Shulka acquiesced in the existence of this lynching of the Fifth Infantry Company.
Shulka thinks this is a good thing.
On the one hand, this can solve Shulka's trouble... How to solve the problem of deserters in the 5th Infantry Company, and shoot them like the Ministry of Internal Affairs treats deserters? That will make the 82nd Infantry Regiment lose the meaning of housing deserters.
If we really want to pick on the wording, Shulka promised that the 5th Infantry Company would be treated like ordinary troops. Then when deserters are caught, soldiers in ordinary troops should be thrown into "punishment camps" rather than shot.
Therefore, from a legal point of view, Shulka's approach actually contains an irresolvable circular contradiction.
But Sokolov's lynching solved this problem perfectly.
More importantly, Shulka no longer needs to worry about the crisis raised by Andrianka.
That is to say, the fifth company composed of deserters will one day reach a consensus to "escape" and unite together to stab the 82nd Infantry Regiment in the back when the battle is at its fiercest, bringing danger to the entire regiment.
This is because the necessary condition for a troop to reach a consensus on "escape" is that the trend of escape prevails... Everyone has the idea of escape, and then it is proposed by several people under certain circumstances and pressure, and then everyone responds to it immediately.
But if there was no such "escape" culture, instead the deserters would be sentenced to death in front of everyone as soon as they were discovered.
Then the situation will soon be different... No one dares to have the idea of escape, and of course no one dares to mention it. Even if they have this desire and idea, they will be suppressed in their hearts and dare not take action.
Over time, this army will naturally form a custom, style, culture, and even a belief.
This is also one of the reasons why the heroic army's combat effectiveness has always been maintained at a high level even though the soldiers in the heroic army have been replaced one after another. After many years, there is no veteran left... Every recruit who joins will inherit the legacy of the army, and
It not only affects oneself but also affects the next generation of recruits, so it is passed on batch by batch.
The Fifth Infantry Company has obviously developed a unique style: zero tolerance for deserters.
Shulka didn't say anything, he just nodded, said "keep working hard" and left.
Sokolov was originally worried that this kind of lynching would be ordered to stop, but he relaxed after seeing Shulka's reaction.
"So, Comrade Shulka!" Valery followed Shulka and asked, "What should they do?"
"What should I do?" Shulka asked.
"The Fifth Infantry Company!" Valery replied awkwardly: "I can't command them!"
This is indeed a troublesome matter.
A side effect of the lynching was that power was concentrated in the hands of Sokolov, and Valery, as the battalion commander, could not do anything to them.
After thinking about it, Shulka replied: "Don't worry, Valery! You assign them normal combat tasks, and they will work hard to complete them like other troops!"
Shulka believed that Sokolov was a smart man, and his purpose in doing so was not to centralize power, but to improve the morale and combat effectiveness of the troops in a short period of time.
Facts have proved that Sokolov's approach is very effective.
The 82nd Infantry Regiment was sent to garrison in the "Red October New Village" in the early morning of the third day.
The time was set in the early morning because the Soviet army's tactics usually consisted of hiding and defending during the day and counterattacking at night.
The defense change time is chosen in the early morning so that the troops can better adapt to the battlefield. In order to be prepared, sometimes they will enter the position a few hours in advance to exchange some experiences with the original troops.
After entering the position, Major Mikhailovich convened a short meeting with the main officers.
"Needless to say, our mission is to defend the new village of 'Red October'!" Major Mikhailovich pointed at the map and said: "Let me tell you the general situation... The enemy's strategic target is still Mamayev
Gang! But the new village of 'Red October' is crucial for the enemy to completely occupy the Mamayev Gang!"
The reason is self-evident.
The "Red October" New Village is behind the main slope of Mamayev Hill. Because of it, the Soviet army can deploy artillery in this area to directly bomb the side and even the main slope of Mamayev Hill.
In other words, as soon as it gets dark, the Soviet army can rely on artillery to easily recapture the main slope of Mamayev Hill.
Therefore, the ownership of the new village of "Red October" basically determines the ownership of Mamayev Heights, and the ownership of Mamayev Heights determines the supply line of Stalingrad.
"The Germans have thrown an infantry regiment here!" said Major Mikhailovich.
Hearing this, the officers couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
There is only one infantry regiment... Although the German army is of good quality and has strong combat effectiveness, the 82nd Infantry Regiment occupies a geographical advantage, and blocking the attack of an infantry regiment is not a big problem.
But what Major Mikhailovich said next made everyone gasp.
"But they invested a large number of aircraft for bombing here!" Major Mikhailovich said: "In the area of the 'Red October' New Village alone, the average number of sorties reaches 500 every day!"
500 sorties, which is much more than the air force attendance rate of the entire Soviet Stalingrad Front and Southeast Front.
"Aren't there tanks and assault guns?" Shulka asked.
"The number is very small!" Major Mikhailovich replied: "There are also artillery units of unknown strength!"
The Soviet army did not have air superiority, so its understanding of the enemy's artillery was often "unknown strength."
After thinking about it, Shulka said: "The Germans are likely to adopt dilapidated tactics!"
Major Mikhailovich nodded in agreement.
The so-called "broken tactics" meant that the German army did not engage in charges or street fighting with the Soviet army. Instead, they used fighter planes, artillery and infantry to blow up buildings one after another.
This is a very smart tactic, because at least everyone is fighting in ruins, and the Soviet army does not have the advantages of geography, defense, familiarity with the terrain, etc.
Of course, this tactic also has its disadvantages, that is, it creates a large amount of ruins that makes it impossible for tanks, armored vehicles, etc. to pass through.
The problem is that the strategic goal of the German army in capturing the "Red October" New Village is not to pass through, but to destroy the Soviet artillery hidden in it so that it cannot provide fire cover for Mamayev Hill.
So the Germans were free to bomb.
From this aspect, the German army is still very clear in formulating its strategic goals.
Finally, Major Mikhailovich said: "The order from above is to let the fifth infantry company garrison the forward buildings!"
The officers looked at each other and knew what the order meant... The forward buildings were basically exposed to enemy artillery fire and bombing by fighter planes, but they could not completely avoid sending troops to defend them, because in this way the enemy could attack them without firing a single shot.