How to stay in school. “Training”: why the soldiers of the Soviet army hated it

And now - the first night in the barracks of my training. We were laid on mats near the toilet, and, of course, it was impossible to fall asleep... The next morning we met with the authorities.

Here we need to make one more digression. The fact is that throughout my second year I regularly attended classes. military department. There we were taught to read cards, solve some strange logic problems and program in BASIC. At the same time, at least majors, and even colonels, taught us, so I somehow got used to big stars.

In the army everything turned out to be different. The lieutenant was here too big beast, and the major, the company commander, is generally a celestial being. But the most important thing is that I quickly learned what an ensign is. Naturally, I had never met these animals before - except that I saw them in a film with the idiotic title "In the Zone" special attention", as the cool Mihai Volontir wisely drops with his signature gypsy accent: “I chose the difficult path - the path of the ensign...” And that’s all! And here is the crazy foreman! He yells, wants something from you, but what he wants to understand It’s absolutely impossible. For some reason he doesn’t like your boots, for some reason he doesn’t like the belt, but why? The boots are like boots, the belt - he can’t explain it properly, he just alternates between screaming and swearing.

The sergeants chose the tactic of verbal mockery of the “dukhans”: “You can grab Masha’s thigh, military man!” At the same time, their murderous irony in my case went over the top - I again could not understand what they were talking about. Then one of my new friends explained to me that in the army you can’t say “you can,” you must say “permit.” This was my first linguistic revelation - but far from the last!

I must say that my dear mother equipped me for the army to great effect - neither analgin, nor hand cream, nor manicure scissors, nor handkerchiefs were forgotten. Of course, within a day all this was gone. The sergeants took the medicine (one can only guess why), someone immediately stole the cream and other paraphernalia from the nightstand. Moreover, when I reported this sad fact to the sergeant, he replied that, “If you steal from yourself, figure it out yourself!” This is how I learned the first army truth: a soldier’s nightstand is given to a soldier in order to store the following objects in it: no one needs tooth powder, and also soldier soap- a certain Platonic idea of soap, which, apparently, just recently grunted merrily. Well, also a toothbrush and a razor with exactly one (preferably slightly dull) blade. All!

Looking ahead, I can tell you one story from my service in the “combat”. There we had one weird Muscovite who read in the regulations that nowhere is it explicitly forbidden for a soldier to carry an umbrella - and he did. Not for long. Then he decided to put a lock on his bedside table - and the foreman, madly having fun, knocked off the lock. Not because he was a bastard (on the contrary, he was a great guy), but because service is service. You should serve on it, and not fill your bedside tables with all sorts of unnecessary stuff! (Somehow I’m starting to remind myself of the soldier Schweik... I’ll correct myself now...)

There were two weeks before the oath, and these two weeks were just a madhouse. In addition to the obviously necessary things, such as drill and physical training, political studies and cleaning boots and badges, etc., I learned to sew and scraped stools with glass. The point here is this: a soldier’s wardrobe, if anyone doesn’t know, consists of three clothes: cotton, wool and an overcoat. The first is a summer uniform, the second is a winter uniform, and an overcoat, comrades, is a coat without lining. All these, I’m not afraid of this word, garments should have shoulder straps on their shoulders, buttonholes on their lapels, and “birds” in their buttonholes (yes, I was a “flyer”). You have to sew all this on yourself.

Almost none of us knew how to sew. I knew how to sew on buttons, but the shoulder straps were a real challenge for me! I sewed on my first pair of epaulettes (or is it epaulettes?) with such inhuman force that they creaked when I walked. But these were still flowers. I almost cried over the overcoat... it seemed so thick - how can you pierce it with such a small needle?! Well, the mice cried and injected themselves, but continued to sew on their shoulder straps...

About stools. At that time, the army stool industry produced its products painted: generous layers of eye-pleasing lime green paint flowed elegantly in large frozen drops from the seat and legs. When I saw the stool for the first time, it reminded me of Dali's paintings... alas, we had to destroy this beauty. Because according to the regulations, the stool must be unpainted! so in free time we persistently scraped the stools broken glass, adding wounds to our already unhealthy hands.

About foot wraps. Yes, I had to learn how to reel them in. The secret here was to (I see that mostly girls read me, so I’ll tell you) wrap the foot in an improvised cocoon, and make a small mummy from the lower leg, securing it with a knot on the ankle. This is in theory. In practice, the “mummy” tends to quietly slide down to the heel area and rub your foot. Everyone's feet were sore, without exception! Subsequently, our feet really became horny, and we didn’t care, but many months still had to pass before that...

