I followed the wooden steps and walked down into the shelter. Smoke fills the less spacious rooms, which makes the already poorly lit rooms even darker. It was easy for me to see a tall soldier standing upright, his head almost touching the top panel, and then I saw a wooden table with an officer at the table with a telephone headset in his hand.

"Comrade commander," because the light in the room was so dim that I couldn't see the rank on his shoulder, and when he raised his hand in salute, he could only call him vaguely: "I am Sergeant Oshanina from the Air Defense Command." ”

The tall officer didn't speak, but pointed to the stool next to him, gestured for me to sit and wait for a while, and then turned his face away and stared at the caller with a serious expression.

I walked over and sat down, and the officer's voice on the phone was heard clearly. “······ Comrade Colonel, I still believe that we should be replenished with regular troops as soon as possible. The militia division, as can be seen from the name itself, in a specialized military sense it is merely ······ Formally as a division. Yesterday the Germans tried to break through our defenses, but we crushed their offensive. God knows when they will attack again. If the enemy knew what to do, this section of the position was defended by irregular troops - their scouts were neither deaf nor blind. The militia could not withstand the attack of the tanks. In the event that the Germans succeeded in breaking through here, there was a risk that the Pulkovo heights would be lost, and then they would have made a long drive into Leningrad. ······"

"The militia division will not retreat." A voice from the microphone interrupted him. "Instead of complaining here, it's better to think carefully about how to use the forces in your hands to hold the defensive line, and not take a step back."

"But, Comrade Colonel, have the militiamen ever seen German tanks rushing before their eyes? Have they ever been strafed by machine gun fire? Seeing such a tank crawling towards them, with planes pressed down overhead, at this time, they will show their original form! When they see the tanks turn and run away, no matter what kind of propaganda and agitation they use, they can't be stopped, please believe the words of a veteran! ”

"Enough, Comrade Captain." The Colonel's angry voice came from the microphone. "Who gave you the right to insult the militia division? They are all the working class of Leningrad, and as long as they live, they will hold on to this land, and absolutely no one will run away from here. ”

The captain on the phone hesitated for a moment, then quickly changed the subject and said: "In yesterday's battle, our battalion was reduced by more than a third. I don't want to lie, the fighters fought very bravely. But the next attack, we can't resist it, we should replenish our regular troops, even if it's a platoon······"

"No, Captain," the Colonel's voice softened considerably. "I don't have any reserves left."

The captain finally put down the phone in disappointment, and the tall officer next to him couldn't wait to ask, "What did the division commander say?" ”

"What else can I say, troops are needed everywhere. It would not be enough if regular troops were to be sent. The division commander said that tomorrow the militia division would send two companies to supplement us. As he spoke, he swept his gaze over to me and asked, "Who are you?" ”

I quickly stood up and gave him a solemn salute: "Comrade Captain, I am Sergeant Oshanina from the Air Defense Command, who was ordered to take up the post of platoon commander of the anti-aircraft machine gun platoon on the highlands. ”

"How long have you been in the army?" He picked up the paper on the table and looked at it, frowning and asked.

"Four months. I joined the army a month before the war broke out. ”

"Oh, you've only been in the army for four months, and you're a sergeant, so it seems that it's quite easy to get promoted in the rear." His words were full of provocation, and he said unrelentingly: "War is a man's business, and women should stay in the rear." ”

"Order of the Red Banner?!" Just as I was thinking about how to respond to the captain's provocation, a voice suddenly interjected from the side to relieve me, and the tall officer said in surprise: "You actually got the Order of the Red Banner." ”

"Yes, I participated in several battles, and these two medals were awarded to me by Marshal Voroshilov himself." I replied humbly and arrogantly that I could not be modest at this time, otherwise they would look down on me and think that I had climbed up by virtue of some nepotism.

Medals and marshals, these two things, have brought us closer to each other. The captain's attitude suddenly made a 180-degree turn, and he stretched out his hand to me with a smile: "I am Captain Holopov, the commander of the destroyer battalion, and welcome to the nameless heights. ”

After shaking hands, he pointed to the tall officer next to him and took the initiative to introduce me: "This is Captain Khlopov, the first-class political instructor of the battalion. ”

Once we were seated again, the captain began to point to the map on the table and explain the situation to me. The Pulkovo Heights are hills located on the nearest road from the south to Leningrad. If the Germans occupied the area, they would be able to control the road from Moscow and Kiev to Leningrad, allowing their motorized troops to advance into the city, while the Germans on the heights could deploy artillery to carry out precise bombardment of a series of areas within the city.

