He served in the glorious Baltic Fleet and for the rest of his life retained the fitness and neatness that distinguish seamen from everyone else. Anywhere, at work or in the forest, he was always clean-shaven, and smartly dressed. Only the Navy teaches people to be different from others, to be proud of their country, to keep navy traditions alive and never hang their heads. He began fighting in 1940 against the Finns and took part in the famous landing at Hango. The Finns had machine guns and the Russians only had rifles. But Russian marines are different from anyone else because they do not fear anyone anywhere. They took Hango and soaked the Finns in blood. My grandfather used to say that Finns were a more cunning and skilled enemy than Germans. Finnish soldiers are courageous and stubborn, not afraid of difficulties, just like Russians… >>
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