When he arrived at the training ground, Sarayev couldn't stand it.
The scene was chaotic. The instructor on the "tank" (a car disguised as a tank) cursed while the soldiers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs below looked confused or ran around like headless flies.
"Comrade Andrianka!" Shulka called forward, and Andrianka was temporarily in command of the training ground.
"Yes, Comrade Shulka!" Andrianka, who was observing the training, responded and ran back.
"How is the training going?" Shulka asked.
"Everything goes well, Comrade Shulka!" Andrianka replied: "Just as we expected!"
"What do you mean?" Sarayev asked.
Andrianka looked at Shulka.
Shulka nodded and said, "Say it!"
"Let's put it this way, Comrade Sarayev!" Andrianka turned her body sideways so that Sarayev could see the situation on the training ground clearly, and then explained: "As you can see, if this is
If it were a real battlefield, I'm afraid half of your troops would have died!"
Although Saraev saw the chaos in the 11th Infantry Division, he still didn't want to believe it.
"This is impossible!" Sarayev said: "They... they just haven't adapted to the synergy between tanks and infantry. Just give them some time..."
"Infantry-tank coordination is only one aspect!" Andrianka interrupted Sarayev unceremoniously: "Your troops are accustomed to small-scale operations, especially company, platoon-level operations, company level and above.
The awareness of coordination is very weak, let alone the coordination of infantry and tanks, and the coordination of infantry and artillery! Such troops go to the battlefield... Comrade Sarayev, their individual quality and physical fitness cannot be brought into play at all, because there is just a barrage of artillery fire
The coverage is all gone!”
Sarayev looked at Andrianka, then cast a doubtful gaze on Shulka, and asked angrily: "You mean, other infantry can carry out infantry-tank coordination and infantry-artillery coordination very well? Just
Can you avoid enemy artillery fire? Even new recruits are no exception?"
No wonder Major General Sarayev was unconvinced.
You must know that Major General Sarayev is a major general of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs is strictly an intelligence agency. Of course he knows what the training level of ordinary troops is, so even if he is killed, he will not believe that the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will continue on the battlefield.
Neither are the new recruits.
Shulka did not answer, but just said: "Or, we can go to other infantry training grounds?"
Major General Sarayev had no objection, so Shulka took Sarayev to the training ground belonging to the 11th Infantry Regiment in the other direction.
"This is another infantry regiment, Comrade Sarayev!" Shulka handed the binoculars to Sarayev and said: "They lost nearly half of their troops in the previous battle, and there are only a thousand soldiers left in the whole regiment.
There are two hundred people, and eight hundred people have just been added. They are training new recruits, and they are also conducting infantry and tank training!"
Sarayev raised the telescope and took a look... In fact, he didn't need a telescope at all. He could tell within the visual range that it was much more orderly than the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
After watching for a while, Sarayev said: "This doesn't mean anything, Comrade Shulka! They don't know anything, so they study very seriously!"
"That's the problem, Comrade Sarayev!" Shulka objected: "The 11th Infantry Division, they think they know everything, think they don't need to learn, think they can fight on the battlefield, but in fact they are equally capable of fighting.
Nothing... For new recruits, all we need is to teach them, but for these soldiers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we have to change the bad habits they have developed over the years! Which one do you think is more difficult?"
Sarayev couldn't help but fell silent after hearing this. He somewhat understood what Shulka meant.
"Our tactics have fallen behind!" Shulka continued: "You may also know this. This is one of the reasons why our troops were defeated in the early stages of the war! In this case, all the troops
We are groping for changes, some are even spontaneous changes, sneaky changes, not just the 8th Infantry Regiment!"
Shulka told the truth.
Because the battlefield is reality, if tactics keep up with reality, it means survival, and if tactics fail to keep up, it means death.
The officers and soldiers fighting on the front line all want to live, but their superiors cling to the same strategy and tactics as before... It should be said that the top brass of the Soviet army are very stubborn in the reform of strategy and tactics, even if they fail countless times.
They are not allowed to learn from experience and lessons, but instead get worse.
Because there is such a paradox: no one thinks that the battle is lost because of a one-sided emphasis on bravery, but some people think that the battle is lost because of not being brave enough.
The top brass of the Soviet army can be stubborn, but the officers and soldiers on the front line cannot be "stubborn".
Therefore, even if the top management still clings to the previous tactics, the frontline troops are already summing up experience and making changes spontaneously or secretly.
"For example!" Shulka continued: "When enemy artillery shells came, they knew how to hide and build individual bunkers, but the 11th Infantry Division was still charging; when attacking the enemy's defense line, they knew how to call for artillery.
The 11th Infantry Division is still charging; when the infantry and tanks coordinate, they know how to use tanks as cover and also know how to cover the tanks. The 11th Infantry Division is still charging... So, Comrade Sarayev, do you think this will eventually be achieved?
What is the result?
Before Sarayev could answer, Shulka said: "They are corpses, Comrade Sarayev, the corpses of thousands of officers and soldiers of the 11th Infantry Division. The Germans can easily use limited bullets and artillery shells to kill them."
In exchange for the 11th Infantry Division being wiped out, an infantry division, even an infantry division with a large number of recruits... they still retain their strength to fight the Germans! This is the result, is this what you want?
"
Sarayev listened now.
He was silent for a long time, then nodded slowly and said: "I now understand why our superiors ordered us to receive training, Comrade Shulka! I also understand why our superiors sent you to train the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs!"
Then he handed the telescope back to Shulka and said: "You are right, Comrade Shulka! Now, tell me, what should we do to avoid becoming corpses!"
"Just like I said!" Shulka said: "Forget your previous tactics and habits, you have to accept new tactics and learn from the infantry units, just like new recruits!"
"I will tell them these words!" Sarayev said.
"Just telling is not enough!" Shulka said: "We want them to know that they are recruits, recruits who know nothing!" (To be continued)