About hygiene. Soviet people In general, they didn’t really like to wash, so the last thing that bothered me was that the bath was once a week (an hour before getting up). Not a real bathhouse, of course - more like a shower. After the shower, they were given foot wraps, shorts and T-shirts - previously worn by generations of Soviet military personnel and boiled until white (bleach, obviously). In the barracks hot water did not have.

In the army training unit (“training”), the Soviet recruit learned the basics of military science and got used to harsh conditions life for the next two (and for the naval fleet, three) years of service.

Everything is fast, right away and correct

“Training” in the Soviet army was different - they could immediately be sent to a specialized one, depending on the qualifications received in civilian life (for example, to a school for training non-commissioned officers). But basically, “training” was associated with the army “dressing room”, where old-time sergeants trained the “spirits” for six months, accustoming them to army procedures.

In the “training”, recruits were clearly made to understand that in the army they had to do everything quickly, immediately, and correctly - carry out the “lift-off” commands in 45 seconds (if one person did not have time, the entire unit suffered), hemming collars, sewing shoulder straps, buttons, buttonholes... “Spirits” (they became them immediately after taking the oath) were trained in drill and physical training, they wore outfits in the kitchen, guardhouse and guard duty. For the Soviet army, an invariable component was political classes, in which soldiers had to take notes on lectures on the international situation and “the sclerotic finger of world imperialism lying on the trigger of war.” From the very beginning of their service, there were only two television programs for Soviet soldiers, which they not only had the right, but were also obliged to watch - the nightly program “Time” (at 9 o’clock) and “I Serve” Soviet Union! (at 10 a.m. on Sundays).

In "training" soldiers were faced with many things that they did not know how to do in civilian life. For example, winding foot wraps. It was a whole science, and if the footcloth was not wrapped properly, then the legs on the march (while jogging, etc.) would rub until they bled.

How they were fed in “training schools”

One of the components of the “madhouse” of army “training” is the soldier’s ration. Such dishes that were fed Soviet soldiers in the army, then they did not meet anywhere. Bugus (from the point of view of language, “bigos” would be more correct, but in the Soviet army they gave it “bigus”) - boiled sauerkraut, sometimes with traces of potatoes. It stank so much that the warriors often preferred to remain hungry, and the half-eaten bigus went to the pigsty. Boiled lard, often with traces of bristles, in the soldier’s diet, as a rule, prevailed over meat. Muslims also did not disdain lard - everyone wanted to eat it. The products were fried in combined fat, which is very undesirable for those with an unhealthy digestive system.

Constant desire to "slop"

The inescapable desire of any “training” soldier is to end up in a medical unit, or even better - in a hospital, for a long time - “to be mowed down”, “to stock up on stuff”. This was achieved rarely, and only by a few. “Grassroots” Soviet army medicine, however, was similar in quality. Therefore, conscripts were often demobilized home with a variety of different, often chronic, diseases.

Obtaining a military specialty

In the “training”, soldiers had to receive a military specialty depending on the type of troops - if a recruit, for example, was preparing to become a tank driver, he would master this tracked hulk in practice. Firing training with all types of weapons and military equipment in service with the Soviet army was carried out both day and night, at any time of the year, and regardless of the weather. They could go to the training ground monthly, or even more often.

In addition to the actual training in a military specialty, mandatory classes in the “training” included studying the device, assembling and disassembling a Kalashnikov assault rifle (for a while), and practicing firing it at firing ranges.

A general idea of how training in military skills took place in the Soviet army can be obtained from Bondarchuk’s film “9th Company” (Fyodor Sergeevich himself served in the SA at one time). Taking into account all the conventions of the picture, which can be attributed to the director's artistic exaggeration, the army educational process it is shown more or less reliably. In any case, this is not a Christmas card “Maxim Perepelitsa” about the degeneration of a village hooligan into a brave junior sergeant, filmed on

Young people of conscription age are quite actively interested in all the nuances of military service in order to at least approximately know what kind of life awaits them after conscription. One of the popular questions they ask is about studying. Our article will tell you what a military training unit is, how it differs from a regular one, and how long the training will last in 2017.

