During the Great Patriotic War, the sniper Sergeant Platonov, after recovering from his wounds, came to report to the regimental command post on the North-Western Front. Captain Neverov looked at his ID and assigned him to the sniper team.
For the sake of his body, the sniper captain did not assign him a task for the time being. Platonov had to stand by in the shelter. He stepped up his Xi of shooting theory and prepared to show his skills on the battlefield.
Lad!You should take good care of your teacher, because his foot has been injured. On this day, the division commander came to inspect the regiment headquarters. Platonov happened to be passing by, and when he looked at the footprints on the ground, he saw the driver leaning next to the car and smoking, so he bluntly criticized the driver for not doing his duty. The driver was unimpressed, and the two argued.
The two of them were arguing, but the division commander came to them and asked, "Comrade Sergeant, how do you know that my foot is injured?"Platonov replied: Comrade division commander, I have hunted and can recognize everything imprinted on the ground. 』
The division commander was interested and asked him to elaborate. Platonov pointed to the footprints on the ground and said: "The right foot is wide and the footprint is deep, and the left foot is narrow and the footprint is shallow, which proves that your left foot has been injured." The division commander praised his talent very much and decided to transfer him to the reconnaissance platoon.
In the spring of 1942, the troops were preparing for a new offensive. In order to understand the enemy's situation, Platonov was ordered to set out with a reconnaissance team led by Lieutenant Stokalo to go to the enemy's rear to catch the tongue.
The forest was pitch black, full of mud, and it was difficult to walk. As soon as the reconnaissance team crossed the blockade, they saw German sentries walking back and forth near the bunker, keeping a close watch. With a wave of his hand, the lieutenant ordered the troops to move to the left.
The night passed, and nothing was achieved. Storkalo thought to himself: the enemy's headquarters must be found, and it is better to capture an officer. But what about the enemy's headquarters located in **?
What a stretch of footprints!It must have been a group of German soldiers who were hurrying on their way. After a short rest, the scouts set off again. After walking a short distance, you will find many messy footprints on the forest path. These footprints come from the main road on the left, but go into the forest on the left.
They followed the footprints, and sure enough, they found a German barracks on the road. There were a number of cars parked near the house with the symbol of "flying deer", and the lieutenant estimated that this might be the German headquarters.
The lieutenant divided the fighters into two groups and laid an ambush on both sides of the road. After a while, two heavy military vehicles had already driven by, and everyone waited patiently. At this time, Platonov saw a car approaching in the distance through the telescope.
The lieutenant immediately signaled, and the two fighters quickly put a wooden plank full of iron nails into the large pond of the road **.
Soon, the car with the symbol of the flying deer approached the big pond. Only then did the scouts see a German officer with a medal in the car.
Suddenly, there was a pop and the car came to a jerked stop. Apparently, the iron nail punctured the tire. The officer muttered open the door and walked out, telling the driver to hurry up and fix it.
It was too late, but it was too late, and the lieutenant waved his hand: "Action!".The fighters swooped down on the German officers and drivers. The German officer was trying to draw his gun and resist, but was firmly bound. The driver turned to flee and was stabbed to death by a scout.
Before dawn, the scout team returned to the group without incident. The division commander looked at Platonov with satisfaction and said: "Being able to recognize footprints, it seems that you are a very good hunter!"Platonov replied: Yes, comrade division commander. 』
The next day, a team of scout recruits was transferred from the superiors and Platonov was put in charge of training. He carefully explained to everyone how to identify footprints, how to identify directions and other essentials.
You must even reconnoiter the enemy's mine-laying areas and prepare for a flank attack. From the confessions of the prisoners, the superiors received information about the armament of the German front. The division commander personally assigned combat missions, ordered the company commander Kovali to take charge of reconnaissance work and secretly launched an attack on the salient of the German position.
Returning to the company headquarters, Kovali gave the order to prepare for the attack to the communicator Igor, asking him to immediately send it to the platoon commander of the forward platoon, Agabov.
