Reparations Withdrawals Of Metallurgical Equipment in Central and Eastern European Countries at Final Stage of Great Patriotic War (1944—1945)

This article is dedicated to the lesser-known aspects of Soviet policy regarding the compulsory seizure of industrial equipment in territories liberated by the Red Army from the fascist bloc states in 1944—1945. Based on an analysis of decrees by the State Defense Committee, the principles of interaction between representatives of industrial People’s Commissariats and military authorities in liberated territories are revealed, with the aim of dismantling and transporting the most promising industrial assets back to the USSR for the needs of restoring the country’s metallurgical complex. The paper provides examples of property disputes among leading economic entities — the industrial People's Commissariats of the USSR — over the right to dismantle industrial facilities for their own benefit. It also sheds light on the activities of Special Assembly Managements under the People’s Commissariat for Construction of the USSR and their authority in the process of seizing industrial assets in territories freed from German control in Eastern Europe. Using the case studies of non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy enterprises located in territories of fascist bloc countries (Germany, Hungary) liberated by the Red Army, typical approaches to organizing the compulsory dismantling of their equipment are analyzed. The research conducted vividly demonstrates the significance of reparations seizures of industrial equipment in Eastern Europe for the modernization and recovery of the USSR’s metallurgical complex during 1944—1945.

1. Afiani, V. Y. (2016). Problems of reparations at the Yalta Conference. According to the documents of I. M. Maisky’s personal fund in the archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Archivist’s Bulletin, 1: 111—121. (In Russ.).

2. Boldyrev, R. Y., Nevsky, S. I. (2017). Soviet reparative policy in Germany in 1945—1953. Questions of history, 3: 49—69. (In Russ.).

3. Bystrova, I. V. (2019). Lend-lease for the USSR. Economics, technology, people (1941—1945). Moscow: Kuchkovo Pole. 479 p. ISBN 978-5-907171-08-4. (In Russ.).

4. For an anti-fascist democratic Germany: A collection of documents, 1945—1949. (1969). Moscow: Politizdat. 704 p. (In Russ.).

5. Galkin, A. A., Melnikov, D. S. (1966). USSR, Western powers and the German question, 1945—1965. Moscow: Nauka. 263 p. (In Russ.).

6. International relations after the Second World War. In 3 volumes, 1. 1945—1949. (1962). Moscow: Gospolitizdat. 759 p. (In Russ.).

7. Knyshevsky, P. N. (1994). Mining. Secrets of German reparations. Moscow: Tovar-vo “Soratnik”. 142 p. (In Russ.).

8. Melnikov, N. N. (2017). Modernization of the USSR tank industry in the conditions of the Great Patriotic War. Yekaterinburg: Publishing House “Socrates”. 416 p. ISBN 978-5-906350-48-0. (In Russ.).

9. Parfenov, A. E. (2015). Captured (reparative) equipment in the restoration of Stalingrad industry in 1945—1946. In: Military history of Russia: problems, searches, solutions. Materials of the International Scientific Conference dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. In 2 parts, 1. Volgograd: Volgograd State University. 493 p. (In Russ.).

10. Ryzhkov, N. I. (2020). The Great Patriotic War: Lendlease. Moscow: Publishing House Ekonomicheskaya Gazeta. 480 p. ISBN 978-5-4319-0028-0. (In Russ.).

11. Semiryaga, M. I. (1995). How we ruled Germany. Moscow: Russian Political Encyclopedia (ROSSPEN). 400 p. (In Russ.).

12. Stettinius, E. (2000). Lendlease — the weapon of victory. Moscow: Veche. 400 p. ISBN 5-7838-0696s. (In Russ.).

13. The Soviet Union at international conferences during the Great Patriotic War, 1941—1945: Collection of documents, 4. (1984). Moscow: Politizdat. 302 p. (In Russ.).

14. The State Defense Committee of the USSR. Regulations and activities. 1941—1945. Annotated catalog: in 2 volumes, 2. 1944—1945. (2015). Moscow: ROSPEN. 1343 p. ISBN 978-5-8243-1962-0. (In Russ.).

15. Vasilenko, L. V. (2009). Solving the problem of German reparations by the allies of the anti-Hitler coalition (1945—1953). Bulletin of Nizhnevartovsk State University, 2: 86—90. (In Russ.).

16. Zapariy, V. V. (2022). The mechanism of decision-making on reparations by the State Defense Committee during the war. History and modern worldview, 4 (3): 64—67. DOI: 10.33693/2658-4654-2022-4-3-64-67. (In Russ.).

17. Zhigalov, B. S. (2014). I. M. Maysky and the problem of German reparations (1943—1945). Bulletin of Tomsk State University. History, 1 (27): 56—63. (In Russ.).