The battle that ensued was far more brutal than I had imagined.

The German infantry, which attacked the 107.5 heights, retreated without any suspense, although they were hit by the fire of Morozov's artillery battalion. But it didn't take long for our artillery positions to be placed south of Mamayev Hill to be hit by long-range German artillery fire. Because the hill of Mamayev Hill blocked the view of the German artillery observers, the shells that swept over the top of the hill did not hit the target at all, and they fell a few hundred meters away from the artillery position and exploded.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Major Morozov immediately asked me for instructions on a walkie-talkie, saying that the location of our artillery position had been discovered by the Germans, which might attract German bombers, and asked me if I would move immediately. When I got his report, I immediately calculated in my heart that these howitzers were hard-won and the only heavy firepower of our division, and if we lost them, we would have to pay a greater price in the next battle to hold our position, and it seemed that it was necessary to keep the artillery.

As soon as I was about to give the order, I thought of the weak forces on the 107.5 heights, and I couldn't help but hesitate, if there was no strong artillery fire to suppress the attacking German troops, it would be difficult for Major Yaming to block the German attack. When I thought about it, I immediately fell into a dilemma.

Seeing that I was slow to speak, Morozov, who was talking to me on the phone, was anxious, and he desperately urged: "Division commander, comrade division commander, are you still there?" What do we do next, please instruct you! ”

Hearing Morozov's incessant shouting as if urging his life, I said angrily: "What are you yelling, I'll listen." ”

Morozov hurriedly lowered his voice and asked me for instructions: "Comrade division commander. You haven't said it yet. What are we going to do. Will it be to transfer positions or to continue shelling the Germans? ”

I take into account those howitzers on artillery positions. It was neither truck nor horse-drawn cart pulling, but it was all towed by the manpower of the artillery soldiers, and the mobility was too poor, and if it really encountered the bombing of the German air force, it was estimated that the whole army would be wiped out. But if I really want to let the artillery withdraw, I am unwilling. After much deliberation, he finally instructed Morozov: "Comrade Major. Don't you have six howitzers? For the sake of safety, only three cannons were left to continue firing, and the other three cannons were immediately transferred to concealment. Don't hesitate and act now. ”

When I ended the call with Morozov and returned to the table from the walkie-talkie, I saw Kirillov, who had just answered a phone call, with a stern expression on his face, as if he was full of concern, and I couldn't help but ask curiously: "Comrade commissar, what's going on, is something wrong?" ”

Kirillov nodded vigorously. Then he said to me: "According to the information transmitted by the command of the army group, the Germans are attacking our Mamayev Gang at the same time. The situation is still attacking the defense areas of the 64th Army and the 57th Army at the same time, and the situation is not good for us. ”

I just wanted to ask Kirillov why the command of the army group would relay such information to us, and when I opened my mouth to speak, I suddenly remembered that I was the newly appointed deputy commander of the army group, and it was normal for them to inform us about the intelligence of friendly forces. Thinking of this, I obediently shut my mouth.

Kirillov looked at the two female newspaper operators in the distance, suddenly lowered his voice, and asked cautiously in a voice that only our four divisional commanders could hear: "Comrade Oshanina, judging from the current situation, the shape is very unfavorable to our army. You...... What do you think...... Think we can...... Can Stalingrad be held? ”

Listening to Kirillov's difficult question, I couldn't help but laugh dumbly, although the current situation was in favor of the German army, the situation was far from being as bad as Kirillov feared. I smiled and comforted him: "Comrade commissar, you are too worried. Stalingrad's backing to the Volga River prevented the Germans from completely encircling Stalingrad. After the German offensive along the river bank was blocked, several of our army groups in the city always kept a number of crossings in their own hands, keeping the water transport line behind them. In this way, our army could rely on the water transport lines of the Volga and constantly send living forces into the city of Stalingrad. It was the new reinforcements that saved Stalingrad from the brink of collapse many times and strengthened the defenses of Stalingrad. Without these new forces, no matter how tenacious our army is, Stalingrad will sooner or later fall into the hands of the Germans under the attack of the German army, which has a huge advantage. Don't forget, our division has been replenished several times, and if it hadn't been replenished again and again, our division would have been abolished long ago.

Another point is that, from a strategic point of view, behind Stalingrad is the vast strategic rear of the Soviet Union, and the reinforcements and weapons are reliably guaranteed, and a powerful counteroffensive force can be accumulated. ”

When I analyzed this, not only Kirillov's face showed a smile, but even Bantai Laiev and Akhromeyev, who had not spoken all this time, breathed a sigh of relief.

