Captured Documents of the Great Patriotic War in the Center of Attention of the Soviet Intelligence, Political Bodies and Archives

During the Great Patriotic War, the intelligence, Main Political Directorate of the Red Army, Main Archival Administration of the USSR and other authorities organized the collection of docu­ments captured from or left by the enemy. These documents, namely orders and reports, circular letters and communications of enemy units and subdivisions, regulations and instructions, soldiers' personal documents, letters from and to the front, photographs, all kinds of printed materials, were of military and political significance and were widely used in propaganda and the press. The paper explores the measures taken by various authorities to collect trophy documents and the difficulties they had to face in this work. These issues are poorly studied in Russian and foreign historiography, which determines their relevance.