202. I Become a Sniper
Our ‘academy’ was situated in a convenient gully, not far from
Sheremetyev Park. The first half of our day was devoted to practical
exercises. We shot with our own weapons, tried to hit the target,
and learned the arts of camouflage and choosing one’s sniping
position. The programme also included physical fitness: running,
strength exercises, long jumping and high jumping. Throwing
grenades and Sambo wrestling (a Russian martial art) were also
part of the training. Once again, just as before the war, only now
with even greater effort, we crawled on our elbows and attacked an
imaginary enemy. ‘A sniper should be hardened both morally and
physically,’ Lieutenant Butorin told us, as he watched us in action.
Returning from the gully as darkness fell, we would first clean
and oil our rifles and dismantle and reassemble them endless
times. Taking some oakum and twisting it round a ramrod, we
polished the inside of the barrel with an alkaline solution until
we had obtained the ideal shine. Lieutenant Butorin introduced
us to the component parts of various weapons, both Soviet and
captured ones. But special attention was paid to the sniper’s rifle
and its telescopic sight.
There were also lessons on observation and training one’s
visual memory. They went like this: a student was called into the