Chapter 373 The Winter War (25)

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

Two white figures swiftly darted through the woods.

The elements of guerrilla warfare are flexibility and mobility, with the enemy visible while we remain in the dark. In winter, with snow covering the ground and vegetation withered, both concealment and mobility are significantly reduced. It's difficult to engage in guerrilla warfare without effective concealment, and once detected by the enemy, it's challenging to escape. However, with the "skis" as their magical tool, the Finnish guerrilla teams operate like rapid response units, ambushing the enemy, hitting and running, leaving without a trace. On the vast snowy plains, cars and cavalry can't hope to catch up.

Speed can solve many traditional challenges in warfare. In a sense, the long Finnish winter for the guerrilla teams is like the ocean for fish, and the skis are the wheels of fire and wind in the icy world.

Even simple skis can be made from bamboo or wooden planks, but they are equipped with professional-grade skis supported by Germany, making their movements even more agile and swift.

Ahead was a small slope, and due to their speed, they were airborne.

Actually, it wasn't a big deal, as they had experienced such not particularly difficult actions countless times.

But this time was different. In mid-air, they saw two individuals wearing white cold weather suits, riding on skis, coming straight towards them where they were about to land.

"Oh, damn it!" Matthäus, unable to avoid them, exclaimed just before they collided heavily.

Amidst a few cries of pain, the four of them ended up rolling into a messy heap.

However, the soldiers' instinctive reaction instantly made him recognize that these two guys were speaking Russian.

Matthäus tore off the windscreen covered with snowflakes from his face, pulled out his submachine gun, and aimed it fiercely at the forehead of the Soviet soldier he collided with, then turned it toward the other Soviet soldier, shouting, "Don't move! Hands up!"

These two Soviet soldiers weren't wearing goggles. After tumbling on the snow for a few rounds, one screamed and fell to the ground, while the other slowly raised his hands, looking somewhat puzzled. "Germans?"

Matthäus also understood Russian and replied in Russian, "That's right!"

"Simo, are you okay?"

Simo staggered to his feet, shaking his dazed head. "Damn, I almost passed out. These two are Soviets? Why didn't you shoot?"

"Take a look at their guns."

"..." Simo pulled the rifle off the shoulder of the Soviet soldier who had raised his hands. It was a Soviet Mosin-Nagant rifle, wrapped with a white cloth strip, with a scope mounted on it.

The Mosin-Nagant rifle was one of the earliest military rifles to use smokeless powder. Its gunshot was crisp, sounding like water droplets splashing, earning it the poetic nickname "water beads."

Compared to other contemporary military rifles like the Mauser and Lee-Enfield series, the design of the Mosin-Nagant series was relatively complex. Its design was rough and outdated, and the overall operation felt more clumsy than these rifles.

However, the advantage of the Mosin-Nagant rifle was its ease of production and simple reliability — this was extremely important for the Soviet/Russian army with a low industrial base and low levels of soldier education, especially during harsh wartime conditions when weapon production needed to be increased to meet frontline demands, and the newly supplemented combat personnel often had insufficient training.

But as infantry weapons continued to evolve during the war, the Mosin-Nagant rifle began to appear outdated. The Soviet Union eventually decided to replace the Mosin-Nagant rifle with the SKS semi-automatic rifle, which used an intermediate-powered cartridge. Around 1948, the production of the Mosin-Nagant rifle ceased in the Soviet Union, and the machinery was later sold to Poland.

At this time, the Soviet Union did not have dedicated sniper rifles (there were no dedicated sniper rifles in the original timeline of World War II; countries simply selected rifles with higher accuracy from mass-produced rifles and fitted them with scopes to act as sniper rifles, such as the K98 sniper rifle, which selected the best barrels for mounting scopes).

As for the scopes, they were PE-type scopes, weighing 0.62 kilograms, mounted on a reliable Seso bracket on one side. The PE scope played a significant role in improving accuracy, allowing shooting at targets up to 1,400 meters away. Once the scope was damaged during action, shooting could still be carried out using the aiming rail.

Interestingly, the earliest version of this scope came from Germany. At the beginning of the Soviet sniper program, there were no suitable scopes domestically. Therefore, through military cooperation, the Soviet Union received the Zeiss Dialyt scope provided by Germany and mounted it on the "Dragoon" rifle (the short-barreled version of the Mosin-Nagant 1891).

The Soviet army made improvements based on the Zeiss Dialyt scope and eventually developed the PE scope. However, due to low production standards, the sealing performance of the PE scope after successful replication was poor. As a result, the focusing ring of the PE scope had to be removed to simplify the production process and improve the sealing performance of the lens.

After examining it, Simo nodded. "So they're not just ordinary patrolmen, they're also snipers. Are you planning to capture them?"

Matthäus shook his head. "Capture them? That would be a burden. I'll just ask them a few questions and then tie them up."

Being held at gunpoint, the two Soviet snipers dared not resist and could only obediently allow themselves to be bound. One of them, with an angry expression, asked, "Why did you Germans participate in this war?!"

"To drive away the aggressors, of course."

"Aggressors?" The man's face showed a disdainful expression. "You Germans have the nerve to call us aggressors, yet you've invaded half of Europe!"

Matthäus shrugged. "You have a point, but we have the strength and the strategy. Look at how we swept across Europe; how many countries condemned us? Unlike you, who have angered the world. We flattened the strongest military power in Eastern Europe in 18 days, and within two months, we brought down the top power in Europe. And you? You can't even handle a small country like Finland, yet you talk about invading other countries."

"Most importantly, don't think we're fools. We know that after dealing with Finland, your next target is Germany. How could we ignore that situation? Right?"

The other side was speechless in response. Matthäus drew out a Finnish knife.

In Europe, the Finnish knife was second only to the versatile Swiss Army knife. If the Swiss Army knife was praised worldwide for its compactness, versatility, and convenience, then the Finnish knife was renowned for its sleek design, exquisite craftsmanship, and rich ethnic style.

"Alright, enough chitchat. I won't say it again. I'll ask you a few questions now. Where did you come from, how many of you are there, and where are the others?"

"Hmph, we'll never tell you!"

"Of course, you will." Matthäus played with the knife, a chilling smile on his face. "But there are different ways to die. You Soviets haven't signed the Geneva Conventions, and even if you had, you should know that our snipers find it hard to enjoy the benefits of the conventions. Although I'm not very proficient, I know a little about torture techniques. If you obediently tell me what I want to know, I can give you a swift death. Otherwise, hmm."