Simply levelling off and then letting the stick go should have helped until a speed of ~Mach 0,65 (Figure 65 in the report). After that even at level attitude the FCS would have started to trim into the stall once the propulsive limit had been exceeded. At that point sustained ND input would have been required.
Two stupidities were combined to put in water AF447
That of the pilot ( pull the stick as a mad with a continued stall warning )
That of the Airbus system (hold the trim in up position when knowing this was a continuous stall)
If Airbus was in full manual both stupidities to put the plane into the water should have been made by the pilot
Pull the stick and put together manually the trim full up position
So I conclude that the auto trim really helped to put AF447 in the water because the system worked as per design