—— Red Army Sniper ——34positions and at nightfall helped them to climb over the parapet.
And, impressed by the courage of the women of Leningrad, not
only we snipers but all the other troops were ready to come to
the aid of the cabbage foragers at any moment. Just before dawn
the women returned safe and sound, dragging humungous sacks
along the ground. We helped them to carry this precious cargo to
a safe place.
The following night still more came. We let them through too.
Only this time, buoyed up by yesterday’s success, they acted less
cautiously. Disturbed by the suspicious and noisy activities in no
man’s land, the Nazis stirred themselves – flares flew overhead.
Intense firing began. The Germans had decided that our sappers
or scouts were operating in the field and, by the light of the flares,
they began to fire at the women. Slowly and smoothly the flares
descended to earth. The parachutes attached to them kept them
aloft for a long time.
Meanwhile the shooting intensified. We would fire at the enemy
gunports, guided by flashes of machinegun fire. Familiar with
the construction of German parachutes, the snipers brought down
the flares, snuffing them out in flight. Things went particularly well
when several flares flew up together: the highest flare effectively
illuminated the parachutes of those below hanging against the
back sky. The frightened foragers returned emptyhanded. We
quickly patched up the wounded women and sent them to the rear,
while the dead ones remained lying in no man’s land. But despite
this, the women kept coming for the cabbages.
Once, after one such ‘operation,’ some of us helped the women
to carry their loot. Dobrik stayed behind to keep an eye on the
enemy. Dawn was already breaking when, suddenly, Ivan noticed
that two women were still working in no man’s land. Their tall
figures in long skirts and padded jackets showed up well against
the lightening sky.
‘What’s going on? I thought the women had already come back
and been escorted to the rear with their cabbages. What’s the story
with these ones? And they’ve gone so far away from us,’ thought