Junior Sergeant Aleksandr Lagunov’s hand shook uncontrollably as he attempted to reload his rifle. The clip was slick with fresh blood from the hole in his arm and it slipped from his grasp and clattered at his feet. He quickly bent down and retrieved it, ignoring the pain in his arm. 
“Sergeant, you need medical attention!” The man next to him, a young private, shouted over the roar of the squad’s DP machine gun. 
	
“N-no….I’m fine.” Was his shaky response. He managed to maneuver the 7.62x54mm clip into place and reload his weapon. He turned and leaned out of a window, aimed at an advancing German soldier, and fired. The shot went a few inches wide, hitting the street next to the soldier. He swore, chambered another cartridge, and fired again. This time he didn't miss, and his target slumped to the ground. Several other hostiles who had attempted to advance were quickly cut down by a long burst from the machine gun.
	
This was the second German assault on his position, a two story building overlooking a major intersection, in the past three hours. His squad had lost contact with the rest of the platoon during the first assault, and they had been on their own since. They were halting the German’s advance so far, but without support, they wouldn't last much longer.