as a semi-official history of neighboring latvia , where the same factors applied , put it , the brutal soviet occupation of 1940-1941 had created such ear and hatred in the populace that in a very short period the common view of the germans as the latvians primary enemiesdeveloped over the centuriesas suddenly replaced by the view that the primary enemy was russia and the communists.cxiii the soviets return in 1944 for another almost half-century of occupation had only intensified such feelings .