Вяйнё Линна - Unknown Soldiers

‘We’ll follow right behind you and start clearing them out…’ The Ensign looked at Vanhala. ‘If you’d rather not, I can go alone. You can bring the guys in after. I won’t force you to do it.’

‘No, I’ll try. Best to take Asumaniemi and Honkajoki… no more than that. More men won’t be anything but trouble…’

‘All you have to do is take out the machine guns. That’ll open everything up. Honkajoki and Asumaniemi!’

The men crawled over.

‘So here’s the situation. Two or three men need to try to go along that depression and make it to the trench. If we try any other way, it’ll cost us too many men. Vanhala’s going to give it a shot. You guys go along?’

‘I’ll go!’ Asumaniemi said, shooting up his hand like a schoolboy. But Honkajoki said, ‘You’ll have to order me. I would hardly be so bold as to volunteer.’

‘Well, I order you then.’

‘Well, that’s a different story.’

‘So, good luck with it! They have to be pushed back now, boys, that’s all there is to it. If they manage to widen the breach, we’re really going to have our work cut out for us. So, let’s give this a try. At least show them that we’re not going to let them spit in our faces.’

Jalovaara crawled off to the rest of the platoon, leaving the three men to plan their advance.

‘What kind of idiots are they, letting those shitheads get right into the positions! And over the river!’ Asumaniemi swore with manful emphasis, but Vanhala and Honkajoki were silent as they carefully surveyed the foreground. Honkajoki did say, however, as if to restrain the boy, ‘Whoa there! Whoa there! Hold your horses, little bro.’

‘Yeah – you know there are eleven of our guys’ bodies lying over there too, right? They didn’t let it go without a fight,’ Vanhala said.

Since becoming squad leader, Vanhala had started taking things more seriously. To be sure, there was something even in the heavy fighting that stirred his desire to poke fun at it, but responsibility had reined him in somewhat. The corners of his eyes still crinkled with his smile, just as they always had, but his everlasting heehee-ing rang out less frequently now.

The enemy had crossed the river during the night, and under cover of darkness it had succeeded in seizing control of two of their strongholds. The machine-gunners who had been in reserve were assigned to retake them, and so Jalovaara’s platoon was now preparing to take the first. It was to be a surprise attack, with no artillery barrage to soften things up ahead of time. Launching one would have been difficult anyway, as the targets were so close to their own positions. Vanhala, along with Honkajoki and Asumaniemi, had to get into the end of the communication trench that led to the positions. It looked possible, as in between the positions there lay a deep depression, along which they might be able to make it over, if the light machine gun guarding it could be taken out of play. Then the three of them would have to silence the two dangerous machine guns. After that, Jalovaara would be able to get into the positions with the rest of the platoon and start clearing out the enemy.

Vanhala looked at the low stretch for a moment and then said, ‘There’s no telling how it’ll go. Let’s go. No running, huh? It’s too easy for them to spot. Along that heather there, then.’

‘First time in a shock troop.’ Honkajoki tried to smile, without quite succeeding. ‘Quite an undertaking.’

‘Into the river with those shithead Russkis… We’ll pounce like wildcats.’ Asumaniemi shoved a hand grenade into each of his pockets and the others did the same. Vanhala put the drums for the submachine gun where he would be able to reach them easily. Asumaniemi aimed his submachine gun at a tree trunk.

‘Trrrrrt trrt trrrt… trrrt,’ he rolled his tongue, playing like a little boy. He had quite an array of gestures and sound effects, mostly drawn from animated films. He took a hand grenade, pretended to yank the pull ring, and howled, ‘Dist… fiew… oooo… ooo… dong! There she goes and dong! What a sight, boys, neighbors flying through the air!’

The corners of Vanhala’s eyes crinkled as he grinned, ‘Assuming we get to the throwing part.’

‘And assuming you know how to throw,’ said Honkajoki.

‘You bums have no idea how far I can hurl ’em. Year before last I shot my gum with a slingshot at school. That’s my best distance one yet.’

‘Heeheehee…’

‘Oh, I was in for it after that. Well, actually it wasn’t exactly for that. The gum was smuggled from Sweden – the guys bootlegged it. Well, actually I bootlegged it. But that wasn’t the real reason either. We bought booze with the dough we made and they caught us…’

Vanhala looked at Asumaniemi with indulgent interest. The boy had the makings of just about anything in him. He was troubled by a sort of aimless restlessness. At no moment were all the parts of his body still. His eyes were constantly hunting down something new to look at. He operated on almost no sleep at all, yet he never showed any signs of fatigue. He just craved action and made it clear that he enjoyed danger.

‘You’ll end up in officer training once you’re out of grade school,’ Vanhala said.

‘I’m not ending up in any school. I’m gonna be promoted straight off. There’s no way I’m going to any school any more.’

Vanhala looked at his watch. ‘Eight minutes.’

‘Couldn’t we just go earlier? Why do we hafta wait for the group? The three of us can take care of it ourselves.’

Honkajoki rolled his eyes. ‘Let’s go home, Priha… The boy can take care of the rest.’

‘Well, yeah, if you want! I can go on my own.’

Jalovaara lay behind a tree. Time was passing slowly. The platoon was ready, but they had to wait for the appointed time. The Ensign looked at the low stretch along which the shock troop was supposed to advance. He would have liked to have led it himself, but there was no one he could leave in charge of the platoon. Määttä couldn’t manage big groups, as, despite his bravery, he had no ability to get other men moving. He would head out in front himself, but he wouldn’t open his mouth, and the others wouldn’t follow. How desperately they needed Rokka now. The quality of the men just kept deteriorating. The replacements called out of the reserves were useless, and the new recruits born in ’25 were too young and inexperienced. They were often brave, even eager, but it would be weeks before they were fully fledged soldiers.

The past two weeks had changed Jalovaara a great deal. It wasn’t just that he had grown thinner and sprouted a beard, his entire attitude had fundamentally altered. He wasn’t strict any more, as he had originally intended to be, but he had a quiet strength. He was friendly and unpretentious in his dealings with the men. He treated all members of his platoon as his equals. For the past two weeks they had been fighting tough defensive battles in the positions beside the river, and during that time Jalovaara had matured into an officer that the recently promoted Major Lammio could entrust with the most difficult assignments. The battalion had held steadfast to its position, but the fog and darkness of the previous evening had helped the enemy, enabling them to take control of those two key emplacements. The event, however, did provide some evidence of the men’s improved fighting spirit. The Second Company, who had been defending the positions, had only given them up after a bloody, hand-to-hand struggle in the dark. Eleven men from the Second Company’s already sparse Third Platoon were lying back at one of the positions.

‘We have to take it back. We have to hold on to those positions. Even if it means we die here.’ A desperate, bitter defiance surged up in Jalovaara. He knew now that they had lost the war. There could hardly be any doubt about that. But there would be no laughing just yet. Never before had Jalovaara hated the enemy as he did now, with defeat staring him in the face. They were enjoying their victory, making a mockery of everything that was dear to him. No. If everything goes, then we go down with it, fighting like beasts of prey.