The concept of Soviets and the Red Army in particular raping innocent German women and girls appears to have started during the war as Nazi propaganda. It was just super convenient for the Allies (excl. USSR) to pick up the already ingrained propaganda and run with it when it came time to end the war.
When you dig into it, most anti-communist myths have Nazi origins.
While the particular Berlin stories originated from nazis, entire “bolshevik rape horde” started way before, during revolution and stayed after. Especially polish propganda in 1920+ spreaded it left and right.
The concept of Soviets and the Red Army in particular raping innocent German women and girls appears to have started during the war as Nazi propaganda. It was just super convenient for the Allies (excl. USSR) to pick up the already ingrained propaganda and run with it when it came time to end the war.
When you dig into it, most anti-communist myths have Nazi origins.
While the particular Berlin stories originated from nazis, entire “bolshevik rape horde” started way before, during revolution and stayed after. Especially polish propganda in 1920+ spreaded it left and right.
I believe that there were also cases of US commanders blaming crimes that their own soldiers committed on “those evil, rape-happy Russians.”