I often heard about Russian sending their military to front line with bunches of machine guns behind them. So if anyone who is in the front line turns around, they'll get mowed down with machine gun.
I'm wondering how do they choose who go to the front line and who will manned the machine gun?
Are those who manned the machine gun lucky one or not?
2007-04-28 10:04:51 · 10 answers · asked by Honor Among the Demons 4 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
machine gunners were those who proved to be politically content with the regime and with shooting their comrades.
machine gunners in the term u specified.
seriously they were the political advisories, "politruk" is the russian abbreviation.
russians had the punishment units for deserters and unreliable people, that were not armed and served as human "flail deminer" -ran through the minefield. either you could leave the unit vecause of german bullet or of russian bullet. no other way.
Stalin even refused to deal with war prisoner organisations, since he stated that the russian soldier is fighting to his last drop of blood and therefore he may not be captured. those who were captured, often decided to collaborate with germans rather than be terminated in the concentration camps or live with the stamp of surrendee.. one of these pro-german units participated in the last zear of war during liberation of Prague.
2007-04-28 10:10:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
they often used conscripts, these were criminals from prisons. They had to force them into battle because most did not want to go. These battalions are more or less kept seperate from the trained fighting forces of the spetzna who did not need to be pushed into battle.
The people with machine guns, were either; 1. Volunteer officers or 2. Conscripts with seniority and have gained some level of trust.
It's not very lucky considering you may have to shoot your own people. Depends on your personality i guess.
In draft wars like nam the commanding officer can shoot you for breaking the line or running away without permission. It's a jerk thing for a CO to do but he has the right even in our army.
2007-04-28 17:20:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The average Russian soldier went to the front to fight for the Fatherland. Some of the young soldiers, would panic and try to run away. They were shot by the Officers. Had they not, the whole Russian army would have run home. I was in WW2 and after 3 years on the battle front, there were times that I wanted to run, but never did. It's scary when you have real bullets shot at you and you see the guy you were talking to a minute ago slumped over with a bullet through his head.
2007-04-28 17:20:21 · answer #3 · answered by Alfie333 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
People who were in the front line were called "shtrafbat". These people were give no weapons, sometimes they got a knife. Their objective was to attack and to use any weapons they pick up. If they turn around, they get killed because that counts as betrayal.
These people were mainly criminals or people who were accused of betraying their country. Majority of them died but I've heard stories about some that made it all the way to Berlin.
Those who manned the machine guns were lucky because they had a higher chance of surviving but unlucky at the same time because they had to shoot at their own people who might be their family members or friends.
2007-04-28 17:18:42 · answer #4 · answered by russian1902 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
After the bloody Bolshevik revolution, the people were under the thumbs of their leader, Stalin. so, when he made deal with the devil, Hitler, he though all was well. When Hitler attacked Russia, Stalin "drafted" all these people to slow down the blitz kreg so the military would have a chance to react.
Most of the unwilling either fought or died trying to retreat. The machine gunners were mostly officers of the military. Once the brutality of the Nazi's was realized by the people, then it became a fight to survive, and no machine guns to the rear.
2007-04-28 17:11:21 · answer #5 · answered by bigmikejones 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
They were NKVD penal battalions recruited from Gulags. They were sent on suicide missions; as human mine-sweepers they'd march arm in arm through minefields; fodder for German machine gun bullets to test their strength and make them run out of ammunition.
The machine gunners were men from the NKVD secret police.
2007-04-28 17:43:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
The units enforcing discipline were most commonly NKVD, the precursor organization of both the MVD (Ministry of Interior) and the KGB.
The units that needed the encouragement you're thinking about were Penal units (Battalion or Company strength). You can read about them here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_military_unit
Oh and in war, everyone is unlucky.
2007-04-28 17:13:59 · answer #7 · answered by Nat 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think the machine gunners were officers.
Not sure though.
2007-04-28 17:07:57 · answer #8 · answered by Mopp 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
those with machine guns were fanatic war commissars, chosen between the most devoted communists, and they shot every soldier who wanted to retreat ....
2007-04-28 17:11:30 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
no because they had to worry about those behind them!
2007-04-28 17:44:39 · answer #10 · answered by tom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