One of the things I love about Sabaton is digging into history I was only marginally aware of, or completely ignorant of.

So, the next song in my ongoing review is one of the latter – about a battled in Afghanistan during the soviet occupation attempt.

History

From infogalactic:

The Battle for Hill 3234 was a successful defensive battle fought by the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment, Soviet Airborne Troops, in Afghanistan against a force of 200 to 250 Mujahideen rebels. Two of the soldiers killed, Vyacheslav Alexandrovich Alexandrov and Andrey Alexandrovich Melnikov, were posthumously awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. All of the paratroopers in this battle were given the Order of the Red Banner and Order of the Red Star.[3]

The Song

This one is one of the last to grow on me, and still not really my favorite. That said, it’s hardly one I skip either. It shifts pace from the anthemic feel of the Last Stand to an almost mechanical headlong rush.
Landed on the hilltop, soviet forces are in place Awaiting orders! They were only 39 They were told to hold the line In control Sent into battle, came from the sky Trapped on a mountain, and into the fire Hold your ground When you're fighting those who fight Death is waiting on the hill No surrender, shoot to kill You have to Hold your ground Kill the warrior in your sight Death is waiting on the hill No surrender, shoot to kill January 7th, hold the hilltop at all costs Follow orders! Holding their ground To the final round One by one Fight through the sundown, into the night Enduring the darkness, awaiting the light Hold your ground When you're fighting those who fight Death is waiting on the hill No surrender, shoot to kill You have to Hold your ground Kill the warrior in your sight Death is waiting on the hill No surrender, shoot to kill Stand, hold your ground Come around Hostile land Your last stand Under fire, low on munitions Make your bullets count Push their warriors back down the mountain Rule the battlefront Sent into battle, came from the sky Trapped on a mountain, and into the fire Hold your ground When you're fighting those who fight Death is waiting on the hill No surrender, shoot to kill You have to Hold your ground Kill the warrior in your sight Death is waiting on the hill No surrender, shoot to kill
Of note is that a movie called [The 9th Company](https://infogalactic.com/info/The_9th_Company) was made about this battle, and is the source of the film used in the video here.