War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 9 Pieced Crew Members
"I know there's a working tank around here."

The wounded man slowed down and continued, "If the tank is still in its original position, you may be able to use that tank to destroy their artillery positions."

"Where is that tank?" Lieutenant Lev asked excitedly.

"It's in the paint shop downstairs not far away. Gorshi should know the location."

The wounded man took a breath and said, "I am a worker from the Stalingrad Tractor Factory who drove a tank to participate in the battle. The tank I mentioned just now was driven by my workmates, but later they threw it away because they were afraid of death." The tanks escaped and I was the one who killed them myself with a submachine gun."

"I know that paint store"

Gorshi frowned and said, "But that building has been bombed to the point where there is only one wall left. Even if the tank is still there, it may have been buried."

"And there is another problem," said the injured worker. "Even if you can start the tank by yourself, you can't fire it. You need at least two experienced helpers."

"I need a loader and a driver," Lieutenant Lev said, looking around.

"I can be a loader!" Oleg said first, "I can handle shells!"

"There are so many people here, it's not your turn."

Gorshi stretched out his hand and pulled Oleg aside, and lightly tapped the silent Valery's shoulder with his fist.After the two nodded to each other, Gorshi looked at Lieutenant Lev and said, "I used to have a tractor. If the difference is not big, maybe I can drive that tank, and Valery can be your loader."

"In this case, let's go now!" Lieutenant Lev was ready to stand up after finishing speaking.

"Wait a minute, we are still short of one person." Wei Ran, who had been silent all this time, grabbed Lieutenant Lev.

"Radio operator?" Lieutenant Lev asked suspiciously, "The tanks produced by the tractor factory don't even have scopes, let alone radios, and even if they do, there's only one tank around here that doesn't use radios at all." .”

Wei Ran untied the German military radio station that had been carried on his shoulders, "Now we have a radio station."

"What's the use of having a radio?" said Sergey, the electrician closest to the kerosene lamp. "Do you want to use it to greet the mothers of the nearby Germans?"

Wei Ran shook his head helplessly. He knew the defects of the T-34 tank. At this time, the T-34 was still using a 76mm gun, but the caliber was still secondary. The most important thing was that this type of T-34 was small and small. The interior space of the car can only seat four people.

In other words, the commander in the turret who is responsible for finding the target also has to work as a part-time loader. This fatal problem directly makes the efficiency of the T-34/76 tank lower than that of the T-34/85, which can seat five people in the later stage. How much!

Seeing everyone looking at him, Wei Ran said in a breath, "If we want to destroy that firepower position as quickly as possible, or live as long as possible surrounded by surrounding tanks, we need a radio, and then Someone needs to be in a place with a good enough view to command tanks by radio."

"Fortunately, you are just a reporter. If you were a tank soldier, I would have stuffed you into the track and made a pie." Lev didn't take Wei Ran's proposal seriously at all, and stood up directly, ready to continue walking out .

"My proposal will at least give you a greater chance of completing the task"

Wei Ran leaned against the wall and did not move at all, "There is only one tank, Lieutenant Lev, you have no chance of trial and error."

Lieutenant Lev stood there in silence for a moment and said, "We don't have time to find an identical radio station."

The dark basement fell into silence again. After a long time, the old electrician Sergey sighed and said, "I have a solution."

"What way?" Lieutenant Lev asked subconsciously.

"Two nights ago, when I was looking for supplies in the trenches outside, I seemed to have seen a similar radio station." Sergey's tone was uncertain, "But is it still in its original location, and can it even be used?" I don't know."

"Let's go find it now!"

"Wait first!" Gorshi stopped the reckless Lieutenant Lev. "It will be dark in two hours at most. It will be much safer to go after dark."

Lieutenant Lev nodded with difficulty, sat down next to Wei Ran and said, "Victor, when the time comes, you can use the radio to command us."

"Me? I'm just a reporter" Wei Ran silently added in his heart after finishing speaking, "Even the reporter's identity is fake."

"Even without you, I can complete the task." Lieutenant Lev said rather bluntly.

Knowing that the other party was trying to comfort him, Wei Ran didn't say anything, he could only bite the bullet and agree.

"If you are still alive after the war, remember to take a look on Mamayev Hill for me."

Lieutenant Lev said in a low voice, everyone present actually knew that following Lieutenant Lev to complete that mission would have almost no chance of surviving, and he himself may be more aware of the outcome in the near future.

Wei Ran nodded silently, and tightly closed his lips so as not to make any sound.

Two hours flew by, the sky outside gradually darkened, and even the sound of the guns that had lasted for a day also weakened a lot.

"Kara"

The cast iron manhole cover was gently pushed away by Gorshi, and then he poked his head against the gap under the door panel and looked back and forth. After confirming that there was no danger, he gently propped up the door panel and let everyone crawl out of the basement one by one.

"You guys wait here, I'll go find the radio station." After the old electrician Sergey finished speaking, he walked carefully to the trench outside the building against the base of the wall.

As everyone waited anxiously, time passed by every minute. It was not until an hour later that Sergey climbed in along the damaged outer wall of the building.

"See if it's this." Sergey put the thing he brought back at Wei Ran's feet.

Lieutenant Lev and Oleg immediately put up two cloaks to cover Wei Ran lying on the floor, and the fireman Gorshi, who was also hiding under the cloak, lit the kerosene lighter in his hand.

After comparing the nameplates of the two radios, Wei Ran nodded heavily, and then while recalling the operation steps of Professor Alexey, he fumbled to complete the start-up work of the two radios.

Referring to the knob on one of the radio stations, and then adjusted the other radio station to the same position, Wei Ran handed one of the earphones to Gorshi, and then gently scratched the microphone of the other radio station with his fingernails. shave.

An expression of surprise appeared on Gorshi's face immediately, and he nodded at Wei Ran repeatedly!

After he turned off the power, Gorshi quickly blew hard on the small flame on the lighter, the strong smell of kerosene mixed with even stronger bad breath hit his face, causing Wei Ran Haoxuan, who was in the dark, to spit out the chrysanthemum.

Struggling to remove the cloak, the firefighter Gorshi hugged Oleg's shoulder and whispered, "Oleg, the safety here is up to you, unless necessary, try not to shoot, otherwise the people in the basement will be very dangerous. It's hard to survive. Compared to killing the Germans, the more important task is to keep those children younger than you alive until the end of the war.

If we don't come back alive, you have to find a way to provide food for those children, find a way to provide the medicines that the wounded need, and find a way to bring back more children and wounded.Anyway, Oleg, until we get back, everyone in the basement is handed over to you. "

Oleg nodded vigorously, pointed to the stairwell not far away and said, "Uncle Gorshi, let me go to the roof before that, maybe I can help you."

Gorshi hesitated for a moment, sighed and said softly to the old electrician Sergey and Valery who were waiting aside, "Send him up."

(End of this chapter)