Burning Moscow

Section 6 Highland Defense (1)

When I returned to the duty room, the warrant officer on duty had already prepared my appointment letter. Seeing me coming in, he picked up a paper from the table and handed it to me.

I was dumbfounded when I took a look at the appointment letter. If it’s a printed document, I can understand a little bit, but the commands on this paper are not printed but handwritten. The difference between the Russian handwritten and printed forms is so great that I can’t understand what is written on the document. What content.

I hesitated for a moment and could only ask the warrant officer cheekily: “Comrade warrant officer, can you read me the content of this document? The font on it is too scribble, and the light in the room is so dim that I really can’t see it clearly. “After saying this, I was already flushed with shame.

The warrant officer did not notice my anomaly. He just glanced at me dissatisfiedly, but he patiently read me the order: “To the commander of the Unknown Highland Defense Battalion: Our Ministry is now dispatching Musdakova Oshanina. Sir, I’m here to serve as the platoon leader of the anti-aircraft machine gun platoon. Please accept it. Leningrad Air Defense Command.”

“Who should I report to after I go?” I hurriedly asked again.

“After I go, someone will naturally tell you,” the warrant officer looked a little impatient, and then added, “The car and the driver who took you to the highlands are already waiting outside. You go quickly. I’m done. .”

I quickly saluted him, then turned and walked out of the duty room.

I walked out the gate of the air defense headquarters and saw that it was already evening, and a truck covered with canvas was parked not far in front. I was about to walk over and ask if it was a car going to Pulkovo Heights. The door of the truck opened, and a driver wearing a boat cap poked his head out of it and shouted loudly: “Girl, it’s you who wanted Go to the front?”

girl! Hearing this word, I immediately looked left and right reflexively, but besides the two soldiers standing guard at the door, there was no personal figure. Where did the girl come from?

“Hey! Hey! My dear” he continued, “Don’t look around, it’s you, hurry up and get in the car. The car has been waiting for you for a long time.”

It turned out to be called me, alas, after so long, I still can’t remember that I am a female soldier now. I quickly walked a few steps, got into the car and sat in the seat of the co-pilot, and asked tentatively, “Is it going to Pulkovo Heights?”

“Yes, yes.” The driver said, twisting the key of the ignition switch, and pulled the gear lever with a violent sound, and the car started.

For a while, the driver was driving silently, none of us spoke, but he always had an inexplicable smile on his face.

“Why are you so happy?” I finally couldn’t help but ask him curiously.

“You are amazing!” He unexpectedly replied: “In such a short period of time, he has actually won two military medals.”

“I just got it too soon.”

“I sincerely congratulate you, Comrade Sergeant.”

“Thank you, Comrade Driver. This was granted by the commander of the front army himself.” Speaking of the medal, I couldn’t help but feel a little proud. But soon I felt a little embarrassed. Both of these medals came from hard work. The Red Flag Medal is the headquarter’s commendation for Lida’s glorious achievement of shooting down two enemy planes in an air defense battle. As for the battle in the forest, although all the German devils were wiped out, four female fighters died, Vasco The warrant officer’s husband was injured and he didn’t know which hospital he was sent to. I haven’t been able to find out his whereabouts. I was a bit ashamed of getting the honor that should belong to them.

“Is this General Zhukov?”

“No, it was granted by Marshal Voroshilov, commander of the Front Army.”

“Ah?!” He said in a little surprise: “Don’t you know? Marshal Voroshilov was recalled to the base camp last week, and now it is General Zhukov who succeeds him as the commander of the front.”

“Oh,” I quickly explained, “I just came out of the hospital today, and I don’t know that the commander has changed.”

“I love to drive at night,” the talkative driver went on as soon as he said, “I always have to run at full power! You don’t have to worry about pedestrians or cars! You don’t have to worry about pedestrians or vehicles! King on the road!” As he was talking, a policeman on the side of the road crossed the sidewalk to the front of the car and stopped the car. When I saw the police stopping the car, my heart suddenly touched my throat. When I was in Moscow, I was most afraid of the police stopping the car. Usually, after stopping, many of them were extorted in the name of checking the driver’s license and passport. thing. As soon as I encountered it, I unconsciously developed a kind of police phobia.

