Stalin released the most dangerous criminals promising their freedom IF they escape Wermacht. They had not enough rifles so the one having it was waited by the others behind him to be killed in order for the rifle to pass the next prisoner. The Germans and their Romanian allies (un uncle of mine was by Donetzk) used a machine gun against Russians which piled and piled with dead bodies but God they were so many. My uncle Mircea returned from there and used to wake up saying ENEMY'S COMING!!! DIG TRANCHES NOW IN HIS OWN YARD AND HE DUG A TRANCHE VERY FAST. He was an artist welder, but after returning from ww2, he was very different. God rest his soul in Heaven!