In the following period, the Germans launched three more attacks on the 107.5 heights, but all of them failed. However, the casualties of our army were not small, and there were less than a hundred troops left on the high ground, so that I had to temporarily change my mind and transfer a reinforced company of the third regiment from the first regiment to the 107.5 heights by truck for reinforcements. The artillery position of the Morozov battalion was blown up by bombs dropped by German aircraft, and the three cannons on the position turned into piles of scrap metal, and about twenty artillery commanders and fighters died in the bombardment.

While we were discussing whether the Germans should send reinforcements to Major Yameen again if they had launched a fifth charge on the 107.5 heights, Basmanov hurried in. He walked quickly to my side and said in a low and hurried voice: "Comrade Division Commander, something has happened. ”

His words startled me, and the first thing that came to my mind was that the Germans had touched the vicinity of the division headquarters? Thinking of this, my eyes immediately wandered around, searching for where to place my submachine gun, which was much better than a pistol that jammed easily if there was to be an exchange of fire.

Before I could find the location of the submachine gun, Basmanov continued: "Something happened to our sniper. ”

"Something happened to the sniper?" Hearing Basmanov say this, I quickly turned my attention back to the commander of the guard battalion in front of me. Surprised, he asked, "What's wrong?" ”

"That's right. Comrade division commander. We sent three sniper teams into the city today. But a few minutes ago, I got word that two of the teams had been wiped out. ”

"Comrade Captain, what do you mean by this, what do you mean by total annihilation?" Pandereev continued his words and asked: "You must know that there are three people in each of our sniper teams, how can it be that all six of them died?" Are you mistaken? ”

In response to Bantai Leev's questioning, Basmanov hurriedly defended: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, that's right. What I say is true. The news was brought back by the leader of the 3rd sniper group, Second Lieutenant Vasily. At this, he lowered his voice and reported in a low voice, "Their group also lost a soldier, and only he and the gunsmith, Sergeant Boris, returned." ”

Knowing that there were so many casualties of snipers, I couldn't help but have a cold war, and if I could kill so many of our snipers at once, I can imagine how strong the other side is. When I heard that among the survivors was Second Lieutenant Vasily, whom I was familiar with, I didn't care about whether to send reinforcements to the 107.5 heights. Instead, he hurriedly asked Basmanov: "Where is Ensign Vasily?" ”

"Right outside the command."

"Then what are you doing here," I stood up and gave Basmanov a hard push. Urging him: "Hurry up and bring in Second Lieutenant Vasily, I will ask what is going on." ”

In a few moments, Ensign Vasily appeared in front of us. I looked him up and down, and saw that he was wearing a steel helmet, a raincoat over a cotton military uniform, and a rifle tightly wrapped in cloth behind him. I didn't bother to greet him, but asked straight to the point: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, can you tell me what happened to the arrival?" ”

"That's right, Comrade Division Commander." Second Lieutenant Vasily had been dealing with me for a long time, so he did not seem nervous or restrained at all at the moment, and reported to me what he had experienced: "Today our group went on a sniper mission as usual, and there were two other teams operating with us. This time the lurking position was on Gogol Street, and although it was nominally part of the defense zone of the 13th Guards Division, most of the area was in German hands, so our three groups each chose a place and quietly lurked in the ruins, waiting for the Germans to break into our guns.

Our group seemed to have bad luck today, knowing that around ten o'clock, there was still no sign of the Germans. Just when we were feeling a little disappointed, my observer Nicolai. Corporal Kulikov suddenly noticed a German steel helmet moving slowly behind a pile of rubble a hundred meters away, and he immediately told me what he had found. I turned the muzzle of the gun and observed it with the scope for a few moments, and found that the steel helmet's trajectory seemed to be uneven, and it was supposed to be a hoax.

Seeing that I had not moved, Kulikov was a little out of breath and urged me to shoot again and again. When he heard me say that it might be a hoax on the part of the enemy, he poked his head out of his hiding place in disbelief and raised his telescope to observe. At this moment, a bullet hit him, he fell to the ground and rolled back and forth in pain, I hurriedly crawled over to treat him, only to find that his carotid artery was broken by the bullet, and the blood was spurting out like a fountain, and it was impossible to save him at all, I could only watch him die in pain in front of me.

