War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1916 A Sharpshooter is Born

On their way out of the encirclement, Wei Ran and his two companions encountered German tanks, trucks, armored vehicles, and even artillery pulled by mules and horses, as well as checkpoints at intersections, on their sidecar motorcycles more than once.

Without exception, no German soldier or Croatian auxiliary force dared to stop them; in fact, they were probably even more nervous than the three "chain dogs."

Before noon, under Milos's command, Wei Ran drove the sidecar motorcycle to the edge of a mountain range.

Apart from a small village that had been completely burned down and the strong stench of corpses emanating from a slightly sunken pit in the center of the village, there was no living person at all.

"Where is this?" Wei Ran asked as he stopped the car.

“My grandmother’s house,” Milos said, jumping off the motorcycle and starting to take off his dog leash.

"Don't throw it away carelessly, you might need it later."

As Wei Ran spoke, he also got off the motorcycle, taking off his uniform as he asked, "Are we hiding here?"

“We’ll go into the mountains from here,” Dragan said, climbing down from the sidecar.

After putting his overalls back on, which were stained with stewed meat broth, Wei Ran took advantage of the time while the two of them were changing clothes to take out the lunchbox and scoop out the little stewed meat and goat milk left in the thermos.

Next, he removed the MG34 machine gun and the side box containing the ammunition, and took everything that could be used from the trailer.

After Milos stuffed all the clothes they had taken off into the sidecar and covered it with a tarpaulin, Wei Ran immediately restarted the vehicle. Under his guidance, he hid the sidecar motorcycle behind a burnt-down stone house not far away.

With everything ready, the three of them didn't dare to delay and carried as much as they could with them as possible before following Milos into the mountains next to the abandoned village.

"What are your plans next?"

Wei Ran asked as he walked, carrying a machine gun in one hand, a side case filled with bullets in the other, and two submachine guns around his neck.

"I've delivered messages here for the guerrillas before."

Milos, carrying a bucket of fuel, replied, "That was half a year ago. I don't know if anyone is still here."

"I probably won't be able to hold a gun in my hands anymore."

Dragan sighed. He had two Mauser rifles with their scopes remounted and two submachine guns slung over his shoulder. In addition, he was carrying an 18-liter water bottle, a lunchbox full of food, and of course, a small case containing his camera.

"I can handle a gun."

Milos stopped, put down the heavy oil drum, and said, "Dragan, whether we find the guerrillas or not, how about you teach me how to shoot?"

"That's a good idea."

Wei Ran also put down the heavy burden in his hands, "You can be his observer."

Upon hearing this, Dragan remained silent for a moment before saying, "Let's keep going and hide first."

Shaking his head at Milos, who was about to say something, Wei Ran picked up the machine gun and side case again and started walking.

The three of them walked and stopped for about half an hour before reaching the top of the low hill. After observing the area through binoculars, Wei Ran said, "Let's rest and have something to eat first. Milos, what's the next step?"

"there"

Exhausted and panting, Milos pointed in a direction, "We'll get there after crossing a few more mountains. We should be able to get there before dark."

“Let’s eat something first.”

As Dragan spoke, he handed over a heavy lunchbox.

After taking the lunchbox and opening it, Wei Ran casually broke off two more twigs and eagerly picked up a piece of stewed, tender, and flavorful mutton, putting it into his mouth.

He had to admit that the so-called shepherd's stew was indeed quite good, especially the spicy broth, which suited his taste perfectly.

Dragan and Milos looked at the tree branch in Wei Ran's hand with curiosity once again, before obediently picking up the forks that came with the German army's mess kits.

"I will teach you how to use a gun, and how to shoot more accurately and farther."

Dragan said abruptly as he poked at a piece of mutton.

"Really?" Milos asked in surprise.

"But you have to follow my orders. When I tell you to fire, you must fire immediately."

Even if you are absolutely certain you can fire, you must not fire if I tell you not to.

“I’ll do whatever you say!” Milos immediately agreed.

“Miloš, you are Dragan’s gun-wielding hand.”

Wei Ran looked at Milos and reminded him, "Hands don't need brains, Dragan is your brain."

He makes the decisions, you execute them.

If you have your own ideas while partnering with Dragan, it will only get you both killed.

“I understand,” Milos nodded seriously. “I’ll be the one holding the gun.”

"Then I'll just be the brain."

Dragan smiled. "I'll teach you how to use a gun."

"And you? Will you be partnered with us too?" Milos asked Wei Ran.

"certainly"

Wei Ran naturally made his promise, "I will definitely partner with the two of you, and I will also teach you how to use a gun."

Upon hearing this, Milos couldn't help but look at the two Mauser sniper rifles leaning against the oil drums, his young eyes now filled only with a thirst for revenge.

