War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 518 Hometown?

On the nearly deserted farmland dirt road, several laggard tanks distanced themselves from each other and slowly advanced along the clear track marks.

At the very end of this line of tanks, a T-34 tank with a turret painted with the words "In order to recapture the Soviet Union" was painted on the barrel of a T-[-] tank, but there was a man in a full chain dog uniform hanging on the barrel.

The prisoner captured by Wei Ran and others kept his butt facing forward and facing the gun shield in an awkward position, with his hands and feet embracing the gun barrel. Whenever he was about to move a little distance towards the gun muzzle to avoid the headache of being hit, In the lower left corner less than one meter away from him, Vadhim, who opened the hatch to drive the tank, would give the tank a boost and let the prisoner hit the hard gun shield again.

Inside the sweltering tank, Roman took a sip of the choking Mohe smoke, took a gulp from the red wine bottle in Agafon's hand, and then said in a loud voice, "Before we catch up with the big troops, let's go How about splitting things up?"

"I have no opinion"

Agafon was the first to respond.

"I have no objection either." Vajim responded loudly after handing the wine bottle to Wei Ran beside him.

"I have no objection either." Wei Ran directly handed the red wine to Agafon behind him, his gums are still aching, and drinking at this time is simply making himself unhappy.

"The string of gold and silver rings counts as one, the small gold bars count as one, the watch and pistol together count as one, and the camera counts as one."

Rome paused, and continued, "You guys choose first!"

"Let Vajim come first." Agafon suggested after taking the wine bottle passed back from Wei Ran, "After all, he still owes us several bottles of vodka."

"I have no objection," Wei Ran replied simply.

"I want a ring!" Vajim didn't refuse, and said with a smile, "I can choose some beautiful ones for my wife at that time."

"What about you?" Agafon sat back in his seat and yelled at Wei Ran.

"What do you want?" Wei Ran asked loudly.

"Gold bars!" Agafon replied, "I have a few younger brothers and sisters who need money to improve their lives."

"What about you?" Roman called to Wei Ran.

"Camera!" Wei Ran gave the answer without even thinking about it. This is one of the key items to complete the return mission.

"Looks like all I'm left with is a watch and a pistol"

Roman took out the things that everyone wanted from the canvas bag hanging by his side and shared them out. Finally, he took out his watch and put it on his wrist. "Which one of you wants a pistol? I already have one."

"I'll forget it"

Vajim first hung the string of gold and silver rings around his neck as a necklace, then patted the submachine gun hanging by his side and responded loudly, "Bobosha is much easier to use than a pistol, and I don't want it to be in my hands. There was a fire in my crotch, and I want to have a few more children with my Valentina in the future."

"I don't need it either. I'm not interested in a small pistol that looks like a woman's."

While Agafon was speaking, he took out a P38 pistol in a cowhide holster from the canvas pocket next to him and shook it triumphantly, "And I have a pistol too, this is a return to me and Vic. I picked it up in the trenches when I went to the village to find something to eat."

"What about you?" Roman looked at Wei Ran, "You also picked up the pistol, didn't you?"

"I picked up a submachine gun"

Wei Ran, holding the camera bag, pointed to the top of his head, "But the space here is too small, I threw it away when I got in the car."

"In this case, you can keep it!" While speaking, Roman generously handed the PPK pistol and leather holster to Wei Ran.

"Then I won't be polite." Wei Ran took the pistol and said, "After I study how to use this camera, let's take a few photos, shall we?"

"That's a good proposal," Roman readily agreed.

After collecting the gold bars and pistols, Ajiafeng asked while lighting a seized German cigarette, "Roman, do you think it is possible for us to get a Patriotic Pistol after handing over the one hanging on the barrel to the political commissar?" medal?"

"I don't think it's possible"

Roman shook his head, "But at least it's no problem for everyone to get one battle merit, and Vajim's identity can definitely be resolved, I can guarantee it."

"Roman, listen to me Roman."

Vajim turned his head and said loudly seriously, "How about at least discussing my identity after we regain Kharkov?"

"Why?" Roman asked puzzled, "Vajim, this is a rare opportunity."

"I know, I know this is a rare opportunity."

Vajim simply turned on the seldom-used in-car intercom system, held down the throat microphone with one hand, and explained in the channel, "I promised my wife that I will definitely take back our home in Kharkov, So how about letting me continue to fight first? I don’t want to take risks at this time, so let me take back Kharkov with you and then talk to the political commissar comrades about this matter?”

