Вяйнё Линна - Unknown Soldiers

Having sunk their machine guns back in the pond, the machine-gunners were now operating as a regular infantry platoon. Only Määttä’s machine gun remained. A couple of days earlier, the platoon had received three more new recruits as replacements. Two men were transferred from the utilities staff as well, bringing the total number of new men to eight in all. In Rokka’s opinion, that meant the percentage of inexperienced men was too high. The new recruits were not particularly worse than the other men, seeing as a man gets his nature from birth and not from the army, but inexperience would make them more susceptible to panic, and that was exactly the worst thing that could happen in this situation.

Susling was lying in his foxhole, blowing the smoke from his cigarette all around him to disperse the swarming mosquitoes. Rokka walked by and said, ‘Suslin’, you remember how we use’da go swimmin’ in’na Vuoksi down in Kannas as kids?’

‘Why wouldn’t I? We ain’t never gonna see it again, Antti. Nothin’ but corpses swimmin’ there now. Rumor is water down there is runnin’ red.’

‘We’re gonna be swimmin’ ’cross this crick here pretty soon. You believe me?’

‘Mm… if anybody gits that far.’

They had received several days’ dry rations, and the new recruits wrapped up their sugar and put it in their bread bags. Rokka winked at them and said, ‘Don’t you fellas save that sugar now! It’ll git all wet and then it’ll be ruined. We’re goin’ swimmin’ soon!’

‘Don’t be stupid. We’ll hop that stream if it comes to it.’ One of the new recruits drew manfully on his cigarette, his cap tilted off to the side. The creases pressed into the cap gave a pretty good idea of its owner. The boy had an arrogant, devil-may-care machismo about him. His cap was ostensibly askew out of carelessness, but it was actually set at a carefully considered angle, deliberately selected to convey its carelessness. This new recruit was the same fellow who had turned up at the brook line asking for enemies to kill. His name was Asumaniemi. Back then Rokka had answered his question with mocking contempt, but although he had continued to address the boy in a jocular, offhand sort of way, his contempt had vanished. That very evening, when they had been fending off the counter-attack at Sarastie’s command post, the boy had taken down three of the attackers. Bare-headed, as his cap had fallen off in his excitement, the boy had risen to his knees and fired, shouting every time he hit his target, ‘Missing one, the devil said, counting up his ants!’

When the fighting was over, the others were obliged to endure rather too much carrying-on about these three fallen soldiers, but they granted Asumaniemi his right to boast, as he really had been right at home under fire. And the event was not the last of its kind. Asumaniemi became one of the sturdiest pillars of the platoon. Rokka’s voice was good-natured as he shot him a word of warning, ‘Damn it, boy! You hush up now, you hear? You’re gonna swim just like all’a rest of us. So swallow that sugar and don’t leave it to git wet!’

Ensign Jalovaara arrived from the command post.

Rokka went over to greet him, and when they met up, the Ensign said angrily, ‘What were you saying about swimming?’

‘I ordered the fellas to gulp down that sugar so it don’t git wet when we swim across’sa crick.’

‘You’ll make them all panic talking like that.’

‘Lissen here, Ensign! It’ssa enemy causes panic, it ain’t me. You can see for yourself we’re gonna end up flappin’ our way across that crick like a flock a ducks!’

‘Well, toss some corn why don’t you! What do you think is going to happen when the deputy commander’s the first one to start talking about fleeing?’ The Ensign was angry, all the more so because Rokka’s ‘lissen here, Ensign’ had offended him.

Rokka had already seen the new ensign and decided on the basis of his speech that the man did not entirely comprehend why the war was different now. Once the Finnish advance had ended, Jalovaara had been sent back to his civilian post on account of its importance, and it was only after the heavy officer losses that he had been ordered back into service. Rokka feared his blue-eyed naïveté, and found the Ensign’s speeches all the more irritating for it.

‘Lissen, that ain’t what we’re talkin’ ’bout here. We’ve learned’da take the neighbors seriously, see. They got their plans too, and we ain’t always been able to keep ’em from carryin’ ’em out, and that’s what I’m thinkin’ might happen here too. Go watch next time you hear a shot, you’ll see how the fellas start peerin’ around. That ain’t a good sign. I don’t like it when fellas start peerin’ around like that.’

‘We will retreat in an orderly manner over the bridge when we are commanded to do so. And you will carry out your mission and leave the rest for others to take care of.’ The Ensign’s tone was decisive. On receiving his summons to return to the army, he had decided to conduct himself forcefully and decisively out on the front. On the train he had re-confirmed this decision, as he took stock of his position in relation to the defeat. He still couldn’t quite bring himself to believe that the war was lost. That would have been too bitter a pill for him to swallow. But nothing was going to prevent him from fulfilling his duty. That much was clear.

This attitude infuriated Rokka, and he began to eye the Ensign with suspicion, smiling that same smile that Lammio hadn’t been able to endure without losing his temper either. It was more taunting than anything he might have said. Congenially, as if he were speaking to a child, Rokka explained, ‘Lissen. It’d be real swell if the Third Company could make it over the bridge. Seein’ as they’re already over there on’na main road. The rest of us’s gonna swim. But if you don’t quit makin’na racket, it could happen that we don’t even make it to the swimmin’ part. Neighbors’ll hear you and come rushin’ straight on over.’

‘You will obey the command just like everyone else and that is that. Now, head to the positions and keep your eyes peeled! They told me about you earlier today. In my platoon, there will be no master but discipline and the demands of the situation. Headstrong behavior is not something I am prepared to tolerate. I have no use for empty formalities, and I do not need any kowtowing, but I expect the platoon to carry out its assignments without grumbling about it.’

‘It ain’t carried out a mission yet without grumblin’. Lissen, you still got a lot’ta learn. But damn it, I ain’t gonna start goin’ in’na all a that here. You go ahead and take that bridge if you can!’ Rokka threw his hands up in anger and left. He went to the positions, sat down and started griping.

‘What the hell is it makes those officers so impossible to git on with? Just a word or two and already we’re fightin’. Koskela’s only one I never fought with. What the hell is wrong with those fellas?’

Rokka’s tone of the unjustly accused made Vanhala laugh. ‘I dunno. You ever wondered if maybe it might be somethin’ wrong with you?’

‘With me?’ Rokka was genuinely flabbergasted. ‘How in’na hell could it be sumpin’ wrong with me? I always talk straight about what needs done. And those fellas’s like they’re bent on startin’ a riot! What’d I ever say to git anybody all riled up? It’s those fellas that’s just like they was lookin’ for a fight! Here I am tryin’na do everythin’ I can to make this war go best it can do, and they start pickin’ fights with me! Like right now, all I want is for everythin’na go smooth so we can retreat right when we gotta. And he’s yellin’ at me ’bout takin’na bridge! Well goollord! How we gonna do that when’na enemy’s already over there? You’d think they wanted’da lose everythin’!’