After exchanging a glance with Dragan, Wei Ran buried his head and picked up a second piece of mutton, putting it in his mouth. Meanwhile, Dragan was eating while explaining some basic shooting knowledge to Milos—just like back in the trenches.

After filling their stomachs and resting briefly, the three picked up their belongings and continued their trek over the mountains.

Throughout the rest of the journey, Dragan continued to impart his sniping experience, and Wei Ran would occasionally offer a few tips from later generations.

However, almost as they climbed to the top of the second hill, a gunshot suddenly rang out from the valley behind them!
Almost instinctively, the three of them immediately stopped in their tracks.

"Give me the telescope!"

As Dragan spoke, he reached out his uninjured hand toward Milos.

The latter paused for a moment, then quickly took off the binoculars that were almost touching his eyes and handed them to Dragan.

At the same time, Wei Ran had already taken out the binoculars from the gas mask pouch under the cover of his backpack and looked in the direction from which the gunshots were coming.

Because the terrain here is high enough, they can see it clearly.

In the valley, a group of nearly a hundred people, consisting of civilians leading cattle, sheep, mules and horses, and a few guerrillas, were running wildly.

Behind them was a Croatian auxiliary force of roughly the same size.

"Miloš, didn't you want to learn how to use a gun from us?"

Dragan abruptly spoke up, "Now is a good opportunity, Wei, help him remove the scope."

"Okay," Wei Ran said, picking up a Mauser rifle and removing the scope that had been installed before they set off.

Why demolish it?

"This gun needs to be calibrated after the scope is reinstalled."

As Wei Ran explained on behalf of Dragan, he handed over the rifle, saying, "Calibration is complicated for you, just like using a scope, so you might as well start by learning how to use iron sights."

“He’s right.”

Dragan, still holding his binoculars, said, "The straight-line distance between us and those Croatians is about 500 meters."

Milos, adjust the sights of that Mauser rifle you're holding to 200 meters. I taught you how to do it not long ago.

"Oh!" Milos immediately began adjusting the sights of the gun upon hearing this.

Seeing this, Wei Ran smiled, quickly raised his camera to take a picture of the two of them, then put away the camera, took out a captured belt from his bag, ran a dozen meters away, and tied the barrel of the MG34 machine gun to the trunk of a tree.

Just as he lay down behind the tree and covered himself with the captured camouflage tent cloth, Milos, under Dragan's command, also ran a distance away and then lay down behind a tree.

I told them to stop first.

As Wei Ran spoke, he had already installed the saddle-shaped ammunition belt box on the MG34 machine gun, then chambered a round and aimed at the pursuers in the valley.

"Open Fire"

Dragan, holding binoculars in one hand, immediately gave the order once the pursuers came within 200 meters.

"Da da da—da da da—da da da—"

Wei Ran opened fire first, using machine gun fire to overwhelm the arrogant pursuing team.

Amidst the intense gunfire, the pursuing troops immediately lay down or laid ambushes nearby after being hit by machine gun fire.

Wei Ran didn't care about that. He aimed at the men on horseback and pulled the trigger, easily capturing them.

Just as he unbuckled his belt, grabbed his gun, and began to move to a new position, Dragan had already guided Milos to his first target.

"Our priority should be to eliminate the enemy's suppressive firepower."

Holding up his binoculars, Dragan spoke slowly and deliberately, as if telling a bedtime story, “You need to adjust your breathing and relax your hand as you prepare to pull the trigger. Gripping too tightly will make the gun shake.”

Under his guidance, Milos began to take deep breaths while trying to relax his tense body.

"Your first target is the machine gunner who has already gone prone. Don't rush to fire. They will need to raise their machine guns to a higher position to attack from below."

So they immediately crouched down and used their companion's shoulder as a shooting platform.

Moreover, their primary objective is to eliminate suppressive fire, so they will fire at Wei, not us; they are unaware of our existence.

At a distance of 200 meters, you only need to make sure that the crosshair covers the opponent's body and that the top of the crosshair is level with the opponent's heel.

If you're ready to aim, you can fire a shot now to try it out.

Before Dragan could finish speaking, Milos immediately pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

Amidst the crisp gunshot, the Croatian machine gunner, who had been lying prone, was just getting up when a bullet flew by and, incredibly by chance, struck his nose.

Dragan glanced at Milos in surprise, then raised his binoculars again, his voice brimming with undisguised admiration. "That was a beautiful shot, hitting the bridge of his nose with pinpoint accuracy. Milos, you have the talent of a sniper."

"Thank you"

Milos, who had instinctively held his breath as he pulled the trigger, said, suppressing his excitement.

"Don't hold your breath next time."

"Now let's find our second target," Dragan said. "At this point, Wei should be ready to help us absorb it." Before he could finish speaking, Wei Ran, who had already changed positions, pulled the trigger, creating fear for the enemy with a series of long bursts of fire.