Roman looked at each other with Ajiafeng and Wei Ran, and finally replied in the channel, "Okay, then follow what you said, but you also need to know, just in case"

"War always kills"

In the noisy communication channel, Vajim's tone was very calm, "Since you are dead, it doesn't matter what your identity is? I am just a limping tractor driver. I have the opportunity to drive tanks and The Germans are already very satisfied fighting, the other things are really not important, what I am dreaming about now is to take down Kharkov as soon as possible, and then find the box of vodka I hid to treat you to a drink .”

"What you promised us, you must do."

Wei Ran, who originally wanted to say something, changed his mind when the words came to his lips, "The three of us will watch you dig out the box of wine you mentioned with our own eyes. If you lie to us by then, we will Strap you to the barrel, too."

"Victor is right!" Agafon immediately joked, "And then I will definitely let the turret rotate for a day and a night before stopping."

"Then it's settled," Vajim responded happily, "but you'll have to be here when the time comes."

"Do not worry!"

Roman said with a smile, "Even if it's just for the vodka, we will watch you dig out those vodkas one by one, and we won't lose a bottle."

"I don't know when Zaporosh will be taken back," Agafon said angrily.

"And Kiev" Roman added a place name that haunted him.

"So the three of you are actually Uke rotten people?" Wei Ran asked belatedly.

"Of course!" Vajim rushed to answer Wei Ran's question, and replied in a loud voice, "It's also for this reason that Roman agreed to me to drive this tank."

"After all, our wishes are the same"

Roman knocked on the heavy turret, and said in unison with Agafon and Vajim, "In order to take back the Soviet, you can die!"

After finishing speaking, the three people successively let out hearty laughter full of hope and confidence.

"Victor, where are you from?"

Vajim emptied the wine bottle passed to him again, threw it out along the opened hatch, and asked with great interest, "You don't come from Wu Kelan, do you?"

"If that's the case, we are already driving the tank home." Roman joked with a smile.

"Let you down"

Wei Ran, who was fiddling with the camera, replied with a smile, "I'm from Kazan, you must know about Kazan, right? It's beside the Volga River."

"Of course I know," Agafon replied enviously, "Your family must be safe in the safe rear, right?"

"maybe"

Wei Ran couldn't help thinking of Li Hexian and others who fought bloody battles in Teng County, China, and those elders in Baiyangdian who were still young at this moment.is it safe?perhaps.
"My Valentina is in Kirov"

Vajim said happily, "She must be safe now. When I decided to join the army, she was ready to work in a garment factory."

"My parents took my younger siblings to Sverdrovsk, which is also very safe."

Agafon said with a smile on his face, "Except for my youngest sister, everyone else works in the Ural factory."

"Roman, what about you?" Wei Ran turned his head and asked, but soon after, he found that there was only the sound of the engine in the tank.

Roman smiled unnaturally, and Agafon also lightly kicked the tank cap on Wei Ran's head with his boots.

Realizing that he had said something wrong, Wei Ran lowered his head in embarrassment, fiddling with the camera in his hand absently.

As the tracks creaked and turned, the T-34 tank carrying the prisoners was driven by Vajim along the track marks on the muddy road for a long time, but Roman said abruptly, "They are all dead. For 41 years, they all died in the Battle of Kyiv."

"Feel sorry"

Wei Ran turned his head to look at Roman again, his voice was almost completely covered by the engine, but Roman just waved his hand.

Sighing silently, Wei Ran lowered his head again and continued to familiarize himself with the various functions and usage methods of the camera in his hand.

And Vajim and Agafon also seemed to have lost their conversation, leaving only the prisoner holding the gun barrel, and from time to time he let out a scream covered by the engine noise because of the bumping of the tank.

Following the tanks in front, they drove along the tracks for more than two hours. Along the way, they could see tanks that had broken down or even been destroyed due to various reasons, and they could also see tanks being crushed by armored torrents. past German positions.

When the sun was about to set, everyone finally heard the sound of firefighting from the front, and at the same time saw the wounded brought back from the front line, as well as busy transport trucks and various logistics vehicles.

"Vajim, find a place to replenish ammunition!"

Roman, who was silent all the way, greeted him, and without waiting for Vajim in front of him to respond, he turned his head and looked at Wei Ran, "Victor, have you figured out how to use that camera?"

"Got it"

Wei Ran quickly responded that the first time he saw the photos of this camera was on some historical materials involved in the intelligence stealing course of Hongqin Forest Farm, and this was the first time he saw the real thing.

Fortunately, after this road of research, he has at least barely figured out some necessary functions for shooting.

"In this case, let's take a group photo together while the captives are still there and before we go to the front line!" After Roman finished speaking, he had already grasped the surrounding handrails, and leaned his upper body out of the tank hatch that had been open all the time. .

(End of this chapter)