Why? Because if you get lost or hurt, you can use it and your other emergency item (your radio) to call in help and give a better direction than "over here by the big ravine". I.e. "I'm in a ravine running north/south and I'm north of the camp." That makes rescue a LOT easier. We do realize that not every soldier in the Soviet army had either compass or map, but when you take the field at Eastwind, we want to make sure you're armed and prepared for your own safety! Thus you'll get a 'safety copy' of a map and you'll have your compass.