Let's find out what training is

Immediately after conscription, the vast majority of recruits are sent to combat units, where they begin to study army science in the format of a young soldier’s course. Some lucky ones end up in training, from where, after a certain period of time, they emerge as specialists in some military field.

Why aren’t absolutely all conscripts sent to training units? There are several possible answers to this question. Firstly, not all military specialties require such thorough training, which is organized in training. Secondly, the number of such parts is limited, and they are simply not able to accept huge number young people called up for service twice a year. Finally, thirdly, if everyone goes off to training, it means there will be a serious shortage of personnel in combat units. It is for these reasons that referral to training is the exception rather than the rule.

Training in Russian army is a military unit in which recruits are trained in a particular specialty.

It is distinguished from conventional combat units by the following features:

all recruits entering the training unit belong to one draft, controlled by experienced sergeants. Consequently, even the slightest manifestations of hazing are completely excluded;

absolutely everything, from military discipline to punishment for its violations, is determined by the Charter of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. A similar situation should exist in any combat unit, but the mixing of several calls makes this almost impossible, despite the tightening of measures to combat hazing and other manifestations;

The daily routine in training is somewhat different from the schedule in combat units. main feature– a significantly larger number of theoretical classes;

if there are vacancies, graduates can remain to serve in training units as sergeants and train recruits.

The main feature is absolutely equal conditions for everyone, a significantly higher degree than in combat units social justice. Each cadet of training goes to the outfit in order of priority, and not according to someone’s whim; military personnel equally share the contents of parcels from home, as well as all the hardships and deprivations of military service.

How long does the training last?

More recently, when the duration of military service was 2 years, learning any military wisdom in training units could take 6-9 months. Today the situation has changed somewhat. Depending on the specialty, the duration of training can be only from 3 months to six months. That is, it represents only a course extended over time for a young fighter, which most often is only enough to go to shooting range several times and improve physical training, if the recruit did not devote any time to sports before the army.

A year in the army - what is it like? What happens to a soldier during these 365 days? What is he going through and what is he preparing for?

Today I want to tell you about what a year in the army consists of for a conscript soldier. Of course, the sequence of events described in this article is not true for everyone. She is a specific case for me and my comrades in the Training Battalion of junior specialists of the VI Railways and VOSO.

But I assure you that after communicating with many comrades, friends and acquaintances who have already served or are currently serving, the sequence described in this article is as close to the truth as possible. To what we actually go through during 1 year in the army.

Right now about what we have already gone through, what we are doing now, and what lies ahead of us.

KMB or Young Soldier Course

When I learned about the meaning of this concept for the first time in my life, this picture appeared before my eyes.

Over there, in the distance on the left, that’s me!

Me with all the ammunition, weapons, body armor and full equipment I run 10/20/30 km with my friends. We run through the fields, jump over obstacles, crawl under barbed wire in the rain. Our clothes are dirty, like pigs in a pen, and so on... In general, everything is like in American films about fur seals.

I was probably even partially prepared for this. But that was exactly until the moment I found out that in the army there is quiet time, and in the dining room they give you 2 dishes to choose from. After that, my expectations from the army changed significantly. Including about the KMB.

Until recently, I didn’t believe at all that we would have it. However, my friends and I had to take this course.

In my case it lasted 5 weeks. Some have less, some have more. My colleagues, who were called up on June 2, had the longest course for a young soldier.

The whole point is that the KMB goes to the oath. We took the oath on August 1st. Therefore, some KMB were not 1, but 2 months.

So what is this course for a young fighter like now?

To be honest, it's not at all what I expected. We didn't have any forced marches or anything like that.

Our KMB consisted of the following elements:

Drill.

Where would we be without her? The basis of army life is drill training. It's like deadlifting for bodybuilders. All free time in the first month was spent on drill. And rightly so. We still didn’t know how to walk. But practice makes wonders!

Cramming the Charters.

By the way. For those who don't know. There are more than one charters in the RF Armed Forces. A lot more! That is why in our KMB special attention was paid to the introduction and analysis of individual chapters of the charters. General military, combat, disciplinary and others.

General military disciplines.

As I said in one of my articles, our studies began on the third day of service. And even on the second.

Shooting.

My favorite day of the first month. It was incredibly cool! They shot from an AK-74. I got a combat machine gun and 6 rounds of ammunition. Out of 60 possible points, I scored 56. I’m waiting for the next shooting to understand whether this figure was an accident...

