The Unit
Lt. Tanya Pavelona woke up from her nap. She was being driven to the front lines at Kursk after months of recovery, after a Panzer caused the building she was in to collapse, she was lucky, being only wounded in the leg, her spotter, Alexandr Sokalov had carried her on a stretcher back to headquarters. She then had to survive months in a hospital under siege in Stalingrad, under she was taken back across the Volga. The medics had then put her on a train to Moscow for her to finish her recovery. Tanya had spent months in Moscow trying to regain the use of her leg. In May she had finished her recovery but was given additional leave time. It was there she was decorated by Nikita Khrushchev himself for her actions at Stalingrad receiving the Order of the Red Star. Privately Khrushchev had asked her to take a command as a company officer instead of sniping. Tanya had been reluctant given that she had always been a sniper in the war, Khrushchev said that the Red Army needed quality officers in the ranks in order for the offensive to take back the Motherland to be successful. Tanya agreed under one condition, that she could keep her rifle. Given the Soviet system technically the state owned it, by Khrushchev let it go. Tanya was now heading to the front to take command of her new troops. Tanya got out from the Gaz-67 she had been in and got into the trenches. She was greeted by her old spotter Alexandr Sokolov, now a Sergeant. "Tanya it's good to see you again" he said. Tanya allowed herself to smile. "Yes Comrade it is. I see we're moving up aren't we" noting Alexandr's new rank. "Yes", he answered. "Is everyone else here?" she asked. He nodded. They stood up, young most of them, new raw recruits sent into the cruicible of war. A few veterans like Sokolov. Tanya put down her rifle. "They let you keep it", Alexandr noted with surprise. "In case in need to hunt Germans again." Tanya smiled. She reviewed her troops most were unshaven, and unarmed. "We're still having weapon supply problems?" Tanya asked surprised that a frontline unit would be ill equiped. "Yes, however it is much less than at Stalingrad." "One man takes a rifle..." Tanya mused. She then addressed her new unit. "First things first, my name is Lt. Tanya Pavelona, a former sniper. I have been asked by the highest authority to assume command here, so to maintain discipline and leadership, where it is strictly lacking. While I am loual to the state, I have no illusions of the terrible predictament we face, my family was taken by the war already. But vengance can wait. We now must liberate out Motherland before the Germans ravage it further. However we are ill equiped, ill disciplined. What we lack in those areas have much in coruage and determination. As far as rules, I will shoot a man who retreats without my orders. I will ask each and everyone of you to preform according to his abilities in battle, and for simplifcation purposes, you can call me Tanya. By the time you shout Lieutenant or Pavelona you're probably already dead. Are we understood?" "Yes Tanya the group rang out. An hour later, however things got tense, as another new arrival reached the front. Comissar Letlev was noted for his brutality. Tanya, had misgivings on the use of such men in the Red Army. They could inspire people to fight, but could instill fear which had an ill effect on morale. It is much easier to inspire a man to fight, than force him too. Letlev, came into the trench, saluted Tanya, and addressed the troops. It was the usual why are we fighting speech Tanya had heard over and over again at Stalingrad. It wasn't that she believed in what the man said, she too had lost a family by the Germans, but she didn't trust the comissars ability to fight in the middle of battle, they were not soldiers. After Letlev finished his remarks, Tanya got up, "tomorrow the Germans will launch an offensive comrades, if we hold them back we can, ppush them back to Berlin. Be on guard tomorrow, and watch each other. Understood?" With that Tanya went back into her dugout and fell asleep, she had a big day ahead of her.