Hale slipped the PPD 34 onto his left shoulder, and pulled his rifle off his right. Now armed with a loaded weapon, he peered around the tree. The young Finnish sniper immediately spotted at least a dozen different Soviets in full flight from the village. He raised his rifle and began taking shots at the fleeing men. One by one, with the occasional miss, he cut down the retreating invaders. Panic intensified as the fleeing soldiers quickly realized that they were now taking fire from the west as well as from the village to the north.
When his rifle let out a metal ping, informing him that his magazine had been spent, Hale slipped behind the tree once again cover. Protected from the enemies’ return fire, he grimaced at the intense pain his wounded shoulder was emitting. He glanced down at his shoulder, a small blood stain had become visible on his white great coat, That can’t be good, but I must continue fighting.
Nearby, several Russian officers realized the shift in behavior of their fleeing men and noticed the new direction that they were taking fire from. Having held an entire battalion in reserve, the Soviet brigade commander, Colonel Ivkin, decided to put his three hundred men to good use. Especially since they would not be required to press home the attack on Kivennapa. Turning to his aide he ordered, “Prikazat’ lyudyam atakovat na zapad k finskoy linil tam!”
The aide nodded at the order, turned around and made eye contact with the reserve battalion’s commanding officer, a major, pointed in the direction of Maki and Hale, and blew his whistle.
The Major drew his pistol, turned to his men, and pointed in the direction of Hale and Maki with the weapon as he screamed, “Ataka!”
The men let out a fierce roar and charged toward the two Finns. Maki, a brand-new magazine in his PPD 34, emerged from behind the tree he had been using as cover and emptied the clip into the densely packed Russians as they charged.
As the Lieutenant cut down at least two dozen of the enemy, Hale emerged from his own hiding place. He selectively used his rifle to take out several Russians that had stopped rushing forward and were taking aim at Maki with their rifles. As soon as Maki expended his clip, he slipped back behind the tree into cover. As Maki ejected his second clip, and slammed the third and last one home, Hale continued to rapidly kill the enemy with his Mosin-Nagant.
With Maki out of sight, the advancing battalion forgot that he existed and turned their ire toward Hale. As bullets began buzzing through the air and striking the trees all around Hale, the young sniper was forced to take cover behind a tree. As Hale disappeared from sight, Maki emerged from his hiding place and laid down fire once. The Soviet advanced stalled momentarily under Maki’s withering fire. Unfortunately for the Finns, the Russians, were better prepared for Maki’s sudden appearance. They instantly reacted to the fresh attack by diving for the ground and seeking the whatever cover the frozen forest could provide. As a result, the Finnish officer was only able to wound about a dozen of the enemy soldiers.
The moment Maki’s clip was expended the Russians roared and charged toward him, firing as they came. Once again, the Finnish Lieutenant was forced to seek cover as dozens of bullets slammed into the tree he was using for cover. The Russians, intent on taking down the man who had killed so many of their comrades, ignored Hale’s efforts with his rifle to stem the tide rushing toward his commanding officer.
Hale’s mind raced, They’re going to reach Maki! As the advancing line drew within fifty feet of Maki’s position, Hale began to throw his grenades at the charging Soviets. One after another the grenades detonated sending shrapnel and death buzzing through the frigid forest.
The Russians that weren’t immediately killed by the explosions or were cut down by the shrapnel, dove to the ground seeking cover from this new attack. Several of them noticed Hale ducking back behind a tree and screamed in outrage. Overwhelmed by the urge to avenge their fallen comrades, they leapt to their feet and charged toward the young Finn.
Desperate to stop the onslaught, Hale started shooting at the advancing horde with his rifle. He worked the bolt of his rifle as quickly as humanly possible; it was not nearly enough. Maki, now free to act thanks to Hale, and desperate to help his subordinate, drew his pistol. He rapidly emptied the clip into the backs of the advancing Russians. He was rewarded with a red-hot fiery pain that slammed into him, knocking him over.
Out of the corner of his eye, Hale saw Maki go down. Expending the magazine on his rifle, he dropped the weapon to the ground and drew his own pistol to make a final stand against the oncoming horde, There’s just too many!
