War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 522 Unable to start the tank ([-] in [-] update)

Under the night sky lit up by flares from time to time, the three of Wei Ran, wearing blankets soaked in mud, carefully moved to the side of the crouching T-34 tank.

Picking up the kettle neatly placed on the hatch of the driver's seat and unscrewing it, Roman raised his neck and took a sip of clear water with a little taste of vodka, and then leaned on the muddy track and whispered, "I said he already guessed our it's here."

"He's amazing"

Vajim admired in a low voice, and then asked curiously, "But why is he?"

"That political commissar has probably encountered this situation more than once."

Roman responded to the doubts that the other party hadn't fully asked, and said instead, "Okay, don't waste time, we should find some usable parts."

"I'm going to get a wrench"

After Vajim finished speaking, the cat walked around to the side of the tank, and took out all the things that could be used from the toolbox.And Wei Ran conveniently picked up the kerosene lighter that Commissar Trosa left behind on purpose.

Under the leadership of Vajim, the three of them quietly touched another lying T-34 dozens of meters away under the brief light provided by the flares that rose from time to time.

"This is it"

Vajim whispered, "The side of the turret was pierced, but fortunately it didn't explode, so we should be able to find usable ones."

"I'll remove the road wheels and tracks." Roman had already circled to the front of the tank while speaking.

"Victor, come and help me." Vajim beckoned to Wei Ran, walked around behind the tank, and climbed up.

"What do I need to do?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice.

Vajim took off the blanket that was used as a cloak and pointed around, "Cover me with a blanket later, and if there is any light leakage, remember to cover it up. Also, go to the tank to see if there are any usable radio parts. And , the Germans may have dropped the bomb."

While speaking, Vajim took off an L-shaped "tank key" pinned to his belt, and handed it to Wei Ran together with the blanket he was wearing.

To put it bluntly, this so-called tank key is more like an all-purpose wrench for opening hatches.Although most of the time, whether it is combat or marching, tank crews generally do not lock the hatch cover from the inside for the convenience of escape.

And the hatch of this tank was undoubtedly locked by the Soviet Red Army soldiers who took advantage of the night to clean the battlefield.

After taking the wrench and blanket from Vajim, Wei Ran waited for the former to lightly lift the grille and put his upper body on it, and immediately covered him tightly.

After waiting for a while, Vajim, who was hiding under the blanket, first groped with his hands, and then took out a German military box flashlight tied with a leather rope from his collar, and grabbed the light socket with his hand, and then switched on. Power took a quick look.

In less than two seconds, Vajim immediately extinguished the flashlight and began to disassemble the required parts with a wrench.

Outside the mud blanket, Wei Ran also carefully walked around to the front of the tank, and carefully opened the locked driver's hatch.

Looking back and looking around, Wei Ran leaned his upper body into the hatch and also covered his body with the blanket on his body, and then risked lighting the lighter.

With just one glance, he frowned. The situation inside was horrific. Wherever he looked, he could see traces of blood splatter and torn pieces of tank uniforms. As for the crew inside members, but has been taken away.

Turning his head to look at the position of the electromechanical operator, Wei Ran couldn't help but sigh, this tank has no electromechanical operator at all, let alone a radio station.But at the position of the electromechanical operator, there was the corpse of a half-sized dog curled up.

Around the neck of this dog, a badge of bravery stained dark red by blood was hung by its former owners.Even on top of its small head, an unknown yellow wild flower was placed by the Soviet soldiers who were sweeping the battlefield.

"You are also a brave mechatronic"

Wei Ran reached out his hand and took out a small piece of unfinished bread from his pocket, and gently placed it next to the puppy whose ears and nostrils were still bloodstained, then silently extinguished the lighter, retracted his upper body, and locked his body again. Dead hatch with a bloody smell.

"Go and remove the road wheels," said Roman, who had been disassembling the spare track at the front of the car, softly.

Nodding silently was regarded as a response, Wei Ran took the wrench handed over by the other party, walked around to the side of the tank, and carefully disassembled the road wheels that had also come off the tracks.

"I'll send the track back first." Roman greeted in a low voice, and then used a rope to pull the removed track shoe back.

When he came back, Wei Ran had already unscrewed all the bolts on a road wheel.With the cooperation of the two, the load wheel weighing more than 100 kilograms was pinned off by two crowbars wrapped in cloth strips, and fell heavily on the blanket laid in advance.

"How long will it take?" After finishing his work, Roman leaned over to Vajim and asked through the mud-covered blanket.

"It'll be fine right now."

Vajim's response seemed dull, but then he turned off the flashlight, lifted the blanket and handed out a long cylinder head, a few metal pipes still dripping oil, and some greasy parts.

