‘No,’ a weak voice said from over his shoulder. They were already at the edge of the positions when a crash came from the opposite bank. The men dived headlong for the ditch and, just as he leapt, Rokka howled, ‘Gaddamn it!’
The others lifted Susling from his shoulders. Susling kept repeating over and over again, ‘Antti … it hit you … I heard … you’re hit.’
‘I know … left shoulder … Gaddamn it that hurts.’
They huffed and puffed, and sneezed out water. The medics from the Border Patrol Jaeger Company started binding Rokka and Susling’s wounds. Susling’s wound was bleeding profusely, but it wasn’t dangerous. The bullet had torn through his side, but just at the surface. Rokka’s shoulder, on the other hand, was worse. The bone had obviously been crushed, and when the medic ripped his shirt and moved his arm, Rokka erupted into a litany of curses and his face twisted into pained contortions.
‘Gaddamn it … my shoulder, damn it! See, fellas, you see how it’s bleedin’?’
Vanhala sneezed and coughed, ‘Boys, take a look at this boot! Nearly got me …’
‘Boot nothin’! Just look at my shoulder!’
‘Wouldn’t have taken much. Went right there and right there. Look, guys!’
‘Naw, see here! Who took it worse here, huh? Boot … Just look at my shoulder! Gaddamn it that hurts! If I wasn’t in such pain, I’d laugh. I saw Sankia Priha the Great crawl up outta that crick. I even thought, damn, even you ain’t laughin’ this time!’
‘Heeheehee … brutal fighting as our boys pull out … heeheehee. That’ll wipe a smile off your face all right, heeheehee. But you should’ve seen the glob of snot that came out my nose when I blew it! Heeheehee … But I sucked ’im back up in there where he belongs, heeheehee. Oughtta get a Swimming Cup for that. I mean, we earned it all right.’
Then Rokka remembered the Ensign. He had rushed off to organize the men who had crossed the river first so they could offer support for the Jaegers, as he was afraid the enemy might try to take the same route across. But the enemy stayed on its own side, and the Ensign calmed down.
‘Lissen, Ensign!’ Rokka yelled to him.
‘You badly hurt?’ Jalovaara asked, coming over.
‘Shoulder, damn it. You, you are a curious character.’ Rokka looked at the Ensign for a long time waiting to see his expression.
The Ensign smiled perfectly calmly, however, and said, ‘I was. But I’ve learned my lesson.’
‘You believe me now that we swam?’
‘Can’t deny it. At least not until I put on some dry clothes.’ The Ensign was so calm that Rokka let up right away. He had just wanted to make sure that the Ensign believed him now. He let the issue drop, and Jalovaara started rounding up the platoon to take them further behind the positions, as they were being put on a break. As they headed back, they carried Rokka and Susling to the side of the road to wait for the ambulances. Rokka cursed away on his stretcher, lecturing the others in between his howls of pain. ‘Now, did I really have to live to see the day you fellas’d be carryin’ me round like a cripple? I ain’t never needed help from nobody! But gaddamn it that shoulder burns like hell. How you doin,’ Suslin’?’
‘Better when I ain’t movin’.’
‘You fellas know where Antti Rokka’s goin’? To Lydia. I’m gonna have to count the youngsters to see if we got more of ’em now … Damn it! I ain’t seen’na littlest fella but that one time on leave. The missus’ old man had’da take care a gittin’na family all evacuated. I’m gonna make him up a good barrel a home brew … Antti’s wars’s done. Guess we’ll just see how things go with the arm here.’
‘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 …’
III
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!’
The corners of Vanhala’s eyes crinkled as he grinned, ‘Assuming we get to the throwing part.’
‘And assuming you know how to throw,’ said Honkajoki.
‘You bums have no idea how far I can hurl ’em. Year before last I got my teacher right in the forehand with my slingshot at school. That’s my best distance one yet.’
‘Heeheehee …’
‘Oh, I was in for it after that. Well, actually it wasn’t exactly for that. The gum was smuggled from Sweden – the guys bootlegged it. Well, actually I bootlegged it. But that wasn’t the real reason either. We bought booze with the dough we made and they caught us …’
Vanhala looked at Asumaniemi with indulgent interest. The boy had the makings of just about anything in him. He was troubled by a sort of aimless restlessness. At no moment were all the parts of his body still. His eyes were constantly hunting down something new to look at. He operated on almost no sleep at all, yet he never showed any signs of fatigue. He just craved action and made it clear that he enjoyed danger.
