Re: Caucasian sketches

["Umberto Rossi" <urossi@programatic.it>]

> And they had certainly a spirit to fight that outstanded all other
> armies. I have an old relative
> who eye-witnessed an attack of some kind of troup transport machines
> where troups were actually sitting or lying on the wings of the planes.
> The planes were flying past very low and slow as the soldiers  actually
> dropped themselves from the wings to the earth; those who managed to get
> up and run engaged in ground attack. Horrid ....

This sounds true.  Russian troopers were ready to sacrifice themselves in a way 
which always shocked Western observers.  That already happpened in the battle of 
Borodino.  Already Tolstoy noticed that the casualty rate was absolutely abnormal 
(at least in those days of non-automatic weapons, sabres and horses).

Having said that, it must be said that the Communist party cleverly exploited these 
cultural features of the Russian people.  They also recycled tsarist generals when 
things were not working in order to stop the Germans.  Let's add that USSR's main 
strategist, Zukov, was a very ruthless man.  I heard once (I hope this is not a urban 
legend) that he was choosen because had a good cardiovascolar system, and could 
send thousands of men toward death without being stopped by a heart attack.  
Surely he attended the infamous 1946 (or was it 1947) atomic experiment which was 
recently disclosed... something which makes X-Files seem rather naive.

We're getting close to the Titans--I mean the missiles.  You just wait.

Umberto Rossi

"...io vedea la virtute esser spenta, e i vizi sollevati"
                                      Gerolamo Savonarola