After waiting for a while, Vajim removed a few more screws and threw them into the cylinder head held by Roman, and then whispered, "This is enough, let's go back quickly."

Roman handed the cylinder head to Vajim, "You carry this back, Victor and I are in charge of the load wheels."

"We still have a problem"

Vajim took the cylinder head full of parts and hugged it in his arms. While Wei Ran and Roman were trying to drag the load wheels with blankets, he continued to whisper, "After we repaired the engine, there was no chance to start it. We can only wait until the battle starts tomorrow, otherwise, in such a dark sky, even if we want to drive back, we might be treated as Germans, and I don’t need to tell you what the consequences will be.”

"Then wait until tomorrow." Roman made a decision without even thinking about it.

Hearing this, Vajim nodded, turned to Wei Ran and whispered, "Victor, is the firing pin still there?"

"Here." Wei Ran quickly took out the firing pin from his pocket and handed it to the other party.

"I'll put the striker on later, and the road wheels will be handed over to you."

As Vajim said, he had tied the striker to the leather rope around his neck that was used to hang the flashlight.

"Be careful yourself"

After sending Vajim away, Wei Ran grabbed the blanket again, dragged it together with Roman, and walked back with difficulty.

When they exhausted their strength and sent the road wheels back, Vajim was already lying on the side of the open engine grille, covered with a dirty blanket and started to work.

Taking a breath, Roman pointed to the tank and said in a low voice, "Victor, is that candle stub still there? Bring it here, and bring me a blanket by the way."

"immediately"

Wei Ran wiped the mud and sweat from the corners of his eyes, and immediately got into the tank along the hatch of the driver's seat at the front of the car. With the light provided by the lighter Trosa left here not long ago, he successfully found the finger Long and short candle stubs.

Finally, they returned to Roman with an extra blanket, and the two of them worked together to hang the blanket covered with mud, and used it to create a small space next to the road wheel that needed to be replaced, and lit the candle ends.

With the only light that could attract deadly bullets or even artillery shells to them at any time, the two of them worked hard and finally replaced the loads they had earned so hard.

When Wei Ran and Roman tightened the last screw, Vajim just finished the work.

"Just gotta get the tracks on now"

Roman blew out the candle, leaned on the newly replaced load wheel and said, "This is also the most dangerous part."

"Wrap the hammer with a blanket," Vadhim suggested, "Maybe it will make the sound quieter."

"You can also put a shoe on the track pin." Roman pointed to the wreckage of the No. [-] tank not far away. "There must be a shoe in there. I'll find one and come back."

"I'll go"

Wei Ran handed the wrench and the submachine gun on his back to Roman, wiped the mud on his hands indiscriminately, and then stood up with the track.

Following the smell of blood, Wei Ran cautiously got into the turret. After closing the hatch above his head, Wei Ran took out the bullet casing lighter left by Commissar Trosha and lit it.

With the help of the small scorched flames, he saw clearly for the first time what was going on inside the tank that he had taken down with his submachine gun.

The crew members of the five vehicles that were not removed were all killed by the Bobosha submachine gun without exception.They all had half of their soldier badges in their mouths. Not only were there signs of flipping around, even the car radio was smashed.

He could even tell from the weird sitting postures of the corpses of two of the members that there might be something stuffed under their buttocks that would explode when touched.

There is no doubt that, just like those German soldiers buried grenades near the escape holes of their tanks, this small trick was most likely arranged by the political commissar of Trossa.

"When I was alive, I worked for Mustache, but when I died, I had to work for the Soviet Union. It's hard for you."

Wei Ran sighed as if he was insane, and then carefully took off a boot from a corpse's foot.

What surprised him was that, with a soft clang, a metal cigarette case with an eagle emblem also fell from the boot shaft to the floor.

Reaching out to pick up the cigarette case, Wei Ran opened it and found that, apart from a few cigarettes and a few gold rings from unknown sources, there was also a piece of paper on the cover, which is rare in this era. color photo.

With the small flame of the lighter, he could clearly see that in the photo was a young girl in a skirt. Behind the girl, he could see a large barn and several cows.

"Another pretty little widow is coming"

Wei Ran muttered again, bent down and put the cigarette case and its contents on the chest of the German soldier, then extinguished the simple lighter that was already hot, and climbed out of the turret with one hand holding his stinky boots .

Taking the boots from Wei Ran, Roman pointed to the direction of the German army's position, "Victor, keep an eye on the surrounding situation, we may make some noise later."

"give it to me!"

Wei Ran stepped directly from the wreckage of the No. 34 tank to the chassis of the T-[-] tank, then leaned his body against the turret, and raised the telescope taken out of the metal book with his back to the Romans.

Behind him, Vajim found a German belt that he didn't know where to pass through the two ends of the broken track, and then tightened it with a winch, shortening the distance between the two tracks a little bit.

