Steel Soviet Union

It rained continuously all day long and did not stop until night fell.

Although the damp and cold feeling made both the Soviet and German soldiers feel very uncomfortable, compared with this, they didn't have to worry about being killed by a bullet that didn't even know where it came from. Most people can take advantage of the heavy rain to find a sheltered place to rest for a day. This situation can be said to be extremely lucky.

After nightfall, Malashenko lay on his army camp bed, unable to sleep. What happened during the day is still vivid in his mind like a slideshow, constantly replaying in Malashenko's mind. One scene unfolds.

Malashenko was lying on the bed tossing and turning and couldn't sleep. No matter how hard he tried to close his eyes or even count sheep silently in his mind, it was all to no avail. His eyes, which were bigger than cow's eggs, were as sleepy as light bulbs. .

There were many reasons why Malashenko couldn't sleep, and the pile of envelopes beside his bed was just one of them.

Since Malashenko returned to the front line from his vacation in Moscow at the beginning of the year, letters from Natalia have begun to reach Malashenko's hands more and more frequently.

At first, Malashenko received letters from Natalia about once a month.

Later, this speed increased to two or three letters a month as it continued to accelerate. In the last days before the Battle of Stalingrad, Malashenko, who was busy leading his troops to retreat on the road, had no chance to receive a letter for nearly a month. As a result, he received a letter all at once after arriving in the city of Stalingrad. 6 letters from Natalia!

Such a high frequency of letters not only made Malashenko feel speechless, but even Petrov, the political commissar who worked as a tacit partner with Malashenko, commented with a smile.

"After seeing so many letters from Natalia to you, I feel how good it is to be young, but it's a pity that I can never go back to the past."

Most of Natalia's letters are "repeating the same old tunes". Missing and love are almost the theme and core content of every letter, and they are always the same.

Malashenko was not disgusted with the large number of letters from Natalia, he was just a little surprised. He once wondered whether his beautiful daughter-in-law was not only writing letters to him all day long, but also thinking about how to write the next letter. ?

But all in all, these letters from Natalia and some new photos included in the letters are undoubtedly a good medicine for Malashenko to relieve his inner pain during the fierce battle, allowing Malashenko to still stand up. One of the main reasons for continuing to fight with this exhausted body that does not belong to him.

But after what happened during the day, Malashenko found that the medicine he relied on to relieve his inner pain suddenly seemed to have become a heavy burden for his soul.

As soon as he sees Natalya's photo, even if he just thinks of the good memories he and Natalya shared in the past, Malashenko will inexplicably feel like a sinner, the kind of person who has failed deeply. A sinful man who loves his girl.

"If I could turn back time, would I choose to accept Anya again?"

Malashenko lay on his back with his hands folded behind his head, quietly thinking about these questions that confused him. However, the more he thought about it, the more upset he became, but he could not find an answer that satisfied him and convinced him.

Malashenko, who gave up thinking, closed his eyes again and turned his head sideways to try to fall asleep.

This time, the lucky Malashenko fell into sleep without much time, but what awaited him in his dream was one of the problems he least wanted to face and think about.

Malashenko spent almost the entire second half of the night dreaming. Apart from Malashenko himself, the only protagonist in the dream was Natalia.

As for what happened in the dream, what he did and how he responded, Malashenko, who felt a headache after getting up due to poor sleep quality the next morning, could no longer recall it all.

"Damn, what the hell am I busy with? If this continues, people will die, fuck."

Holding his aching forehead, he staggered to the door and pushed it open. Before Malashenko could take a breath of fresh air, he opened his mouth wide and yawned, when a high-speed scream came from the far horizon. The sound broke the early morning tranquility.

"I'll fuck you!"

boom--

The terrible curse that he suddenly shouted out subconsciously sounded almost at the same time as the loud explosion of the shell falling to the ground.

The power of a 150mm heavy howitzer shell cannot be underestimated. The entrance to the regiment where Malashenko was just now has been so damaged by the explosion that even the door frame was distorted.

If Malashenko hadn't reacted quickly and leaped back to the regimental house behind him with a dog-eating attitude, the shell shock wave and projectile fragments alone would have been enough to kill Malashenko. The man lying on the ground now It was nothing more than a corpse scraped into a sieve by fragments.

Malashenko, who almost died, was so angry that he got up from the ground while cursing and prepared to do something.

However, the German artillery, which had no equal opponent, would not just fire one shot to remind the Soviet army that it was time to wake up. The ferocious wave of shelling, like a roaring mountain and a tsunami, accurately landed on the station and hit the Soviet army on the head.

A German artillery observer at the other end of the station who was facing Malashenko reported the bombardment position in real time to calibrate the bombardment coordinates.

After only three rounds of artillery shells fell, the German artillery barrage basically had no deflected shells. The concentrated artillery barrage was all hit with unusual precision on top of Malashenko's head, which was the Soviet side. Guard the south side of the train station.

Being hit by the earth-shaking close-range shelling, he was shaken to the point where he was unsteady and almost fell down. In addition to the bad curses and complaints, Malashenko couldn't help but also have doubts in his heart.

The terrain in Stalingrad is so complex. Where did these German artillerymen, who were born with short hands, cover their heads with these powerful heavy artillery barrages?

Malashenko, who had no time to think about the real answer, ran quickly to the combat command room with a staggering posture. Unexpectedly, he bumped into the political commissar Petrov who was leading people to run out on the way. Opponent.

"Are you OK?"

"How are you?"

The two words asking each other were blurted out almost at the same time without thinking.

Political Commissar Malashenko and Petrov, who had already formed a tacit understanding with each other, immediately looked at each other. After finding the answers they wanted in each other's eyes, the two people, knowing that time waits for no one, immediately led the way. With a group of regiment personnel retreating to the anti-gun bunker.