Hale pulled the slide back on his luger, took a deep breath, and peered around the tree. A dozen Russians, their faces red with rage, charged toward him less than ten feet away. I’m going to die. God please keep my family and Nea safe.
As he made his mental prayer, Hale stepped out from behind the tree, raised his pistol at the approaching Russians, and fired in rapid succession. Luckily for him, the squad of enemy soldiers was so close to him, that those further back, couldn’t get a clean shot at him. He emptied his pistol into the advancing squad of enemy soldiers. The luger just wasn’t fast enough to stem the tide.
The first Russian to reach him, was a six-foot-tall brute with broad shoulders. The brute, flung himself through the air at Hale. The Finnish sniper tried to swing his pistol toward the left to shoot the large Russian, it was too late. Hale was knocked flat and dropped his pistol as the big man crashed into him. As Hale’s back struck the hard-frozen earth, the air in his lungs was squeezed out of him, leaving him breathless.
Gasping for air Hale gazed up into the eyes of the enraged enemy soldier, who now lay on top of him brandishing a knife. The Russian, who was missing several teeth, smiled down at him for a long moment before he raised the blade above his head with both hands. The Russian was clearly moving to plunge the ten-inch blade into Hale as has hard as he could. Hale, powerless to stop the large Russian, closed his eyes waiting for the blow that would end his life. Nea, I’m sorry I won’t be coming back to you like I promised.
Hale’s thoughts drifted back to the final moment they were together. He had just hugged his family goodbye. Following Finnish custom, they turned away from Hale to give him a private moment with Nea, but remained on the train station platform a few feet away. Turning to Nea, Hale pulled her into an embrace, they were both crying. Stepping back, she looked up at him with her emerald orbs and said, “Promise me you will come back to me. I can’t imagine a life without you.”
Guilt flooded Hale’s heart. He tried to fight the emotion that was overwhelming his mind. Stop it! You have no choice. Only cowards avoid their duty. Outwardly he smiled down at the girl he grew up with, and the woman he had fallen in love with, “I will my love. The entire Red Army cannot keep me from you. Even if I have to kill a hundred of them with my bare hands, I will come home to you.
The sound of automatic weapons fire registered in Hale’s ears jerking him out of his memory. He kept his eyes firmly shut waiting for the pain that would signal the end of his life and the breaking of his promise. It never came.
Confused he opened his eyes. The large Russian soldier still lay atop him, his immense bulk continuing to pin Hale to the ground. The green clad soldier had dropped the knife and was now clutching his chest as blood poured through his fingers.
Hale, pushed the dying Russian off and snatched up the man’s knife. He drew the blade across the dying brute’s throat to finish him off. He then picked up the dead man’s loaded rifle and looked about. The entire squad of enemy soldiers that had overrun his position was down on the ground bleeding. Their moans of pain filled his ears.
In shock from the sudden turn of events, Hale just stood there numbly for several moments. A voice startled the stunned Finn and brought him back the horrible reality around him, “Stop fucking around and get moving. This will only hold them for a moment.”
Obeying the command, Hale, picked up his own rifle and slung it on his back. Keeping the loaded Russian rifle in his hands, he turned and ran toward the
voice as best he could. Between his injured shoulder, the two weapons on his back, and a third in his arms, he was weighed down and made slow progress toward the voice.
The exhausted and injured sniper, moved as quickly as he could manage through the snow toward the sound of the voice he had heard. As he ran, his ears registered the click of a magazine being slammed into place. Then a man, dressed as Hale in a white overcoat, and white trousers, emerged from behind the cover of a tree.
Recognizing the man Hale exclaimed, “Omni!”
The older man smiled, “It’s good to see you to. Where’s Maki?”
Hale stopped and pointed toward the spot where he had seen his commanding officer go down, “Over there. I think he’s been hit.”
Suddenly a chorus of war cries erupted from the village and a platoon of Finns emerged from the fire and smoke screaming and firing as they came. This caused the nearby Russians, who were busy regrouping for another attack against Hale, to lose their nerve, break and run to the south toward home.
