult living and working conditions, they achieved outstanding job success. This served as the basis for the decision of the state agencies to award medals to the Russian Germans for their heroic work during the Great Patriotic War. The order of January 10, 1942 contained not only instructions on the mobilization of men in the labor army, but also on the mode of operation in the work columns. They lived under the harsh laws of a special regime, organized according to a military model, and worked in the restoration of the evacuated industry, in the mines, in the construction of roads and railways, and also in agriculture and forestry.Despite the difficult living and working conditions, they achieved outstanding job success. This served as the basis for the decision of the state agencies to award medals to the Russian Germans for their heroic work during the Great Patriotic War. organized a military model and worked in the restoration of the evacuated industry, in mines, in the construction of roads and railways, as well as in agriculture and forestry. Despite the difficult living and working conditions, they achieved outstanding job success. This served as the basis for the decision of the state agencies to award medals to the Russian Germans for their heroic work during the Great Patriotic War.organized a military model and worked in the restoration of the evacuated industry, in mines, in the construction of roads and railways, as well as in agriculture and forestry. Despite the difficult living and working conditions, they achieved outstanding job success. This served as the basis for the decision of the state agencies to award medals to the Russian Germans for their heroic work during the Great Patriotic War.

A letter to all parties and Soviet altai bodies. 
"On the mobilization of the Germans in the labor columns".

A letter to all the authorities of the Party and the Soviet Union of Altai "about the mobilization of the Germans in the working columns". October 13, 1942. Strictly secret Personally Secretary of the Oirot Regional Committee of the CPSU (b) Secretaries of Biysk and the city committee of Rubtsovsk of the party of the CPSU (b) All secretaries of district committees of the Party of the CPSU (b) of Altai Presidents of the Municipal Council of Deputies of Workers of Biysk and Rubtsovsk All the presidents of the district Soviets of Altai workers The head of the Oyrot regional department of the NKVD. To heads of departments of the city of NKVD of Biysk and Rubtsovsk All heads of district departments of the NKVD of Altai territory According to the resolution of the State Defense Committee of the USSR No. 2383-ss of November 7, 1942, all men and women of German nationality living in Altai territory must be mobilized in work columns throughout the war . 1. The mobilization of Germans, men and women was entrusted to the GFCS in the commissars of the city and district and to the NKVD with the participation of the local Soviet authorities. 2. Mobilize all Germans, men from 15 to 55 years inclusive, as well as women, German women from 16 to 45 years inclusive, fit for physical work, despite the old specialties and professions, in work columns. Liberation of the mobilization of women - German pregnant women and having children under 3 years of age. 3. Existing children over 3 years old are transferred to the rest of the family members for their education. In the absence of other family members other than those mobilized, the children are transferred to the closest relatives or to the German collective farms for breeding. Obliging the local Soviets of the workers' deputies to take measures to organize the children of the mobilized Germans who remain without parents. 4. Forcing all mobilized Germans to come to the meeting points with winter clothing, with bedding, bedding, a cup, a spoon and a food supply for 10 days. 5. Establish the criminal responsibility of the Germans for not mobilizing to recruit or collect points, and for leaving the unauthorized work or desertion of the working columns - by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet Union of December 26, 1941. " the responsibility of workers and employees of the armed forces unauthorized withdrawal of companies. " 6. Send to the mobilized Germans: men to work in the companies of the trusts of the Popular Merchandise, women: the Germans to direct them to the companies of the Commissariat of Negotiations of the People about the distribution of the People's Commissariat. Detailed instructions on the use of mobilized will also be reported. The mobilization will be completed within a month, that is, no later than November 12, 1942. The secretaries of the regional party committees, municipal committees and district committees of the CPSU (b), the presidents of regional, municipal bodies and districts of the NKVD to receive this letter, without announcing in the press, immediately begin to mobilize the Germans, men and women who live in the district.For this, the following activities will be carried out: a) cover all the people mobilized within three days to prepare lists of all men suitable for physical work from 15 to 55 years; b) in the period mentioned above, lists of German women between the ages of 16 and 45 are compiled (after elaborating the relevant lists, report to the NKVD telegraph in an encrypted form); c) in the same period, make lists of family members (children over 3 years), if the latter need attention, transfer them to relatives, day care centers or collective farms. These lists must be immediately transferred to the executive department of the NKVD of Altai territory; g) the previous Germans in the field to send, respectively, the attached list. The presidents of the regional, municipal and district Soviets of the Workers' Deputies must prepare the necessary quantity of a supply for the transport of personal objects to be mobilized and at the reception points the necessary premises. The secretaries of the regional, municipal and district committees of the CPSU (b) should make available the NKVD to help and facilitate the necessary number of people from the party activists, from among the Komsomol and Soviet workers.Heads of regional, city and district agencies of NKVD to prevent possible attempts of terrorist acts, sabotage and other types of counterrevolutionary activities by Germans mobilized in the place immediately after the agreement with the prosecutor's office to arrest and inform the UNKVD. Secretary of the Altai Regional Committee of the CPSU (b) (Lobkov) Vice-president of the Council of the Altai Territory of Workers' Deputies (Gladyshev) Head of the Executive Department of the NKVD of the Territory of Altai, Major State Security (Volosenko) Corresponds to the original: (signed) No. 678 October 13, 1942.

