"Our own people? What our own people?" Major Mikhailovich asked strangely.
"Most of them are from the 7th Punitive Battalion, and a few are from the 9th Punitive Battalion! There are also a few deserters... They said they want to meet you, Comrade Shulka!" Andrianka replied
.
Mikhailovich and Shulka looked at each other and both understood what was going on.
Although this was unexpected, it was also expected.
It was unexpected because this kind of escape and defection occurred in one's own army, which was a little bit weird, because the same army and the same system and system were used to escape and escape, so it should be completely unnecessary.
It was expected because Shulka knew that although on the surface it seemed that the "punishment battalions" of other units were implementing a similar system to the 5th Infantry Company, in reality this was not the case.
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 Mihailvich rushed to the second-line employee dormitories that were used as temporary shelters... the "Red October" New Village itself is a residential area for metallurgical plant employees. Some of them are large dormitories, which are densely packed with people.
It is filled with beds on the upper and lower floors to accommodate single workers.
Because it has a wide space and many beds, it is very suitable for use as a shelter or temporary hospital.
A total of fifty-three ragged Soviet soldiers gathered among them, some with guns and some without guns.
This shows that the guards did not disarm them and they did not even know what to do with these soldiers...
Let's say they are not deserters. The fact is that they escaped from the original army.
Call them deserters. They fled to their own troops.
So it doesn’t matter if you disarm, and it doesn’t matter if you don’t disarm.
When Shulka walked into the shelter, the soldiers showed no reaction 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. They "hurrahed" and surrounded them, saying all at once:
"Nice to meet you, Comrade Shulka!"
"We're here to join the Fifth Infantry Company!"
"We're eligible to join, aren't we?"
…
They were indeed qualified, because if all the deserters who were identified at the port and were to be shot were eligible to join the Fifth Infantry Company, they would certainly be more qualified.
But this made Shulka very difficult.
Because they belong to the "Punishment Battalions" of other units. For example, the 7th "Punishment Battalion" is a unit of the 17th Infantry Corps.
If the 82nd Infantry Regiment incorporates them... it will not only violate military regulations but also directly offend friendly forces.
"Why are you doing this?" Major Mikhailovich came to the rescue and said: "I heard that your unit is also implementing the same policy as the 5th Infantry Company. You can still get attention if you stay in the original unit...
"
"Forget it, Major!" Someone interrupted Major Mikhailovich:
"That's just a lie, we were all dead before that!"
"In fact, we all crawled out from the dead, but there is still no hope. We are still assigned to the 'death mission'!"
"Yes, there is no hope! Because they do not allow us to retreat, even though the position is no longer necessary to defend!"
…
Shulka knew what they were talking about.
Systems and policies are one thing, but implementation is another.
Based on the inertial thinking of the Soviet commanders, it was impossible for them to suddenly change their discrimination against deserters. Of course, it was also impossible for them to treat the "punishment camps" equally like Shulka at the first order from their superiors.
They don't even have such a foundation, because they don't trust each other and are still suspicious of each other. The result of trust is often to give the "punishment camp" the opportunity to rebel and surrender to the enemy.
Shulka said a few words to appease them, and then went aside with Mikhailovich.
"How to deal with it?" Major Mikhailovich asked.
"It's very simple!" Shulka replied: "Report to your superiors!"
Major Mikhailovich said "Ha": "What a great idea!"
You still have to kick the ball when it's time to kick it, especially when it involves troops and the 82nd Infantry Regiment is just a regiment.
At this time, any decision they make is beyond their authority.
As a result, this hot potato was quickly thrown into Golikov's hands.
Golikov and Krylov were stunned when they heard this...
"Aren't other troops also implementing the fifth infantry company system?" 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 was very simple, just give them more
With more food, ammunition, equipment, and hope, those deserters can change their minds and return to the ranks of bravely resisting the invaders! But in practice, many problems arise."
If we make a general analysis of the styles of armies in various countries around the world...European and American armies pay more attention to spirit, community of interests and systems; the Soviet army pays more attention to high-pressure policies and ideological guidance; the armies of the Asian coward culture circle pay more attention to emotions.
Facts have proven that armies that prefer emotional management are 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 they can no longer change the situation of the war, they can choose to surrender.
The troops in the coward culture circle will more often choose "better to be in pieces than in ruins."
Of course, the Soviet army at this time did not understand Shulka's idea of ruling the army with emotions, let alone the concept of "distrusting those who are suspicious, and not doubting those who are employed", so even if the policies and systems of the Fifth Infantry Company were fully implemented,
, and only learned the surface but not the essence.
"How should we answer them?" Major Akimovich asked: "Let them keep these 'deserters'?"
"No!" Krylov objected: "If you do this, all the 'punishment battalions' of other troops will flee and join the 82nd Infantry Regiment in the next second!"
"Then order them to return to their original units!" 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 pass through the port to be incorporated into the 82nd Infantry Regiment!"
Krylov nodded in agreement.
If the soldiers in the "punishment battalions" of other units find that they have no chance or hope of survival, they will of course be willing to fight to the death.
What Golikov and Krylov didn't expect was that Shulka took the initiative to lead a "punishment company", which directly shook the entire system and brought it to the brink of collapse.