Page 19 - Excerpts from the diary

grabbed straw and a cane (and at me is it here hardly), and kindled, minutes inflated ten. And now I inflate. It is
good still that nothing happened. And in the dark I would lose much if it was necessary to scram.
Threw porridge.

02.04.1944

Konstantinovka. We stand in one kilometer from the village. After 'rest' tired and exhausted set on the front. The
road dirt, slush, a rain undertook to finish us absolutely. It was unimaginably heavy to go, to stand it was cold. In
the villages chosen for a lodging for the night, places for us were not and even did not let to the attic. [...] Mine to
that malnutrition.
To apartments attics climbed violently, without regard to crying of hostesses. With food were somehow
interrupted, exchanging for blankets and so forth.
But here it became absolutely bad, three days we did not see some bread in a mouth. Found a way out. Day
hungered, on the second killed the horse hit by Germans, finished the dying mare, wounded the German shell too.
The whole day of a firtree horseflesh and day was killed by crude corn, and then found the hidden potato in straw
and too a bite.
Today Rudnev brought bread.
Shells rage, wounded Gorelenko, Ivashchenko, Solovyov's mortars, the foreman and others.
Useless dugout. It's cold. Ugly conditions. Sadly. But I can write though darkly and I
write gropingly. Rudnev, Zasypko with me. And shells lay down on each side and I mentally ask to seek them far
away.
I do not write letters and did not receive.

03.01.1944

Annovka. All night long did not sleep sat on a chair there was no place to lie, and to take a nap sitting I could not
too: legs froze and the crush was a circle. In a blindage Rymarmayor, Rostovtsev and foremen fell down. For me
the place did not appear.
Today took bread for two days. Loaf. In a pocket at me was two banks of canned food: one bank fish, another I
also did not know what was filled. Decided to go to look for the apartment.
In Green Guy the place did not appear. Nearly Dudchino about whom I on a crossing was told by the lieutenant
colonel, as about the location of a division came into illfated. In Green Guy met unintentionally the woman civil.
Civil there were in general 4 families. She also told me that in Dudchino's neighborhood, and I already came to
the Green Guy's outskirts adjacent to this village. From there went directly to Annovka.
Road opponent fired. Went down and went the coast up toover floodplain. The road checked the
German blindages. In the last, from the blindages which underwent my audit, decided to have a snack. Took out
bread, to bank of canned food fish ate. Has a rest and went further.
The way was fresh, spring. The grass looks through already everywhere. Everything thaws. The sun appeared in
the middle of day and tenderly grinned to me in a face.
Made bandaging. The major Suslin was in dressing and recognized me at once. He again at the
position. Pichugin the propagandist, about Dozhurnov I do not know.
Today found on one of the outskirts sat down a corpse of the first lieutenant Kiyan. Germans, obviously, finished
him the wounded. What horror! What shame and reproach on all these petty, unfortunate people, not taken away,
not taken out him from the battle field. They, perhaps, all together did not cost the first lieutenant Kiyan. Yes,
these people like to receive ranks and awards, but also are ready to throw the friend and the companion, especially
the chief, on death and worry about rescue of own skin. They are ready to burn down letters, to trade in things
only left for the period of the colleague on weapon. They are capable of everything. It is not enough now,
especially in wartime of the people capable of selfsacrifice for the sake of rescue of relatives, people familiar to