Color key:

• [Panel numbers are in red.]
• Editorial comments are in green.
• Japanese kana/kanji text is in purple (viewing this requires that your browser has Japanese fonts installed, or you can activate Shodouka© to convert it to images for you).
• Romanized Japanese text is in blue italics.
• The translated English text is in the default color (usually black).

[Panel 1]

A side view of a German Tiger tank, with its cannon pointed at the reader, and the head of a pig (wearing headphones) poking out of the turret cover.

[Panel 2]

妄想ノート　Ｎｏ１
Mousou nouto No. 1
  Fantasy Note No.1  [Mousou can also mean "wild or crazy idea" or "delusion"]

泥まみれの虎
Doromamire no tora
  Tigers Covered With Mud

「資料的価値は ありません。
 "Shiryoutekikachi wa arimasen.
   "There is no reference value.

　とうぜん プラモの参考にもなりません。」
  Touzen puramo no sankou ni mo narimasen."
    Naturally, there won't be a reference for a plastic toy-model kit."

[Panel 3]

Russian troops (also portrayed as pigs) manning an artillery emplacement lie in wait inside a hidden bunker constructed beneath railroad tracks.

「シーッ、しずかに．．．」
  "Shii, shizuka ni..."
    "Shhh, be quiet..."

「やばいぞ、明るくなってきた。」
  "Yabai zo, akarukunatte kita."
    "This is dangerous, it's getting brighter."

[Panel 4]

They complete their work in concealing their location.

SFX:
ボコッ
boko
  (sound of covering being slipped into place over bunker) [?]

「やった！！  いそげ、砲をもって来い。」
  "Yatta!!  Isoge, tsutsu o motte koi."
    "We did it!!  Hurry, bring the gun."

[Panel 5]

A cross-sectional diagram of the railroad bunker is shown with troops positioning an artillery piece into place.

ソ連軍の兵士達の耐久力は すごかった。
Soren-gun no heishi-tachi no taikyuuryoku wa sugokatta.
  The persistence of the Soviet army's soldiers was amazing.

零下２０Ｃで も 地面に穴を掘り、夜の内に 陣地を作っちゃうのだ。
Reika 20C de mo jimen ni ana o hori, yoru no uchi ni jinchi o tsukutchau no da.
  Even at -20 degrees Celsius, they dug a hole in the ground and took up a position in the night.

おまけに カモフラージュの天才だった。
Omakeni kamofuraaju no tensai datta.
  To make things worse, they were experts at camouflage.

SFX:
ウンセ  ソレ
unse         sore
  (the soldiers' shouts)

SFX:
ズリズリ
zurizuri
  (sound of artillery piece being wheeled into place)

白い布
shiroi nuno
  white cloth [arrow pointing to camouflage covering artillery muzzle]

エストニア、ナルヴァーヴェゼンブルグ面
Esutonia, naruvaavezenburugu men
  Estonia, Narwa-Wesenberg side
     [Note:  Most of the action of the manga takes place near the Narwa-Waiwara-Wesenberg railway line, with Narwa to the east and Wesenberg to the west.   (In his original book, Carius used the Germanized spelling of Estonian place names; "w" is pronounced like "v" in English.)  Narwa (Narva) is a city in the far northeastern corner of present-day Estonia (see http://city.net/img/tra/mag/map/estoni.gif ).  Narva is near the Bay of Finland, and is quite close to the current border with Russia.]

鉄道の土手断面図
Tetsudou no dote danmenzu
  A sectional diagram of the railroad bunker

[Panel 6]

Troops peer out of a narrow gun opening in the railroad bunker.

SFX:
ヒソヒソ
hisohiso
  (whispering)

「射角が せまいですね。」
  "Shakaku ga semai desu ne."
    "We have a narrow angle of fire, don't we?"

「かまわん、正面に来るまで まつんだ。」
  "Kamawan, shoumen ni kuru made matsun da."
    "It doesn't matter, wait until they come in front of us."

[Panel 7]

Two German Tiger tanks approach the railroad bunker, in single file.

SFX:
キャラキャラキャラ  ギャラギャラ
kyarakyarakyara             gyaragyara
  (sound of tanks approaching)

「ワッ！！　もう来た。」
  "Wa!!  Mou kita."
    "Oh!!  They're coming."

「虎だ！　いつものやつだ！」
  "Tora da!  Itsumo no yatsu da!"
    "That's the Tigers!  As usual!"

• Go to Page 1.2

• Back to Otto Carius English Translation Page