USSR 1941

"Our own people? What kind of people?" Major Mikhailvich asked strangely.

"Most of them are from the 7th 'Punishment Battalion', some are from the 9th 'Punishment Battalion'! There are also a few deserters... They say they want to see you, Comrade Shulka!" Andrianka replied .

Mikhailvich and Shulka looked at each other, and they both understood what was going on.

This was unexpected but expected.

I said it was unexpected because this kind of escape and defection in one's own army is a bit unimaginable, because it is the same army with the same system and system, so it should be completely unnecessary.

It is expected because Shulka knows that although the "punishment battalions" of other troops appear to be implementing a similar system to the Fifth Infantry Company on the surface, this is not the case in essence.

And it is not difficult to imagine that this is why soldiers and deserters from other "punishment battalions" came to join the 82nd Infantry Regiment.

Sure enough, when Shulka and Mikhailvich rushed to the second line as a staff dormitory for temporary shelter... "Red October" new village itself is the residential area for metallurgical plant workers, some of which are large dormitories with densely packed The upper and lower floors are filled with beds for single workers.

Because of its wide space and many beds, it is very suitable as a shelter or a temporary hospital.

A total of fifty-three ragged Soviet soldiers gathered there, some with guns and some without guns.

That means the guards didn't disarm them, they didn't even know what to do with these soldiers...

Say they are not deserters, the fact is that they escaped from the original army.

Call them deserters, and they are troops fleeing to their own people.

So disarming is not, and not disarming is not.

Shulka walked into the shelter, and the soldiers didn't respond at first. Soon, several of them recognized Shulka and whispered: "That's Shulka, the 'breakout hero'!"

Then, the soldiers who were originally like a pool of stagnant water suddenly became lively, and they surrounded them with a "hula" and said in a hurry:

"Nice to meet you, Comrade Shulka!"

"We're here to join the Fifth Infantry Company!"

"We are eligible to join,

isn't it? "

...

They are indeed qualified, because if the deserters who are found to be shot at the port are eligible to join the Fifth Infantry Company, they are of course more qualified.

But this made Shulka very embarrassed.

Because they belong to the "punishment battalion" of other units, such as the 7th "punishment battalion" is the unit of the 17th Infantry Army.

If the 82nd Infantry Regiment incorporated them... it would not only violate military regulations but also directly offend friendly troops.

"Why are you doing this?" Major Mikhailvich stepped forward and said: "I heard that your army is also implementing the same policy as the Fifth Infantry Company. You can still be valued if you stay in the original army... "

"Forget it, Major!" Major Mikhailvich was interrupted:

"That's just a lie, we're all dead before that!"

"In fact, we all climbed out of the pile of dead people, but there is still no hope. We are still assigned the 'death mission'!"

"Yes, there is no hope! Because they will not allow us to retreat, although the position is no longer necessary to defend!"

...

Shulka knew what they were talking about.

Institutions and policies are one thing, and implementation is another.

With the inertial thinking of Soviet commanders, it is impossible for them to suddenly change their discrimination against deserters, and of course it is impossible for their superiors to treat the "punishment battalion" equally like Shulka at the order of their superiors.

They don't even have such a foundation, because they don't trust each other, and they still suspect each other. The result of trust is often to give the "punishment battalion" the opportunity to rebel and defect to the enemy.

Shulka said a few words of reassurance to them, and then stepped aside with Mikhailvich.

"How?" asked Major Mikhailevich.

"It's very simple!" Shulka replied: "Report to the superior!"

Major Mikhailvich said with a "ha": "Good idea!"

When it's time to kick the ball, you still have to kick it, especially when it involves troops like this and the 82nd Infantry Regiment is only one regiment.

At this time, any decision they make is beyond their authority.

So, this hot potato was quickly thrown into Golikov's hands.

Golikov and Krylov couldn't help being dumbfounded when they heard this...

"Aren't other units also implementing the system of the Fifth Infantry Company?" Golikov asked.

"No one can do it, Comrade Golikov!" Major Akimovich replied: "I mean, no one can do it like Comrade Shulka... We thought it would be easy, just give them more With more food, ammunition and equipment, and hope, those deserters can change their minds and return to the ranks of bravely resisting the invaders! But there are many problems in actual operation.”

If we make a general analysis of the styles of the armies of various countries in the world... European and American armies pay more attention to spirit, community of interests, and institutions; Soviet armies pay more attention to high-pressure policies and ideological guidance;

Facts have proved that the army that tends to rule the army with emotion is often the most difficult to deal with, because they often display unimaginable and incredible combat effectiveness on the battlefield, that is, when the European and American armies think that the situation of the battle can no longer be changed, they can choose to surrender. The army in the cowardly cultural circle will choose more to "rather be broken than whole".

Of course, the Soviet army at this time did not understand Shulka's idea of ​​​​ruling the army with emotion, let alone the idea of ​​"suspecting people and using them without suspicion", so even if the policies and systems of the Fifth Infantry Company were fully implemented , and only learned the surface without learning the essence.

"How should we answer them?" Major Akimovich asked, "Let them keep these 'deserters'?"

"No!" Krylov objected: "If you do this, the 'punishment battalions' of other troops will all run away and go to the 82nd Infantry Regiment in the next second!"

"Then order them back to their original unit!" Major Akimovich said.

"No way!" Golikov frowned: "If you do this, you will actually force the 'punishment battalions' of other troops to flee to the port first, and then be incorporated into the 82nd Infantry Regiment through the port!"

Krylov nodded in agreement.

If the soldiers of the "punishment battalion" of other troops find that they have no chance and hope of survival, of course they are willing to fight to the death.

What Golikov and Krylov didn't expect was that Shulka had ingeniously led a "punishment company" and directly shook the entire system to the brink of collapse.