They showed the nearest Russian mechanized formation over a hundred kilometers away.
They positioned themselves at a low altitude beneath a Russian formation.
Some Russian military formations left Sukhumi following a ceasefire agreement.
He planned to engage what he believed to be weak Russian formations advancing from the east.
When the fog finally lifted about 0500, the Japanese artillery opened up on the Russian formations.
The Russian formation could be several degrees left or right of where they thought, and at this range that was a difference measured in miles.
Mackall trained his gunsights through the haze and saw the advancing Russian formations.
The battlegroup immediately increased speed to open the distance between the American and Russian formations.
So, in spite of losing some areas in the battlefield, the Russian formation was prevented from collapsing.
As the reliability of many Russian military formations was in doubt, only units that volunteered to attack were used in the offensive.