‘You’ll end up in officer training once you’re out of grade school,’ Vanhala said.
‘I’m not ending up in any school. I’m gonna be promoted straight off. There’s no way I’m going to any school any more.’
Vanhala looked at his watch. ‘Eight minutes.’
‘Couldn’t we just go earlier? Why do we hafta wait for the group? The three of us can take care of it ourselves.’
Honkajoki rolled his eyes. ‘Let’s go home, Priha … The boy can take care of the rest.’
‘Well, yeah, if you want! I can go on my own.’
IV
Jalovaara lay behind a tree. Time was passing slowly. The platoon was ready, but they had to wait for the appointed time. The Ensign looked at the low stretch along which the shock troop was supposed to advance. He would have liked to have led it himself, but there was no one he could leave in charge of the platoon. Määttä couldn’t manage big groups, as, despite his bravery, he had no ability to get other men moving. He would head out in front himself, but he wouldn’t open his mouth, and the others wouldn’t follow. How desperately they needed Rokka now. The quality of the men just kept deteriorating. The replacements called out of the reserves were useless, and the new recruits born in ’25 were too young and inexperienced. They were often brave, even eager, but it would be weeks before they were fully fledged soldiers.
The past two weeks had changed Jalovaara a great deal. It wasn’t just that he had grown thinner and sprouted a beard, his entire attitude had fundamentally altered. He wasn’t strict any more, as he had originally intended to be, but he had a quiet strength. He was friendly and unpretentious in his dealings with the men. He treated all members of his platoon as his equals. For the past two weeks they had been fighting tough defensive battles in the positions beside the river, and during that time Jalovaara had matured into an officer that the recently promoted Major Lammio could entrust with the most difficult assignments. The battalion had held steadfast to its position, but the fog and darkness of the previous evening had helped the enemy, enabling them to take control of those two key emplacements. The event, however, did provide some evidence of the men’s improved fighting spirit. The Second Company, who had been defending the positions, had only given them up after a bloody, hand-to-hand struggle in the dark. Eleven men from the Second Company’s already sparse Third Platoon were lying back at one of the positions.
‘We have to take it back. We have to hold on to those positions. Even if it means we die here.’ A desperate, bitter defiance surged up in Jalovaara. He knew now that they had lost the war. There could hardly be any doubt about that. But there would be no laughing just yet. Never before had Jalovaara hated the enemy as he did now, with defeat staring him in the face. The
y were enjoying their victory, making a mockery of everything that was dear to him. No. If everything goes, then we go down with it, fighting like beasts of prey.
Jalovaara got the enemy in the sight of his light machine gun. The men were camouflaged, of course, but they gave themselves away. His shot would announce the attack.
He pressed the trigger.
The clatter of tens of weapons descended in one moment. Määttä’s machine gun quickly joined in, its even, constant hammering cutting through the sundry shooting of the others.
The Ensign spotted Vanhala crawling forward. He had to keep firing continually, though, so he could only follow the action out of the corner of his eye. He did manage to catch a glimpse of Asumaniemi blowing by Vanhala, running practically upright with his rifle blasting away under his arm.
The boy had started crawling behind Vanhala, but when the whistling bullets started raining down around his ears, he rose to his feet and started sprinting forward. That was where he lost his cap. Its showy angle was too steep, and any sudden movement was liable to send it flying.
When Vanhala saw him, he stood up as well. Almost without thinking, he realized that Asumaniemi’s bold sprint had made hiding impossible, and that nothing but speed was going to help them now. Pi phiew. Phiew phiew phiew phiew phiew.
Holding his breath, Vanhala sprinted the forty yards standing between himself and the end of the communication trench. Angry squeals followed him as he ran, and he was conscious of being in a gun-sight the whole time. He hadn’t had time to see where Honkajoki was.
The communication trench began as a low ditch and continued on that way for some distance. The ditch was unmanned, but it was under fire. Vanhala dived to the bottom of it, nearly butting his head up against the heel of Asumaniemi’s boot. Then he glanced backwards and saw that Honkajoki hadn’t followed at all.