Shulka understands how Mikhailovich feels. He strives to make himself a useful and needed person, rather than a waste who just eats and drinks... The army despises those wastes who work for a living, especially in the military.
War times.
What Mikhailovich didn't know was that he would never be useless, because with him as the old commander, the feelings of the veterans of the 8th Infantry Regiment are still there, which even Shulka cannot replace.
So the 8th Infantry Regiment has five battalions. Although their attributes and training levels are different, they are still organized into the 1st to 5th Infantry Battalions.
Among them, the cadet battalion is organized as the fifth infantry battalion... This is because the cadet battalion is a special force. It is somewhat similar to modern special forces. Under normal circumstances, it will not be used to charge the enemy's defense line like ordinary infantry.
Even if it goes into battle, it is a fire cover unit.
The commander of this battalion was Shulka Jean Vavilovic.
This is not to say that Vasily, who commanded the sniper company, is not good enough, but because the sniper company needs more time to command on the front line instead of coordinating the maintenance on the second line, and Vavilovitch commanded the mortar company, and was originally on the second line.
Of course there is no problem with him being responsible for coordinating the command of the cadet battalion.
The Naval Infantry Battalion is classified as the Fourth Battalion. It can also be regarded as a special force. The reason is that they are the Navy. They have been used as infantry and have higher education and learning abilities. This determines that they have amphibious landing capabilities.
The Soviet battlefield is full of rivers, lakes, and swamps, which means there will be many places where they will be needed in the future.
This battalion was of course commanded by Kharichev.
The first to third battalions are standard infantry battalions. The commander of one of the battalions is Valery, and the commander of the second battalion, which was transformed from the "punishment battalion", is of course Sokolov.
The third battalion was a new recruits camp. Mikhailovich appointed a captain named Gregovich as the battalion commander... He was a veteran who had followed Mikhailovich for many years. He was blind because of an injury to his right eye.
It cannot participate in the war, but it is very suitable for organizing and training new recruits.
Although Mikhailovich was injured, he was very active in doing things. Before the recruits arrived, he organized the officers of the recruit camp to conduct training. If his hand was not still hanging around his neck, Shulka believed that
He may even join the training team himself.
While arranging the training of other troops, Andrianka asked Shulka: "Do we have a big battle to fight? Counterattack?"
Shulka shook his head noncommittally and said: "I'm not sure, Comrade Andrianka! But it looks like it may be!"
Shulka could not answer Andrianka.
Although anyone with a discerning eye knows that the troops gathered here must be for a counterattack, it is still a military secret... Everything is secret, the transfer of troops, the mobilization of officers, the transportation of equipment and supplies, etc.
Because once they are discovered by the Germans, they are likely to guess the Soviet army's intentions and prepare in advance.
In fact, the Germans have already discovered it.
After all, it was the assembly of an entire front army and the transportation of supplies, and German pilots were constantly reconnaissance and even bombing traffic routes over Stalingrad. It was difficult not to notice these abnormalities.
Paulus soon received a telegram. When the adjutant sent the telegram, he reported: "Our pilots have discovered that a large amount of supplies are being transported to the south of Stalingrad. The enemy may have some actions in the south!"
Paulus pondered for a moment, and then replied: "They just want to disperse our forces, Frank! We can't be fooled by them anymore!"
It is not surprising that Paulus would think so, because after the German army captured and controlled Mamayev Heights, the balance of the Battle of Stalingrad had completely tilted towards the German army. With just one more force, the German army could occupy it.
Stalingrad.
Stalingrad is a choke point sandwiched between two dangerous areas, the Don River and the Volga River. Occupying it is almost equivalent to dividing the Soviet army into two parts that cannot reinforce each other. By then, the enemy will be completely passive.
"But our flanks are very weak, general!" the adjutant reminded: "Once they launch a counterattack..."
"They don't have that many troops to launch a counterattack, Frank!" Paulus replied: "Even if they do, they are just a mob. We can easily defeat them, just like we did before!"
"Yes, General!" the adjutant replied helplessly.
Paulus's decision or statement seems silly, or it can be said that it is not objective.
But in fact, Paulus had no other choice... There is a saying that "people can't help themselves in the world", and the same is true for many other situations on the battlefield.
For example, Paulus was in the current situation. Stalingrad, which had been unable to be conquered for a long time, was about to fall into his hands. How could he not know that the weak flanks were in danger of being attacked and broken through by the enemy?
But, what can you do if you know?
In the absence of other reinforcements, the long two-wing defense line of hundreds of kilometers must be supplemented...unless the main force of the 6th Army, which is attacking Stalingrad, is transferred back to defend the Don River.
As mentioned before, the defending side always needs more troops.
This result was something Paulus could not bear, and Hitler would never agree to it.
Therefore, Paulus could only hope that the enemy's movements on the flank were just a bluff, a desperate struggle when Stalingrad was about to fall.
On the other hand, Paulus also had another idea. He hoped that the Romanian army could use the Don River to block the attack for at least a few days.
If they can hold off for a few days, Paulus can dispatch reinforcements to help them defend.
Deploying reinforcements and supplementing the two-wing defense are two different concepts: the former is to increase troops wherever they are attacked, while the latter is to consider every point and increase troops. The numbers of troops they require are completely different.
Therefore, Paulus stopped the adjutant who was about to leave: "Frank, order General Dumilescu to strengthen the defense, at the same time, keep the railway open, and form a quick reaction force to be ready to reinforce the flanks at any time!"
"Yes, General!"
That was all Paulus could do.
What he didn't know was that on the other side of the Don River, trains loaded with new soldiers, tanks and artillery were heading to the Stalingrad Front almost non-stop one after another to seize the time for reorganization and training.
Although most of those who had just been transported were new recruits with no combat experience, and many of them were even women and children... Until now, with groups of soldiers being surrounded and annihilated by the German army, even with the mobilization of the Soviet army,
There is also a shortage of soldiers in terms of capabilities, and Moscow has to lower the recruitment standards again and call for more recruits to join the front line. (To be continued)