"The year is 1943, A bitter January winter in Stalingrad, months of bitter fighting after the death of General Veers and we're still trying to take Stalingrad, but it is a slow journey.
Pockets of resistance between us and the Germans haven't slowed down their attempts to drive us away from this city.
German tanks roam the streets with their patrols, for every soviet soldier they kill, we kill 20 of theirs.
Playing hide and seek with the fascists is never fun."
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Chapter 7:
January 18th 1943
Stalingrad, Russia
"Several months since Stalingrad had been invaded by the Fascists, myself and my brother-in-arms Dima had been fighting the fascists in brutal urban combat, the battle lines dissolved as the winter settled in, we were no strangers to cold, but even now the blood in our veins still chills everyday we're fighting.
Veronique, our leader, has fought with us, she holds a great amount of respect for our comrades often lighting a small fire and toasting to the dead.
My beautiful Tatiana fights with a fury that makes Mother Russia proud to have soldiers like her fighting in the war.
Dima, my loyal friend, my brother. He is the compass that makes up our team, the four of us together only want to see a peaceful world, to stop all the fighting that has happened over the last few years.
When I think about it, team isn't the right word, it's more than a team, it's a family."
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A bitter snowstorm flooded over the apartment building where Dima, Veronique, Vasili and Tatiana were held up in.
Dima was sitting down over a fire with a pot of coffee over a small tray. His weapon was up against the wall and the curtains drawn shut to keep their position concealed from German patrols or enemy snipers.
Looking over at Veronique who was cleaning her PPSH-41, she had inspected each piece of machinery very carefully and she was just reassembling the weapon, her years of training in weapons maintenance had not been forgotten since she was a young girl.
Dima then said, "It doesn't look to be lifting." "The snowstorm?" Veronique said.
"Yes, it doesn't look like it's lifting." Dima said looking over at Veronique. Veronique said, "Reminds me of winters I spent in Canada. My relative on my father's side had a cabin there. Snow was very deep there."
"Sounds like my version of winter, I used to go hunting with my father and Tatiana in the Caucasus Mountains, in December the temperature drops to -55 degrees. Enough to freeze your feet." Dima said. Veronique smiled, "Ever want to go back to the Caucasus Mountains?"
Dima then gripped his jacket as he said, "Maybe, maybe not, I don't know. The past is the past, that place is no longer somewhere I like to think about."
Veronique then said, "You should come to America, go to New York City, get a load of the views there, maybe catch some jazz, we get every bit of weather there..." "Maybe, maybe after the war is over, maybe I'll go to New York." Dima said.
Veronique liked spending time with Dima, Vasili and Tatiana, she looked at the three soldiers as they were her brothers and sister. Though they'd never admit out loud, they loved being alongside Veronique as well, thinking of her as an older sister and a part of their little family.
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Dima then said, "Do you want to go relieve Vasili or Tatiana?" "I might as well, my feet are starting to get cold." Veronique said.
Getting on the move, Veronique passed through the group of Russian soldiers that were huddled around a fire trying to keep warm or just maintaining their weapons.
Heading to the top floor of the apartment building where Vasili and Tatiana were, she was rolling her eyes in amusement at how the pair's relationship between them had gotten close, that she had interrupted a private moment between them a few months ago.
It was sad to say, her eyes burned when she saw Tatiana pushed up against a wall, with her tongue down Vasili's throat, but she wasn't surprised when she found out the pair were getting married when the battle was over.
When Veronique reached the top floor, she saw Tatiana on the rifle scope as she said, "How's things up here?" "Quiet, plenty warm when in the right hands." Tatiana said with a wink.
Veronique rolled her eyes softly as she said, "Don't give me that image, for Christ's sake.
"You interrupted our little moment; just be glad we didn't get naked." Tatiana smiled. Veronique rolled her eyes, "Part of being on watch means, the pair of you stand by and watch the perimeter, not devouring each other."
Tatiana laughed, "Don't worry, you'll get that with your lovely Matthew, I'm sure he misses you very much, Veronique." "Alright, you mention my husband and his incredibly handsome face and I'll shoot you, even think of dreaming about him and I'll take your fingers off." Veronique said.