A short time later, a pair of men, dressed as Hale and Omni, suddenly appeared. The one on the left, barked, “Hands up!”
Hale and Omni obeyed the command, dropped their weapons, and raised their hands. Omni smiled and said, “We’re on your side.”
“Who are you?” The man on the left, he had the three stripes of a sergeant on the gray shoulder epaulettes of his white overcoat demanded.
“We’re snipers with Lieutenant Maki’s squad.” Omni replied.
The corners of the Sergeant’s mouth started to turn upward, before he caught himself and demanded, “How do I know you aren’t Russian spies dressed as Finns?”
“The phrase of the day is, “Stalin’s silk panties.”
The Finnish soldier standing on the Sergeant’s right, a private, burst into laughter at the phrase. The older man cast him a glare which caused the young soldier to abruptly cut his laughter off. He then turned to the two snipers and said, “It is indeed. Do you require assistance?”
“Yes, our Lieutenant is about fifty feet that way,” Hale pointed. “He’s been hurt.”
The Sergeant craned his neck toward Kivennapa and bellowed, “Medic!” He turned back toward the two snipers and said, “Go to your Lieutenant, I’ve got to continue leading my squad forward, we’re trying to break these bastards up with a counter attack and send them scurrying back to Comrade Stalin.”
“God go with you.” Omni replied.
The two soldiers dug their ski poles into the snow and began moving toward the fleeing Russians. Omni turned to Hale and said, “Reload all of your weapons in case they are unsuccessful in driving those Red fuckers off.”
Hale, exhausted, collapsed to the earth. He pulled his thick gloves off, exposing his fingers to the cold. The young Finn started the process by ejecting the clip on his pistol, the Luger, and refilled the empty magazine. His fingers quickly grew numb in the sub-zero conditions as he painfully pushed bullet after bullet into the magazine. Finished, he slammed the cold metal home into the stock of the gun. Next, he turned to his empty rifle magazines. As he worked Omni changed the magazine on his PPD 34 and made his way over to Maki.
As soon as Hale had completed reloading all of his weapons, he made his way over to his fallen Lieutenant. Omni was down on his knees holding Maki’s hand. Maki, seeing movement out of the corner of his eyes, turned to Hale and said, “There you are. I’m glad you made it. You’ve got to keep your promise to Nea after all.”
Hale’s eyes widened, “How did you know about that?”
Maki began to chuckle but his laugh was interrupted by a cough. Spitting up blood he looked up at Hale and said, “We all make that promise.” He closed his eyes for a long moment before they fluttered open, “I’m so cold.”
Omni gripped the young officer’s hand, “You’ll be warm soon lad, a medic is coming.”
Hale took Maki’s other hand and said, “Sir don’t leave us. We need you.” He paused to fight back tears, “I need you. You saved my life.” As he said the last sentence his voice trailed off into tears.
Maki’s smiled up at Hale. Blood stained his teeth. He squeezed his subordinates’ hand with his fading strength, “We saved each other. It’s what comrades in arms are supposed to do.” He was interrupted by another long cough and then added, “Did we save the village?”
“Yes, Kivennapa is still in our hands. Though there isn’t that much of the actual village left. A platoon has counter attacked and driven the invader off.” Hale replied.
Maki smiled up at Hale and said, “Good, then it was worth it.
Maki’s body shuddered, and he let out a final gasp of pain, and then forever lay still. Hale looked into the unblinking eyes of his dead commander. Unmoving, they stared up into the blue gray sky shrouded in the golden light of the setting sun. With tears running down his cheeks, that quickly turned to ice in the frigid air, Hale gently shut his friend’s eyes for the last time.
A voice from behind Hale and Omni said, “I’m sorry.”
Hale, looked in the direction of the voice. A man wearing the gray of a regular army soldier of Finland looked down at the pair. Instead of a rifle, he had a leather satchel with a large red cross slung over his shoulder that rested on his left hip, and no rifle. He also wore a white arm band around his right bicep with a red cross emblazoned upon it.
“Where can we take him so that he gets sent home?” Omni asked.
“North of the village. There is an aid station there.” The medic replied.