"What is the task of our anti-aircraft machine gun platoon?" After the captain had finished briefing me, I asked again.

"The task is very clear, our battalion is holding the right side of the Pulkovo Heights, and we must resolutely hold back the German devils here, and we cannot retreat a single step. And the task of your anti-aircraft machine gun platoon is to provide effective anti-aircraft protection for the positions of our battalion. ”

"Understood." I straightened up and stood up. "Comrade Captain, I think it's time for me to go to the platoon and get acquainted with the comrades, and allow me to leave?" After listening to his nonsense and inhaling so much second-hand smoke for half a day, it was time for me to get out there and get some fresh air.

"Let's go, the instructor and I will take you to the platoon." After saying that, the captain took the lead and walked towards the door.

I followed the two of them along a path that was very flat, and after walking for a short time, I came across a large wooden house. Suddenly, a voice rang out: "Who? Stop, password! ”

I followed the prestige, and it turned out that a female soldier with a rifle with a bayonet on it stopped in front.

"What password doesn't give a password?!" The lieutenant said a little unhappily: "I'm Captain Holopov, go and call the deputy platoon commander to come out, and say that your new platoon commander has arrived." ”

"Yes." The female soldier agreed, put the gun on her shoulder, turned around and ran towards the big cabin.

"Let's go, Sergeant Oshanina," the instructor, who had not spoken, pointed to the cabin and said to me kindly, "where your warriors live. ”

"Comrade Sergeant," I suddenly heard a shout from behind, and I turned my head to see that it was the driver who had just sent me here, holding a cardboard box in his hand, and trotting towards me. Ran to my side, and without waiting for me to speak, handed me the cardboard box and said, "I almost forgot, this is the soap distributed by the Air Defense Command to your platoon." ”

I took the cardboard box, and the lieutenant muttered next to me: "The Air Defense Command actually issued soap to you." The driver heard that, although his rank was very low, he was only a corporal, but for a commander who was not his superior, he still said in an unceremonious tone: "Comrade Captain, female soldiers are different from male soldiers, they are privileged. ”

After saying that, he saluted me and said, "See you again, my dear, and good luck!" See you again in victory! He turned around and strode back the way he had come.

By the time the three of us got to the front of the hut, the female fighters of the anti-aircraft machine gun platoon had already assembled. "Salute!" With the password, the female soldiers neatly gave us a military salute.

Then a slender female soldier ran up to us, saluted Captain Holopov solemnly, and reported dryly: "Comrade Captain, Sergeant Karenina, the deputy platoon commander, reports to you that the anti-aircraft machine gun platoon has been assembled and is waiting for your orders. ”

"Take a break." The lieutenant walked to the front of the platoon and introduced me to everyone straight to the point: "This is your new platoon leader, Sergeant Oshanina, and she will command you in battle in the future. ”

I put down the cardboard box in my hand, walked up to salute the female soldiers, and said briefly: "I am your new platoon commander, Sergeant Oshanina." The deputy platoon commanders and squad leaders remained, and the rest of the fighters were disbanded. "I have a lot to say, but I'm afraid that I don't know enough Russian vocabulary, so I'd better say less in order to avoid goofs. When the team disbanded, I called out to a female soldier who was close to me: "Wait, please move this cardboard box to the house." ”

After the lieutenant and the instructor left, I took the deputy platoon commander and the three squad leaders to inspect the gun position. "This gun emplacement is in the charge of the first squad leader Jeanne, and there are no less than two bases of ammunition." Karenina was on the side to introduce me.

"Well, in addition to here, one or two more reserve positions must be prepared." Although I have never been on the battlefield, I still know that if you stay in a fixed position during battle, you can easily become a target for the enemy.

"Yes."

I reached out again and touched the barrel of the gun, and there was a little rust on my hand. I also instructed Karenina: "Tomorrow I will arrange for someone to wipe the machine gun, it has not been used for a long time, and it is all rusty." ”

"Yes."