The daily routine of Latvian riflemen on the Island of Death

"Life on Death Island was full of difficulties and horrors. At night, when darkness and until the morning light, war materials and food were delivered to the battlefield, the wounded and fallen were taken to the right bank. Urgently repaired collapsed trenches and traffic aisles, damaged telephone traffic. The opponent does not use. Minesweeps burst above the archers' trenches. Machine guns worked. Only a quarter of the island's garrison could close its eyes for a moment. The others had to be awake. Only in the morning light was the night watch changed. Food and boiled water were delivered in large containers in the first trenches at 10 am and 6 pm. Despite the terrible life in the shelters of Death Island, the archers still had a lively spirit. They tried in every way to create change and fun in a tiring position in the fight. Although the riflemen lived in rocks and buried in the ground, in the shadow of death, in their caves and dugouts, even garden flowers and shy country beauties could be seen. Its brave Latvian boys - riflemen - brought it from the "neutral land", which was located between the riflemen and the German trenches. Of course, it was a night job, the day was not allowed to appear outside the trenches. And the time of night was as it was created for all manner of things. The inquisitive archer turned the cylinder of a German grenade into a flower vase. He loved poetry in books and in life. But such is already a Latvian - he also knows how to find beauty or create it in an hour of life. Undone flowers in the archers' dungeons and did not absorb the sounds of songs even in the most difficult moments of despair. The war was a sacred task for the riflemen, and even the German whirlwind could not silence their hearts. In the mornings and evenings, when the noise of battle usually seemed to subside, the riflemen spent these moments of rest, chanting folk songs. The Germans responded by singing their war songs. Often both opponents played mandolins or guitars in the trenches. It seemed that they were no longer enemies, but a friendship had been established between the two opponents. Sometimes in the mornings and evenings there was the most peaceful relationship between us and the adversary, but with the arrival of twilight, mutual struggles for life and death began. Even the quiet, great, peaceful Latvian river of fate, the black Daugava, was not allowed to wave. He was often ascended by German garnets, high poles of water, the splashes of which fell back into the Daugava, disturbing its peace. Hundreds of beaten and stunned fish swam down. The riflemen tried to use it and tried to catch the "outlined" fish in the Daugava below the firing point, and after a good hunt they ate the fish soup that the Germans provided them. The hunt was especially successful when a floating bridge was built on the lower side of the Daugava. In general, how dangerous and deadly the German artillery was physically and morally deadly at the time of the fire, the silence provided the riflemen with pleasant moments. By the time the fire subsided, everyone went to the cliffs in search of a German charge of aluminum and copper heads. Often rifles hurried to the place of the fallen projectile. What for? But those who experienced the time of the riflemen will remember that almost all the riflemen who went to Riga for a couple of days or to their relatives had such strange, white rings on their fingers. They were the invention and creation of riflemen. Aluminum was removed from the charge heads and melted. Previously, the required shape was cut out in plaster and now it was so slow! The riflemen formed various shapes of rings: rings with a heart, a more expressive star, a ring of garnet fused in some rings, and so on. The riflemen loved these rings because they were reminiscent of life on the island of Death. The riflemen not only poured rings, but also made spoons, small figurines and other interesting things from the same material. The mouthpieces began to be made from the copper tubes of hand-held grenade burners, with the exception of the explosive mercury. Of course, there were also accidents and each other's archer lost not only his fingers and hands, but also his life. All the unbroken German grenades or shrapnel were gradually dismantled, unloaded and turned into vases, scoops by the rifles, and most of them were sent home to those belonging to the house as a fond memory of the battlefield. This war was a holy war for the riflemen, and everything connected with the fighting became holy, worthy of memory. How lively and safe was the spirit of the riflemen, for they could not believe in their victory, just as diligently did they take care of the care and storage of their weapons of war, which also played an important role in the life of a soldier. The main weapon of the riflemen was a rifle. It was their girlfriend in the white and white days. It is not for nothing that their riflemen called their "wife" and "bride" in their letters. On Death Island, on the day of the plant, you could see archers clean guns, torch clothes, shoes, etc. When the rifles were wiped clean, they were placed in specially prepared steep shelters right in the trenches, so that they were at hand at any moment and could be put to work without delay.