Just as my heartbeat was speeding up, I suddenly heard the driver’s voice: “Hey, hey!” He warned the police loudly, “Look clearly! Don’t delay my execution of official duties.” He poked the post on the windshield with his finger. Square cardboard pass on the glass. The policeman glanced at the pass, saluted us, and moved back two steps to the side of the road.

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled and looked at his driver. Only then did I realize that I was not in Moscow in later generations, but in Leningrad during the war. During the war, soldiers had many privileges. There is no need to be afraid.

Without the restraint of the police, he increasingly disobeyed the traffic rules. He drove the car on the empty streets, turning to the left for a while, and then to the right. Obviously, he was very happy because he could drive so freely.

“Where are you from?” He asked me again.

“Moscow.” I said without thinking.

“Moscow!” He became excited. “It’s a coincidence that I am also a Moscow native and have been serving in Leningrad since I joined the army. My home is on Lenin Street 27. Where do you live?”

“I live at 118 Mozhaisk Road. Standing on the balcony of my house, I can see the Arc de Triomphe and the Victory Monument on Victory Square.”

“Where to live?” The driver asked in surprise, and because of surprise, his feet moved away from the air door.

The speed of the car suddenly slowed down.

“Pay attention to driving!” I hurriedly reminded him, and at the same time realized that I had made a serious mistake. Victory Square was built in 1995, and it is only in 1941. He is not a traverser like me. How could he know A building that only appeared more than fifty years later.

“My dear, what do you mean about the Arc de Triomphe and Victory Square?!” the driver asked loudly while adjusting the speed. “I don’t seem to have heard of these two places.”

“Oh, I didn’t make it clear. What I mean is: after the war is over, we should build a magnificent triumphal arch in Moscow, build a huge square, and build a tall monument to the goddess of victory in the middle of the square to commemorate this The Great Patriotic War. This place is best to be near the Kutuzov Metro Station on Mozhaisk Road, so that I can stand on the balcony of my home and watch these two great buildings every day.” I am trying my best to remedy the mistake of language just now.

“You said so good.” He didn’t have any doubts, and started to follow my thoughts and began to think: “I also hope that the German devils can be driven away as soon as possible, and then the buildings you mentioned can be built in Moscow to celebrate. Our victory.”

The truck climbed up a small hill and drove another distance. The driver began to slow down. “Is this the destination?” I waited until the driver parked the car next to other trucks, I said a little tired. UU reading www.uukanshu. com

“Here,” the driver confirmed.

I said thank you to the driver, then pushed the door and jumped down. The driver crossed the seat, poked his head out of the door I did not close, and pointed to me: “You follow this road and see a shelter half buried in the ground. There is the command of the unknown high ground. Department, you should go there and report to the commander.”

I thanked him again, and walked along the uneven path towards the headquarters.

Not long after walking, a raised earthen-style bunker appeared in front of him. Two soldiers in military uniforms walked around the house. Seeing me approaching the room, one of the soldiers raised his hand to signal me to stop, and then said to me: “Comrade soldier, please show your credentials.”

“I am Sergeant Oshanina, the new platoon leader of the Unknown Highland Anti-aircraft Machine Gun Platoon. I came here to report to the commander.” As I said, I unbuttoned my jacket pocket and took out the military ID card and the appointments in it. The book was handed to him.

The soldier took the certificate, read the appointment letter carefully, flipped through the military certificate, and stared at me, probably checking the photo with himself, and then said to me: “Wait a minute,” he turned and pulled away. The door went in, and the wooden door slammed shut as soon as it entered.

I understood that this soldier was going in to report to his superiors, so I stood there and waited patiently.

The door of the room opened, and the soldier walked out again and only returned me the military certificate, but he didn’t see the appointment letter. It is probably the commander who stayed in the house.

“You can go in now, Comrade Sergeant, the commander is waiting for you inside.”