Aguirre Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 I have been wondering about unit training, specifically the training of Soviet troops. I know that specialist Soviet units (e.g. ski, engineers, possibly cavalry) are supposed to have recieved 'superior' training compared to most units, but what does this actually mean? I remember reading somewhere that German units recieved 16 weeks' training initially (which I suppose would make them regulars, in game terms), and then 8 weeks' later on in the war (which would make them greens). If anybody can provide information on the training of various kinds of Soviet units, and perhaps comment on how this would be represented in the game, I would be extremely grateful. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Bolt Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 From the movie Emeny at the Gate: The man with the gun shoots. When the man with the gun is killed, pick up the gun and shoot. The man with the gun shoots. When the man with the gun is killed, pick up the gun and shoot. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgabuzzino Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 I read somewhere that Zhukov spent a long long time (as a cavalry man) learning how to use a sabre and a lance. However, a) I could be mistaken, you want more information c) he trained in WW1 Making this useless, but we are having fun aren't we? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aguirre Posted July 23, 2004 Author Share Posted July 23, 2004 Yes, we are, and yes, I do want more information. I have been looking at the memoirs section of the Russian Battlefield site, and it seems that most of the veterans report a standard training period of about three or four months, but people who served as riflemen were somtimes rushed to the front much earlier. So I may have partially answered my own question. I had thought that those "when the man with the gun is killed, pick up the gun" stories were exaggeration, but I just read an account of a guy being drafted in year eight into a militia unit in which there was one rifle and one sabre for every five men. There must have been a few left over from Zhukov's cavalry days. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergei Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 I suppose you'd have to define if you want to know the planned or actual amount of training and pre-war or during the war. Also, are we talking about combat training or just service in general (even today Russian conscripts spend time digging up potatoes from fields, I'm sure they also spent lots of time in political training in 1930's). In which case I still wouldn't know the answer, but it's worthwhile to keep in mind when reading accounts. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvidae Posted July 24, 2004 Share Posted July 24, 2004 Soviet Penal Troops recieved almost no training, They were cannon fodder, Soviet militia and irregular troops(partisans), recieved little formal training Soviet regular infantry normaly recieved extencive drill training, but little musketry training, (during the early war period,41/42, a lot of regular infantry were rushed to the front with little or no training) Soviet cavalry, recon, and guards, were very highly trained, Soviet naval troops were very highly trained, Quality of training varied, a heavily purged unit generaly had few good training sargents left, An unpurged unit had all its training personel, and so could better train recruits, There was also the matter of officer corruption and incompetence, this had an effect on training quality as well,,, 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aguirre Posted July 25, 2004 Author Share Posted July 25, 2004 Thanks for the responses. Due to ad-hoc recruitment, training cut short, and time spent enlisted but not in combat training (now that you've mentioned it, Sergei, I can find examples of this), the whole process seems to have been so haphazard during the war that there might not be any detailed, definative answers. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amedeo Posted July 25, 2004 Share Posted July 25, 2004 Originally posted by Corvidae: Soviet Penal Troops recieved almost no training, They were cannon fodder, Soviet penal troops were composed of people that was sent there as punishment from a regular unit, so they had the same training as their "normal" comrades. BTW I'd dare to say that people in Soviet penal battalions (as opposed to penal companies) had in fact better training than the average rifle unit, since they were all former officers. Regards, Amedeo 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvidae Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 Amedeo, It was my understanding that penal units were composed of a mix, some purged officers and soldiers, and some assorted people dredged from regular prisons, plus, a few political dissidents, i suppose that some units would have trained personel, but penal units were also seen a a usefull way of emptying prisons, , 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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