History Recap / LoveDeathAndRobotsTheSecretWar

* HollywoodTactics: Both played straight and subverted. In order to cover more ground, the various Soviet platoons that are hunting the ghouls are spread out too far to support one another, causing at least one group to be overrun by ghouls while the protagonists are too far away to help, [[WeHaveReserves but the top brass doesn't really care]]. However, at the end the Lieutenant's unit manages to kill a lot of ghouls before being overrun by making smart use of their terrain and later calling in [[GunshipRescue air support]], though by that point they're [[TheCavalryArrivesLate not alive to see it come]].

* MoreDakka: The platoon is armed almost exclusively with machine pistols.

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: The ritual used to summon the creatures is identified as being one of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koryaks Koryak]] origin, but the symbols used are either Norse runes or generic western occultist symbols presumably just for filler.

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: The ritual used to summon the creatures is identified as being one of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koryaks Koryak]] origin, but the symbols used are either Norse runes or generic western occultist symbols.

* JustAStupidAccent: The Russians are speaking English with a Russian accent. And it's most notable with, Okhchen, who is a TokenMinority.

* JustAStupidAccent: The Russians are speaking English with a Russian accent, most notably their leader Okhchen.

* ChildSoldiers: The lieutenant's son appears to be at ''best'' in his mid teens. It's unclear if this is the effect of conscription or a very special way of taking care for the boy DuringTheWar by his father.
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: The disturbing carnage the soldiers witness in village visited in the opening doesn't move them in the slightest. They're so used to it that they just make a rought body count, [[RobbingTheDead pick what might be useful]] and continue on their way. Later, Okhchen calmly snipes the ghouls while surrounded by skulls of other soldiers who fought in that spot earlier and perished.

* {{Exposition}}: While Lt. Zakharov's explaination of who Boris Grishin was and what kind of ritual he performed is very brief and to the point, we are shown an extended sequence of that event.

* AFatherToHisMen: Specifically to ''his'' men. When Okhchen notices another platoon fighting in a distance, Lt. Zakharov only gives a single headshake - there is no point even trying, while it would risk lives of his own group.

** The unit attempts to bomb a ghoul nest to seal them underground. This causes a chain reaction which collapses the entire side of the mountain and exposes all the tunnels within, pissing off hundreds of ghouls.

* MugglesDoItBetter: While the occultists failed spectacularly to control or contain their summons and got torn apart for their trouble, a bunch of soldiers armed with firearms has no problems with shredding the monsters by the dozen. And then there is the air strike...

* RobbingTheDead: A rare, heroic example. Since they are far away, in a complete wilderness and with no means to resupply, the platoon simply picks anything useful and edible from the slaughtered settlement.

* WorkingClassHero: They are all common Soviet soldiers, formed into a platoon fighting occult monsters. Rather than trying to understand the phenomena or philosophise about it, they are just focused on their task and are ruthlessly efficient at it or even cracking jokes about it. Then there is their bitter attitude toward their predictment, superiors and general state of things, but without going into outright cynism.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: Once the sheer size of the ghoul barrow is revealed, the platoon's men wordlessly accept this to be their fate.

* HeroicSacrifice: The whole platoon holds the ghouls, knowing they will all die, to give [[BringNewsBack one of them the chance to get word to the top brass so they can send an air strike]].

* DeathFromAbove: The ghoul barrow is annihilated by a large number of [[UsefulNotes/RedsWithRockets VVS]] bombers saturating the mountainside with ordnance.

* GreatOffscreenWar: World War 2 is going steady and fights around Stalingrad still aren't decisive yet (meaning the action takes place somewhere in the tail end of 1942), but it's all only mentioned in a passing.

* HollywoodTactics: Both played straight and subverted. In order to cover more ground, the various Soviet platoons that are hunting the ghouls are spread out too far to support one another, causing at least one group to be overrun by ghouls while the protagonists are too far away to help, [[WeHaveReserves but the top brass doesn't really care]]. However, at the end the Lieutenant's unit manages to kill a lot of ghouls before being overrun by making smart use of their terrain and later calling in air support, though by that point they're not alive to see it come.

* MoreDakka:
** The platoon is armed almost exclusively with machine pistols.
** The ending has an entire squadron of bombers dropping their load over the barrow.

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: The ritual used to summon the creatures is identified as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koryaks Koryak]] in nature. But the symbols used are either Norse runes or generic western occultist symbols.

* ChildSoldiers: Lieutenant's son appears to be at ''best'' in his mid teens. It's unclear if this is the effect of conscription or a very special way of taking care for the boy DuringTheWar by his father.

* DemolitionsExpert: Pogodin ''loves'' [[StuffBlowingUp blowing stuff up.]]

* DoNotGoGentle: The platoon makes a LastStand, fully knowing they are going to die... but they need to buy time for their messenger to gain some distance and inform the top brass.
* DontGoInTheWoods: In a way, this is a modernised version of a standard cliche from classic Russian fables - the forest is deadly and what lives in it leaves no survivors. Okhchen and Lt. Zakharov even [[ConversationalTroping discuss it briefly]].
* DueToTheDead: Inverted. The soldiers don't bother to bury the dead civilians they find, but they ''do'' burn dead monsters, probably to prevent contamination or just to be sure.

* {{Ghostapo}}: A rare Soviet version of the trope, with the [=CheKa=] resorting to demon summoning rituals involving human sacrifices to aid their military.

** The [[StateSec CheKa]] attempted to summon ghouls to fight alongside the Red Army. They managed the first part.

* OhCrap: After the explosion, entire mountainside slides down. The soldiers instantly realise what this means.

* SeenItAll[=/=]ConditionedToAcceptHorror: The disturbing carnage the soldiers witness in village visited in the opening doesn't move them in the slightest. They are so used to it, they just make a rought body count, [[RobbingTheDead pick what might be useful]] and continue on their way.
** Okhchen earns his ColdSniper by just calmly sniping the ghouls while surrounded by skulls of other soldiers who fought in that spot earlier and perished.

* TakingYouWithMe: Lt. Zakharov blows the explosive charges as he is about to die, taking out all the ghouls around him.
** Siergiei, mortally wounded and thrown from a cliff during the battle, pulls a pin on a grenade as he is falling. He kills a good number of the ghouls when he falls amongst them below.

* MugglesDoItBetter: The ghouls overwhelm a platoon armed with infantry weapons, but they're brought down by a bombing run.

* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: One of the men, unable to fight because of his wounds, blows his head off with his sidearm as a ghoul is about to get to him.

* HeroicSacrifice: The whole platoon holds the ghouls, knowing they will all die, to give [[BringNewsBack one of them the chance to get word to the high brass so they can send an air strike]].

* HollywoodTactics: Both played straight and subverted. In order to cover more ground, the various Soviet platoons that are hunting the ghouls are spread out too far to support one another, causing at least one group to be overrun by ghouls while the protagonists are too far away to help. However, at the end the Lieutenant's unit manages to kill a lot of ghouls before being overrun by making smart use of their terrain and later calling in air support, though by that point they're not alive to see it come.

* WhamLine: ”Father, please...”

* GreatOffscreenWar: World War 2 is going steady and fights around Stalingrad still continue (meaning the action takes place somewhere in the tail end of 1942), but it's all only mentioned.

** The [[StateSec Cheka]] attempted to summon ghouls to fight alongside the Red Army. They managed the first part.

* HeKnowsTooMuch: When the unit discovers the source of the ghouls, Lt. Zakharov decides not to report it because command would probably have them killed to cover up knowledge of their own mistakes.