At the same time, the guerrillas who were covering the civilians' escape also began to fight back.

"The second shot we take is at any unlucky person who is alone and unable to hide properly around the machine gun. They could pick up the machine gun at any time and are the biggest threat to us."

Before Dragan could finish speaking, Milos had already moved his gun and aimed it at an enemy next to the machine gun.

Shortly afterward, he fired another shot, guided by Dragan.

Unfortunately, this time good luck did not favor Milos; instead, a bullet hit the tree where the two of them were hiding.

"That was a good shot."

Dragan used lies to build Milos's confidence: "Now there is an enemy more dangerous than machine guns. That bullet was fired by him."

"I haven't found him," Milos said, a hint of anxiety creeping into his voice.

Although Dragan, who was holding binoculars, had witnessed firsthand that the enemy who had just knelt down and opened fire in their direction had been riddled with bullets by Wei Ran's long bursts, he still patiently guided Milos to aim at another enemy who had just knelt up and was preparing to aim.

"boom!"

After that shot, even Wei Ran, who had changed positions for the second time and was watching the commotion through binoculars, couldn't help but look in Milos's direction.

He had just witnessed the enemy with a gun being shot in the eye and falling backward to the ground. The surrounding Croatian vassal soldiers were so frightened that they ran to the slopes on both sides of the valley and hid behind the trees.

Of course they were afraid. After all, being shot in the chest or limbs, or even being hit by concentrated machine gun fire, could only mean that the enemy had strong firepower.

But being hit in the bridge of the nose or even the eye socket is a completely different story; it means that the opposing team has an experienced marksman who is specifically targeting the head.

For these Croatian auxiliary troops, it was a terrifying prospect that could cost them their lives if they weren't properly concealed. But for Dragan, it was a huge surprise.

If Milos's first shot could be attributed to luck, then this last shot must be attributed to talent.

"That was a fantastic shot!"

Dragan was lavish in his praise, “A precise sniper can instill fear in the enemy far greater than a machine gun. Milos, look, those sniper rifles are all hidden.”

"Which one do I need to hit?" Milos asked.

"Your performance is next."

Dragan glanced at Wei Ran, who was running from the other side of the hilltop carrying a machine gun, and raised his voice slightly, saying, "Shoot any target you can see and are confident you can hit."

"Given that our enemy is not very troublesome, you can change positions every time you empty a magazine."

Wei Ran, who had repositioned the machine gun not far away, also reminded them, "We're lucky; the sun is behind us, which will make it difficult for them to aim."

However, we must also be careful, because at this time and height, if we move our bodies, we will be easily noticed.

Therefore, you need to slowly back away until you reach the other side of the slope before getting up and changing your position.

"I see"

Milos finished speaking, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger the instant he finished exhaling—something Wei Ran had taught him not long ago while they were traveling.

"boom!"

As the gunshot rang out, Wei Ran and Dragan, who had been holding up their binoculars, exchanged a glance.

They all clearly saw that Milos's shot hit an enemy hiding behind a tree in the neck, and they even saw a large amount of blood spurting from the neck that had been ripped open by the bullet.

"He seems to have a real talent for shooting."

As Wei Ran spoke, he had already set up the machine gun and aimed it at the Croatian soldier who was crouching down and running toward the abandoned machine gun.

"boom!"

However, before he could fire, a shot rang out and the soldier was hit in the thigh, staggering and falling several meters away from the machine gun.

"Sorry, I missed."

Milos said apologetically, while slowly climbing back up to the other side of the slope, and began to move in the other direction of Wei Ran.

He is indeed very talented.

Dragan exclaimed, "I don't even know if that shot was intentional or not."

"I believe it was truly an accident."

After Wei Ran finished speaking, he pulled the trigger on two enemies who were about to run towards the wounded.

"Da da da--"

With just a long burst of fire, the two well-meaning people fell to the ground one after the other because Wei Ran accidentally broke their legs, and then let out screams.

“Do I need to finish them off?” Milos asked.

"Need not"

Before Dragan could speak, Wei Ran, harboring a malicious intent, said, "Milosh, be merciful. They've already lost their fighting ability; let God take their lives."

“You’re so kind,” Dragan said, shaking his head helplessly.

"Alright then," Milos said, pulling the trigger again before he could finish speaking.

With a crisp sound, an enemy who had failed to hide properly was hit in the back by a bullet.

In just a short while, the civilians also drove their livestock up the mountain, and the guerrillas followed.

“Comrade Gerrico, is that you?” Dragan shouted, having just recognized the other party through his binoculars.

"Are you Dragan? Is it you? Comrade Dragan, is it you?"

