I was stunned for a moment when I heard Daiomi say this, yes, how did I forget that Leningrad is close to the Arctic Circle, and every year in June there is such a big thing as White Nights! I slapped my forehead hard and said self-deprecatingly, "Confused, really confused!" ……”

After saying this, I looked up and saw that the expressions on the faces of Diaomi and the guide were a little unnatural, and I immediately understood that it was my own words that made them misunderstand, and quickly explained with a smile: "I mean I am so confused that I have forgotten such a big thing as the White Night in Leningrad." Then he changed the subject and asked Diomi: "Comrade Captain, have you sent people to the enemy's positions to reconnoitre?" ”

"Report to Comrade Major, I have already sent out the scouts when they were resting just now." Diomi said as he looked at his watch, "They should be back soon." ”

I turned to the guide and said, "Comrade Mikolin, what did you do before the outbreak of the war?" ”

When Mikelin heard me ask him, he hurriedly stood up, straightened up and replied loudly: "Report to Comrade Commander, before the outbreak of the war, I was a lumberjack. After the start of the Great Patriotic War, I served as a soldier in the Leningrad Front and took part in the battle to break through the encirclement. After the troops were scattered, I found Lieutenant Colonel Sotnikov and joined the partisans he led. ”

I raised my hand and pressed him down, motioned for him to sit down, and said, "Comrade soldier, don't be so restrained, sit down and talk." When he sat down again, I tried to find some light topic to continue the conversation with him, "It turns out that you were a lumberjack before joining the army, so no wonder you are so familiar with the forest, and you can take us through the narrow passage in the swamp." ”

My compliment made the young partisan shy, and he blushed and said with some embarrassment: "Comrade commander, I am nothing. When it comes to familiarity with the forest, no one can compare to our captain. Before joining the guerrillas, he fought against fascist bandits in many places, and he also made many military exploits and won several medals. ”

"Really?" When Mikelin said this about his captain, I couldn't help but arouse my curiosity, and urged him to continue: "Tell me what kind of man he is?" ”

"If he had been here today, perhaps we would not have had to take such a long detour, but only a kilometer or two to the south, and we would have been able to pass through the swamp and go around the rear of the enemy's position. Perhaps by this time we were already attacking the German positions. ”

"Comrade Mikolin, your captain, what is his name?"

"Report to Comrade Commander, his name is ......" As soon as Michael said this, he suddenly heard Diaomi who was next to him shouting excitedly: "Look, Comrade Major, our scout is back. With that, he jumped up from the ground and ran towards the two warriors who were approaching in the distance.

After a while, Diomi returned to me with two scouts and instructed the two fighters, saying, "Sergeant Gerasimenko, report to the Major what you have detected." ”

The scout he had named said yes and began to report back to me on the results of their reconnaissance, while the other private simply straightened up and stood silently. The sergeant said: "Report to Comrade Major, we have just quietly infiltrated the vicinity of the enemy's position, and after careful reconnaissance, we found that the Germans had placed six heavy machine-gun groups on the hillside, and under the hillside was an infantry company. ……”

"Are there any heavy weapons?" Before he could finish speaking, I suddenly interjected and asked.

Sergeant Gerasimenko shook his head vigorously and replied: "We found no German tanks or armored vehicles, except for heavy machine guns on the hillside, not even mortars. ”

Hearing this, Diomi took a step forward and asked me, "Comrade Major, since the situation is all clear. Can we strike? ”

"Well," I said, nodding vigorously, "gather the warriors at once, and we'll set off at once." ”

A quarter of an hour later, we crept to the south of the hillside, which was sparsely forested and sparsely forested, ideal for a sneak attack. The attention of the German soldiers on the hillside was attracted by the main force of the 327th Division concentrated in the forest to the west, and they did not expect that someone would come around to attack them at all, so that there was not even a guard post on this side.

"Get on the bayonet!" With this order given by Daiomi in a low voice, hundreds of steel helmets rose and fell slightly, and all of them formed a dense skirmish line in a standard squatting position, staring at the low hill in front of them!

I crouched a short distance behind Diomi with my assault rifle, and when I saw him looking back at me, I nodded slightly, signaling that the troops could attack.

Captain Diomi at the front of the formation jumped up, he didn't use a pistol, but also a rifle with a bayonet, raised his gun and made a move back, shouting: "Brothers, forward!" ”

With this command, the soldiers of the Seventh Company also jumped up like him, and a neat shout sounded in front of the dense skirmish line: "Ula! The sudden shouting sounded like a cannon on a bright night.

I followed the group with my gun and rushed to the top of the slope, accompanied by a few guards and a scout, Sergeant Gerasimenko, who had been ordered by Captain Deomi to protect me.