After a while, Roman pushed the track pin that he had been holding in his hand into the link hole on the track from the outside in the opposite direction.

Immediately afterwards, Vajim also put the boots found by Wei Ran on the pins, and Roman also raised the hammer wrapped in cloth strips and waited patiently.

Almost at the same time that the flares fired by the Soviet army lifted into the air, the hammer in his hand also hit the upper of the boots.

"Boom"

After an inconspicuous knocking sound, the mud-stained peg also went in for a section.

After waiting for a while, seeing that there was no movement around, Roman patiently waited for the flare above his head to fall, and then waited for the moment when the second flare rose. on the track pins on the bottom of the boot.

With such a slow and worrying knocking sound, the slender track pin was finally smashed in completely.

"Victor, come down," Roman whispered.

"Finished?" Wei Ran hurriedly put away the binoculars, jumped out of the tank and asked.

'Only the last two jobs left'

"The first thing is to look for an opportunity to see if it can be activated"

Roman kicked the track and continued, "The pin is smashed in in the opposite direction. After the successful launch, you have to go forward for a certain distance, and then smash the pin in from the inside out again. Otherwise, you won't be able to drive the track very far. It should come off."

"As long as it can be activated, these tasks won't take long."

Vajim pointed to the turret, "Shall we hide inside the tank, or under that German assault gun?"

"Is there any movement around?" Roman asked Wei Ran in a low voice.

"Nothing happened." Wei Ran shook his head, "Except for the flares that don't cost money."

"Then go to the tank." Before the words finished, Roman was about to climb on top of the tank.

"Wait a minute" Vajim reached out and grabbed Roman.

"What's wrong?" Roman asked in a low voice.

"if."

Vajim glanced at Wei Ran and Roman under the flares raised by the Soviet army, "If our tanks can't be activated by then, how about letting me be the loader? I've been driving the tank for so long, how about I haven’t loaded a shell with my own hands, maybe. Maybe it’s the last time we drive this tank to fight.”

Roman and Wei Ran looked at each other. After hesitating for a moment, they nodded amid the slow fall of the flare, and said solemnly, "If this tank can't start, you will be the loader."

"Thank you" Vajim finished, and then let go of Roman's muddy shoulders.

"The tanker doesn't need to say thank you, that's superfluous nonsense." Roman smiled and said what the previous loader Agafon often said.

"Don't say thank you. When we take down Kharkov, I'll treat you to drink vodka and count Agafon's share." Vajim also made a promise with a smile.

"We're waiting for your vodka"

After finishing speaking, Wei Ran, who gave up the position of the loader, went around to the front of the tank, and got in along the opened hatch of the driver's seat. a kettle.

Amidst the crackling sounds, the three of them got into the tank and carefully closed and locked the hatch cover, and then lifted up the armor-piercing bullets that had been thrown down the escape opening one by one and wiped off the mud on them.

“Try the canned food from the Germans”

After everyone blocked the possible observation hole with cloth strips, Roman also took out a candle stub less than five centimeters high from his pocket and lit it, and then took out three German cans from the canvas pocket beside him. .

“Unfortunately no wine”

Vajim took a sip of the fresh water left by Trosha, poking his mouth to search for the faint taste of vodka in the water.

"I still have a few sips here, let's drink it." Wei Ran said, he had already taken out the jug and handed it to Roman behind him, and took the German cans handed over by the other side by the way.

"Keep it," Vajim was the first to refuse, "I'll drink it before the battle begins."

"Really keep it until the battle begins"

Roman rejected the jug offered by Wei Ran, moved his eyes to the edge of the periscope, and then whispered while opening the can, "Taking this opportunity, let's arrange a battle plan first."

"You are the driver, we can fight as you say." Vajim said without thinking.

"That's got to be a plan."

Roman whispered, "If our tank can start, Vajim, you should drive the tank and try to go around the side of the tank we have chosen."

"clear"

Vajim pried open the can with a bayonet, and said nonchalantly, "Isn't that the same sentence in your battle plan every time, I have already remembered it."

“This time is different”

Roman took a sip of the soup in the can, looked at the flickering candle on the breech bolt and continued, "If our tank can't start, we will have one more person."

Before the words finished, Wei Ran and Vajim looked over at the same time.

Roman smiled, picked up a piece of chicken from the can with a fork, stuffed it into his mouth, and said vaguely while chewing, "If our tank can't start, we will have one more person."

Before the words fell, Vajim said immediately, "Just now you have agreed to let me be the loader, let Victor go back then."

"We still need someone who hides outside the tank"

Roman raised his head abruptly, "If our tank can't move, if the Germans charge over, we need someone outside to protect us, let us fire as many shells as possible."