Omni nodded dully in response. Turning to Hale he said, “Help me with him.”
Together the two men lifted Maki’s cooling corpse up. As they did so Hale winced in pain, “What’s wrong?” Omni asked.
“My shoulder was injured a few days ago.” Hale replied.
“Let me get a look at it.” The medic said.
“You’re bleeding! I can take care of Maki, you let him check that shoulder. I’ll see you at the aid station as soon as you can manage.” Omni said.
“I can help.” Hale said.
“Nonsense, you’re hurt. Let the medic patch you up.” Omni said.
Omni hefted Maki’s corpse over his left shoulder and began walking slowly toward the smoldering remains of the village.
“Unbutton your coat and let me have a look at that shoulder private.” The medic, a Corporal as indicated by the two stripes on his epaulettes of his coat, ordered.
“Yes sir.” Hale replied.
He unbuttoned the top four buttons of his overcoat and winced as he pulled his right arm out of the sleeve. “Take your shirt off too, I need to see the wound.” The medic said.
Hale nodded dully and did as he was told. The moment his bare skin was exposed to the air, the hair on his body stood up on end and goosebumps formed. The medic poked and prodded the wound causing Hale to cry out in pain.
“Sorry, I had to check it. The wound isn’t infected. You need to take at least few days to let it heal though. It looks like you have reopened it several times. Luckily for you, you’ve kept it clean.” The medic said.
Hale let out a bitter laugh, “There’s a war on, I haven’t exactly had time to take a holiday.”
The medic placed a hand on Hale’s uninjured shoulder and squeezed it, “I know, you have done what you must to save our country.” His eyes briefly alighted on the corpse of Maki being carried away by Omni. “But if you don’t get some rest, you won’t be any good to us much longer. If you don’t give yourself some time to heal, this wound will become infected. Then no matter how strong you are, you’ll die in a pool of your own sweat.”
Hale, nodded in acknowledgement and said, “All right. Where do I go?”
“Follow your friend to the aid station north of the village. The doctor there will diagnose you. With luck, if you’re from Karelia, you’ll get to go home for a few days.”
Hale’s shoulders slumped, Home! “I’ll do as you say Corporal.”
The medic smiled, “I thought you might. I’ve got to kee
p moving with the counterattack to treat our casualties. I’m officially ordering you to the aid station. There the doctor will make sure that you are sent north so you can recuperate. You’ve earned the rest soldier.”
Hale smiled faintly at the Corporal and turned toward the village. No longer caring about the battle, he dropped his newly captured Russian rifle on the ground and began walking in the direct of Kivennapa. Through the fuzz of his exhaustion and pain, his mind started to race as he walked.
What would it be like to see his family again? To see Nea? His thoughts were interrupted by shooting pain in his shoulder. The killing, it’s changed me so much. Will they accept me or will they despise me for all of the butchery I’ve committed?
Hale’s thoughts were interrupted as his eyes registered the smoldering hulk of a T-28. The smell of cooked flesh filled his nostrils as tendrils of flame snapped and danced from the open hatches of the green metal beast. As he reached the front of the vehicle, his eyes took in a grisly sight. The charred remains of one of the crew members lay half out of a hatch in the top of the tank. Black smoke billowed out from the opening and circled lazily into the sky.
As he moved past the tank a voice said, “Don’t come any further.”
Hale looked toward the sound of the voice that came from the direction of the village. His eyes teared up as he tried to see through the clouds of smoke, “Why?” He replied, “I’ve been ordered to the aid station.”
“Mines. Stay where you are at. Private Rinehart, escort this young man through the mine field.”
A younger less confident sounding voice responded with a, “Yes sir.”
Hale stood there for about a minute. His shoulder hurt, his stomach churned from the stench of burnt flesh, and his body trembled slightly with exhaustion. The adrenaline from the recent battle was leaving him and being replaced with an overwhelming wave of exhaustion.
A strong hand grasped his right arm and he winced in pain, “Sorry.” Private Reinhart said.
Hale gave the man, who was about the same age as himself, a dull smile, “It’s my shoulder, I was stabbed.”
The Winter Sniper Page 15