—— Red Army Sniper ——32Although Ivan was sturdily built, had matured over the years
over the years spent in Astrakhan, was broader in the shoulders
and had grown very muscular, it was not reflected in his stature. He
was still rather a short squirt. They sent him to an NKVD regiment.
Eternally cheerful and inventive, with a ready tongue, round
smiling face and hazel eyes, he was always glad about everything,
always happy. Even glad at being sent to a place unknown to him
like Karelia. What a lot of interesting things the young country lad
saw from his small railway carriage, what a lot of new things he
learned along the way! And what a size his homeland must be if it
took so long to reach the place where he was due to serve.
After several months in the regiment Dobrik had completely
matured – his own mother would not have recognised her eldest
in a line of smart, closeshaven lads in uniform. Here Ivan became
keen on sport and scored ‘excellent’ in firearms and political
training.
As war began, with determined resistance his regiment
withdrew from the border into the hinterland. But the Nazis paid
dearly for their perfidious invasion. The NKVD troops defended
ferociously, each fighting with the power of ten men. But, all the
same, the forces were not equal – the regiment was encircled near
Vyborg.
Day and night the rattle of rifle and machinegun fire continued
unceasing from both sides. The mortar bombs exploded with a
howl. Troops armed with rifles had tanks thrown against them.
But this time the Nazis failed to break them. ‘NKVD men don’t
surrender!’ – that was the watchword. And the regiment burst out
of encirclement and emerged from the battle. Ivan Dobrik was
carried out on a stretcher suffering from shell shock.
After treatment in hospital Ivan hurried back to join his mates.
With his heart in his mouth he walked through Leningrad to the
Kirov works. Ivan walked and saw the way Leningrad residents
were helping our troops to strengthen the defences. With picks and
crowbars they were striking the rockhard earth, shovelling out
antitank ditches and trenches, building dugouts for the soldiers.