ABSTRACT
In general the intensity of the reporting concerning military prospects and internal stability was relatively low during the World War II. An OSS report from January 1945 described the economy as battered by the war, to such an extent that the Soviet leadership would think twice before embarking on any adventurous foreign policy after the war. The 1944 situation would be about as good as the pre-war, with respect to the efficiency of industrial production and hourly labour productivity, despite food shortages and civilian hardships. Several factors had contributed to the depopulation: the 1941 mobilization, civilians fleeing eastwards, the Germans conscripting workers, civilian casualties due to conventional and partisan warfare, and German genocidal policies. Generally, the Anglo-Americans made a better job of estimating the manpower size of the armed forces, but it seems that they still underestimated the amount of military equipment in the armed force's possession.