In general, I don’t remember anything else special. Studying took up most of the time. This was the case before the oath, and after taking the oath, our life changed somewhat.

Training

Someone calls “training” exactly the period when we had the KMB - the first month of service before the oath. Perhaps this is true. But I can’t call the current period of service any other way. All because now there is even more studying!

Couples go every day, except Sunday, from 09.00 to 16.30 minimum. With a lunch break, of course. But still!

This is real training in the truest sense of the word. There has been much less combat, and instead of Rules, in the evenings we now read to each other books with poems by foreign poets.

All because someone swore during the day, and the officer in charge heard it.

Yesterday, by the way, that’s what happened. As many as 4 offenders took turns reading 3 verses each in front of the whole company. With such intonation, so soulful! You should have heard this...

Except more quantity There was more “work” in studying. The guys are now actively used in the canteen, in warehouses, at individual facilities of the institute, and in general for small things. For example, paint the parade ground. It's a responsible occupation. It seems simple, but it takes all day.

As the officers told us: “Until you have taken the oath, we cannot demand practically anything from you. But how do you accept..."

That's how it works. Now the soldiers here constitute free labor.

Exams

I'm telling you. This is a real university, school and army together. All in one. Exams will be held for each discipline around the end of October - beginning of November 2015. By November 5, I think, 3 out of 4 companies will have passed all the exams. And after that awaits us all...

High school graduation

This event is more like an oath. At least in that it takes place on a large parade ground and in the presence of parents.

Only instead of the sacred words of the oath, we will receive diplomas of mastery of a specialty, and some will receive the shoulder straps of junior sergeants.

Here, for example, is how it went half a year ago.

Distribution

Literally the next day after graduation, distribution to the troops will begin.

The scheme is approximately the same as I described in my article about the first day in the army with the “purchase” of conscripts in a unit. Only here will buyers come to our unit and take it from here. The rest is the same.

Immediately after distribution, or even during it, recruits will arrive at our unit. From the very first day of their arrival, we will all become And the real one will begin. Just not the one you thought about, but the real one, described in my article.

Military service

I have little information on this point yet. There are only a few acquaintances who have already left for the troops. They talk about how they now spend the entire day at work.

That is, they paint, repair, clean, clean, build. What they don’t do. After all, we are soldiers. We must be able to do everything!

Military unit in Krasnoye Selo considered top for our guys. It is actively promoted by officers, sergeants, and the servicemen themselves. Everyone wants to go there. But when I ask what to do there and why it’s good, I don’t get a reasoned answer.

A good friend and colleague of mine once said that there was an opportunity in that unit to serve at a checkpoint. Like a security guard. And what, a good place, In my opinion. You sit quietly, looking at the cameras. Or even more on a computer with the Internet. Coffee/tea/water. Everything a soldier needs to be happy!

I also know a little information about a military unit 40 km from Moscow. Called 2nd Guards Tamanskaya motorized rifle division . If you don’t go into details, “Guards” means that its soldiers, at one time, distinguished themselves for the better in battles for their Motherland.

As for the service there, I had a good impression of it. I even consider it an elite part.

The impression was formed based on communication with three officers from there. Everything there is completely different from here.

I would say that we have here kindergarten compared to what's happening there. They have real anxiety attacks. With running around, withdrawing equipment, and so on. This event takes half a night, not 1 hour, as we had here.

Plus, 29 people from ours were taken to this division. They say it's better there than here. Better is a loose concept, of course.

For example, I like it here too! ;-)

By the way, about me. The last point about distribution will not affect me as much as it will affect my friends. They will disperse to different parts of the country, to different branches and types of troops.

And I will stay here to continue my service until demobilization. And guess what? I'm glad about this!

Of course, everything has its pros and cons. But here I found more advantages for myself than I could find for serving in the military.

However, there are still several weeks before distribution. So you can think it over.

By the way, my predecessor himself expressed his desire and left to be assigned to the troops, no matter how my commanders asked him to stay here. And on the second day he sent an SMS to my boss with the text: “I shouldn’t have done this.”

Quite an instructive story, don't you think? But he took the place of the one who was eager to get there with all his might!

This is what happens in our lives. Friends, I once again want to remind you of one of the laws of our life, which I understood precisely thanks to the army: “Everything that is done is for the better!”

I wish you every day better than the previous one, see you soon!