"I've got Vasili, my dear. He's better looking than your husband." Tatiana said.
Vasili's voice then said, "I love you, my darling."
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Taking up position and picking up his rifle, he then said, "You relieving us?" "No, but I hear we're heading out soon. We're going to try and get to City Hall." Veronique said.
Vasili nods, "We'll be down in an hour." "You've got 30 minutes, any longer and I'll send up Dima to chase you along." Veronique says.
Seeing Veronique leave their lookout post, Vasili smirks at Tatiana and whispers, "30 minutes?"
"Sounds like a challenge." Tatiana said with the similar look of lust in her blue eyes.
Taking the opportunity, Vasili pushes Tatiana up against the wall undoing the band in Tatiana's blonde hair and running his hands through her hair before kissing her passionately.
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30 Minutes Later
After 30 minutes of getting prepared, the four soldiers head forward on point, just as the snow starts falling down heavily.
Through the snowstorm, they could hear the German soldiers talking, amongst themselves, keeping quiet, the four had snuck through German occupied buildings and kept quiet not wanting to draw attention to themselves.
Signalling for them to hold position, Veronique looked behind her as she tried to find the rest of the Russian soldiers that followed behind them, but there was no sign of them, she figured that the snowstorm was too thick to see through and they had trouble to get through it. proceeding forward slowly and carefully through the snow, they used a length of rope to pull each other along in case they got stuck.
Throughout the bitter winter, the four soldiers had used this method to help get them through snowstorms and to signal to each other how much resistance they would face.
This was an effective trick that helped them out immensely and proved to be the reason why the Germans struggled to fight against the Russians and hold their ground in the process.
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Moving through the buildings, Vasili lead the team to near the square and they soon ended up just outside the city hall as Vasili held a hand to signal to the team to hold position.
Everyone held position as Vasili opened the door slightly, holding his torch in the other hand, as he said, "All clear, let's head in."
The four snuck into the building as Vasili closed the door behind and had said, "Let's stay alert, the fascists could be hiding anywhere, in a building like this."
The pair upholstered their weapons as they advanced in 2 teams of 2, clearing most of the rooms throughout the city hall, they ran into trouble from enemy snipers, but Vasili's sniper skills had held the Germans at bay.
Just as they reach south side of the city hall, the Germans retreat from the building as the snowstorm lets up.
Vasili looks out the window and says, "The Fascists are retreating, why would they retreat?"
Dima looks to Veronique and asks, "Why would they retreat?" "They're not retreating, they're alerting their comrades. They're coming back to retake City Hall." Veronique said, she could hear the Germans shouting to their comrades and ordering each other around.
"Defensive positions, we need to hold the line here and now!" Veronique said.
The three soldiers with Veronique all nodded as Vasili said, I'll take the top floor and kill as many as I can."
"Conserve your ammo, we're goin' to need every bullet to count." Dima had said to everyone.
Whilst Veronique positioned their friends, Vasili used the opportunity to check his ammo, before he headed out of the room, Tatiana patted him on the shoulder and whispered, "Stay safe, my love."
"You too, my darling." Vasili had said softly to her before kissing her, leaving the room, Vasili took to the top floor, he positioned himself away from the window and sat down, he checked his rifle seeing a round chambered as he laid his sights on the advancing Germans.
Lining his scope on the lead soldier, Vasili then whispered, "This is for Mother Russia, mudak."
The shot fired and killed the lead German soldier, he fired another shot and killed another German soldier before killing another one.
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Veronique POV
Hearing Vasili kick the action off, the Germans fired onto City Hall. Their bullets hit the bricks all around us and sprayed dust around me, firing short bursts from my PPSH, the Germans fell to the floor as their blood soaked into the snow.
Hearing their screams was music in my ears as my smile widened hearing Dima and Vasili kill without mercy, they were a pair to be reckoned with, but with Tatiana, they sparked hope, they sparked freedom, they were a team that depended on each other.
I was just the piece that helped them become like family to me, I only hope that they'll be like a family to my husband, to his friends, but be our brothers and our sister if we all make it home from this nightmare.