I tried to find out where the German sniper who killed Kulikov was, but I found a group of German soldiers, carefully emerging from behind the rubble, approaching us with guns in hand. Outnumbered, I had no choice but to throw Kulikov's body and Sergeant Boris quietly shift my position. ”

"Comrade Ensign, have you found out where the German snipers are?" After listening to his narration, the scene in "Soldiers in the City" suddenly popped up in my mind, in which there were many Soviet snipers who became the guns of this excellent German sniper, and even Vasily almost died several times.

Vasily nodded, and said in an uncertain tone: "I think I may have discovered the location of the German sniper." As we moved, I stumbled upon a glare reflection of the lenses in the middle of a pile of masonry in the distance, and if I hadn't seen the German detachment rushing towards our hiding place, I thought maybe I would have tried to kill the sniper. ”

"And what about the other two groups?" I then asked.

Vasily was silent for a moment before he said: "Comrade division commander, I guess they were killed by the same sniper. Because almost all of them were shot in the head and killed by one shot. You must know that these snipers have a lot of combat experience. But today he was killed silently. I think they should have encountered the German snipers. ”

"What kind of master is so powerful?" Bandereev retorted in displeasure, "How can you take out our seven snipers so easily." ”

The sacrifice of seven snipers makes my heart ache. I believe more and more that the German colonel who killed many Soviet snipers in the movie is real. Zaitsev: They are really in big trouble. Seeing that Bantai Leev didn't seem to believe what Vasily said, I hurriedly came out to play a round: "Okay, comrade deputy division commander, don't say it." I'm sure what the lieutenant said is true, maybe this mysterious sniper. It was the Germans who were specially recruited to deal with our snipers. ”

"The division commander has a point." Kirillov, who had not spoken, suddenly said: "Due to the rapid development of our sniper unit, the growing sniper team has annihilated no less than a thousand enemies during this time. These events were reported in the newspapers of the army groups and in the leaflets of the divisions.

I think that some of the leaflets must have fallen into the hands of the enemy, and the Germans, who had suffered a great loss, studied the combat methods of our snipers and began to take an active approach against our snipers. Personally, I believe that although we can achieve the effect of boosting morale by publicizing the results of our snipers in newspapers and periodicals with great fanfare, we will also expose the combat experience of our snipers. The consequence of this is that the enemy will be prematurely aware of the operational characteristics of our blockades. As soon as we take out one or two fascist officers, the German crown will immediately shell the ambush site I have predetermined. ”

"The commissar is right." Akhromeyev echoed: "The arrival of this fascist sniper has given us a new task: to find him, to study his habits and methods. Patiently wait for the right moment to end his sinful life with an accurate and decisive shot. ”

"Second Lieutenant Vasily," I felt a little helpless in the face of this headache-inducing German sniper, so I could only ask Zaitsev in front of me: "Do you have any way to deal with this German sniper?" ”

Zaitsev did not answer my question immediately, but cautiously asked: "Comrade division commander, can you give me a moment to think about it?" I'll go back and talk to the other sniper comrades and maybe I can figure out what to do. ”

"Since that's the case, then you should go back first." I readily agreed to his request, reminding him, "Don't sit around alone racking your brains, talk to the other snipers, especially your sniper instructor, Captain Grams." He turned out to be a German officer, and he should be quite familiar with the training techniques of German snipers, so you may be able to get something useful from him. ”

Second Lieutenant Zaitsev nodded, raised his hand in salute, and then turned and left the command.

Although the mysterious snipers of the German army killed seven of our snipers, compared to the battle situation outside, these were all negligible trifles, so when Vasily. As soon as Zaitsev left, we studied the defense of heights 107.5 and the operation of the night attack tonight.

Since Morozov's artillery positions were destroyed by German aviation, and the remaining artillery did not dare to continue firing, the Germans were much less stressed when they attacked the 107.5 heights again, and they even rushed into the positions of the 2nd Regiment on the top of the hill and engaged our defenders in hand-to-hand combat. Fortunately, the commander of the second regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg, personally led two companies to rush up, and only then did he drive out the German troops who had rushed into our fortifications.