Hearing this, Vajim fell silent. If the tank really couldn't start, it would be equally dangerous whether it was inside or outside the tank.It's just a matter of who dies first and who dies last.

"Victor, I want to be a loader." Vajim looked at Wei Ran, and in the flickering candlelight, the face full of mud could clearly see the color of prayer.

"Okay." Wei Ran nodded after a moment of silence.

"Then it's decided"

Roman lowered his head, "If the tank can start tomorrow, Victor will be the loader. If it can't be started, Victor, you can hide in the wreckage of the German assault gun to cover us, and make sure not to let those Germans take Grenades thrown into tanks."

"If our tank is destroyed, you can run back." Vajim added, reaching out to touch the breech bolt, and finally sighed hesitantly, squeezed a piece of meat from the opened can and threw it into the tank. mouth.

"Rest when you're full." Roman put down the emptied canning box, "I'll keep watch."

"Let me come." Wei Ran pointed to the cockpit cover, "My view here is better."

"You can wake me up if you're sleepy," Roman finished, and the probe blew out the dying candle.

Trapped in the dark interior of the tank, Vajim ate the food in his hands silently. Wei Ran also carefully opened the hatch that had just been locked, and watched the surrounding movement vigilantly by the flares that rose from time to time outside.

In this unsettled night, time passed slowly every minute and every second, and the flares fired by both sides from time to time also gradually stopped.

I don't know when it started, the night sky began to drizzle densely, and the cool raindrops hit the face, which also made Wei Ran, who was a little sleepy, wake up a little bit.

Stretching out his upper body to glance at the smudged morning glow on the eastern horizon, Wei Ran yawned, stepped out of the tank lightly, and pointed at the wreckage of the No. [-] assault gun next to him and untied his belt.

However, before he finished urinating, he suddenly realized that something was wrong.After listening for a moment, Wei Ran immediately fastened his belt and raised his binoculars towards the direction of the Soviet army's position behind him.

Just by taking a look, he realized that there were tanks in his field of vision!All T-34 tanks!Tanks without infantry following!

"Roman! Vajim!"

At this time, Wei Ran didn't care whether shouting would attract the attention of the Germans, and even picked up a crowbar and struck the thick armor plate vigorously, "Try to start the tank!"

"What's wrong?!" Roman was the first to push the hatch above his head, and immediately after, he heard the roar of the engine coming from the direction of the Soviet army behind him.

"Vajim! Start the tank!"

Almost at the same time as Roman shouted these words, there was rumbling artillery fire from the German position opposite!
"Hurry up!" Wei Ran yelled holding a hammer, and immediately after, Roman jumped down with two tank pins, waiting to complete the final repair work on the tracks.

"I'm starting!" Vajim yelled anxiously while pressing the start switch.

However, in addition to the asthma-like roar of the starter and the continuous black smoke from the rear of the car, the negative response of the tank engine, which they had placed high hopes on, made their hearts colder and colder!

"boom!"

Amidst the dull sound of gunfire, the tanks from the Soviet army's position had already begun to fire, which also indicated that the distance between the two sides had reached within 500 meters!But for the three people trapped in the center of the battlefield, the German tanks may not even be 200 meters away from them!

"Can you still start it?!" Roman, who was covered in mud all over his body, asked with a loud voice.

"I'm already working hard!" Vajim responded loudly, without releasing the start switch at all.

"That's too late!"

Roman jumped from the wreckage of the assault gun to the T-34 that was trying to start, dropped the track pin in his hand and asked, "Vajim, do you want to be a loader?"

Finally, after trying to start the engine once, Vajim turned around and moved to the loader's position, while shouting loudly, "Victor, there are two drum drums under my feet!"

"Victor"

Roman, who had already got into the turret, pointed to the direction on the left side of the front of the car, "This direction is our only shooting range, and the rest of the direction will be left to you. Don't let the German soldiers touch it."

Wei Ran gritted his teeth and responded loudly, "Don't worry, leave it to me!"

"If we are destroyed, you flee back immediately." Before Roman could finish his sentence, he had already closed the hatch above his head with a bang.

Looking left and right, Wei Ran ran to the hatch of the driver's seat, took out the two drums mentioned by Vajim just now, closed the hatch, and bent down to hide in the shadow of the front of the assault gun. A bundle of German grenades was pulled out of the mud under the ground.

It's ridiculous to say that this is the only individual weapon that can be regarded as a threat to German tanks. It was buried under the tanks by the Germans who cleaned the battlefield last night, and was dug out by himself.

After a while, only the T-34 tank turret, including Roman and Vajim, aimed at the left side of the front of the vehicle while slowly turning, turning into an immovable artillery position. In the dawn shrouded in gunpowder smoke, the anxious Prey waiting to be delivered to your door.

(End of this chapter)