‘Shouldn’t be too bad,’ the medic said. ‘It’s just the collarbone that’s broken. Bullet got it on its way out.’
‘Whatever. Hurts like hell, that’s for sure. Of all the stupid ways a… I was three months out in Taipale when it was rainin’ lead and nothin’ happen’na me. Now I git it crossin’na gaddamn crick! But ain’t that the way it always goes… ain’t nothin’ you can do about it.’
The ambulance arrived. Jalovaara took Rokka’s hand and said, frankly and seriously, ‘So, see you… I hope. I would have liked to hold on to you. It’s really only now that we’re going to be short of men. I hope you’ll forget what we said back there. I was a little green. I don’t have to dwell on it, and I guess that kind of thing always happens when you’re inexperienced, but I’d feel pretty bad going around thinking I’d offended you. I heard more about the bad side of your reputation on my way out here than I did about the good side. Now I’ve seen that for myself and I have to say it was pretty stupendous. Well, get well quick, then…! Both of you. Not much chance we’ll be seeing one another out here again.’
‘Lissen, Ensign, don’t you worry ’bout none a that! That was nothin’. You ain’t the only officer I had my spats with. Lissen, I don’t hang on’na none a that stuff. I’ll just tell you a couple a things… you got two good fellas in Määttä and Vanhala there. That lil’ brat Asumaniemi’ll be a real devil once he learns to fight with a little sense about ’im. Honkajoki’s a good fella. Just talks like a crazy man. You just ignore that part. Rahikainen’s a businessman. When you all git hungry, you just put him in charge, he’ll come up with sumpin’. And you’re always gonna be hungry. Have been up to now anyway.’
When they had all said goodbye, they lifted Rokka and Susling into the ambulance. ‘Well, so long, fellas! Suslin’, you better watch out now they don’t go tryin’na separate us in’na transport. I’ll make a real stink if I notice ’em tryin’ anythin’. Gaddamn it! Don’t you put me in like that! I ain’t headin’ out a here feet-first! Uh-huh, well now, that’s just fine.’
The ambulance left. A great shouting emerged from it as it started to move. The medics were being lectured on how to handle the wounded.
‘Same racket he made when he came,’ Vanhala said. He didn’t smile. They were all feeling pretty dispirited. Their group had been stripped of so many members in such a short time. Vanhala, Määttä, Honkajoki and Sihvonen felt as if they’d been orphaned. All around them were strange men.
‘Hietanen, Koskela, Rokka and Susling. Group shrunk all of a sudden,’ Sihvonen said.
‘All of ’em leaders of some sort, except Susling,’ Vanhala said, looking at Määttä. ‘If it keeps on that way, I guess you’re up next, heehee…’
Määttä didn’t answer right away. After a little while he started walking over to another platoon and called back, ‘Doubt the Lord’d bother goin’ after a guy who just happened to end up corporal…’
The morning sun had just risen.
Nervous shooting crackled in the crisp air. A fine mist hovered over the river.
Ensign Jalovaara crawled over to Vanhala. ‘Try to run along that low stretch down there. See that body, the one that’s a Finn?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Their light machine gun is right next to it. There are at least two machine guns in that thicket of fallen trees over there, but their fire can’t reach into the bottom of the low stretch where you’ll be running. Määttä will try to keep them occupied. If you can make it into the trench that way and take the machine guns out of play, the rest is easy.’
Vanhala looked grimly at the hill in front of him. ‘Yeah, I can make it into the trench. Makin’ it out’s another story. Keep that light machine gun quiet.’
‘We’ll follow right behind you and start clearing them out…’ The Ensign looked at Vanhala. ‘If you’d rather not, I can go alone. You can bring the guys in after. I won’t force you to do it.’
‘No, I’ll try. Best to take Asumaniemi and Honkajoki… no more than that. More men won’t be anything but trouble…’
‘All you have to do is take out the machine guns. That’ll open everything up. Honkajoki and Asumaniemi!’
The men crawled over.
‘So here’s the situation. Two or three men need to try to go along that depression and make it to the trench. If we try any other way, it’ll cost us too many men. Vanhala’s going to give it a shot. You guys go along?’
‘I’ll go!’ Asumaniemi said, shooting up his hand like a schoolboy. But Honkajoki said, ‘You’ll have to order me. I would hardly be so bold as to volunteer.’
‘Well, I order you then.’
‘Well, that’s a different story.’
‘So, good luck with it! They have to be pushed back now, boys, that’s all there is to it. If they manage to widen the breach, we’re really going to have our work cut out for us. So, let’s give this a try. At least show them that we’re not going to let them spit in our faces.’
Jalovaara crawled off to the rest of the platoon, leaving the three men to plan their advance.
‘What kind of idiots are they, letting those shitheads get right into the positions! And over the river!’ Asumaniemi swore with manful emphasis, but Vanhala and Honkajoki were silent as they carefully surveyed the foreground. Honkajoki did say, however, as if to restrain the boy, ‘Whoa there! Whoa there! Hold your horses, little bro.’
‘Yeah – you know there are eleven of our guys’ bodies lying over there too, right? They didn’t let it go without a fight,’ Vanhala said.
Since becoming squad leader, Vanhala had started taking things more seriously. To be sure, there was something even in the heavy fighting that stirred his desire to poke fun at it, but responsibility had reined him in somewhat. The corners of his eyes still crinkled with his smile, just as they always had, but his everlasting heehee-ing rang out less frequently now.
The enemy had crossed the river during the night, and under cover of darkness it had succeeded in seizing control of two of their strongholds. The machine-gunners who had been in reserve were assigned to retake them, and so Jalovaara’s platoon was now preparing to take the first. It was to be a surprise attack, with no artillery barrage to soften things up ahead of time. Launching one would have been difficult anyway, as the targets were so close to their own positions. Vanhala, along with Honkajoki and Asumaniemi, had to get into the end of the communication trench that led to the positions. It looked possible, as in between the positions there lay a deep depression, along which they might be able to make it over, if the light machine gun guarding it could be taken out of play. Then the three of them would have to silence the two dangerous machine guns. After that, Jalovaara would be able to get into the positions with the rest of the platoon and start clearing out the enemy.
Vanhala looked at the low stretch for a moment and then said, ‘There’s no telling how it’ll go. Let’s go. No running, huh? It’s too easy for them to spot. Along that heather there, then.’
‘First time in a shock troop.’ Honkajoki tried to smile, without quite succeeding. ‘Quite an undertaking.’
‘Into the river with those shithead Russkis… We’ll pounce like wildcats.’ Asumaniemi shoved a hand grenade into each of his pockets and the others did the same. Vanhala put the drums for the submachine gun where he would be able to reach them easily. Asumaniemi aimed his submachine gun at a tree trunk.
‘Trrrrrt trrt trrrt… trrrt,’ he rolled his tongue, playing like a little boy. He had quite an array of gestures and sound effects, mostly drawn from animated films. He took a hand grenade, pretended to yank the pull ring, and howled, ‘Dist… fiew… oooo… ooo… dong! There she goes and dong! What a sight, boys, neighbors flying through the air!’