As the 2nd Regiment transferred troops to reinforce the 107.5 Heights, there were no other troops on the southern high ground where the division headquarters was located, except for a company of the 2nd Regiment and three companies of the guard battalion that were not properly organized, and the defense force of the entire high ground suddenly became much weaker. Seeing this, Akhromeyev asked me for instructions: "Comrade division commander, do you see that we have such a small number of troops on the heights, should we draw troops from other regiments to strengthen them?" ”

Instead of expressing my opinion, I asked rhetorically: "Comrade Chief of Staff, from which regiment do you think it would be more appropriate to draw troops from to strengthen the defense of the heights?" ”

Akhromeyev thought for a while, and then immediately proposed: "Comrade division commander, judging from the results achieved in this northward trip, the results achieved by the three regiments and one battalion. Second only to Nikolai's 1st Regiment and 1st Battalion and 1st Battalion 2nd Battalion of Sherebryanny. You see. Was the battalion of Captain Dubrovsky transferred? ”

"I have no opinion." After I finished saying this, I habitually asked Kirillov and Pantaireev: "Political commissar and deputy division commander, what is the opinion of the two of you?" ”

"No comment." The two replied in unison.

"Well, since everyone's opinion is unified, then transfer the battalion of Captain Dubrovsky to strengthen the defense of the high ground where the division headquarters is located." After I finished speaking, I also made a point of emphasizing: "As for the three regiments and three battalions of which Captain Dragan is the battalion commander, the plan to carry out the night attack at night remains unchanged. The only difference. That is, it is no longer necessary to draw elite soldiers and strong generals from each battalion of the three regiments to form a night raid unit, but the three battalions are directly responsible for the night raid mission. The Chief of Staff would call Lieutenant Colonel Kosgaard to make the matter clear. ”

After dark, Captain Dragan's troops divided into three groups and entered Kursky Street, Orlovsky Street, and Proletarian Street to attack the German troops stationed in these areas. Before the departure of the troops, I finally contacted Major General Rodimtsev, informed him of the whole matter, and asked for his assistance.

When Rodimtsev heard my briefing, he couldn't help but be overjoyed. Immediately make a statement to me, and he will send a special man. Act as a guide for our troops to prevent our commanders and fighters from delaying their fighters because they are unfamiliar with the roads.

At about 11 p.m., reports of the night raid were sent back to the command in a steady stream through the three walkie-talkies that Captain Guò Dragan and his three walkie-talkies: the first company of the battle on Kursky Street, after successfully seizing a building occupied by the Germans, was spotted by the Germans in the process of advancing to other buildings, and the two sides were engaged in a fierce exchange of fire.

In the 2nd Company on Orlovsky Street, the situation was similar to that of the 1st Company, without alarming the enemy, they only relied on daggers, shovels and other cold weapons, they captured two or three buildings occupied by the Germans, and when they expanded the results of the battle, they were finally discovered by the Germans, and the two sides were relying on the buildings they occupied, and they were firing at each other.

The troops on Proletarian Street were the three companies under the command of Captain Dragan and a number of other units of the battalion. Their luck was the worst, as soon as they entered the Proletarian Street, they were spotted by German outposts and fired alarms. As the guns rang out, German machine guns hidden in buildings, ruins, and sewers fired heavily at our fighters from these places.

The dozen or so fighters who rushed to the front gave their precious lives under the enemy's dense fire, while the rest of the fighters hurriedly lay down on the spot, hiding behind the ruins or piles of masonry and rubble, and shot back.

Seeing that we were overwhelmed by fire and unable to attack, the Germans launched a counter-charge towards the section where the third company was located. They pressed in dense formation to the position of the third company in an attempt to crush our troops. Caught off guard by the Germans, Captain Dragan had to direct his troops to fight and retreat, alternately covering the retreat to the area defended by the 13th Guards Division.

Thanks to Captain Dragan, they resorted to retreating while using every building to fight. It was only when the floor and clothes were burned that they withdrew from this makeshift position. In this way, it took two or three hours for the enemy to advance less than two hundred meters.

At the intersection of Red Petersburg Street and Komsomol Street, Captain Dragan's troops and a small detachment of the 13th Guards Division converged and quickly occupied a three-story building around the corner, from where it was possible to effectively control all approaches roads. Captain Dragan ordered the construction of fences at all exits, using all windows and wall holes as shooting holes against the enemy.

I couldn't help frowning when I saw such a battle report, and I thought that Captain Dragan would lead his troops to attack the enemy and achieve good results. I was disappointed that the company led by the captain was defeated by the German troops stationed on Proletarian Street.

