As far as we see movies, Russian soldiers charge into Germans without rifles crying "Ura!" Is this based on facts or a mere fiction?

Joseph

I see that you have been watching Enemy at the Gates. The Soviet regular army troops were well equipped with small arms especially after 1942. The problem was that the troops were not well trained to use the weapons so they were nor very effective. There were, however, some Opolchenie units, irregular peoples' militia, that were formed in the summer and fall of 1941 that were poorly trained and short of weapons. Those men were told to run towards enemy and pick up rifles of the fallen men. Some of these units were used in late 1941 in a desperate attempt to prevent Germans from cutting off the last overland road into Leningrad and suffered nearly 100% casualties. These men carried no ID capsules so their bodies couldn't be identified. Many bodies were left behind in the field and were never given a proper burial. Searchers are still finding the remains of the men who died in the swamps and peat bogs southeast of St. Petersburg. The real tragedy is that the Soviet officer corps suffered heavily during Stalin's purges of the 1930s. The inexperienced commanders, who held their post because they were considered politically reliable, then ordered their troops to make a frontal assault human wave attacks regardless of the casualties, when flanking maneuvers or better combined arms coordination would have been more effective.

Jake No Chat

It is based upon facts. The Russians were not well equipped so many time unarmed soldiers were ordered to attack, ans they were to pick up rifles from fallen comrades when they had a chance.

Gerald

there is a lot of propaganda aimed at Russia that gives distorted views it is not my job to defend Russia I am English but we were at war with them hundreds of years ago and in Crimea we sent an entire cavalry unit charging into the Russian cannons waving swords it was a massacre called Balaclava and the British are good fighters so take things with a pinch of salt and never underestimate its KAPUT ask General Custer well you know what I mean