Letter from the Regional Executive Committee of Novosibirsk. 
"On the rules for granting special settlers a medal" for heroic work during the Great Patriotic War "of December 14, 1945. The Versión alemana es
cited, translated into Russian by Sergey Ivanov.

Circular of the Novosibirsk Regional Executive Committee on the Guidelines for the Award of Special Residents of the Medal for Heroic Work in the Great Patriotic War (14 de diciembre de 1945) Executive Committee of the Novosibirsk regional Soviet of Labor Day polled Novosibirsk Nr. 0387 14. December 1945 At the chairman of the Rayon (city district) executive committee There are Fahlele to note they are special settlers. The Regional Executive Committee explains that special economic settlers may be nominated for awarding the medal "For Heroic Work in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945", however, any candidacy proposed for honoring is to be coordinated with the NKVD organs. Without such pre-coordination with the NKVD organs, the special settlers are not allowed in the list of proposed for the award If there are no objections on the part of the NKVD organs, special settlers can iA Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee, T. Sokolov For the correctness: (signature)

A letter from the Novosibirsk Regional Executive Committee, on the rules for granting special settlers a medal "for Heroic Work during the Great Patriotic War" of December 14, 1945. Executive Committee of the Regional Council of People's Deputies of Novosibirsk. Novosibirsk Nr. 0387 December 14, 1945. Heads of District Executive Committees (City). It is necessary to take into account the cases in which the special settlers who work in the Oblast companies on the basis of the fact that they are special settlers are removed from the lists of persons represented to grant the medal "For heroic work during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. " The Executive Committee explains that special settlers who work in Oblast companies can apply to award the medal "For heroic work during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", but only with the preliminary approval of the candidates presented with the NKVD . Without the prior approval of the candidates presented with the NKVD, the special settlers can not be included in the lists of people presented for the prize. If there are no obstacles on the part of the organs of the NKVD, the special settlers can also be awarded the medal "For heroic work during the Great Patriotic War". Following the instructions of the President of the Regional Executive Committee. T. Sokolov signed by ... German Russian forced laborers along with Kalmyk comrades in suffering

Before resettlement and immediately after, agriculture was the most important occupation of Russian Germans. When the development of virgin lands began in the steppes of Kazakhstan, many German special settlers participated in it. But most of the Russian Germans were forced to work in other industries, mainly in the coal and steel industries, in the construction of wood, roads and urban. Therefore, the industrial base of Siberia and Kazakhstan was going to be created and strengthened. Former peasants became workers, often without special professional training, trained in production and poorly paid.With the further normalization of relations, the Russian Germans began to work and employed, doctors and other skilled jobs. After the abolition of the commander's office and the opportunity to choose a place of residence, the Russian Germans found work easily, especially on virgin soil and in large industrial construction sites. This was followed by a large outflow into the cities, also associated with a change in the social structure of this population group. In the difficult years of the war, the Russian Germans made a significant contribution to the national economy and served to restore the Soviet Union after the war.

Letter from the Regional Executive Committee of Novosibirsk. 
"On the rules for granting special settlers a medal" for heroic work during the Great Patriotic War "of December 14, 1945. The Versión alemana es
cited, translated into Russian by Sergey Ivanov.

Letter from the Deputy for the coal industry of the USSR, A. Zasyadko, regarding the lifting of the immigration ban for Secret. Council of Ministers of the Union of SSR, Gen. Beria, LP In the mines of the Moscow coal mining district, the Moskovugol and Tulaugol combines 12 Tass y special settlers (Volga Germans and Crimean Tartars) These workers are predominantly employed in the leading professions for the mining of coal and have accumulated considerable production experience during this time. The labor productivity of the special settlers has reached the level of labor productivity of the cadre workers. Considering that to pull their families. The departure of these workers from the pits of the Moscow coalfield will lead to a rapid decline in coal production. In order to bind the mobilized Germans and the Crimean Tatars to the mines of the Moscow coal mine, I ask you: 1. To allow the mobilized Germans and Crimean Tatars working in the administrative area of ​​the Moskovugol and Tulaugol combines to transfer the families to their workplaces. 2. The heads of enterprises and institutions, other ministries and authorities to oblige the family members of the special settlers due to the requirements of the enterprises of the Ministry of Gez A. Zasjadko

