USSR 1941

  Chapter 855 Stress

   Colonel Kirillovich is the most disciplined Soviet man Shulka has ever met, because he does not drink.

In the Soviet Union, especially the Soviet Union of this era, it is not surprising that there are all kinds of people, such as some who are not close to women, some who do not smoke, and some who insist on running in the morning every day... After all, the forest is big and there are all kinds of birds, but they are very It's hard to find a few men who don't drink, because drinking has become a habit of their life, and men who don't drink are not considered men in their eyes.

   But Commissar Kirillovich does not drink, this is the answer Shulka got when he handed Kirillovich a glass of Vodka.

   "No, Comrade Shulka!" Kirillovich refused without hesitation: "I don't drink!"

   "No drinking?" Shulka was surprised by this answer.

   "Yes, not at all!"

   "Isn't it?" Shulka's words sounded a little aggressive.

   But Kirillovich was not impressed at all.

"You can say it like this!" Kirillovich nodded, but then he denied this statement: "You must know that the work of the political commissar is very important to an army. Soldiers need the guidance and support of the political commissar." Help, only in this way can they find their way, and if we ourselves can't find our way because of Watga, how can we help the soldiers find their way?"

   "So you know how to drink?" Shulka was still a little unwilling.

   "You can say that!" Kirillovich still replied the same, but added: "I have never drank alcohol since I was an instructor twenty-five years ago!"

  Although Kirillovich did not go into detail, Shulka could imagine the story here: he quit drinking for work, and he quit drinking for 25 years without drinking at all.

  In the Soviet Union, it was easy to quit smoking, gambling, and even sex, but quitting drinking was almost fatal. Moreover, the army did not require political commissars to quit drinking, but Kirillovich still did it.

   From this we can see the extent of Kirillovich's self-discipline.

   Soon Shulka felt the pressure from Kirillovich.

"Comrade Shulka!" Kirillovich said to Shulka when he came back from the front-line inspection: "I want to talk to you about the second infantry battalion. I heard that there are still lynchings in their battalion? This is absolutely not allowed in the army!"

Shulka is not surprised by this, because during the period after the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, the instructors of the 82nd Infantry Regiment had undergone a major replacement and were fully replenished... During the battle, it was inevitable that the instructors' casualties were not replenished in time, Even the 82nd Infantry Regiment was vacant for a long time because its superiors didn't bother to send a political commissar because it was similar to a "punishment battalion".

   But all these "vacancies" were filled in less than two weeks, so the entire 82nd Infantry Regiment was almost out of breath as if it was being tightened by a rope.

   The reason why Kirillovich knew so quickly that there was a "lynching" in the Second Infantry Battalion must be the news from the instructor.

   "Don't worry, Kirillovich!" Shulka replied: "I believe they can handle it!"

  For Shulka, this is a special situation and special treatment. The second infantry battalion was transferred from the "punishment battalion", and of course it is a special situation that requires special treatment.

"No, Comrade Shulka!" Kirillovich objected: "This is a very serious violation of discipline. Except for the disciplined troops, no one has the right to decide the life and death of other soldiers. The Second Infantry Battalion is no exception!"

"It's the exception, Comrade Kirillovich!" Shulka said: "And, they've worked very well with this discipline, at least so far not even a single deserter has appeared. They were all sacrificed or injured on the battlefield!"

  Kirillovich was stunned for a moment, and then continued: "I admire their courage. This is a heroic act, Comrade Shulka! But I still can't agree!"

   "Tell me your reason!" Shulka asked back: "Do you want them to return to the previous state? Do you want them to desert after they go to the battlefield and their morale is low, so they can't fight the enemy?"

Facts have proved that lynching is the most direct and effective way to solve the problem of the Second Infantry Battalion. Otherwise, even Sokolov would not be able to calm down this group of soldiers who were basically transferred from the "punishment battalion". After all, they all escaped previous convictions.

   However, Kirillovich certainly has his reasons.

"Perhaps this approach worked well in the 2nd Infantry Battalion!" said Kirillovich, "but I don't know if you have thought about it, Comrade Shulka! The 2nd Infantry Battalion is not an independent unit, It is a unit of the Soviet Union! If the 2nd Infantry Battalion can do this, does it mean that other units can do the same?! The 1st Infantry Battalion, the 3rd Infantry Battalion, the entire Army Group, and even the entire Army...if each Can the army use lynching to determine the life and death of its subordinates, is this still an army?"

   Then Shulka understood.

   In the final analysis, this is still a matter of the Ministry of Political Affairs not allowing the decentralization of powers.

   Only the Political Department can decide the life and death of soldiers at will. If others can do this, they are challenging the power of the Political Department.

But having said that, what Kirillovich said is also reasonable. If other troops follow suit, it will easily form a "clique for personal gain" situation... For example, if Sokolov can decide the life and death of his subordinates, then Sokolov will Can absolutely control the second battalion, the second battalion is equivalent to his personal armed force.

  If it is only the second infantry battalion, it is not terrible, but if it is extended to the whole army, then the army will no longer be loyal to the country but to each "king of the mountain", so the army will be torn apart.

  From this aspect, what Kirillovich said still makes sense.

  The problem is that the 2nd Infantry Battalion is not an ordinary unit...

  Thinking of this, Shulka suddenly realized that he had made a mistake: he always thought that he had treated the 2nd Infantry Battalion as an ordinary unit, but this was not the case.

  Because if I really treat the Second Infantry Battalion as an ordinary army, then I shouldn't allow it to have lynching.

  At the same time, when the Second Infantry Battalion was charging last time, Shulka shouldn't have pulled them back abruptly, even if they were desperately punished.

  Thinking of this, Shulka nodded and said to Kirillovich: "I agree, Comrade Kirillovich, but I hope that I will talk about this issue!"

"Don't get me wrong, Comrade Shulka!" Kirillovich said, "I'm not asking for your consent, I'm pointing out your ideological problems, I hope you can correct them, and there will be no similar incidents in the future." mistake!"

  (end of this chapter)