Events
TANK-PLANE DUEL
The history of WWII knows only one case of a combat plane being destroyed by dead shot from a tank gun. It was done by Alexander Fadin, Hero of Russia, Ò-34 tank commander. Here is his story: – When the war broke out, I was too young to go the frontline, so I entered the Automobile and Motorcycle College in the city of Gorky. A year later the college was transformed into the armor school. I graduated from it in the rank of lieutenant and became a Ò-34 tank commander. I was in the hell’s corner at Kursk Salient. Later I took part in the forcing of Dnieper River, liberation of Kiev, Korsun-Shevchenkovski Operation… This is when my duel with the enemy plane occurred. The Germans were attempting to disentangle straight through. We had nothing left but my tank… I parked my tank behind the end house in a village. We were protected by only fifteen infantrymen and opposed by a whole armada of eleven infantry vehicles and tanks. I started shooting when they were about 800 meters away. It was a success. But then I saw two tanks approaching from the rear. I managed to shoot down one of these tanks. The crew of the other one obviously got too nervous, they came out of the tank and fled…
Then the plane emerged. It dropped a big box, probably filled with ammunition. I got very angry, so I pointed the tank gun at the flying plane and made a shot. It was a direct hit on the engine. The plane fell apart. However, it was not the end of the battle, but this is another story…
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO THE 65th ANNIVERSARY OF THE VICTORY PARADE
On 24 June 2010 the visitors of Ò-34 Tank History Museum took part in the events dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the Victory Parade of 24 June 1945. One of the events was the opening of the exhibition «Ò-34 Goes into Batch Series Line Production». Unique documents on display allow the visitors to familiarize themselves with the events that occurred 70 years ago and were related to the commencement of the batch series line production of Ò-34 medium tank. Almost all of these documents are shown to the public for the first time. For reference: Kharkov Locomotive Works (Plant ¹ 183) and Stalingrad Tractor Works were instructed to make arrangements for the batch series line production of Ò-34 tanks in 1940. Before the War the Red Army was equipped with more than one thousand T-34s. Political and military leaders of Germany knew nothing about this fighting vehicle before 22 June 1941.
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
PROCESSION THROUGH TIME
At 4.a.m. on 22 June 2010, 68 years after the outbreak of Great Patriotic War, the symbolic Passage through Time dedicated to the Day of Memory and Grief started in Ò-34 Tank History Museum. The event was impressively opened by a video footage of the events that occurred on 22 June 1941. In this film made by the staff members of the Museum wartime actuality shots, phonograms of official announcements and first battlefield reports are supplemented by the new data on the events on the Soviet-German Front, on the high price of the great victory of the Soviet people in the uncompromising confrontation with the “brown plague” of the ÕÕ century.
The procession itself commenced from the laying of flowers to the commemorative cross near the Museum. Later the flowers were laid to the communal grave of soldiers and residents of Sholokhovo village who were killed in the Great Patriotic War, to the commemorative sign stating that the street in Lugovaya settlement was named in the memory of the soldiers of 35th Detached Rifle Brigade who had initiated their counter-attack at this point during the Battle for Moscow, and to the monument to the soldiers of 35th Detached Rifle Brigade erected by the grateful residents of Lugovaya. The final stop on the way of this procession was the communal grave in the park near the Forage Institute named after V.R. Williams. The memory rally was held here, and those present at it were addressed by Mikhail Scherbakov who had fought in the assault of Berlin, now the Chairman of Lugovaya Council of Veterans; Vladimir Kosolapov, Director of the Forage Institute named after V.R. Williams; Alexander Kozlov, Head of the Department of Cultural Property Preservation and Cultural Heritage Popularization; Vladimir Stankov, Head of Lugovaya Micro-District Administration. Alexandra Lavrova, Cand. Sc. (Biology), Director of Forage Production Museum, greeted the procession participants with the verses from the museum’s archives:
* * *
We lose our comrades-in-arms…
But those who are still alive
Must remember them and keep together.
* * *
He is alive, he deserves honors, he strengthens his Motherland!
But there will come a day when the last soldier
of that distant war will be no more…
You, the young ones, do not give ground!
You are the ones for whom he captured the invaders.
Look ahead and remember the living victor!
* * *
The riflemen spoiled for the fight for Lugovaya,
a severe fight for an inch of native land,
for our Soviet country
they went into a vehement assault beside each other.
Lead bullets were flying, cannonades were thundering.
How many of those young soldiers
died in the battle for Lugovaya!..
They are now in the communal grave in Lugovaya,
And the schoolchildren bring flowers to it.
The Motherland has not forgotten those fallen in battles,
Songs and verses are written in their memory.
* * *
Letters from pits and trenches are kept in the museum.
They were written to wives, girlfriends, mothers
in the deaf minutes between battles…
And no evidence is simpler or more frightful!
Once again the memory brings us back to the times
from which it is very hard to come back.
And once again we have to say farewell
To those left in the past forever…
.
