Then the first round of artillery fire from the German army stunned the new recruits.
It was still dark at that time, around three-thirty in the morning.
After marching all the way and then taking more than two hours to complete the construction, the 333rd Regiment finally got some rest time.
Shulka and a group of his former subordinates fell asleep... Although they are not yet very experienced just ten days before the war begins, the battlefield is the best training ground, and they have learned how to survive in tense or harsh environments.
The "skill" of falling asleep.
Having said that, if you haven't learned this by now, which means you can't sleep for more than ten days, then I'm afraid that people will no longer be like humans or ghosts, and the game will be over without the enemy taking action.
This is not the case with new recruits.
At this time, they are entering the "pre-war syndrome" stage... This name was said by the veteran Matvey. Shulka doesn't know if there is such a name in medicine, but this phenomenon does exist.
This is the personal experience of Shulka and others. To put it simply, everyone's behavior is different when they know that the battle is coming... For example, among the recruits at this time, some are so nervous that they can't speak, and some are so nervous that they can't speak.
Some people held guns and did not dare to leave the darkness ahead for a moment, some looked very excited, and others tried hard to show they were indifferent.
But actually all of these are for the same reason: nervousness, fear.
Of course, these are not things Shulka needs to worry about... Even if Shulka wants to, he can't. There are more than a dozen recruits in a platoon, and even putting a gun to their heads can't help them sleep.
"They need to be trained on the battlefield!" Shulka told himself: "Just like everyone else!"
So Shulka settled down in the trench with a peace of mind, covering his head and face with a military blanket and forcing himself to sleep.
But it wasn't long before Shulka was woken up.
"Bang..." a gunshot sounded.
Then someone shouted: "It's the enemy, the enemy is coming!"
Then there were a few more "bang bang" shots. Everyone picked up their rifles and lay down in front of the trench to prepare for battle. Shulka also turned over and aimed his gun forward.
But soon someone shouted: "Don't shoot, it's one of our own! Don't shoot!"
"Who fired the shot?" Company Lieutenant Davydov cursed from a distance in another trench: "I told you, don't shoot without an order!"
Shulka took a closer look and saw that the people coming up from the opposite side were indeed his own men wearing Soviet military uniforms... To be precise, they were withdrawn. The defense line was built in the rear to allow the troops on the front to retreat smoothly.
At this time, they were obviously frightened by the burst of gunfire. They lay on the ground and did not dare to move. Occasionally, there were a few wailings and curses from the officers.
"Who fired the shot?" Shulka also asked.
"Comrade Sergeant!" A recruit who got into trouble himself replied with a pale face: "It was me... I thought they were enemies!"
Shulka couldn't help feeling bitter, although this should be said to be normal in battle. Of course something would happen if the new recruits went to the battlefield without training.
The problem is...someone was injured, maybe even killed.
This is not something Shulka can apply.
When Shulka had a headache, a burst of artillery shells suddenly roared in the air...the enemy's artillery attack.
"Cover!" Shulka shouted, and at the same time retracted his head into the trench without explanation.
A row of artillery shells exploded nearby, followed by several more rows of shells, one after another, becoming more and more violent.
Obviously, the German army discovered that the Soviet army was retreating under the cover of night and began to pursue the victory... This is very common on the battlefield. Although the German army usually does not choose to fight at night, the enemy's retreat is a good opportunity to attack, which may lead to pursuit all the way.
Killing resulted in unexpected results, and the well-trained German army certainly knew this.
The retreating Soviet troops became confused at the moment of the shelling. They fled backwards despite the artillery fire.
As we all know, even recruits know that it is taboo to get up and run around when being bombarded by enemy artillery fire.
But sometimes it's hard to tell whether this is right or wrong.
The reason is that when the German army uses artillery fire to blockade the depth, the other side will definitely launch a fierce attack.
It is true that you can avoid the bombardment of artillery shells by lying still, but it won't be long before the German army comes from behind and you will be faced with more than just artillery shells.
As a result, the originally peaceful wilderness suddenly turned into a hell: there were fires from exploding artillery shells everywhere, Soviet soldiers were thrown into the air everywhere, and pieces of corpses and stumps fell from the sky.
Many Soviet soldiers were knocked down by shrapnel as soon as they reached the top of the trenches, so they fell down in rows in the trenches. It didn't take long for the corpses to almost pile up the trenches.
The bombing lasted for thirty minutes before gradually stopping.
What followed were screams and howls... In fact, a considerable part of the screams could not be called screams and howls. Many recruits hiding in the trenches were not injured, they were just frightened.
Yell.
This is a normal physiological reaction. When the fear reaches the extreme and is unbearable, shouting loudly can reduce the psychological burden.
Shulka asked the squad leaders to count the number of people and casualties. He was surprised to learn that only two people were missing.
Being stationed in a trench, and the trench was not seriously damaged, missing would almost mean an escape.
Originally, Shulka thought that at least half of the recruits would take advantage of the chaos and escape. After all, this was a good opportunity.
This should be a good and comforting thing, but when Shulka saw the shivering recruits huddled in the trenches, he knew that there was nothing comforting... They did not escape more because they did not have the courage to step out.
Road trenches.
Therefore, Shulka should catch up with the two escaped recruits and tell them that they are actually qualified soldiers with potential and hope to become heroes.
Of course, this was just a thought. Shurka had no time to do this, because there were bursts of gunfire and the sound of tank motors coming from the front... The leading German troops had already reached here.
This shows how quickly the German army moved. In just thirty minutes, they broke through the Soviet defense line and advanced ten kilometers.
Or it can be said that the Soviet army's retreat quickly turned into a rout after being discovered by the German army.
But no matter what, the German army has already reached them, and the next step is the problem of the "roller-type" defense line.
"Get ready to fight!" Company Lieutenant Davydov loudly ordered: "Be careful not to accidentally injure your comrades!"
Only then did Shulka remember the accidental injury incident involving a recruit due to nervousness.
But no one will pursue it now, so for the new recruits, this barrage comes at the right time.