In terms of story and directing the movie was an abortion as you said. However, if you take the love story as well as Zaitsev's, it is nearly perfect. Granted the movie revolves around Zaitsev but it is not him we want to copy, it is the surroundings, the procedures, and the way they fought. I quote armchair general's review:
First of all I don't see why this mod has to be based on EatG...or any movie for that matter. The modders did an amazing job creating their
own world and vision of the Eastern Front and applying it to the mod in a creative and unique way. Borrowing the feel from EatG just destroys so much creative potential.
Having said that, I wouldn't want to emulate anything in that movie - not the "love story" nor "the surroundings, the procedures, and the way they fought". None of it is worthy of being used to base off an awesome mod like CoH:EF.
Artistically, the movie is one-dimensional. There's so little material to use as a basis for a fictional world in which blocking detachments exist as they are portrayed in the movie. The way the soldiers are loaded like cattle into trains, and then sent to their deaths in a human wave (gunning down anyone who retreated) - the whole scenario sounds like it was thought up in a few minutes by a four year old. Now I know that the mod isn't supposed to be historically accurate but this dream world which EatG conjures up doesn't make for interesting gameplay. In other words, the EatG "feel" is boring.
Regarding your armchair general reference about blocking detachments I suggest you take a look at a real source like post-Soviet internal documents of the FSB. An example is below, which clearly indicates that the way blocking detachments were used in EatG was a complete myth.
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Memorandum by NKVD STF to UOO NKVD of USSR in regards to activities of blocking detachments of Stalingrad and Don Fronts
October 15th 1942.
In accordance with NKO Order # 227 (the infamous "not one step back" order), 193 blocking detachments were formed, among the acting units of the Red Army, as of October 15th 1942. Out of this number, among the units of the Stalingrad Front, there are 16 detachments, among the units of the Don Front there are 25 detachments, all of which are subordinated to Special NKVD sections belonging to the Fronts’ Armies.
Between August 1st and October 15th blocking detachments detained 140,755 soldiers that were suppose to be at the front line. Out of this number: 3,980 were arrested, 1,189 executed, 2,776 sent to penal companies, 185 sent to penal battalions, and 131,094 sent back to their units and distribution points. Most of the arrests and detentions were conducted by the blocking detachments of the Stalingrad and Don Fronts.
Statistic for the Don Front: 36,109 were detained, 736 arrested, 433 executed, 1,056 sent to penal companies, 33 to penal battalions, 32,933 sent back to their units and distribution points.
Statistics for Stalingrad Front: 15,649 were detained, 244 arrested, 278 executed, 218 sent to penal companies, 42 sent to penal battalions, 14,833 sent back to their units and distribution points.
It should be noted that blocking detachments, especially during the heavy fighting at Stalingrad and Don Fronts, did play a positive role in upholding discipline and order in the units and preventing unorganized retreats from defensive positions, and returning a considerable number of servicemen back to their units.
On August 29, Staff of 29 Rifle Division of the 64 Army of the Stalingrad Front was encircled by the enemy tanks that broke through our lines; divisional units lost their leadership and began chaotic retreat. Blocking detachments under Lieutenant of State Security Filatov, who was positioned behind the divisional lines, stopped running units and returned them back to the defenses.
At the different sector of the same division enemy attempt at breakthrough was beaten off by a blocking detachment.
On September 14, enemy attacked units of 399 Rifle Division of the 62 Army that was defending Stalingrad. Personnel of 396 and 472 Rifle Regiments panicked and began retreating, leaving their defensive positions. Commanding Officer of the blocking detachment (junior lieutenant of State Security Elman) ordered his troops to fire above the heads of the retreating units. As a result personnel of these regiments halted and in 2 hours they returned to their positions.
On September 20 enemy took Eastern part of Melekhovskaya. A combined brigade, under the enemy pressure, began an unauthorized retreat to an adjacent position. Blocking detachment of 47th Army rectified the situation. The brigade reoccupied its positions; the blocking detachment, with fire support from the brigade, threw the enemy out of Melekhovskaya.
Blocking detachments, on numerous critical occasions when support was needed to hold the line, were used for direct engagement of the enemy.
On the September the 13th of this year 112 Rifle Division under enemy pressure pulled back form defensive positions. Blocking detachment of the 62nd Army under lieutenant of State Security Hlistov positioned itself at the approaches to an important height. For 4 days blocking detachment personnel were beating off enemy attacks causing grave casualties to the enemy. The blocking detachment was eventually relieved by army reinforcements.
Between September 15 and 16, blocking detachment of the 62nd Army successfully battled a numerically superior foe in the General Area of the Stalingrad Railway Station. Despite its small numbers, the blocking detachment not only was beating off the attacks, but counterattacked as well, inflicting considerable casualties on the enemy. Eventually it was relieved by the units from the 10th Rifle Division.
We also have noted several occasion when blocking detachments were not used as intended. Considerable numbers of these units were used as regular line formations, consequently suffering casualties, that caused them to be pulled back in order to be refit, and as result the blocking service was not ready for front line battle.
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As you can see a real historical source provides a rich pool of ideas to draw from. Blocking detachments did not shoot soldiers as they retreated. Their purpose was multi-dimensional - they kept discipline under intense pressure from the enemy by
returning soldiers back to their defensive positions and at times engaged the enemy in a direct confrontation.
I don't know why a lot of people have this hard-on for blocking detachments. Maybe after seeing EatG they thought they were used throughout the entire war (they weren't - 1941-42 only). Maybe they just don't have anything else to draw information from and form a very boring, one-dimensional view of the whole conflict. There's just so much stuff that's way cooler than blocking detachments that can be used to make this mod really stand out. Whistles, and anything that draws from EatG is definitely not it.