A letter from the deputy minister of the coal industry, Zasyadko, on the lifting of the restriction on the relocation of families of Germans from the Volga and Crimean Tatars who work in companies of the Moscow coal basin on March 8, 1947. In secret Council of Ministers of the USSR, comrade. Beria LP Twelve thousand special settlers (Volga Germans and Crimean Tatars), who were mobilized for the coal industry in the early years of the Patriotic War, work in the mines of the Moscow Coal Basin, the Moskovugol and Tulaugol Combinations. These workers are mainly used in responsible places in underground coal mines and have accumulated a decent production experience during this time. The productivity of the workers - special settlers reached the productivity of the workers of the personnel. Considering that the Volga Germans and the Crimean Tatars, based in the Moscow region, have been separated with their families for many years, their desire to leave the work in the mine and to reunite with their families has been made every time more remarkable. The departure of these workers from the mines of the Moscow coal basin will lead to a significant reduction in coal production. To link the Germans of the Volga and the Crimean Tatars with the coal mines of the Moscow Coal Basin, I propose: 1. They mobilized the Volga Germans and the Crimean Tatars, working in the companies of the Moscowugol and Tulaugol Plants, to allow the transport of families to the workplace. 2. The heads of organizations and services of other ministries and departments require that members of the families of special settlers be dismissed from work without restrictions depending on the requirements of the companies of the Ministry of Coal Industry of the Western Region. A. Zasyadko signed by ...

150 years on Russian soil.

German settlements in Siberia - Source: https://www.germansfromrussiasettlementlocations.org

For 150 years of its existence in the framework of the Russian Empire and under the Soviet power, the Russian Germans are settlers, despite the oath given to the Empress Catherine II, did not want to integrate voluntarily into Russian society. The reluctance to learn the Russian language and Russian culture led to misunderstandings, distrust and isolation of the indigenous population and government agencies. All this led to the fact that after the Second World War, the Germans, the settlers, spread throughout the territory of the USSR.They lived in purely German settlements, mainly isolated from other nations, and in mixed ethnic settlements between Russians, Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Greeks, Kurds, Estonians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Crimean Tatars, Kalmukks, Chechens, Ingushs and Aaz of Kazakhstan, and in large settlements of workers, built near large industrial companies. Here the Germans faced completely alien cultures, lifestyles and religions. In daily life, together with the Russians and other local people, communication with the Russian administrative services contributed to the gradual Russification.

In 1957, the weekly Neues Leben (New Life) and the regional newspaper Rote Fahne (Red Flag) began to appear in Moscow; The Alma-Ata radio retransmitted the first program in German. These changes occurred in relation to the changes in the relations between the Soviet Union and Germany. Meanwhile, many Russian Germans, settlers, began to seek the restoration of the Autonomous Republic of the Volga Germans or permission to travel outside the USSR.Taught by the sad experience of the first German republic and disturbed by the mass protests of the Indians in the territory of the so-called "autonomy", the state authorities of the USSR rejected the Russian Germans, their settlers their demands, and allowed the activists of the German movement will leave the USSR.

The beginning of the "restructuring" of Soviet society in 1985 and the new foreign policy in the Soviet Union opened the frontiers of the state for the importation of third-class consumer goods and the "exportation of brains". The renewed government of the USSR left the government free and the uncontrollable chaos of the market economy led to its collapse and death.Following the "perestroika" hysteria about the "atrocities" of the communists in the USSR, a myth was created about the "Genocide of the Russian Germans", associated with the deportation (EVACUATION!) Of the Russian Germans to the rear , and the call of the representatives of this diaspora to the Labor Army, strategically important companies of the coal and oil industries, where they replaced the workers who went to the front. The hostility and the acute worsening of the economic situation in the USSR and Russia, more,

The massive exit of the population from the places of the "compact" residence of the Russian Germans in Altai, in Siberia and Kazakhstan, had disastrous consequences for the economy of these regions and, above all, of agriculture. The once flourishing and rapidly expanding Sovkhoz and Kolkhoz - millionaires, in just a few years, became abandoned, covered with undergrowth ... Entrepreneurs entrepreneurs, who sold to the right and left, all types of real and personal property , they pushed the "money" abroad and prepared a platform for themselves. for the "new beginning" in Germany.Naturally, ordinary employees had nothing left to do but follow the example of leadership and collect the remaining "crumbs" ... to issue travel documents and "free" tickets to Germany, in the hope that "

Re-emigration

Maybe someone from the Russian and Kazakh Germans went to the "historical homeland" to the call of the blood, but this call turned out to be false. It turned out that the feeling of blood for Germany is the last, the main thing is the way of thinking, and he differs radically from the Russian. In Germany, they are not understood because they speak the language in which their ancestors spoke in the 18th century, and they also drink, eat, dress and behave very differently from the Germans. In general, they did not even incorporate ethnic Germans into their circle, and what if we talk about all the other settlers?...For the Russian Germans, much of what is planted in Germany is foreign, and they stopped trying to be like the Germans.

A new stage in the history of the Russian Germans begins: the return to the "new historical homeland" ...