One of the guerrillas, who was climbing up the mountain, asked in surprise.

"It's us!"

Dragan shouted back, “Get everyone to the other side of the mountain quickly!”

Before he could finish speaking, Milos next to him pulled the trigger again, then shouted a warning, "The Croatians are starting to retreat!"

"A sharpshooter has been born."

As Wei Ran muttered to himself, he put down the machine gun and picked up another Mauser sniper rifle that had not yet been calibrated.

The guerrillas who had just reached the halfway point of the mountain turned back again and rushed towards the wounded and weapons abandoned by the enemy.

As for Milos, he had already adjusted his sights to 300 meters and started firing.

Unfortunately, talent is ultimately just talent, not a shortcut; at that distance, he missed every shot.

Even so, Dragan, who was working with Wei Ran to calibrate another sniper rifle equipped with a scope, was still very satisfied.

“A sharpshooter is indeed about to be born,” Dragan exclaimed.

He still needs a lot of practical experience and practice.

Wei Ran said as he adjusted the scope, then pulled the trigger at the trunk of a large tree a hundred meters away.

Using only one magazine of bullets, Wei Ran quickly completed the gun calibration, aimed at the enemy who had run 500 meters away, and pulled the trigger at the back of a soldier carrying a machine gun on his shoulder.

"boom!"

Less than a second after the gunshot, the soldier was also shot in the back and fell to the ground, the machine gun on his shoulder also falling to the ground.

“Your aim is pretty good too,” Dragan said, holding up his binoculars.

I don't have much talent.

As Wei Ran spoke, he loaded the bullets, aimed at the soldier who was trying to pick up the machine gun, and pulled the trigger again.

"boom!"

Amidst the echoing gunfire in the valley, the soldier who had just bent down to touch the machine gun was shot in the buttocks and fell onto the machine gun, which he had not yet picked up.

Wei Ran was naturally creating a false impression, making it seem as if their snipers could snipe them even at this distance.

It was obvious that the pursuers, who had just lost their only two machine guns and had their company commander, deputy company commander, and two platoon leaders killed by Wei Ran, had already chickened out.

Although Wei Ran didn't know who he had killed with those bursts of fire, the only surviving platoon leader on the other side knew that he was now leading the rest of the team back, and that he was the company commander.

He continued to lead everyone in this desperate struggle; he was like a dead platoon leader.

He knew perfectly well which to choose: the dead platoon leader or the living company commander.

After Wei Ran killed two soldiers who appeared to be ammunition handlers within 600 meters, the Croatians finally circled around the valley and entered Wei Ran's and his men's blind spot.

Meanwhile, the brave guerrillas and even some civilians had already run to the previous fighting lines and were skillfully collecting any useful spoils of war.

But at that very moment, just as Wei Ran's vision was about to leave the scope, everything in front of him was unexpectedly swallowed up by a dense white light.

As the white light dissipated again, before Wei Ran could even see his surroundings clearly, he heard the intense sounds of gunfire and smelled the overwhelming stench of gunpowder.

When his vision cleared, Wei Ran gradually realized that he was on a slope with no trenches around him, only simple shelters.

Fortunately, Dragan and Milos were both on his left, and he was also holding a Mauser rifle with a scope.

Turning his head to look at the two of them, Dragan, who was lying in the middle, had his wound on his right hand healed, except for the binoculars hanging around his neck, and he even had a wooden board tied to it with a strip of cloth.

With the patina of the wooden board and his broken thumb, he could hold the MP40 submachine gun in his hand and fire it with his left hand.

Looking at Milos across from him, Wei Ran couldn't help but smile. The young man had grown a rather thick beard, and the Mauser rifle he was holding had been fitted with a scope. He had probably already graduated.

All of this is good news. The bad news is that Wei Ran realized from the two men's complexions and physical condition that they seemed to have contracted typhoid fever.

伤寒
Wei Ran peered out and looked at the surrounding terrain and the enemy opposite him, especially the shimmering river valley not far away, and he couldn't help but shudder.

It was the Sudeshka breakout battle, yet another breakout battle.

He was absolutely certain of his guess at that moment, but before he could confirm it, someone nearby gave the order to charge.

Amidst roars and shouts, large numbers of soldiers rushed out of their makeshift shelters, armed with various weapons, and charged toward the enemy on the other side.

Wei Ran didn't move, Dragan didn't move, and Milos didn't move either.

"Each of you keep an eye on the machine gunner and make sure they don't fire a single bullet."

As Dragan spoke, Wei Ran and Milos had already pulled the triggers one after the other towards the two German machine gun positions that could form a crossfire.

"boom!"

With almost overlapping soft sounds, the machine gunners behind the two machine guns nearly simultaneously jerked their heads back, bullets flying between their eyebrows as they fell into their respective bunkers.