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01/26/12(Thu)05:38 No.10637301>>10637223
Found
it, it was in "Enemy at the Gates" by William Craig: "Every Russian
soldier received a daily ration of 100 grams of vodka. Most waited for
it eagerly; only a few refused it. But Senior Lt. Ivan Bezditko, "Ivan
the Terrible" to his men, had an incredible taste for vodka and found a
way to keep a plentiful supply on hand. When troops from his mortar
batallion died, Ivan reported them "present and accounted for," and
pirated their daily vodka rations. In a short time, the thirsty officer
amassed many gallons, which he carefully stored in his own dugout.
In
a warehouse at the Volga shore, a supply officer, Major Malygin,
checked his records and noticed that Bezditko's unit had borne up
extremely well under weeks of bombarment. Suspicious, Malygin persued
the matter and discovered that the mortar section had actually suffered
heavy casualties. He called Bezditko, told him he had exposed his petty
scheme, and that he was going to report him to Front Headquarters. Then
he added, "Your vodka ration is being canceled."
The supply officer had gone too far. Bezditko screamed, "If I don't get it, you'll get it."
Malygin hung up on him, relayed news of the crime to headquarters and shut off Ivan's liquor rations.
Enraged,
Bezditko contacted the firing point of his 122 millimeter batteries,
issued a precise set of coordinates, and give the order to shoot. Three
rounds dropped squarely ontop of Malygin's warehouse at the riverbank
and out of the debris totered the shaken Major. Behind him hundreds of
bottles of vodka had broken and spilled onto the floor. Malygin
staffered to a phone and asked for headquarters. His anger rising he
shouted out what he knew to be true: Ivan the Terrible had gotten him.
The
voice on the other end was patient, but unsympathetic, "Next time give
him his vodka. He just got the Order of the Red Star, so give it to
him." |
