War is the ultimate means for mankind to resolve various disputes. It is both cruel and absurd!
In every war, in addition to death and killing, there will be some incredible stories. For example, during the war between and , Britain and Germany were "enemies" who wanted to kill each other. However, on December 24, 1914, the soldiers of the two countries who were still fighting to the death on the battlefield yesterday invariably walked out of the mud. In the trenches, we celebrated a happy and peaceful Christmas together;
During World War II, the funny Italian soldiers not only raised their hands to surrender because they could not open the ammunition box, but in the prisoner of war camp, they would also surrender because of a mouthful of spaghetti. Staying in a prisoner of war camp, you can't even drive them away...
However, compared with Western soldiers, in our understanding, it seems impossible for Soviet soldiers to behave in such absurd and unruly ways. But nothing is absolute. On the Afghan battlefield at the end of the Soviet Union, these "combat nation" soldiers also did incredible things!
For example, boil bullets in boiling water!
Yes, you heard it right, one of the most common things Soviet soldiers did on the battlefield in Afghanistan was to boil bullets in boiling water!
What is the principle of this? Will bullets cooked in boiling water become more powerful? Is it still some "wonderful secret technique" that has been lost among the people?
Of course, these guesses are wrong! Soviet soldiers had no choice but to boil bullets in boiling water on the battlefield, because their purpose was to use these boiled bullets to exchange for necessities with the locals, or to exchange for some pocket money, which is what we usually call Make some extra money.
The Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan was essentially a war of aggression. From today’s perspective, this war was a tragedy for both the Soviet Union and Afghanistan;
The Soviet Union spent 10 years invading Afghanistan and wasted a lot of manpower and material resources. In the end, it finally withdrew from this country known as the "Graveyard of Empires". Soon thereafter, this country once competed with the United States for world supremacy. The world's superpowers collapsed, and the invasion of Afghanistan, if not the main cause of the country's disintegration, at least played a catalytic role.
For Afghanistan, it was precisely after the Soviets came here that the country "breeded" countless warlords, extremist organizations and armed forces. When the Soviet troops were there, they still had a unified goal. When the Soviet troops left , these armed groups who refused to accept anyone began to fight among themselves, and the country is still in turmoil to this day.
The Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan was the last time that this “building was about to collapse” empire used the army. On the surface, the Soviet army was extremely powerful at the time, but in fact corruption was rampant within it;
Although the Soviet government invested millions in the army every day US dollars in military spending, but due to layers of exploitation, the supplies that could flow into the hands of Soviet soldiers were pitiful.
According to historian Khail Zhirokov’s description in his book about the Soviet army in Afghanistan:
In the middle of the war, for some officials who controlled the supply of supplies to the Soviet army, anything of value was a business opportunity. , after the army's strategic materials were sent to Afghanistan, only a small part of them reached the army, and most of them ended up in the Afghan bazaars or black markets;
Soviet soldiers did not get enough food every day and often ate They don’t have enough to eat, but they still have to be ordered to fight bloody battles in a foreign country;
Of course, even under such circumstances, some Soviet soldiers will go to the local market in Afghanistan to sell everything they can, including bullets. , blankets and sheets , in order to have a refreshing and sweet vodka drink.
What can the Soviet soldiers who do not have enough food and are extremely drunk want to "indulge" in this barren land?
There is only one answer, and that is to sell the large number of bullets stored in one's hands;
Here, the only thing that Soviet soldiers do not lack is bullets. Compared with the "guys" in their hands, there will be dedicated personnel to keep statistical records. Bullets are war consumables. No one keeps track of where they go, and in fact it's impossible to do so. So these people came up with the idea of small-caliber ammunition;
In poor Afghanistan, bullets may be one of the best-selling commodities, and everyone knows that the United States is the "finance master" behind Afghanistan, and the U.S. dollar is also passing through different Channels are constantly flowing here.
Afghans need weapons and ammunition, and Soviet soldiers who cannot get enough supplies need money and vodka. Under such an "abnormal" supply and demand relationship, private transactions begin to flourish.
The "alternative" way of survival of Soviet soldiers: boiling bullets
However, there is a problem that needs attention, that is, the Soviet soldiers know that the bullets they sell will eventually flow into the hands of the jihadist organizations that resist them, so how to make these bullets sell well? Well, what if it can lose its effectiveness in wartime and become unable to pose a threat to itself?
As a result, the method of boiling bullets spread among the front-line troops. The soldiers believed that as long as the bullets were boiled in boiling water for a few hours, the bullets would become ineffective due to water intrusion. But on the surface, it seems Can't find anything wrong at all. In addition, after such operations, the appearance of the bullet will become more "beautiful". For uninformed businessmen, this "good" is very "good"!
But sadly, "boiled bullets" seem to be what common sense thinks, but in fact, similar practices by Soviet soldiers have no effect at all.
In 2003, a "good" foreign organization conducted a test on this matter. They boiled a lot of Soviet 7.62mm bullets in boiling water for five hours, and then used AK-47 automatic rifles We conducted a shooting test and found that all bullets could be fired normally, with almost no " stink bombs "!
When testing pistol bullets such as the Makarov pistol, some bullets failed.
But on the battlefield back then, how many people would use pistols to fight unless they had to?
This method may be useful if used when bullets first came out, because most of the bullets at that time used mercury fulminate as primer . This substance will decompose at high temperatures of 100°C, and it is likely to decompose after being boiled in water for a few hours. Invalid. However, the bullets produced by the Soviet Union in the 1980s no longer used similar substances as primers, but more stable lead azide or other compounds. In addition, the bullets supplied to the Soviet army in Afghanistan may have undergone special heat-resistant treatment. After all, high temperatures are the norm in this country, so boiling them won't render bullets useless.
The poor Soviet soldiers exchanged these bullets that they thought had been processed in Afghanistan for money and alcohol. Then they turned around and dumped the ammunition they provided on themselves. This is purely a "tragedy" for a big country!
