They were
using an appropriated Soviet GAZ 51 according to Sergeant William Summers (yes,
he had decided to learn their names) and he was fascinated with the vehicle. It
looked like the Lend Lease Studebaker US6 that was so prevalent in the Soviet
arsenal. Yet it was obviously Soviet made and not that badly done according to
the Sergeant.
The GAZ
wasn’t quite as good as a Detroit made truck but it beat sure beat walking. Truth be told, it was not such a bad copy. The unit they had obtained the truck
from had not survived the encounter.
No one in the group of Americans and Turks could read Russian, so the documents they obtained from
the truck were of little use. The truck had belonged to a Soviet headquarters
unit. It was filled with what was
probably useful information if they could eventually get it the documents into
the proper hands. They just had no way of knowing how valuable this stuff was.
The Captain decided to find a Turkish HQ unit to get rid of the papers.
They had
decided to obtain the truck when they noticed that there was no air activity.
Both the Turk and Soviet planes has not been seen for a good day. They figured
that the Turks were relocating backward and the Soviets were advancing their
airbases which meant that, for now,
it was safe to be driving and riding in a truck.
It was
amazing, but no one on the Turkish side seemed to give their ride a second
look. They shared the road with all sorts of other Russian equipment that was
now being used by the Turks. You just ‘X’ed out the red star, and you were golden it appeared.
Although they had outrun their air support,
the Reds were still advancing at an alarming pace. The Captain had read a
report on their advance into Manchuria against the Japanese in 1945 and one
division size unit had advanced 500 miles in 11 days.
It was day
8 since the Soviets attacked and the group was about 10 km ahead of the lead
elements of the attackers. They,
personally, had walked, rode, or driven 320 km during that time. If his math was right, the
Reds had advanced 40 km a day. Pretty impressive and bellied the idea that the
Red Army was still using horses for transporting supplies.
The
Soviets had huge herds of horses in their TOE, It turns out the horses were not for transporting supplies but
were a vital piece of the Reds mobile warfare strategy and tactics called Deep
Battle. These units were on the books and used similarly to what the US and GB
would call a Mechanized unit. In the US Army, these units would be infantry riding to the frontline in trucks, who would then dismount and enter
battle on foot.
The
Soviets went one further. The horses actually rode into battle carrying their
human soldiers to exploit any breakthroughs created by the units accompanying
tanks. The concept was quite well thought out, he concluded. The leader of their (yes, they considered them
their) Turks was a young fellow who had actually fought with the Soviets along
with his younger brother and had witnessed these Mechanized Calvary Corps in
action. Both brothers were assigned to some famous Turkish General’s staff and had been on an official
state visit to the Soviet front-lines.
First, the artillery would soften up the
enemy with guns and rockets. Then, embedded assault tanks would advance and take out most of the strong points and
machine gun emplacements. It seems that horses and machine guns are not a good
combination. Next, the infantry would expand the gap and secure the flanks. Lastly, the cavalry would charge
through the gap carrying their human riders,
along with supplies of ammunition, heavy machine guns, and light anti-tank weapons.
These
cavalry units would exploit the breakthrough and advance as far into the
enemy’s rear as they could, dismount,
and take up a defensive posture until the other units caught up. This strategy
lead to multiple enemy units being cut off and having to fight their way
through these heavily armed, now on foot, classic infantry units in order to
receive supplies or to retreat.
When he
considered it from a purely military viewpoint, it was really quit brilliant. What better means of transportation
could swiftly maneuver through a typical battle field battlefield better than a
horse and rider? Once, the Reds were
through the pocked marked moonscape that was the usual after a massive
artillery barrage and tank assault,
they were incredibly mobile and agile in exploiting the breakthrough. When and
if they finally met with opposition,
they dismounted and dug in like any classic infantry unit and waited for
support. [i]
All those
studies he had seen, describing the
backward state of the Red Army had been based on the fact that they used so
many horses. The deduction was bullshit. Those horses were a critical and very
effective breakthrough tool, and not
a sign of old school thinking or even a sigh of industrial weakness. They chose
to use the horses not because they lacked trucks but because they just plain
worked better at their version of the Blitzkrieg. And, according to the stories he heard and a battle they had witnessed
up close and personal, it did work and work very well.
His
personal encounter with a Mechanized Calvary Corps had occurred on day five of
the attack. His group was placed in the rear guarding a headquarters unit. Just
the kind of target the Soviet Mechanized Calvary Corps was designed to find and
destroy. First, they heard the artillery barrage and Stalin’s organs laying
down a massive creeping carpet of death.
Then came reports of tanks attacking machine gun nests and other strong points.
Soon, there were reports of the Red
infantry riding tanks, mopping up, and exploiting the inevitable gaps in
the line. Next, were hysterical
reports of cavalry charges!
His small
company of Americans started to laugh when they heard that. That cavalry
charges were last done by the Poles against the Germans was common point of
jest. Then Said got their attention.
An interpreter explained, with quite
explicit hand gestures, that this threat was to be taken seriously...very
seriously.
And, sure enough within a half hour they
were almost overrun by fucking Cassocks on horses. Truly amazing. They weren’t
welding swords but had very modern rifles and assault weapons slung on their
backs. Also, horses were carrying lots of ammunition, and even moving heavy machine guns and anti-tank weapons at an
alarming speed. The exploitation phase wasn’t truly a charge. Once, the cavalry
started to take fire, they
dismounted and setup shop very efficiently while their follow up units started
to flank us. The highly disciplined attack was quite frankly scary as hell, and
in his opinion a brilliant tactic.
Now, his
group was they in deep shit. They were in real danger of being surrounded by a
much heavier armed and more mobile force. Their situation was very concerning
to say the least. Luckily for them, the Soviet commander made an error and ran
one of his units into a hidden machine gun nest that made a quick mess of both
man and animal. It was a very unforgettable and unwanted scene, even for someone who hated horses.
This error
created the escape route his group needed and also forced the cavalry to
dismount and dig in. The cavalry just were not equipped, nor was it their mission to attack dug in emplacements. He
concluded that this series of strong points and machine gun bunkers was,
indeed, the only way to counter these “marauding vestiges of the past” (he
liked using big and unusual words in his reports). He had no desire to be
captured by the Soviets, and least
of all a bunch of guys riding horses.
So, they took the opportunity provided and hit the road. Their Soviet truck ran
quite well and they were able to speed past the enemy before they had setup
their defenses.
It turns
out that Sargent Bill was quite a driver.
The Captain remembered hearing about a former getaway driver for the Mob who
was given the classic choice of jail time or the Army. This guy had made
himself quite a reputation for stealing army vehicles and taking them for joy
rides while drunk. It seems that even when drunk, he could out-drive anyone who
tried to catch him. Finally, the
officers just let him take the truck and bring it back when he was done. He was
so valuable when he was sober that they looked the other way until the day he
took the half-track down the Champs-Elysée in Paris. The Captain thought that this might be the
guy and his past finally caught up with him.
Now, he was a getaway driver for a
bunch of misfits outrunning the Soviet army in Turkey. He guessed stranger
things have happened, but he would be hard pressed to think of any.
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