Seeing the unhappy expression on my face, Bandereev cautiously asked: "Comrade division commander, Captain Dragan is not going well, why don't you let me bring a unit to reinforce them, I don't know what you think?" ”

"No, Comrade Deputy Division Commander, you can't go." Although I understood that Bandereev also had good intentions, he did not want to see my first night attack after becoming deputy commander of the army group, and fight as it is now, so he tried his best to help me remedy it. Although I also knew that if I didn't send reinforcements, tonight's sneak attack might turn into a war of attrition, but let a deputy division commander personally go out. It's a bit too much of a fuss. So I rejected his self-recommendation. Akhromeyev was instructed: "Comrade Chief of Staff, immediately call Lieutenant Colonel Sederikov and ask him to immediately send a battalion to reinforce Captain Dragan on Proletarian Street." ”

Immediately after receiving my order, Shedelikov sent the second battalion of Sherebryanne, skillfully cutting through several streets where the enemy and our lines were intertwined, and after reaching the proletarian street, where the troops were free, after clearing the remnants of the German army in several buildings. The large force swooped down from behind the Germans who were attacking Captain Dragan, and in one fell swoop the Germans were smashed, rescuing the third company that was in a bitter battle.

After receiving the battle report from Sherebryanny, a pleased smile appeared on my face, I slapped the battle report on the table, and excitedly said to Kirillov and Bandereev: "Let's see, a commander like Sherebryanny can rest assured that as soon as his troops go up, they will easily defeat the German army." The results are now being expanded. ”

When I finished speaking, Pantai Leev added: "Comrade division commander. We should take advantage of the victory in the pursuit, let the Sherebryanny battalion turn around and develop towards Kursky Street and Orlovsky Street, and strive to wipe out all the German troops in these three areas before dawn, so that first, we can have the purpose of pinning down the German army and disrupting their deployment; Second, after the exchange of the complete defense area to the 13th Guards Division, the security of our flanks will be more guaranteed. ”

"The opinion of the deputy division commander is quite correct," I briefly affirmed Bandereev's suggestion, and then gave an order to Akhromeyev: "Chief of staff, immediately contact Captain Sherebryanny and ask his troops to immediately divide their forces, advance to Kursky Street and Orlovsky Street, try to join up with the friendly forces fighting in these blocks, clear all German troops in the three blocks before dawn, and transfer the completely defensive zone to the 13th Guards Division." ”

Sherebryanne, on whom we had high expectations, did not fail to live up to our trust, and at six o'clock in the morning he excitedly reported to me on a walkie-talkie: "Report to Comrade Division Commander, after fierce fighting, we have cleared all German troops on Kursky Street, Orlovsky Street, and Proletarian Street. At present, two companies of the 13th Guards Infantry Division are entering the above-mentioned block. After the report, he asked me again: "Comrade division commander, what should we do next?" ”

"Comrade Captain, in accordance with the initial order, immediately lead your troops to withdraw." After a moment of silence, I replied, "As for the defense of these three blocks, it is certainly impossible to defend only the two companies that are close to the incomplete 13th Wei Division. Convey my order to Captain Dragan and lead all the commanders and fighters of the 3rd Battalion, and stay for the time being to assist the friendly forces in the defense. ”

After finishing the call with Sherebryanny, I walked back to the table and, after informing Kirillov of the results of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the liquidation of the German troops in the block, hesitated for a moment, and then tentatively asked: "Comrades commanders, I believe that everyone has seen the expression of Captain Sherebryanny, and I believe that everyone has no objection to the series of victories he has achieved, right?" ”

Kirillov shook his head neatly and replied in unison: "No! ”

"Since that's the case," I saw that everyone's attitude was very unanimous, so I struck while the iron was hot, "I think he is only a captain at the moment, and I can't help but be a little wronged by him." So I want to mention that yì promote him to the rank of captain, I wonder if you have any objections? ”

The three of them shook their heads neatly again, indicating that they had no objections. And Bantai Leev looked left and right, and then took the initiative to say: "Comrade division commander, Captain Sherebryanny was also very prominent in this northward operation, and achieved a series of good results. If we just promoted him to captain, wouldn't it be a bit too petty? In my opinion, it is better to directly promote him to major, anyway, you are now the deputy commander of the group army, and you have this power at all. ”

"I agree with Comrade Bantai Leev." Kirillov said: "At present, the commanders of the battalions in the division are either captains or majors, and only Sherebryanny and Basmanov are captains. I agree with Comrade Bandereev's proposal to promote Captain Serebryanny to the rank of major. At the same time, I also strongly recommended that the commander of the guard battalion, Captain Basmanov, also be promoted to the rank of major. ”

I have always felt very guilty about the fact that Basmanov's rank was too low, and now that Kirillov has offered to promote him, I have agreed to it.

