Studying the WW2 and post war here, goes pretty much like this: Krauts - good, jewshooting never happened(Lietukis garage pogrom), russia evil. no deviations allowed.

Wow

that's why as a history major, I'm taking medieval studies more or less

Interesting, it's the exact opposite here

Then you will probably like this book

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Edelweiss-Conscience-Soldier-Waffen-SS/dp/0966638980

It's legit, I've read it

I'll have to find a PDF of it. Not many books about the German side, most WW2 stuff here is on how average soviet soldier raped babies and shit

the one that's translated at least.

I wouldn't say average, but it did happen

Having read what few firsthand accounts exist from the Red Army

Good people don't survive long

Communist armies are set up with a unique command structure where an officer second in command is appointed by the party office at each level. The political commissar, responsible for discipline, administrative tasks, and ideology. He can also override the commander in many cases

the commisars were utter morons

Those are the ones in the famous photos that would shoot you in the back for retreating

Yes, because they were chosen based on politics, not leadership ability

sometimes it would be the other way around.

sometimes the trooper would whack the politruk

Not often enough it would seem

true.

one veteran told a story on how his squad killed their commisar

basically the idiot was sending his troops directly into kraut MG fire

instead of flanking it.

And with the Red Army not giving a shit about loss of life, the "one rifle, two men" concept, human wave attacks to make the Germans run out of ammo. Over a period of years, your truly good people are gone.

so, the guys shot the retard

All that's left in the end are your savages willing to do horrible things to survive at the expense of their comrades (no pun intended)

when the NKVD asked why they did it, because they di eventually found out, the guy just said that he was an idiot.

And that's what invaded Berlin

the 1 rifle for two guys thing was for the part, a thing in their penal legions.

since the convicts were seen as the most expendable.

and they had plenty to spare.

No doubt a lot of prisoners sent to Berlin in the last days as well

People tend to forget that in a dictatorship not all prisoners are political. They still lock up murderers, rapists, etc

true.

also there were guys who formely worked as staff in kraut concentration camps(non germans), they were given a soviet gun and uniform, and told to march to Berlin

Another vet I know spent the last days of the war like that. Got two bullets in him whilst storming Berlin.

There's a movie about that, I think based on a book, which was a true story

Korean dude conscripted by the Japanese, sent to fight the Russians, gets captured by the Russians, conscripted and sent to fight the Germans, captured by the Germans, conscripted to fight against the Americans, captured at D-Day, retired to Illinois

That's quite the trip for the guy.

What's even more strange is he didn't speak German. Dunno how he managed to get along