North of Novgorod, Russia, October 18th, 1941. The first unit of the Blue Division in front line was the 2/269 Battalion, when their "guripas" (not ranked soldiers) began to relieve in the trenches and positions the 18th German Mot Div the nigth of the October 11th to 12th. Confrontig them were troops of the 848 Rgt of the Soviet 267 Inf Div, commanded by Gen, Selenkov, with Russian officers and commissars, and Ukrainian soldiers, proclives to deserting, so they were embedded with Tartarian soldiers in their ranks. The 250th Div was at the offensive, as the rest of XVI Army, and its mission was to create a bridgehead through the Volkhov river.