As soon as we finished our discussion, Basmanov hurried in from outside. Report to me: "Comrade division commander. Vassili. Second Lieutenant Zaitsev came. ”

I've been thinking about how to take those three blocks last night. I had long forgotten about the German snipers, and when I heard Basmanov mention Vasily's order, I remembered this incident and hurriedly ordered: "Let him come in quickly." ”

As soon as I saw Vasily. When Zaitsev appeared in front of me, I couldn't wait to ask: "Comrade Ensign, after a night of discussion, what did you come up with?" ”

Vasily nodded and replied: "Report to the division commander." I had a heated argument with several good snipers in the shelter. Each of them published his own ideas and ideas, which were summed up by their careful observation of the enemy's forward positions on a daily basis. Various schemes and various temptations were proposed. Although on the surface, they are all very good, the peculiarity of sniping technology is that despite the experience of others, the final outcome depends on the shooter himself. Coming face to face with the enemy, the shooter should always be innovative, inventive, take new actions. Sticking to the old ways is tantamount to suicide for a sniper. ”

Seeing that he wanted to go on and on, I quickly interrupted him and asked myself, "Comrade Second Lieutenant, I asked you to go and ask Captain Gramms for advice." Did you go? ”

"I've been there, Comrade Division." Vasily answered me in the affirmative. He continued, "Captain Grams, after listening to me tell me what had happened, asked me a lot of detailed questions. In the end, he came to a bold conclusion that the mysterious sniper who killed seven of our snipers should be an instructor from a sniper school in Germany. According to his judgment, the person who can reach such a level should be the school's principal, Erwin. Major Koenig. ”

Hearing Vasily say this, I couldn't help but be stunned, and said in my heart that he wasn't a colonel in the movie, why did he become a major now? So he asked nonchalantly, "Did Captain Grams say anything else?" ”

"No, the captain said that although he had heard of the principal of the sniper school, he had never dealt with him and could not provide me with anything of value." Vasily shook his head and replied regretfully: "When I returned to my shelter, I gathered the good snipers together and began to discuss.

'Where the hell are the snipers from Berlin?' We asked each other questions. I was familiar with the firing and camouflage features of the fascist snipers, and it was easy to discern which ones were experienced; which are newbies; which are cowards; Which are stubborn, resolute enemies. However, what are the characteristics of this German 'super sniper' is a mystery to me. Since it was the first time I met him yesterday, I didn't notice any obvious features about him. It is difficult to say where he is, but it is quite possible that he changed positions often and looked for me with the same care, as I did for him. ”

After hearing Vasily say this, I muttered to myself, although Captain Grams, who said that he was not familiar with the headmaster of the sniper school, judging by the fact that he repeatedly asked Vasily for details, I thought he was lying. Maybe he and the principal are still very familiar friends, but they don't want to see their friends die under the guns of the Soviet army, so they prevaricate that they don't know each other.

However, since this was only my own conjecture, I did not say it, but asked Vasily: "Comrade Second Lieutenant, what are your plans for today?" ”

"Report to the division commander," Vasily replied respectfully, "I intend to set off today with two excellent snipers and let them try their luck with me." Perhaps with their experience, they may be able to find any clues. ”

Although there have been snipers in the independent division for a long time, except for Vasily, I really don't have any other good snipers, so I took this opportunity to ask: "Second Lieutenant Vasily, who are you going to take with you today?" ”

"Corporal Morozov and Sergeant Shaikin," Vasily said confidently, "the two of them are the best snipers in our team, and with them in their company, I am sure that this mysterious sniper will be able to be found." ”

Corporal Morozov, this name I heard for the first time. But Sergeant Shaykin, with whom I am well acquainted, was the last time I encountered a sneak attack on the position by a German unit disguised as our army, it was he who disregarded his safety and led the enemy away and saved the lives of Lieutenant Colonel Oleg and me. I still have some impression of his marksmanship, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he is an excellent sniper.

"Okay, now that you've chosen your staff, let's go as long as you can." With that, I took the initiative to reach out to him, "Good luck to you!" (To be continued......)