Memories of a Soviet Intelligence Officer. Kobets Ivan Lukich. Part 3
#memories#history#interview
The video is based on a fragment of the book by Artem Drabkin "I went behind the front line. Revelations of frontline scouts" and is an interview with the former scout of the Red Army Kobets Ivan Lukich. In preparing the video, materials from the site "I remember" www.iremember.ru were used
--- Quote from the book ----
Were there any signs, premonitions?
I had 2 cases. The first happened when we retreated in the Alakurtti area. We took up defensive positions. The telephone operator and I were in the same cell. And then the shelling began. And suddenly there was a feeling as if someone was forcibly pulling me to the side. I managed to jump back 15 meters and in the place where I had just been, a shell exploded, killing the telephone operator.
The second case happened when we were approaching the Verman River line in August. We made a halt on a hill, and the Germans were shooting all the time. And then some force lifted me up and I ran down a little, about 10-15 meters. At that very second, an artillery barrage of 6-8 shells fell on the place where we were located. We had wounded and maybe even killed, and I was saved by jumping back. Both episodes lasted seconds, faster than I told about them. But when I blew up on a mine, I had no premonition. We were on a raid behind enemy lines. I had just replaced two sentries who were walking sluggishly ahead, dozing off as they went, because they had not slept for almost two days, and I got caught on a tripwire. I only remember the black and red flames in front of me. The guys later said that I was thrown back about 10 meters. What is characteristic is that if I had been 5 meters away, the shrapnel would have gone into my stomach - that would have been the end, but in my legs and in my arm as it hung. I was pulled out, but after this wound I never returned to reconnaissance. In 1943 I went on a raid once as part of a battalion and had to return - my leg was swollen, I had to operate. After that I served in the headquarters of the 19th Army, in military reconnaissance, where I worked with D. F. Zlatkin.
Did you use "foraged food"?
Mushrooms and berries, of course, we ate and collected. Sometimes we shot someone. In early July 1941, on the left flank of the division, there was a path that we blocked. So I sent two people to the nearest hill to watch the Germans. They went down into a hollow covered with forest, and I heard shooting. I was already thinking about going there with people. I see them coming up. It turned out they shot a deer. So we ate that meat for three or four days.
What weapons did you take with you?
I went with a PPSh and a TT. We also used German machine guns. Everyone tried to get them because they were light. Grenades or F1 or RGD-33. We also used German grenades because they had a longer handle and could be thrown further. If we were reconnoitering the front line, we took a machine gun, but we didn't carry it to the rear - it was too heavy. Sometimes we were supported by mortars and artillery.
Were you taught hand-to-hand combat?
We were taught to handle a rifle at school. We made a straw dummy, next to which a cadet would stand with a pole wrapped in a rag so as not to injure the attacker. You're just going to stab this dummy, and he stabs you with a stick! So, you have to knock the stick off and stab the dummy. We weren't taught any special techniques or how to handle a knife, although a scout definitely needs a knife and the ability to handle it.
Were there any differences in tactics when you were fighting the Finns or the Germans?
No! The tactics didn't change, and we didn't adapt to the enemy's nationality.
How many people were there?
The terrain in Karelia is such that even a battalion has a hard time maneuvering, especially in the summer. In the winter, sometimes we would go with forces of up to two battalions, smashing the enemy's rear, but mostly we acted in small groups that were more suitable for those conditions. Usually 10-15 people, but very well trained and armed. The Germans often used large units of 50-60 people, supported by artillery and mortars. A rather primitive tactic that was ineffective. By the way, the Finns also acted in small groups. In addition to the terrain, the weather plays a big role in Karelia. It can change at any moment! Such a case happened in the 122nd division. A ski battalion went out on a raid. The weather was good. Then it started to snow. Everyone got wet. The commander contacted the division headquarters and reported that further advance was impossible - the wet snow was sticking to the skis. The division commander replied: "Continue to carry out the task." But the battalion commander, at his own risk, decided to return. And by nightfall the frost hit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Support the channel http://www.donationalerts.ru/r/anubys...
My public VK https://vk.com/anubyslive
-------...