Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon sotilas)

THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER

PALOAUKEA - JUNE 1941

Right face!

Damn! I'll be damned. Goddamnit. The hell with it.

Machine Gun Company!

At ease.

The battalion is to be transferred with vehicles to another location.

All unnecessary materials should be returned.

Bring one pair of underwear, socks, and a coat.

And the guns, of course.

The rest is going to the warehouse. Hietanen is responsible. Try to hurry up.

-Where are we going anyways? All the way to hell I guess? -Hurry up, now. Hassle. Quickly.

There is going to be a brawl, boys.

That one prick leaves Germany and our creeps follow him.

The officers are afraid the Russians will come here if they go to war with Germany.

What would they be doing here? The Russians have not attacked anyone. The Fritzes however are already here.

Vanhala. The battalion's horsemen said we're assigned to the Helsinki garrison.

All the old rags will be swapped with new ones. Every man gets to wear fancy baggy pants and all.

So I have heard.

Attention!

Keep going, keep going.

Do you boys know what it says on the boyscout's belt?

"Be prepared."

A cup of coffee and a pastry, please.

What will it be?

What would the girl sell to Rahikainen on the last night?

Cup of coffee of course, And a pastry. -We'll sell as many pastries as possible today.

-Everything will be sold out. Wares emptied. -That is it. The war is to come, all the signs are there.

I doubt I ever get to see the pretty eyes of this girl again.

Hurry up, so the rest of us can buy as well.

As soon as I am done, Lieutenant. How much tobacco can one get?

-How much do you want? -A package, and some ten pastries.

Now, move your ass!

She did not become the mother of your children either. You'd have to have buttons on your collar.

Well as long as there is something in the pants.

I'm going to miss you.

-I'll come back. -You promise?

-Of course, if you wait for me. -I'll wait.

You will?

Yes.

I never betray my squad or my Flag

as long as I have the strength to do it...

-I will follow them and protect them until the last drop of my blood.

Our Helper He amid the flood

Of mortal ills prevailing

For still our ancient foe-

Doth seek to work us woe

His craft and power are great-

And, armed with cruel hate.

On earth is not his equal

Did we in our own strength confide...

A majestic beginning.

First half of Platoon one, in this car, and the second in the next.

First and third! On the truck! Go!

Second and fourth are waiting for the next available vehicle.

-What the hell, Eki! -Don't sit on my backpack!

-What the hell! -Watch out, dammit!

Move.

Now we're done with this dump! Goodbye forever, you sweatsucker!

I hope you are the same shithole to all the new recruits to come!

Citizens. Our peace-loving people.

For the second year have been pushed to their limits

to rebuild the country after the Winter War to its bloom,

Is again under a brutal attack.

Once again we encounter the same enemy that for over 500 years

has brought devastating, crushing and bloody wars against our small nation.

Those are proper guns! When those start glowing, the neighbour gets taken legs first.

That is still small scale and nothing to brag about. They do have guns on that side too.

And it'll not be as easy as they say.

I don't know. The boys from Osthrobothnia (a finnish province) had to be tied to the trees so they do not start too early.

NORTH OF KARELIA - JULY 4th, 1941

Wake up, boys! It has started.

The guns are already singing! Hurry!

Artillery bombardment.

It is still far away. I don't hear the whistling yet.

The guns are singing...

We're going with the third company. There is not much to it, but we'll have to take it easy.

It is best to aim at the height of the belt.

Keep in mind that they are nothing but people.

They'll obey the lead like everyone else.

Alright, Lets get moving.

-Autio promised me two of your rifles. -I know it.

Make it rain then, Ville. All you've got.

See you there.

Forward.

I hear the men getting cold over there already.

Kariluoto.

The artillery will fire in front of the second platoon. Then we'll move forward without a separate order.

Do not let them stop. Try to get all the way there without stopping.

Don't be left laying in the line of fire.

Good luck.

Fire!

-Forward, fourth! -Forward!

Forward, fourth!

You must not be left in the line of fire! Forward!

Do not stop!

Get machine guns in position.

Forward... Forward!

-Fire away! Fire at their balls! -Fire away!

