In the film Enemy at the Gates and the game Call of Duty Russian conscripts are forced to charge German machine guns unarmed - did this actually happen? How common was this practice?
Thanks in advance.
I heard of “de-mining” methods where russian recruits we made to run through mine fields… even worse example.
As for the film itself… I read the book recently and I don’t remember a specific scene like that. The russians were mostly on the defensive anyway. Still it was common practice of commisars (political officers) to shoot “deserters” or anyone retreating without orders.
In the movie they’re kind of armed… they were in pairs and shared a gun.