Igor had not gone far when he saw a private postman approaching him, beckoning, saying, "Comrade, wait for me!"Igor did not know him, so he stood vigilantly.
The soldier said eagerly, "Are you a communicator?"Please bring these letters to the forefront. I believe a lot here, and I can't do it alone. Igor hurriedly asked: My name is Igor, do you have my letter?』
The other party thought about it, touched the rucksack and said: Possibly, in this way, let's find a place to take a look... Igor believed it and followed him into the forest...
Since Igor left, until dark, Kovali has not heard back from platoon commander Agabov. He was very uneasy, fearing an accident, so he decided to go to the front line himself.
During the night, the Corvali convoy carrying ammunition and food set out. As he passed the forward positions of the German army, he saw that the enemy was moving his troops, as if he had already prepared. He was taken aback and immediately ordered the troops to move quickly.
It was the attack you ordered me to prepare for. What?Rushing to the front, Kovali saw that the warriors were heavily armed, and all the heavy ** on the position was pointing forward. Knowing that something had happened, he immediately approached Agabov to ask why.
Agapauv took out a piece of paper, and Kovali opened it and read: At four o'clock, your platoon will attack the salient, and the signal for the attack is a row of red flares;You must quickly open up the passage of the enemy's minefield... The attribution is Kovali.
After being silent for a long time, Kovali asked solemnly, "Who sent the official document?"Agapauv replied in surprise: It was the fighter you sent, who said that Igor was wounded and sent to the medical station. 』
You have lost your vigilance and it is a crime. In this battle, you should take action to make up for your mistakes. It became completely clear that the messenger was a German spy lurking behind the Soviet army, who had tampered with the contents of the document. Kovali harshly criticized Agapauv and decided to do what he did, asking Agapauv to feint from the front and attack from the flanks.
At four o'clock in the morning, the fighters began a feint from the front, and the fire of the regimental artillery battalion also fiercely bombarded the German positions.
At the same time, the fighters of the Agapov platoon pounced from the flank, completely disrupting the deployment of the German troops, many enemy ammunition was lost, and the salient of the German position was occupied.
After the battle, Captain Neverov called Platonov and said: "You lead a team to the company commander of Kovali, and you must find out Igor's whereabouts." 』
Platonov asked about Igor's disappearance, and knew that he had left the place yesterday afternoon, so he decided to start by surveying the footprints.
The fighters pulled out of formation and looked all the way in the direction of the forward position. Platonov said to everyone: Be careful, don't miss any clues. 』
Everyone cautiously looked at the ground, and suddenly, Scout Zobarev shouted: "Comrade sergeant, here are two pairs of very messy footprints, and a button!"』
Platonov looked closely and recognized it as a button from a military coat with threads and a torn strip of cloth remaining. Platonov said to everyone: This was torn down by force, which proves that there was a fight here. 』
They followed the footprints and left the path, and finally, in front of a pile of orange leaves, they found a pool of blood and two bullet casings from German pistols.
They continued their search. In a deep pit in the woods, Igor's body was finally found. His purse was tossed aside, and the documents in the bag had been taken. Now the truth is revealed, and everyone begins to hunt down the German spy.
The footprints disappeared for a while, appeared for a while, and finally, the warriors found the remnants of a bonfire in the depths of the forest, proving that the enemy had rested here. As a result, they found a transceiver and a backpack on the top of a large tree, but there was no trace of the enemy!
This pair of footprints is fresher than the other two, and it has not hardened, which indicates that it was taken this morning. And this footprint is exactly the same as the man who killed Igor. Platonov carefully examined the surrounding traces and proved that there were three German spies. He was sure that two of them would go first, leaving one that morning.
Platonov divided the scouts into three groups. One group remained in place and laid an ambush;The other group went after the two spies;He himself took two fighters to hunt down the ** who killed Igor.
On the road leading to the regimental headquarters, Platonov and they saw the head of the cooking squad of the regimental headquarters passing by in a horse-drawn carriage, and next to him sat an air force lieutenant. The squad leader said hello to the scouts and drove away in the carriage.
