Hiwi is a German abbreviation. It has two meanings, "voluntary assistant" (Hilfswilliger, literally one willing to help) and "assistant scientist" (Hilfswissenschaftler).
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The word entered into several languages during World War II when German troops enlisted volunteers from the occupied territories for supplementary service (drivers, cooks, hospital attendants, ammunition carriers, messengers, sappers, etc.).
This term from World War II times is often associated with collaborationism, and, in the case of the occupied Soviet territories, with anti-Bolshevism (and widely presented by Germans as such). A captured "Hiwi" told his People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del, or NKVD) interrogators: "Russians in the German Army can be put into three groups:
Hiwis were referred to as "former Russians" by the Soviet authorities, regardless of the circumstances of them joining, and their fate at the hands of the NKVD was most likely death or the Gulag.[2]
The reliance upon "Hiwis" exposed a gap between Nazi ideologues and pragmatic German Army commanders. Nazi leaders, such as German dictator Adolf Hitler, regarded all Russians as "sub-human" (Untermensch) and therefore of no value to the "Aryan" German Army. On the other hand, the manpower was needed[3] and German Intelligence had recognised the need to divide the Soviet people. The contradiction was sometimes disguised by their reclassification as Cossacks.[4] Colonel Groscurth (Chief of Staff, XI Corps) wrote to General Beck: "It is disturbing that we are forced to strengthen our fighting troops with Russian prisoners of war, who are already being turned into gunners. It's an odd state of affairs that the "Beasts" we have been fighting against are now living with us in closest harmony."[5] One quarter of 6th Army's front-line strength were Hiwis[6]
See also: European Volunteers (Europäische Freiwillige)
This is today's common usage in the German language. It is used for university students working part-time as Teaching assistants or Research assistants.