Chapter 7 Summary

The planned but cancelled assault against the Fascist lines is finally to be carried out. Orwell and fourteen other soldiers volunteer and are led by Benjamin to Torre Fabian. They assemble with other troops under the command of Georges Kopp, who outlines the operation first in Spanish and then in English. Orwell's section is to attack the Fascist line at a point where if forms a sharp outward bend, and each of the soldiers is issued three hand grenades. Rain is constant, and the area is a vast sea of slippery thick mud.

At night, the troops advance and cut through two lines of wire. When they are just yards away from the Nationalist trench, they are fired upon and respond by hurling grenades. A brief but intense exchange of fire takes place, and the Republican forces advance to the Nationalist trench. Orwell...