The footprints led them to the regimental kitchen. Platonov asked the cook: Have any strangers come?The cook replied, "An Air Force lieutenant and squad leader have come. It dawned on Platonov that the Air Force lieutenant in the carriage was a spy in disguise.
They hurried to the carriage, only to see the cooking squad leader sitting alone in the carriage. Platonov hurriedly asked: German spies got off the car in **?The squad leader replied in surprise: What, spy?He would have gotten out of the car a long time ago!』
In the evening, the scouts returned to the regimental headquarters one after another, one by one sullen. It turned out that the spy found out that he was being followed and ran over the line. Neverov encouraged: Don't be discouraged, this defeat is a good exercise for everyone, we will have a chance to catch them. 』
One night a few days later, the warrior Fumshkin was on duty on the bridge over the Lovach River. Suddenly, he saw a suspicious-looking plane, spun around in the air, threw out a parachute, and then flew away in a hurry.
The scouts immediately went out and surrounded the accident site. Platonov found a mass of parachutes in a broken shelter. But strangely, there are no shoe prints on the ground, only some cow hoof prints.
Platonov saw the problem at a glance: the heel of the hoof print was deeper than the front, and the imprints did not overlap like the hoof. Apparently, it was the enemy wearing boots with bull's hooves on the back, trying to deceive the scouts.
The spy ran away from here by changing into boots. The warriors searched forward, the ground was covered with fallen leaves, and the hoof prints of the cows were gone. Undeterred, the fighters finally found a pair of special boots with cow hooves in a large crater.
In the dense bushes, the parachutist was turning on a telegraph to send a message to the Germans, but the soldiers surrounded him unwittingly and unknowingly.
No sooner had he put on his headphones than the scouts' guns were aimed at his chest. Platonov recognized him as the spy posing as an Air Force lieutenant and said mockingly: "Cow's hooves won't help you!".』
During the interrogation, the spy confessed that the Germans were secretly adding new troops;It is also said that in the rear of the German army, in the village of Pollock, twelve more spies were trained and prepared to be airdropped to the rear of the Soviet army.
The division commander felt that the situation was serious, pondered for a while, and said: "We must destroy the snake's nest before it can crawl." Platonov asked to dive to the rear to reconnoitre, and the division commander thought about it and agreed.
First, it is necessary to ascertain the enemy's strength and movementsSecond, we should try to eliminate espionage. The division commander divided the scouts into two groups, and Platonov led a group with an airdrop to the village of Pollock;Lieutenant Sukhov led another group through the line of defense by land to find out what was going on with the German troops.
Before leaving, the soldier Ataev said goodbye to his old comrade-in-arms Uginov and said: We are going to the village of Pollock and get rid of the birds that want to fly over. Unexpectedly, these words were eavesdropped by enemy spies.
In the evening, the reconnaissance group set off. Platonov and the others boarded the night plane, passed through the defensive line and flew straight towards the village of Pollock.
Everything is fine, report back tomorrow morning at 6 o'clock. They landed without a hitch. As soon as the cover was ready, Platonov immediately sent a report to the division headquarters.
As soon as the division commander received the telegram, the operator intercepted a secret message sent by a German spy, which read: Tonight, a group of Soviet scouts will be thrown into the village of Pollock... Twenty-two. The division commander was startled, but it was too late to inform Platonov.
Speaking of Platonov's group, in order to shorten the distance, they hurried through the swamps and forests to the village of Pollock.
No hostile information was found along the way. As they approached the road, several German cars, escorted by motorcycles in front and behind, suddenly drove rapidly in the direction of the village of Pollock.
After the enemy vehicles drove away, Platonov set up a guard post and went to the highway to check. He saw that the road was covered with ruts of cars, tanks, and artillery trucks, and many footprints, all in the direction of the front line.
In the forest, they found the place where the enemy was camping, surrounded by a extinguished bonfire, and shredded paper and empty cans were thrown on the ground. Platonov thought: It seems that the morale of the enemy is very low, and we need to act quickly.