It's a tank.

-I doubt it. -Just doubt. But it is a tank.

Look, look There will be a lot of berries this year.

It blooms so beautifully.

What?

What do we have here?

No, no, no, boys. You have misunderstood.

This is not how you wage war.

The others are already in position.

Let us move over this accursed swamp with a clean sweep.

Let's try this again, second lieutenant.

You'll get it going.

Cut them down, son of the north! (a hackapell war cry)

Move!

Hurry up now! MOVE!

Medic! Medic!

Fourth! Forward!

Not a single Russkie fell. Not one. I checked when we came here.

Well here is one with his nose in the ground.

They don't seem to care much about their buddies. He was left here to crawl.

Fucking hell.

Hello! Tell me, Is it cold there in Russian hell?

What did you find?

-Show me it. -These are mine.

What is this? Small russkie coins.

What the hell is that? Long bearded tatar Satan?

That's Lenin.

He is so crosseyed that he can see both sundays on a wednesday.

-Boys, take a little Lavender perfume. -Lieutenant.

Kariluoto.

It was a brisk start. How did you feel?

It went well when we first got started. It was hard to get them going.

-Captain Kaarna... -I heard.

But I must thank you, You did well.

Men, regroup and lets keep going.

Now it is our time. Finland's time.

To reclaim what Finland has lost.

That is our right.

Isn't it so?

"Tell me, Is it cold there in Russian hell?"

If I was God, I would have not created the stars I think.

If I could I would break them apart. They have no use so they exist for nothing. So what would I use them for?

God did not create them, that is just some nonsense.

The man was not created either.

Man was born in the sea. And that's it, and from coal and other substances.

The simpletons just get fooled so that they are subordinate to the capitalists.

Coal?

In the sea? Coal?

Lahtinen, you're talking out of your ass.

How the hell could man have been born in the ocean?

If you are submerged for half a minute, you die.

-You would be fine if you had gills. -Gills? What the hell?

People are made of flesh and bone. Everyone knows that.

-People were originally fish. -Fish?

Even the capitalist scientists have recognised it.

No, what the hell... A fish?

Vanhala. I am a perch. A perch made of coal! That is right!

The nature creates things, that is how it is. People just fuss over all kinds of things.

The ones in power know which thread to pull in when it comes to money.

Now we're going forward again. We'll see what happens.

Wait and see, they have enough men to face us too.

-But a Finnish soldier is equivalent to ten Russkies. -Perhaps so.

But what do you do when the 11th one comes?

Crawl forward, damn it! Boys, forward, goddamn it!

Forward, men!

Three men and my best team leader have fallen.

The entire battalion is stuck. It's your day today if you can break through.

-You know that I will not save my words. -I'll give it my everything, as long as I get the men going.

Forward, fourth!

Don't do it. You'll only get yourself killed for nothing.

If we get a man there with a satchel charge, we can break through.

-I'm going to try. -I will go.

-It is my task, not yours. -Your task is to keep the men advancing.

Lehto! When I go, I will need constant supporting fire. Is that clear?

-Make room for Lehto! -Get him out!

They are retreating!

First platoon... Viirilä!

The first and second to the right! The third and fourth to the left! Mäntynen!

Mäntynen!

Viirilä.

Let's move forward.

We don't have time for that.

We must move on.

"Evil is not human, but many of us are weak"

"No man is pure evil, just one is weaker than the other. Alot of good in everyone, even if it does not shine through."

I see..

-Have you received any food? -Yes, major.

-I see. Do the boys also have tobacco? -Yes, major.

We roll up Makhorka.

Really? How do they taste?

Just like rolled ciggies, major. As usual.

Of course.

-I found some potatoes! -Potatoes?

-Switch carriers. -Vanhala.

-I carried it for longer. -Stop whining goddamnit. Give me the gun mount.

Can you believe I am famished?

How long do these officers think the soldier marches with these rations?

They don't think. They know. They have counted calories, or whatever the hell they are called.

Go and complain that you are hungry, they will show you a calculation that tells otherwise. You cannot be hungry.

Lehto. Don't you know that it is forbidden?

It is forbidden to kill aswell.