—— From the Soviet Information Bureau... ——181maker, swine!’ However, coming to my senses, I told Knyazev:
‘Listen, quit that racket right under my nose. You’ll never be able
to count them all anyway. Better to do something useful – help
Sergei to get the door open! Or else we won’t be able to get out of
here if anything happens!’
Aksyonov had long been trying to open the dugout door, but
to no avail; it was jammed by the body of a Nazi whom Knyazev
had felled with a pointblank pistol shot through the crack in the
door. Knyazev went to help Sergei and the door finally gave way.
Aksyonov slipped out, taking several handgrenades with him
and the tornoff end of the telephone wire. Sergei was not away for
long. He had just managed to connect the ends of the wire, which
had been broken by a shell, before the telephone began to buzz.
Knyazev went and picked up the receiver.
‘Hallo, hallo! “‘Daisy”! Why don’t you speak? It’s the 3rd
Battalion speaking. What’s happening with you? Can you hear
me? Report on your situation immediately!’
‘The “Third” is asking about your situation!’ said Knyazev,
glancing at me. ‘It’s the head of the battalion general staff ringing!’
he added, to make it sound more convincing.
‘Well, report, then! Don’t you know what to say, or what?
Then say that.. .’ But I was unable to finish the sentence before
Aksyonov whizzed into dugout like a bullet. Several explosions
could be heard behind him.
‘They’ve started firing again, the dirty wretches! Well, how
are things? All in order? Working again?’ And he grabbed the
telephone receiver from Knyazev. ‘Comrade “Third”! Radio
operator Aksyonov reporting. The telephone operator has been
killed. I’ve only just restored contact. There are three of us at the
command post: sniper Nikolaev, medical orderly Knyazev and
me. We are fighting off the Germans. They’re rolling towards us,
aiming for the company trenches.. .’
‘Say that we’re requesting artillery fire at ourselves! Get them
to strike harder at the gully! There are so many, we’ll never shoot
them all,’ I prompted Aksyonov.