In fact, this is not just a matter of morale, but if you think about it more deeply, it is also related to the officer's reputation and even his official career.
The battlefield is like this, and what keeps officers and soldiers together should be common interests.
For example, a large part of the reason why Shulka was able to win every battle was that he was able to consider the soldiers from their perspective. This was particularly obvious in the Soviet army that one-sidedly emphasized spirit, courage, and charge.
Objectively speaking, the Soviet army did not actually value the lives of soldiers.
As a national leader or high-level decision-maker, there is no reason not to value the lives of soldiers, because this is a very simple truth: the army is composed of soldiers. Without soldiers, there would be no army. Without the army, of course, there would be no country.
The problem is that the Soviet army's one-sided emphasis on spirit and courage has seriously lagged behind in this era... These should be things from the World War I period. Even after the Mark Mi machine guns were equipped in large quantities in the troops in World War I, this system has become outdated.
But the Soviet army did not realize this.
It can even be said that the Soviet Union did not participate in World War I... It was Tsarist Russia that participated in World War I. The Soviet Union was established in November 1917 and withdrew from the war the next day.
This directly caused the establishment of the Soviet army to be largely "made behind closed doors": the army had not been tempered by external wars, and many of its strategies and tactics were accumulated and formed during domestic battles with the White Army.
Most of the officers with systematic military education are white soldiers...
Although there were 10,000 British and French troops fighting together with the White Army, these 10,000 so-called Allied troops just wanted to hide in the back and watch the tigers fight. When they realized that the situation was over, they quickly withdrew into the country.
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The result is the current Soviet tactical system.
Under this tactical system, the most intuitive feeling of soldiers is that their lives are not valued, or they charge meaninglessly on the battlefield and then die.
However, Shulka was an anomaly among many officers. He valued the lives of soldiers, used tactics flexibly, and rescued soldiers from crises time and time again, and won victory at a minimum cost time and time again.
This was true in Brest Fortress, it was true in Moscow, and it is true now in Stalingrad.
Therefore, Shulka can gain the support of the officers and soldiers, and the soldiers are willing to fight for him, and dare to fight on the battlefield... The most typical one is the Fifth Infantry Company.
Although the German army was different from the Soviet army, the rules of the battlefield were the same.
So Major Paul, standing outside Warehouse No. 5, also faced the same problem:
If you recklessly blow up your subordinates trapped in the warehouse or ignore them, it will not only damage the morale of the troops, but also damage your own reputation.
Although reputation is something invisible and intangible, it is the basis for an officer to command his troops.
At the same time, it is often difficult and time-consuming to cultivate. To destroy it, all it takes is an unrecognized command, and then it will be difficult or even impossible to recover.
This probably means that Major Paul was abandoned by the soldiers, so his future career and even safety cannot be guaranteed.
Major Paul is a smart man, so of course he would not choose to do this.
After thinking about it, he ordered the adjutant who was trapped in the warehouse through the walkie-talkie: "Hang on, I will send someone to rescue you right away!"
When the adjutant heard this, a glimmer of hope once again emerged in his heart, which was originally despairing... In fact, the adjutant knew clearly that the hope of their return alive was very slim, and even if they were rational, the main force should not send people to rescue them.
Because it was easy for the adjutant to know that this was a tactic of "encirclement and reinforcements" set up by the Soviets.
The tactic is an old tactic, but it was used very cleverly in a building, which no one expected.
Therefore, the German army should "stop losses" or adopt other tactics at this time.
This is also the reason why the adjutant wanted to commit suicide before.
However, who is willing to give up this only hope? Especially this hope is a little flame rekindled in despair, and few people are willing to extinguish it immediately.
So the adjutant responded: "Yes, Major! But I think it should be faster, because we have many wounded who cannot survive..."
Just as he was talking, there was a "bang" sound, the adjutant screamed, and his other leg was hit by another bullet.
The adjutant couldn't help but shouted towards the depths of the warehouse: "You bastards, why don't you kill me?!"
Still no one answered him, not even a cough.
Only a few German soldiers who were also injured climbed up and bandaged the adjutant with difficulty.
This is indeed a bit cruel. Soviet snipers used these German soldiers as targets. If it were not for the fact that ammunition was not allowed, they might have a more "fun" game.
But this is the battlefield.
There is no mercy on the battlefield, especially when these German soldiers are still standing on Soviet soil.
Outside the warehouse, Major Paul has begun to organize rescue.
In fact, Major Paul hesitated for a while because he didn't know whether the strategic goal should be better to organize a rescue or capture the building.
Organizing a rescue might be successful, but this fortress-like warehouse still stands in front of them.
Occupying the building is a once and for all thing, and at the same time, they can also complete the rescue mission, because if they can do this, rescuing the wounded will be nothing.
After thinking about it, Major Paul decided to choose the latter.
Because he thought he had the ability to give these hateful Russians a surprise attack that would catch them by surprise.
"First I need to know the general situation in the warehouse!" Major Paul ordered to the staff.
"Yes, Major!" the staff officer responded, and then immediately contacted the adjutant trapped in the warehouse through the walkie-talkie.
This also shows the quality of the German army. For example, the staff knew immediately that they could get the necessary information from the adjutant.
"At ten o'clock, one hundred meters away, there is the wreckage of a tank!" The adjutant reported while observing: "At eleven o'clock..."
There was a "bang" gunshot, and a bullet destroyed the radio.
This shot was also fired by Vasily.
Although Shulka ordered not to destroy enemy radio stations, specific issues require detailed analysis.
At this time, the enemy was obviously transmitting information to the outside through the radio, which would be detrimental to future battles, so Vasily immediately destroyed the radio.
Then Vasily had someone report to Shulka by phone.
Shulka certainly agreed with Vasily's approach. In fact, he needed people like Vasily who did not stick to orders.
In addition, Shulka also knew that the Germans were preparing for another wave of attacks.
"Get ready for battle!" Shulka said: "They may have to storm the warehouse!" (To be continued)