[Lt. Ketch]

Son,

I write this to you after some gruelly experiences. Praise be to my troops for fighting so hard and so well. They have all displayed extraordinary courage and stamina.

As I last wrote, we were preparing for an advance into a German pocket to try to break through to our own lines. We were successful in routing them with only 8 men lost on our side. Unfortunatly, our activities have brought attention on ourselves. No sooner had we re-established ranks then we were set upon in force and had to withdraw to a position more suited for delaying the enemy. One thing that made this position desireable was a couple of 57mm ATGs that had been abandoned. I deployed the men and hunkered down as 81mm mortars and 10cm shells started to fall. Son, I tell you how proud of my men I am. Many of them sustained multiple bombardments from the 10cm, while they were engaging the enemy and would remain and fight instead of fleeing. The posistion we took was centered around a crossroad where five streets connected. We planned on using the open ground as a killing zone for the facists and any armor they might have. We were fortunate in that we anticipated their route of attack. Praise be the the mariens, who I stationed in the North. German tanks tried to break through the buildings there and Sargent Matrosov and his men were able to destroy all of them (5 total). I hoped that all of their tanks were together, but sadly we lost quite a few men to a Pz IIIm that was supporting some infantry advancing up one of the roads. Due to an ill placed smoke gernade, we were not able to bring our 57mm ATGs to bare until it had done some damage. It was finally destroyed and the infantry routed. Again, the men did an incredible job repelling platoon after platoon of German soldiers, despite the Iron Rain that kept falling. When the enemy fanially withdrew, we counted our losses and discovered that for every man of ours they killed, we killed four of theirs. Many men were commended for their strength that day.

We had little restbit. We were just able to restock our stores and find volunteers to fill our ranks (granted, some of the deserters we founded needed "persuation") when one of our scouts returned with news that the Germans were massing for another attack on our pocket. When I first planned our return to friendly lines, I had thought that a battle capable force would be more likely to succeed. I am beginning to think that stealth would have been better as our success at staying alive and moving about the enemy's rear as attracted Jerry's attention. I'd just as soon not have that. Despite these personal thoughts, I ordered the men to redeloy facing the enemy's advance and that the 57mms draged into place. We covered a double wide street with apartment blocks on either side. Antisipating that the enemy would try a similar tactic of bring any armor they had to bare on our flanks, I deployed the men to make sure that those squads that carried the anti-tank mines were position in likely routes. Alas, the enemy never does what you want. 5 Pz IVF1s charged up the main road. We held our fire until they within 50 meters of the troops and less then 300 meters of the ATGs. We opened fired and destroyed each one as it reached that line. We were fortunate that the Mortar dropped smoke didn't fall until the 57mms were able to destroy two tanks. Unfortunatly one tank vered into an ally to avoid the ATGs and was proptly imobalized by several handgernades. Regettably it was not destroyed. Its activites for the next little while were bad enough to scatter the platoon of men that tried to destroy it. I really must find some more anti-tank gernades. 2 per platoon is not enough for situations like this. The platoon quickly regrouped, but not without one squad being cut off from the rest. In the mean time, the northern infantry came under 81mm mortar bombardment and the ATGs were strafed by BF 109s. The one good thing about the smoke dropped earlier was that the pilot mistook his own tank for our men (or the pilot had enjoyed some "little water" before he took off). Sadly the tank survived. In the north, wave after wave of infantry assualted our position. One squad was able to sneak around our picket, but our sniper was dispached and with the help of an ATG sent him packing back into the fray were he was dispersed by the marian's flame throwers. The Bf 109s returned multiple times, strafing infantry positions with uncommon accuracy. but despite that, the men held firm. In fact, that same luitentent that ran after taking light fire in our first engagment advanced his squad through numerous enemy encounters to support his platoon and rallied them in the face of overwhelming odds and constant aircraft attacks. During a respit in the battle we amassed a few squads for an assault on the imobalized panzer, we were finally successful in destorying it, the killing blow coming from the squad who had been cut off from the rest of his platoon. I felt this to be justice at work. It often appears to be so little of it in this war. We finally succeed in routing the enemy and when the final count came in. We had lost 38 men while they had lost over 240! I consider this a great achivement, but I still regret not getting those 38 men home.

Spirits are high and feet are sore as we bed down tonight. I think on how I had heard some much of the City of Stalin before the war and had longed to see it. But now, I wish I had never laid eyes on this forsaken city. I pray to the God who has listened to me and spared my life so often that he will do so again tomorrow. Again, I hope you will recieve this somehow. Someday. When you do, if we are dead, tell our story to those to whom it will matter.