USSR 1941

  Chapter 9 Broadcasting

"Soviet citizens!" came a voice on the radio: "At four o'clock this morning, without any prior demands on the Soviet Union and without a declaration of war, the German troops launched an attack on many points on the Soviet border. , and bombed Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Minsk and other cities with planes. This unprecedented German attack on the Soviet Union was an act of treachery without precedent in the history of civilized peoples..."

  Everyone was listening quietly, until the voice on the radio finally ended with a few words of encouragement, and Jiner turned into a disturbing "rustle".

   "It is the Soviet Molotov who is talking!" Gavrilov explained: "The chairman of the Soviet People's Committee, the People's Commissar of Foreign Affairs!"

  When the instructor heard the words, there was no sound.

   Shulka could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

  Molotov’s speech to the entire Soviet Union did not say that the Soviet army on the front line retreated... Of course, this cannot be said, especially on the broadcast for the military and civilians across the country.

   But this passage first confirms one thing: what the German army launched against the Soviet Union was not a local war, but a comprehensive and large-scale war.

   And this is one of the differences between the instructor and Shulka.

  Secondly, this passage also mentioned that the German army bombed Zhitomir, Kyiv, Minsk and other places with planes.

You must know that Minsk is 349 kilometers away from Brest, and German planes can bomb the hinterland 349 kilometers away from the border. Needless to say what this means... This passage almost proves that what Shulka said is correct of.

  The word "almost" is used because the instructor is still unwilling to admit it.

   "This does not mean that the Soviet army is retreating across the board!" The instructor said: "That is just the bombing of the planes. We may have lost the advantage in the air, but our army is heroically resisting the German aggression on land!"

   "It is indeed possible!" Major Gavrilov said: "But it is more likely that we are surrounded and alone, and we must break out!"

   "No, this is greed for life and fear of death, and cowardice. We should stick to the fortress and guard every inch of the motherland!"

  …

  Major Gavrilov's argument with the instructor continued, and Shulka was put back in full gear.

   "Great!" When Okunev saw Shulka and the gun in his hand, he was relieved and gave him a warm hug.

   "I thought I'd never see you again, my friend!" Okunev whispered.

"Indeed!" Shulka said only this sentence, and said nothing else, because he was warned not to disclose any relevant content, especially the "large-scale war" and "the Soviet army's complete retreat". Class words.

   Of course Okunev understood this, so he didn't ask anything, just took out the newspaper and shredded tobacco from his pocket, crumpled the newspaper as before, and handed him a cigarette.

  Shuerka took the cigarette, only to find that his hand holding the cigarette couldn't help shaking, and the match in Okunev's hand even took a lot of effort to ignite the wobbly cigarette.

  Shuerka greedily took a deep breath of smoke and then let it out long.

Shulka thought that the battlefield was the scariest place, but now he knows that this is not the case... He will never forget the cold order from the instructor standing behind him, the crisp sound of gunshots, and the nearby guards looking at the scene. The indifference in his eyes.

  Shuerka could almost see the bullet piercing through the back of his head, causing a streak of blood. He couldn't imagine that these people would decide a person's life and death so easily and hastily, especially Shulka was still one of his own, a Soviet soldier.

   Taking another deep breath, Shulka filled his lungs with the acrid, choking smoke of inferior tobacco, which made Shulka feel better.

   At this time, Shulka understood why many people became smokers on the battlefield.

  Amidst the smog, Shulka forced himself to bring his thoughts back to the situation in front of him.

  Shuerka was very reluctant to do this, because his previous efforts almost cost him his life, which left a shadow in Shuerka's heart.

   But Shulka had to do this again, because he knew that if he didn't do something, he would lose his life sooner or later.

   So... can Major Gavrilov convince the instructor?

   Shulka doesn't think so.

As I said before, although there is what Molotov said, it does not mean that the Soviet army has retreated across the board, especially the instructor is still standing on the moral high ground, and more importantly... the radio cannot contact the superior , which means that no retreat order was received.

   Without an order, retreating without authorization will turn into an escape at any time, and everyone knows what the result will be.

  Shuerka laughed at himself, that is to say, he almost risked his life just now but got nothing.

   While Shulka was thinking wildly, Okunev handed him an empty lunch box.

  Shuerka didn't understand what this meant at first, but when he saw two soldiers carrying an iron bucket containing food and distributing food, he realized that it was time for dinner.

   With a sound of "expansion!", the cooking soldier knocked a sticky mass into Shulka's lunch box.

Shulka picked it up with a spoon. He couldn't believe that he would eat this kind of thing, but when he saw that everyone around him was gobbling it up, he could only frown and stuff it into his mouth... maybe It's because I'm hungry, and it doesn't seem to be as bad as I thought. Of course, it would be better if I could add some butter or a piece of bread.

  At this time, the Germans on the other side yelled again in the loudspeaker: "Soviet comrades, we are here to liberate you, join us, and get rid of the oppression and shackles of the Soviet Union on you..."

   "Oh!" At this moment, a soldier squatting a few meters away eating food said: "Some of us like to hear these words, don't you think so, Shulka?"

  Everyone around knew what this meant, and couldn't help laughing a few times.

   "Comrade Valery!" Okunev objected: "The superior returned the rifle to Shulka and rejoined us, which proves that Shulka is not a traitor!"

   "I know!" Valery replied: "But that doesn't prove he's not a coward, does it?"

   There was laughter again, Okunev wanted to say something but was suppressed by Shulka.

  Shuerka doesn't care about this. Knowing that the vast majority of people will die in this war, the war of words is meaningless to Shurka.

   What Shulka was thinking about was how to survive this cruel war.

   What's more, being a hero or a dog is not just a word of mouth.

  (end of this chapter)