Officers often threatened to shoot cowards, and commanders sometimes even ordered “blocking detachments” to machine gun soldiers who retreated, though this was rarely followed through with.

(Source.)

[–] SovereignState@lemmygrad.ml 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Oh, hey, Enemy at the Gates was projection after all! Who woulda thunk.

[–] juchebot88@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 1 year ago

blocking detachments

According to Russell Bentley, the Ukrainian government was doing this during the 2015-2018 period of the war in Donbass. The regular army was incredibly demoralized -- they were fighting against a determined and heroic enemy, who in the battle of Donetsk Airport took down Ukrop observation towers not with artillery, but with machine gun fire trained for days at the base -- and to keep these conscripts from retreating, Azov and Aidar troops were kept stationed in their rear.