Hello and welcome to Conflicted, the history podcast where we talk about the struggles that shaped us, the hard questions that they pose, and why we should care about any of it.

I'm your host, Zach Cornwell, and this is episode three, they saw red.

Just a warning before we jump into this one, this episode is very, very dark.

Easily the darkest of the season.

And if you have a weak stomach for accounts of sexual violence or have kids around, you may want to skip this one.

However, I do include a warning before we reach that point in the story, so you'll know when it's coming.

With that being said, let's begin. On a blue-skied morning, in January 1945, a 19-year-old Soviet scout marches into a clearing.

It is cold.

If he were to take his gloves off and press his bare hand to the metal barrel of his submachine gun, he'd pull it back, missing a few layers of skin.

He crunches through the snow, towards an abandoned two-story homestead.

The bright red brick and sturdy German architecture are a far cry from the ramshackle

huts in his native Russia.

He hears horses shuffling nervously in a large wooden barn.

He sees fat cows staring back at him from the fields.

Before he even steps foot in the house, he's realizing he's never seen this much wealth in his

entire life.

And when he pushes open, the decorated oaken door, he finds an alien world inside.

The first thing he notices is the warmth.

The house is well constructed and provides relief from the bitter cold.

His eyes dart around, not knowing whether to settle on the polished wooden tables,

the beautiful framed paintings, or the silverware sitting

unguarded on the table. A fire crackles in the hearth. His boots track mud over the wooden

...