“We hadn’t expected you, SS-Sturmbannführer,” said von Schroif.
“Well, you might have done. You didn’t think I’d let you take my precious Sturmgeschütze into something this big without giving you a little advice on what to expect? You are about to face a foe who is radically different from the French or the Tommies. Ivan is a different animal altogether. I’ve seen him work, with wary apathy, all day burying his dead comrades after a battle and it seems to me he looks toward his own death with the same resignation. Even severe wounds impress him comparatively little. For instance, I recall seeing a wounded Russian sitting upright at the side of a street near Tannenberg, in spite of the fact that both lower legs were shot away, ask for a cigarette with a friendly smile.
“With stoic equanimity he endures cold and heat, hunger and thirst, dampness and mud, sickness and vermin. Because of his simple and primitive nature, all sorts of hardships bring him but few emotional reactions. His emotions run the gamut from animal ferocity to the utmost kindliness; odious and cruel in a group, he can be friendly and ready to help as an individual.”
“That certainly mirrors my own experience, SS-Sturmbannführer,” said von Schroif.
“Yes, but you haven’t been in action against them yet! During the last war I fought them for three years and I couldn’t let you enter into this campaign without giving you some kind of insight into what you are faced with. I witnessed many times units which one day repulsed a strong German attack with exemplary bravery, and on the next folded up completely. There were others which lost their nerve one day when the first shell exploded, and on the next fought like lions, forcing us, man by man, to literally cut them to pieces. The Russian is generally impervious to crises, but he can also be very sensitive to them. Normally, he has no fear of a threat to his flanks, but at times he can be most touchy about them. He disregards many of the old established rules of tactics, but clings obstinately to his own methods.”
“Can you enlighten us as to what, in your opinion, makes the Ivans so different to us Germans, SS-Sturmbannführer?” asked von Schroif.
“Well, I’ll try,” replied the old warrior. “In my experience, the key to this odd behaviour can be found in the native character of the Russian soldier who, as a fighter, possesses neither the judgment nor the ability to think independently. He is subject to moods which to a German are incomprehensible; he acts by instinct. The strength of the German soldier is conscious action, controlled by his own mind. Neither this action on his own, nor the consciousness which accompanies the action, is part of the mental make-up of the Russian. But the fact must not be ignored that a change is taking place also in this respect.”
Singly and in small groups the crews from the waiting StuGs appeared and gradually formed a circle around Voss, all eager to drink in the experiences which might prove invaluable.
“The difference between the Russian units of the Tsar, who we faced in the last war, and those of the Bolshevists, who we now face, are likely to be considerable. Whereas in the earlier war the Russian Army was a more or less amorphous mass, immovable and without individuality, the indoctrination of the Red Army through communism will no doubt show itself clearly. In contrast to the situation which prevailed during the last war, the number of illiterates is now thought to be very small. The Russian masses today are thought to have acquired at least a measure of individuality, or at least were well on the way to acquiring it. The Russian is beginning to become a perceptive human being, and hence a soldier who is able to stand on his own feet.
“However, you may take heart from the fact that the number of good non-commissioned officers is still not large and the Russian masses have not yet overcome their sluggishness. But in my opinion the awakening of the Russian people cannot be far off. Whether this will work to the advantage or disadvantage of their soldierly qualities cannot yet be determined. For along with awareness flourish criticism and obstinacy. The arbitrary employment of masses resigned to their fate may become more difficult, and the basis of the typically Russian method of waging war may be lost. The force bringing about this change is communism, or more precisely, a psychic awakening of the people directed by a rigidly centralized state. The Russian is fundamentally non-political; at least that is true for the rural population, which supplies the majority of soldiers. He is not an active communist, not a political zealot, but always for his Motherland.”
Taking advantage of the slight pause in the proceedings, von Schroif was able to make a quick request. “Do you mind, Sturmbannführer, if I summon the rest of the battalion?”
“No, the more the merrier as far as I’m concerned,” replied Voss.
The messengers were quickly despatched. Orders were whispered into open hatches; Sturmbannführer Voss would address the battalion. The eager men came tumbling out of the vehicles and arranged themselves in a densely packed ring around the careworn figure of their beloved Sturmbannführer. Once all was in readiness he continued with his impromptu lecture.
“As you know, men, you are about to embark on a titanic adventure where you will meet a very different foe. In judging the basic qualities of the Russian it should be stated that, by nature, he is brave. To this innate capacity for valour, our intelligence informs us that another determining factor has been introduced into the Red Army. It takes the form of the political commissar who demands unqualified obedience.
“Systematic training, drill, disregard for his own life, and the natural inclination of the Russian soldier to uncompromising compliance are the bedrock of the Red Army. The very real summary disciplinary powers available to the commissar are the steel ties which bind the Red Army to a culture of iron obedience. In this connection it must be understood that, unlike our fair and open National Socialist regime, Russia is an autocratically ruled state◦— an absolute dictatorship demanding and compelling the complete subordination of the individual. That blind obedience of the masses, the mainspring of the Red Army, is the triumph of communism and the foundation of its fighting capacity.
“Don’t be fooled by some of the setbacks they suffered against the Finns last year. Ivan is a fast learner and those lessons will be adapted to in no time. In addition to the simplicity which is revealed in his limited household needs and his primitive mode of living, the Russian soldier has close kinship with nature. It is no exaggeration to say that the Russian soldier is unaffected by season and terrain. This immunity gives him a decisive advantage over us Germans, especially in Russian territory where season, temperature, and terrain will play such a decisive role. Unlike our elaborate supply system, providing you with all the comforts of home…”
“Yeah, except coffee, cigarettes, and good food!” thought Wohl, who wisely kept his council and continued to pay rapt attention, allowing Voss to continue uninterrupted.
“The problem of providing for the individual soldier in the Russian Army is of secondary importance, because the Russian soldier requires only very few provisions for his own use. The field kitchen, a sacred institution to our troops, is to the Russian soldier merely a pleasant surprise when it is available, but it can be dispensed with for days and weeks without undue hardship.”