Platonov immediately informed Lieutenant Sukhov of what he had seen on the road in code, asking them to quickly reconnoitre.
The scouts then began to advance towards the village of Pollock. A short walk was made when a small river blocked the way. German sentries were on duty on the bridge, and an armored transporter was parked next to the bridge. Platonov felt that time was pressed and decided to try to cross the river.
He told everyone to hide first, and climbed to a large tree to observe, and saw that in the distance along the river, the vegetation was luxuriant, and he concluded that the riverbed in that area was a shallow beach that could be crossed.
The fighters quietly moved to the vicinity of the shoal, and Platonov set up a cordon, agreeing on a meeting place. So, the scouts went into the water in groups of two and waded towards the opposite shore.
Be careful to find out the way in and out and the enemy. After a walk ashore, the village of Pollock appeared in front. Platonov observed for a while and saw that there was no movement in the village. Out of an abundance of caution, he ordered Schopper and Atayev to sneak into the village to reconnoitre.
They entered the village, and hid themselves in the grass, and there was silence all around, and there was not even a single figure, and they were puzzled. At this moment, Schopper turned his head and suddenly found a machine gun pointed at them in the wall of a wooden house.
Knowing that they had been ambushed by the enemy, they were trying to get out when suddenly a burst of gunfire and a group of German soldiers pounced on them from behind the trees. Schopper shouted: * Two submachine guns hit the enemy fiercely.
At this time, the German soldiers who were in ambush in the village also rushed out, and Schopper turned around and swept away, and the enemy lay down, and slowly surrounded them from both sides, and the enemy tried to capture them alive.
The situation was very critical, and Schopper flashed a thought: break out immediately!He shouted to Atyev: Run into the forest, I'll cover!Atayev did not want to leave first and continued to shoot.
Schopper was in a hurry, and he said sternly: I order you to run into the forest!Atayev had no choice but to obey. He glanced at Schopper, jumped up and ran towards the forest.
When Atayev ran into the forest, Schopper ran desperately into the village, and a dozen German soldiers chased after him while firing guns.
He rushed into the village, made a quick turn, and suddenly stepped into the air with both feet and fell into a hole. He was about to climb up, but he felt a sharp pain in his right foot, and knew that he was injured. He turned around and aimed his gun at the hole, ready for a final desperate resistance.
Here, Platonov received a telegram from the division headquarters, saying: The Germans are waiting for you in Polok, leave the place immediately. At this time, the guard sentry rushed to report: There are gunshots in the village. 』
Platonov: They immediately moved to the pre-agreed meeting place. Everyone was worried about Skibba and Atyev. After a while, there was a rustling sound in the woods, and after a while, Schopper appeared in front of everyone with a stick.
Everyone gathered around Schopper and asked. It turned out that after Schobar fell into the hole, he escaped the enemy's search. In the evening, when the enemy left the village, he easily crawled out and, according to the marks left behind, found the meeting place.
Platonov immediately reported to the division headquarters by radio. The division headquarters called back and said: "You immediately find out the direction of the German transfer, and Lieutenant Sukhov's reconnaissance group will come to meet you." 』
They entered the village and, following the footprints and car marks on the road, touched the vicinity of the German headquarters.
In the distance, tents were set up in the forest, and the enemy was busy loading and unloading ammunition. At the back of the barracks, dozens of men in civilian clothes practiced Xi target shooting. Platonov concluded that this was the German spy who was going to be airdropped.
In the evening, they joined up with Lieutenant Sukhov's reconnaissance group.
After discussion, they decided to first cut off the enemy's communication, block the way out of the barracks, and then outflank the raid in two ways, and at twelve o'clock sharp, Sukhov gave the order to attack.
Platonov led his troops into the enemy camp and launched a fierce attack on the enemy, and the Germans woke up from their sleep, panicked and frightened.
The battle was soon over. The scouts captured many captives and spies and completely destroyed the enemy's secret barracks.
In the early morning, the golden sun rose in the east, and the scouts, carrying the corpse of Ataev and the prisoners, passed through the line and smoothly returned to their forward positions.