Seeing their MG42s being set up, I suppress their machine gunners preventing them from fire as the snow lifts around them and creates a disorienting spray causing them to be knocked out in the process.
The Germans continue to approach our position, as I struggle to contain them back, even though we're spread out on different floors, I feel like this is our last battle.
Gunfire hits close to me from behind as German soldiers enter our position, spraying my machine gun, the Germans are instantly killed as Tatiana approaches and says, "The fascists keep coming faster than we're shooting them."
"We need to hold on, Tania, this is our fight and ours alone. Whatever it takes, we must fight on." I had said reloading my weapon.
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Dima's POV
Germans had penetrated City Hall, my ammunition, slowly dissipates, forced to use my sidearm and my pickaxe, I fight on regardless, the adrenaline courses through me as I fight on, using the pickaxe to kill the German soldiers, a bullet strikes me as I get to one knee and fire off one shot at a time, but the Germans continue to advance onto me.
Taking one of the MP40s, I fight off the Germans but, I'm soon surrounded by them and one of them knocks me to the ground as I'm beaten to my knees, but seeing the pickaxe, I grab it, whilst they're not looking and growl angrily, I hack a soldier's leg off, then I thrust the axe into the soldier's stomach and rip his belly open.
I grab the machine gun off another soldier and spray bullets into the soldiers, before taking every inch of my anger out on them and brutally becoming the thing they fear the most.
The devil's own worst nightmare.
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Tatiana's POV
Hearing the cries of the German soldiers I see the fascists retreating from City Hall, it's weird, they're running in tears and crying out to their comrades to fall back, it's almost weird in a way as well, why are the Germans retreating?
That's when it hits me, we held them off and we did it, despite them retreating, Vasili still continues to fire from his position as they fall to the ground dead. I look to Veronique who says, "What happened?"
"I think we held them off, four of us, held off the remaining Germans and forced them to surrender. I don't know what happened." I say in disbelief.
Dima joins us as he drops to one knee and his hand covered in blood as he says, "It's over, we won." Racing over to my brother, I apply a bandage to his wound as I put pressure on it.
"We beat them off, the Germans are surrendering." Veronique said, racing over to my brother and helping us with his wounds.
Vasili joins us in the process and he helps out with getting the bullet out of Dima in the best way he could.
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3 Days Later
Red Army Hospital
Stalingrad, Russia
After the Germans surrendered in Stalingrad, the battle for Stalingrad was long over and the ultimate victory was hopeful amongst the Russian soldiers. But this victory came at a price that would not be forgotten, many of Russia's brave soldiers and it's courageous civilians died in the bloodiest battle.
Dima, Vasili and Tatiana were named heroes for their bravery and courage in the months of siege.
Veronique had been awarded for her bravery in helping the Russians battle the German Army, it was foretold that she now had a target on her name, she was also known as 'Le Vaillant' her name had given people the hope needed to spark the words of freedom and the machinations to fight on till her last breath. Her motto said it all.
"In the darkest days of war, all that it takes to win is a single spark. A spark of freedom, there will be sacrifices, but only if we fight together, standing together united and as one."
At the hospital, everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves, Veronique was standing alongside her friends as she watched Tatiana get married to Vasili, the Army chaplain and several wounded soldiers were present for the ceremony.
Even Veronique had tears in her eyes watching the pair, it reminded her so often of her own wedding in 1936 to Matthew, in her line of work, their marriage was dangerous, but she felt guilty for leaving Matthew, but Matthew always encouraged her to be the best there was and even inspired her to go to London to help people.
She hated that Matthew was right and she was doing a good thing, but she didn't feel like she was doing a good thing.
Heading outside, Veronique sat down on a bench as she looked at the picture of her and Matthew on their wedding day, Matthew as always was handsome in his Army uniform.
Veronique wore a short-sleeved princess dress that was perfect on her, she held a smile on her face and she was very beautiful too, on the back of her picture, she saw a message that had said, "Happy Anniversary, my beautiful wife, with all of my love for you, Matthew."
Looking up at the sunny sky, Veronique softly whispered to herself, "I'll see you soon, my love, I love you with all of my heart, always and forever."