Position No. 19 on the Don River, in a trench filled with rainwater and rotting corpses, a group of recruits with little combat experience, led by Aleutians and several veterans, controlled anti-tank guns and anti-tank guns, approaching the trenches again and again.
The German tanks on the line rushed back.
Wei Ran, who was also involved, had no other thoughts at this time. He was just panting and going back and forth between the ammunition storage point and the artillery position with a few soldiers to provide sufficient shells for the anti-tank gun.
From time to time, the shells that hit near the position lifted up the smelly mud and broken limbs, and then fell on almost all the survivors and corpses nearby.
But all the recruits, including Wei Ran, have long lost the trembling fear at the beginning. At most, they can only wipe the dirt on their faces that blocks their vision and continue to be busy with their work. As for whether the dirt that was shaken off is mud or mud?
Rotten meat may no longer be important.
Because everyone knows that as long as the position under our feet is still there, as long as the Germans on the opposite side of the position are still there, death is just the inevitable outcome sooner or later.
The sound of gunfire from the anti-tank gun position, the explosion of artillery shells hitting the position, the roar of the anti-tank guns and the Deshka heavy machine guns, all these noises, Wei Ran's hearing has almost never been interrupted.
The buzzing sound is replaced.
But even so, through the illumination bombs that the Germans fired into the night sky again and again, he could vaguely see that from time to time, there would be a figure, tall or short, rushing out of the trench with grenades tied in a bundle with wire. Soon after, in
Outside the visual blind area blocked by the trenches, there will be a flash of light that seems to be burning life.
Finally, when the sky above the head gradually turned white, meteors with long tail flames tore up the night sky from the direction of the Don River behind them, and hit the German soldiers who were about to tear open the No. 19 position at any time.
and their tanks and armored vehicles.
"Katyusha! It's Katyusha! It's our Katyusha!"
Captain Aleutian shouted in surprise at the top of his lungs. The battle this night had promoted him, the second lieutenant, to the company commander of this position. As for the former supreme commander of Position 19...
Wei Ran, who was nearly deaf, glanced at the command post not far away that had turned into a bomb crater. He tiredly put the shells he had just picked up back into the wooden box, and then sat down on the ammunition box next to him.
Although he couldn't hear what the Aleutian Captain was shouting at this time, he could guess that it was the female name that countless frontline soldiers during World War II dreamed about and longed for - Katyusha!
After this round of rocket attacks, the battle that lasted for almost the whole night finally came to a temporary halt. Except for a few soldiers on sentry duty, almost everyone else slumped on the ground tiredly, staring blankly above their heads.
Soon after, some women with a wide age range and a dozen children of fifteen or sixteen years old brought in small baskets some clean drinking water, two large baskets of black bread mixed with sawdust, and a small piece of boiled water.
of fish meat.
Putting food into the hands of everyone who was still alive, these women and children bent down and cooperated with each other to carry the wounded soaked in muddy water to the rear hospital. When they came back, they would also bring piecemeal or a piece of food.
A cannonball, a few grenades, a string of bullets or even several magazines.
After sorting the ammunition supplies to the ammunition dump, they silently picked up the fallen soldiers and carried them to the mass grave along a particularly quiet trench.
As these people went back and forth again and again, the ammunition storage reserves were visibly filled up. Not only were the bodies of the dead soldiers and the wounded disappeared in the muddy trenches, but a layer of wrist-thick logs was even laid out in several key locations.
, finally managed to prevent the living people from continuing to soak in the muddy water.
"Crack!"
The crisp sound of the shutter didn't startle too many people, but Wei Ran, who had just barely recovered his hearing, suddenly raised his head, and then saw a female soldier wearing a Soviet military uniform and a boat cap taking the Leica camera from Aliu.
Captain Shen moved away.
Aleutian, who was photographed, was obviously very familiar with this female soldier. He just raised his trembling hands tiredly, and then asked in a hoarse voice, "Zoya, how is the situation in other positions?"
"not too good"
Zhuo Ya put away the camera and sighed, and replied sadly, "The No. 18 position next door suffered the heaviest losses. After the battle, there were only less than 10 people and two anti-tank guns left, which barely still had combat effectiveness."
"Uncle Mehri..."
As soon as a young soldier next to Aleutian asked, the female soldier Zoya shook her head, "He blew up a German tank..."
Wei Ran, who was about to ask something, slowly sat down against the damp trench again, and tried several times to tell the people around him about the historical process he knew, but in the end he kept his mouth tightly closed and did not utter a single word.
Even if he said it, so what? Apart from being regarded as a madman, it would not be of any help to this battle. Even if the Aleutian Captain believed his lies, could they give up this position? If it could be so easy
Give up, what's the point of those corpses that were carried away not long ago?
"Vanya! Where is Vanya?!" Aleutian stood up unsteadily and shouted hoarsely.
"I'm here," a shirtless strong man stood up from a short distance away and responded.
Wei Ran's pupils shrank for a moment. This strong man was the one who pulled him out of the corner of the trench last night and assigned him the job of ammunition hand!
"Let's take stock of our situation and ask when the new recruits will be supplied with supplies."
Before the Aleut Captain finished speaking, he climbed up on a simple wooden ladder, looked out cautiously from the edge of the trench, and then quickly jumped back into the trench.
After hearing this, Vanya immediately started counting the number of people along the trench, and the female soldier Zoya also pointed the camera lens at a young soldier who was wiping an anti-tank gun.
After a short rest, the people who had barely filled their stomachs were organized by the Aleutian company commander, and they repaired the messy trench in an orderly manner.
"May I have your name?"
Vanya held a small notebook in one hand and a pencil in the other, and asked Wei Ran who was digging a drainage ditch for the anti-tank gun position.
"Victor"
Wei Ran straightened up and replied breathlessly. At the same time, he glanced at the pistol holster on the opponent's waist without leaving any trace. He had seen it with his own eyes last night when the opponent used that pistol to kill several collapsed recruits.
"It's a good name." After Vanya praised it, she continued to ask without raising her head, "Do you know the words?"
"I know you!" Wei Ran nodded quickly, "I am a postman from the 64th Army Group Field Post Office. I know how to read! I can use a camera, and..."
“Keep digging your gutters”
Vanya had no time to listen to Wei Ran's nonsense. She glanced at the messenger bag that was still slung on Wei Ran's shoulder, scribbled down a few words and immediately grabbed another soldier to repeat the question.
