The Russians took over positions in Germany, nearing the end of the war, per the Yalta Agreement. Meet Ruski. We fed him, so he hung around. He was one of the lucky ones. He had boots.
The first contingent that arrived was the infantry, who were wearing leggings that looked like Ace bandages. Their tunics were soiled, but the chest area was covered with medals and orders. Very impressive. I believe the decorations were given in lieu of money, food and equipment.
The Russian soldiers were like G.I.s all over the world, but the officers were very arrogant and riled the Americans. The Russians and the Americans fought the war on the same side, but their lack of equipment dictated a different approach to problems. If the US Army came across a minefield, we would either sweep for mines or go around it. The Russians would march their troops through it and take their losses. This strategy was loosely based on the theory of a Karl Marx quote. “What good is hair if you have no head?” When we captured a German officer, which was quite rare, he was always spotless. He stood aloof and proud, away from his men. I remembered one time the officers’ boots even shined. Go figure.
Another time, a German major surrendered to me. We didn’t have much rank at that time and place, so I guess I was the rankest. He explained to me that when his battalion got down to under 100 men, he told them to go home. As he was talking, I noticed he wore a wristwatch, so I confiscated it. Would you believe he insisted he wanted a receipt because I was taking German army property? I still have that watch, and he had a receipt from a corporal.