"Kronov didn't follow, he was shot, in the pit over there!"
"."
The squad leader who was the first to leap into the trench was fixing the bayonet on the AK in his hand, ready for close combat at any time. A soldier who jumped in immediately behind him brought the unfortunate news that one of the only two semi-automatic riflemen in the squad was left behind.
, his life or death is unknown, and the other one had already died in the battle half an hour ago.
"We can still fight. Now it's close combat! We can fight without semi-automatic rifles. We have an advantage over automatic weapons in terms of firepower!"
The squad deputy on the side insisted on continuing the attack along the trench, while the squad leader was thinking about other issues, and an unquestionable order was immediately blurted out.
"Sasha, go check the situation and try to take Kronov to the nearest health worker. The German guys were killed just now, but you still have to be careful. There may be other German guys watching.
You, hurry up!"
"I know, leave it to me and I'll be there right away."
The squad deputy on the side was a little surprised. He seemed to have difficulty understanding the squad leader's order. However, for some reason, he did not speak out on the spot, nor did he raise any objection or stop. He just stared at the old comrade in front of him with his eyes wide open as he gave this unusual order.
is the order of his style.
Seeing Sasha, who was the most agile in the class, turning around and running away to the other side of the trench, he glanced at the squad deputy next to him, who was obviously looking uncomfortable. The squad leader, who had installed a bayonet on the AK in his hand, then added something.
Got an answer.
"Yesterday there was a meeting in the company. Both of Koronov's remaining brothers were killed. All six men in his family, including his father, went to the battlefield and he was the only one left. Comrade the company commander has already applied for a commendation for him, even if he is disabled.
I also want him to go back alive, I believe he is not dead yet."
"."
It was not uncommon for all men in the family to go to the battlefield together during the Great Patriotic War. The young soldier named Koronov was just one of thousands of such families.
What Comrade Squad Leader did not say and did not have time to say more was that the reason why he could do this was actually related to another matter.
During that vacation half a year ago, the squad leader, who was over 30 years old, was deeply impressed by something. At that time, he carried a duffel bag and came downstairs to his house, shouting loudly for his wife and children to give his family a surprise.
But I never thought that countless windows would open on each floor in front of me in an instant, and faces full of expectation and excitement would poke out from inside. There were old and young, men and women, but in just a few seconds,
Finally, he returned with uncontrollable disappointment and worry. Among the countless windows, only one was left open, and laughter and laughter could be heard.
"Honey, my God, you are back!"
"Daddy, daddy!"
That night, the squad leader, who was sitting on the sofa with his two young children and his wife in his arms, thought a lot. It seemed that even the long-awaited reunion was slightly diluted by the complicated emotions.
The face that looked out of the window but came back disappointed and worried was deeply imprinted in the squad leader's heart like carved murals.
The 30-year-old squad leader knew that behind every window opened at that moment was a military family, just like his own family, but many of them may never be able to wait until their home is like his own today.
moment.
"What are you thinking about? My dear, the children have gone to bed, and you should go to bed early. You must be exhausted just after coming back from the front line."
The wife beside the pillow noticed her lover's thoughts, while the squad leader, who was resting on his arm and tossing and turning, didn't know where to start.
After a long time, the monitor, who was sitting on the bedside and lighting a cigarette, finally told a story that had been buried deep in his heart and had never been told to anyone before.
"Before I joined the Leader Division, I always felt that dying on the battlefield was glorious. Those who survived while watching their comrades fall were cowards. Living like that must be a shame and disgrace. Until I
After joining the leadership division, I met him, Malashenko, our division commander comrade."
"He said something I had never heard before in his speech that day. He said that his responsibility is not only to make the leader victorious and lead to victory in the name of the leader, but also to live up to everyone who trusts him.
, do his best to bring everyone back alive from the battlefield. And he requires every commander under his command, including squad leaders like me, to do the same."
"At that time, I simply thought it was a joke. How could this be possible? At that time, I believed that victory and casualties coexisted. A huge victory would definitely pay the same price in casualties. Our enemies will not show mercy at any time.
They will do everything they can to kill us before we defeat them, and victory will come at a price."
"But later I discovered that I was wrong, very wrong, because he can really say it and do it even more."
"He is like the Nazis' worst nightmare, commanding us again and again to take away the lives of those scum with unimaginable efficiency."
"The strength of the leader division that I know is completely different from the strength of the leader division shown on the actual battlefield. As an infantryman, I have never thought that destroying a group of Nazis can be so efficient or even easy. There are too many Nazis.
They were destroyed or collapsed before they came into contact with us infantry."
"The casualties after a big battle were completely different from those of my original troops. Many people could survive. I was surprised to find that the faces around me became more and more familiar. This was unimaginable in the past.
After every battle, I have to remember new names and meet new comrades, sometimes even the majority, but it is completely different in the leadership division."
"I have thought about these things and simply believe that this is the advantage in maintaining the combat effectiveness of the troops and is the key to leading the division to be so elite."
"But today, when I saw the faces, the expectant faces, peeking out of the countless windows, I finally understood the true meaning of Comrade Teacher's original words and understood his intentions."
"I will do my best to bring every one of you back alive from the battlefield. The soldiers entrusted their trust to the general. This is the general's reward and an unshirkable responsibility. It is the same as me being asked to lead the division to victory.
Important. It is precisely because of mutual trust and mutual dependence that the collective of heroes can be called legends, and the greatest trust and dependence are based on the lives of soldiers and commanders."
The cigarette held between his fingers has burned out, and the bedside table amid the smoke has long been covered with soot. The squad leader's words that gently brushed against his lover's face were as firm as his battlefield orders.
"No matter how difficult it is, I will definitely come back alive, dear. I will do my best to bring my comrades with me, so that their families can live up to this trust and expectation like you."