USSR 1941

  Chapter 103 Routine

  So, the battlefield was quiet for a while the next day.

  But in fact, it can’t be called quiet, because the sound of guns and guns stopped, and then there was the propaganda sound from the German loudspeaker:

   "Russians, you are already surrounded by us, there is no point in continuing, surrender!"

"All Ukrainians, think about the pain and disaster that the Russians have brought to you. We are here to liberate you. Stand up bravely and overthrow the oppression of the Russians! We will give you safety and freedom. You don't have to fight for slavery. Your Russians fight..."

  …

   To be honest, the latter sentence is very lethal for Ukrainian propaganda.

  The reason is that Ukrainians were already dissatisfied with Moscow, and these words seemed to speak of their inner pain.

   Moreover, Shulka knew that there were indeed people who were fooled into treating the German army as "liberators." The behavior of these Ukrainians made the German army feel incredible.

A German officer wrote in his diary: "When passing through a village, an old man stopped my car. When I was about to give him a few feet to let him go, I found that he handed me milk and bread, and He must have finished eating before he left satisfied... until the end I didn't know what happened!"

  But this is actually not the most important thing.

  The important thing is that this will cause mutual suspicion in the Soviet army, Russians and Ukrainians, and there are many Ukrainians from Kyiv in the 333rd regiment.

  Company Davydov secretly told Shulka: "Keep an eye on those recruits, and don't let them make any trouble, understand?"

   "Understood, Comrade Lieutenant!" Shulka replied, of course he knew that the "recruit" here did not refer to recruits, but Ukrainians.

  But in fact, Shulka didn't do anything, because he knew the saying "do not use people who are suspicious, and do not use people who are suspicious". If there is a split at this time, people will only panic.

   But just because Shulka knows this doesn't mean that everyone else does too.

   Soon, the instructor talked to some recruits, and took away a few of them, so the atmosphere in the warehouse suddenly became tense again.

   "Comrade Sergeant!" Avmovich brought a few recruits nervously to Shulka's side, and said in a low voice, "We're doing pretty well, right?"

   "Performance?" Shulka looked at Avmovich puzzledly: "If I remember correctly, you joined the army during training. I haven't seen you have fought before!"

   "Yes, Comrade Sergeant is right!" Avmovich said with a smile, "I mean, we are very active in training and have always obeyed your orders, don't you think so?"

   Then Shulka understood that recruits like Avmovich and Leonyev were Ukrainians, and they hoped that Shulka, his immediate superior, could say a few good words for them in case they were investigated.

   "Don't worry about these useless ones, Avmovich!" Shulka said, "What you should worry about is how to invest in future battles, understand?"

   "Yes, Comrade Sergeant!" Avmovich was a wise man, and he quickly understood what Shulka meant.

As the saying goes, too much talk is bound to fail. The more you worry about something like this, the more you will discuss countermeasures with your own people (Ukrainians), and the more you do this, the more you will be reported or suspected by political workers such as instructors... They just don't want Ukrainians to form a gang to plot something, but you are plotting something instead. Isn't that courting death?

  Conversely, if what they think, worry about, and talk about is the future battle, they are much less likely to be suspected.

  So, Shulka's platoon suddenly became lively, and the recruits worked hard to learn combat experience from the veterans. Asking this and that, the gap between Ukrainians and Russians seemed to disappear completely.

   Then naturally, the wind quickly blew through the entire warehouse.

  This made those political workers very satisfied, and the atmosphere of terror of censorship naturally disappeared.

  Major Gavrilov walked up to Shulka, looked around and whispered, "Is this your idea, sergeant?"

   "I'm just giving them a suggestion, Major!" Shulka replied.

   "Good job!" Major Gavrilov said, "I was having a headache about this, and you helped me solve this problem!"

  After Major Gavrilov left, the deputy instructor walked up to Shulka again... The assistant instructor was different. The heartbeats of the soldiers near where he passed, even Shulka was no exception.

   "Can we talk?" the assistant instructor asked.

   "What kind of talk?" Shulka asked.

   "What do you think?" The assistant instructor laughed: "If it's that type, I don't need to ask for your permission!"

   "Then I'm relieved!" Shulka said, stood up and walked aside with the assistant instructor.

  The space in the warehouse is limited, and there is only one corner where materials are piled up.

  While walking, the deputy instructor handed Shulka a cigarette, lit it politely for Shulka, and said, "You are very smart, Comrade Sergeant!"

   "Thank you, Comrade Deputy Instructor!" Shulka replied.

   "I think there may be some misunderstanding between us!" The deputy instructor said: "There are some things I can't say more, I hope you understand, I am also carrying out the orders of the superiors!"

   "I understand, Comrade Deputy Instructor!"

   "So, we'll have a great time together, won't we?"

   "Yes, of course!" Shulka nodded.

  At that moment, Shurka almost trusted the deputy instructor, because Shurka believed that this kind of infighting should not continue in the face of war.

  But the words of the assistant instructor Shulka in the next second made him sink to the bottom.

   "Major Gavrilov is a very good commander!" said the deputy instructor.

   "Yes!" Shulka replied: "Of course!"

   "What did you talk about just now, you look very happy!"

   "It's nothing, Comrade Deputy Instructor!" Shulka replied after a moment of surprise: "You know, we have provided some suggestions to Comrade Kirponos, talking about this aspect..."

   Shulka said this, on the one hand, because what he said was a suggestion, but this suggestion is not the other's suggestion. If it does not match up with Gavrilov, it can also be explained as a misunderstanding.

   On the other hand, since this has already involved military secrets, it is difficult for the assistant instructor to continue asking.

   "Very good!" said the assistant instructor, "I see, Comrade Sergeant!"

   Shulka could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Conversations like the one just now are really hard to guard against, and the assistant instructor is obviously very good at this: first make people feel less vigilant, and then ask a random question... This makes Shulka almost become a snitch, and he even I don't think this is a snitch.

  (end of this chapter)