Nikolai closed his eyes. He thought of the wheat fields of his village, the warmth of a clay stove, and the smell of baking rye. He knew that by morning, many of the men across the street would be frozen solid in their shallow foxholes. He knew many of his own comrades would not wake up.
A sudden, sharp crack echoed through the square. Sasha flinched as a bullet sparked off the stone an inch from his head. Stalingrado
Many descriptions of the psychological toll on soldiers and civilians are captured in Vasily Grossman’s epic novels . Nikolai closed his eyes
"Come on," he said to Sasha, who was shivering uncontrollably. "One more day." He knew many of his own comrades would not wake up
Nikolai shook his head. The pipes had been dry for months. They sucked on ice chips to keep their tongues from swelling. He reached into his quilted jacket and pulled out a hard, black crust of bread—his entire ration for the day. He broke it in half and handed a piece to the woman. She took it without a word and vanished back into the dark.
They stepped out into the gray light of the ruins, two ghosts in a city that refused to die, walking into the smoke of a war that would change the world forever. Key Historical Elements of the Story