It can even be said to be something that Soviet soldiers did not want.
Because strictly speaking, it can be said to be useless... It is too heavy to carry. The throwing distance is 15 to 20 meters but the killing radius reaches 20 meters. In other words, it is almost a suicide grenade. You must find a proper bunker before throwing it.
What's even worse is that it can only deal with the "No. 1" and "No. 2" tanks. At this time, almost all the "No. 3" and "No. 4" tanks that can be seen on the battlefield are "No. 3" and "No. 4" tanks.
This is not to say that the German army does not use "Plank 1" and "Plank 2" tanks, but they generally do not use them when attacking fortresses and only send them to clean up the battlefield.
Therefore, the rpg40 anti-tank grenade was a tasteless waste for Soviet soldiers. When destroying tanks at close range, the soldiers would rather use explosive packets and cluster grenades than use rpg40.
Therefore, rpg40 was easy to get, and it was in place the next day, with boxes and boxes shipped to the 82nd Infantry Regiment.
Major Mikhailovich did not understand this.
"Anti-tank grenade?" Major Mikhailovich asked: "It can't blow up anything except ourselves!"
"Some of them are training bombs!" Shulka replied: "Its main function is training!"
"Training?" Major Mikhailovich asked doubtfully: "If we train it, doesn't it mean that one day we will use them on the battlefield? Otherwise, what is the point of our training!"
"Of course it makes sense!" Shulka replied: "We will get a new anti-tank grenade. Its weight and shape are similar to the RPG40, but it can blow up the Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks!"
Upon hearing this, Major Mikhailovich's eyes couldn't help but light up.
The 82nd Infantry Regiment mainly has light weapons, and the most terrifying thing for them is the tank, because they can be said to have no effective anti-tank equipment, even close-range throwing types.
This will become a unit's Achilles heel on the battlefield. In other words, as long as a few tanks appear in front of the 82nd Infantry Regiment at any time, the 82nd Infantry Regiment will have no choice but to capture them.
Now, if there is an anti-tank grenade, even if its throwing distance is only 15 to 20 meters, it will be a process from scratch for the 82nd Infantry Regiment.
Of course, Major Mikhailovich understood its importance, so he nodded immediately and said: "Of course, Comrade Shulka! You are right, I think each of them needs to conduct anti-tank grenade training!"
What made Major Mikhailovich smile from ear to ear was yet to come.
Three days later, Kalashnikov sent a batch of rocket launchers and rockets.
"We can only get so many!" Kalashnikov said to Shulka: "Twenty, plus a hundred rockets! Some of them have even been repaired!"
"It's okay, Comrade Kalashnikov!" Shulka said, "Thank you very much!"
Kalashnikov looked at Shulka and said, "It's an irony, isn't it?"
"What irony?"
"The rocket launchers were even produced and equipped to the troops thanks to your efforts, but now you have to be sneaky to get them!"
Shulka did not answer, but responded with a wry smile.
When Mikhailovich saw these rocket launchers, he couldn't help but jump up excitedly:
"Is this the kind of new weapon that can destroy enemy tanks a hundred meters away? Is it the kind of weapon equipped by the 1st Guards Tank Brigade?"
"Yes!" Shulka said.
"Thank you, Shulka!" Mikhailovich hugged Shulka excitedly and murmured to himself: "We are saved, we are saved..."
Then, Major Mikhailovich personally arranged for these rocket launchers to be stored in the warehouse and assigned special personnel to manage them, for fear that something might go wrong.
Andrianka smiled and said: "I have never seen him so excited, Comrade Shulka!"
To be honest, this surprised Shulka.
"It's just twenty rocket launchers!" Shulka said: "You know, its accuracy is low. If it is to be effective on the battlefield, it must be equipped in large quantities. So twenty rocket launchers are nothing!"
"I know!" Andrianka replied: "But you should also know that currently the rocket launchers are only equipped with elite troops!"
Shulka couldn't help but say "oh".
This is true. This is mainly because it has only been two months since the development of the rocket launcher. The output is not large and it takes time to train shooters. Therefore, for the time being, it is only equipped with a few armored divisions and infantry divisions with the title of "Guards".
Now, the 82nd Infantry Regiment is also equipped. Although it is pitiful and mainly used for training, it is an incentive for the 82nd Infantry Regiment... As said before, this seems to prove that they take off
The "abandoned" hat and the sequence of returning to the normal army.
Sure enough, after Major Mikhailovich spread the news, the soldiers who were training were so excited that they cheered one after another.
Shulka didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.
From a training perspective, it is a good thing for soldiers to think this way, because it helps the morale of the troops and of course helps build them into qualified troops.
But... Shulka knew that this was not true. If one day, the superiors discovered this unusual cannon fodder unit, or if the soldiers knew the truth one day, the blow to them would be fatal.
But Shulka had no choice but to take one step at a time.
On the fifth day, Kalashnikov sent several 82mm mortars to the troops.
This is normal equipment, it just supplements the covering firepower of some troops, and the quantity is so small that it is almost negligible.
But this is not the point. The point is that the soldiers of the 82nd Infantry Regiment all thought that this was the order from their superiors to rectify them, so they all trained with all their energy as if they had been given blood.
"'Bobosa' will take a few more days!" Kalashnikov said: "In addition, I think there is something I need to tell you. Odessa has been lost!"
Shulka said "Oh".
This was expected. Originally, they estimated that Odessa could only defend Odessa for three days, but now it is considered good to defend Odessa for five days.
Shulka estimated that this should be attributed to the naval infantry brigade stationed there. They are a well-trained force.
"More than 70,000 people were captured!" Kalashnikov said: "Manstein was very cunning. He chose to end the battle during the day so that the navy could not get close to Odessa to withdraw the troops!"
Shulka nodded slowly. With more than 70,000 Marine Infantry Brigade soldiers, this was a considerable loss.
But Shulka knew that this was only the beginning of the Soviet army's losses.