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 10:05:33 · 4 answers · asked by Honor Among the Demons 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
1. All armies shoot deserters. The Soviets (not just Russian, but a lot of Central Asians and other minorities) just did so more directly than others. For several reasons:
2. Stalin had almost destroyed the Red Army because it was Trotsky's power base. They had almost no equipment and their officer corps had been decimated.
3. Not enough Soviet citizens understood why they were fighting until they had had a taste of Naziism. Yes, Stalin was a lesser evil than Hitler. Hard to believe that anyone could be worse than Stalin, but Hitler was.
2007-04-28 10:13:38 · answer #1 · answered by anotherguy 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋
the guys with the machine guns were NKVD troops- essentially secret police. They NEVER had to fight the enemy, just make sure everybody else did as they were told.
The guys chosen to do the attacking? sometimes penal batalions. But in a crunch (eg Stalingrad) every soldier, especially a bunch of fresh draftees, would do. They usually had one rifle for 2 or 3 men. the ones who lived were supposed to pick up the guns of the ones who died.
I know it sounds crazy. Nevertheless it was done. This was "Socialist" thinking- from their point of view these troopers were worthless pawns, easilly sacrificed to protect the more important people (meaning the socialist leaders)
2007-04-28 11:15:35 · answer #2 · answered by cp_scipiom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only the penal battalions had machine guns specifically lined up behind them. There were usually 10 battalions organized for each front level formation. Assignment to the penal battalions was usually for cowardice, criminal behaviour, political unreliability, etc. A soldier could earn their way out of the penal battalions for bravery, good service etc.
2007-04-28 10:20:10 · answer #3 · answered by Black Jacque Chirac 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well usualy the KGB manned the machine guns.. or troops loyal to them... anyone who turned around got shot.
2007-04-28 11:18:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