23.01.2010, 21:51
I can't speak directly to the question (as I'm not from a former Soviet Bloc country). However, I have attached two useful references.
I think it is useful to remember that the difficulty of the Russian Civil War and the Great Patriotic War / Great Domestic War (ie. WWII) had considerable influence on society. Survival rates were higher in Gulags than on the front lines and society adapted to casualties as best as possible (industrial and political casualties as well as military). During the war many units had as much as ten times the attrition rate we had in the West and the Pacific.
Unit level innovation:
- I remember reading an analysis of the battle of Khalkin Gol. The conclusion was that the Japanese were better trained, better drilled and had a more effective command structure. This resulted in the Japanese following through with their plans, tactics and training. As a result of doing so they were soundly defeated.
- In comparison, the Soviets made mistakes at the command level (eg. sending poorly trained reserves into the assault if I recal), but showed considerable tactical innovation at the unit level. This is the opposite of American Cold War propaganda. We were taught for years that Soviet citizens couldn't innovate as they "only worked one job, were terrified of superiors and supervised at all times".
- Additional evidence can be found in the use of transfers to aid unit level exchange of tactics and training, as well as the gradual process of improving designs on the production lines themselves.
"Lend lease" interviews:
- The lend lease interviews with veterans that are being conducted and translated are also a very valuable resource. The most useful parts for your purposes won't be the actual combat descriptions. I'd recommend looking at the biographies up to the start of the war. I might also look at the discussion of VE day and any discussion of transfers between locations or units. These parts give a better idea of life and the views of the pilots. See: http://lend-lease.airforce.ru/english/
I think it is useful to remember that the difficulty of the Russian Civil War and the Great Patriotic War / Great Domestic War (ie. WWII) had considerable influence on society. Survival rates were higher in Gulags than on the front lines and society adapted to casualties as best as possible (industrial and political casualties as well as military). During the war many units had as much as ten times the attrition rate we had in the West and the Pacific.
Unit level innovation:
- I remember reading an analysis of the battle of Khalkin Gol. The conclusion was that the Japanese were better trained, better drilled and had a more effective command structure. This resulted in the Japanese following through with their plans, tactics and training. As a result of doing so they were soundly defeated.
- In comparison, the Soviets made mistakes at the command level (eg. sending poorly trained reserves into the assault if I recal), but showed considerable tactical innovation at the unit level. This is the opposite of American Cold War propaganda. We were taught for years that Soviet citizens couldn't innovate as they "only worked one job, were terrified of superiors and supervised at all times".
- Additional evidence can be found in the use of transfers to aid unit level exchange of tactics and training, as well as the gradual process of improving designs on the production lines themselves.
"Lend lease" interviews:
- The lend lease interviews with veterans that are being conducted and translated are also a very valuable resource. The most useful parts for your purposes won't be the actual combat descriptions. I'd recommend looking at the biographies up to the start of the war. I might also look at the discussion of VE day and any discussion of transfers between locations or units. These parts give a better idea of life and the views of the pilots. See: http://lend-lease.airforce.ru/english/