Express interviews with the participants of the procession
Oksana Ruda, 13, pupil of School ¹ 9 in the town of Lobnya:
– I have a somewhat solemn feeling. The fact that people still remember the most terrible war in the history of our country, get together to honor those who died in it – this is great. And it is a special experience for us, those who are very young…
Dasha Nikitenko, 13, pupil of Physics and Technology School in the town of Dolgoprudny:
– We found the information about the forthcoming procession in the Internet. We considered whether we should go or not. Four o’clock in the morning is so early! But we didn’t even need an alarm clock to wake us up and we joined the procession. And it was a great satisfaction to us. Our school holds annual conferences on different topics. My topic this year was the history of 35th Detached Rifle Brigade which had defended the Lobnya line in 1941. Frankly speaking, I never expected my research to come to an end at this symbolic point, near the communal grave of the soldiers of this brigade on 22nd of June, on the 69th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War. I will definitely tell my friends at school all about this procession.
Larisa Vasilieva, Poet, Writer, President of Ò-34 Tank History Museum, Honorary Citizen of Lobnya:
– This modest procession in commemoration of the first morning of the war that had changed the destiny of the nation, in a typical summer morning when the sun and the moon cross their rays, when the mists wander about the hills of the Klinsko-Dmitrovskaya Ridge, this austere, solemn and mournful procession was some sort of a meeting with those who had given their lives to enable us to go, go and go…
The soul was bright and clear after the procession as though it was laved by the water from a spring of human love, our love to them and THEIR love to us. I sincerely wish that everyone experiences the similar feelings in the next Days of Memory and Grief.
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
T-34 ON RUSSIA DAY–2010
.
.
.
.
.
More than five thousand Muscovites and visitors of different age groups took part in the Russia Day festivities held in the park near Moscow City Palace of Children and Youth Creativity. Participants of “Tolerance Team” Educational Festival were especially interested by an unusual model of Ò-34 tank. Special features of this model are described by Vladimir Czit, one of its authors:
– I was born in Grodno, Byelorussia. I am a student of the design faculty of the famous Stroganov Arts Academy. With great interest I cooperate with the Children’s Automobile Design Center of “Autoville” Museum of Private Collections. This is where an idea to make a model of Ò-34 tank came to me. It is an unusual model that can be mounted on an auto-car and can thus be driven. Many schoolboys and students from Moscow took part in its creation. Anastasia Dolgova and Pavel Chernyshov, my friends from the Stroganov Academy, as well as Alexander Krasnov from Automechanics Institute were the backbone of our “design office”. During the Russia Day celebrations everyone could contribute to the coloring of the model...
The results can be seen in the photo report. But the model was not able to demonstrate its ride characteristics as the festival’s sites were too crowded.
Delegation from Ò-34 Tank History Museum took an active part in Russia Day-2010 celebrations.
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
DELEGATION OF T-34 TANK HISTORY MUSEUM VISITS FINLAND
With active assistance on the part of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Helsinki the delegation from T-34 Tank History Museum visited one of Europe's largest museums of armored vehicles (Panssarimuseo, Parola, Finland).
The collection of this museum consists of more than 50 tanks, about thirty armored vehicles, an armored train, as well as various insignia of distinction, military uniforms, documents and many other relics of WWII.
Larisa Vasilieva, President of T-34 Tank History Museum, lectured our Finnish colleagues on the history of the Museum, its many-faceted activities, prospects for its future development. In their turn, Erkki Kauppinen, Chairman of the Board of the Museum's Foundation, and Esa Muikku, Member of the Board, described the specific features of their museum and all T-34 tanks that had ever been in the Finnish service.
Steps to strengthen the mutual cooperation between two museums were pinpointed during this visit.
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
"INTERMUSEUM-2010", XII RUSSIAN MUSEUM FESTIVAL
The Festival was held under the motto "Museum is a unity of the unlike". The theme of the Festival was "Museum: keeper of the past, teacher of the present, creator of the future". Ò-34 Tank History Museum had its own stand at the exhibition held within the framework of the Festival. It also took part in the Festival's business program, topical presentations, roundtable discussions and training workshops. Amicable meetings with those who are into Russian and military history, business negotiations with the individuals and legal entities concerned, presentations of the museum's publications were held at the Museum's exhibition stand. You can see some photos taken at the exhibition on our Photo Gallery page.
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
YOUNG TOURISTS FROM HERO-CITIES AND CITIES OF MILITARY HONOR IN T-34 TANK HISTORY MUSEUM
T-34 tank History Museum was especially crowded on that day. Among more than two hundred participants of XVI International Rally of Young Tourists from Hero-Cities and Cities of Military Honor were the delegates from such hero-cities as Brest, Volgograd, Kiev, Minsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sevastopol, Smolensk, Tula and such cities of military honor as Belgorod, Bryansk, Velikiye Luki, Voronezh, Yelets, Kursk, Rostov-on-Don.
Young tourists from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine were greeted by the veterans of the Great Patriotic War: Nikolai Sechkin, Hero of the Soviet Union, sniper; Stepan Kompaneyets, gun commander of T-34 tank; Andrey Novikov, reconnaissance company commander; Vasily Pronin, reconnaissance man.
.
Below are some fragments from their speeches at the meeting.
Stepan Kompaneyets, Senior Sergeant, war veteran, gun commander of T-34 tank:
- I fought in 142 Tank Brigade of the Fourth Tank Army on the First Baltic Front and the First Ukranian Front. Our crew received its fighting machine from Nizhny Tagil tank works. It was a good vehicle, made with great inspiration and with the definite intent to inflict a defeat upon the enemy. But the way to the victory was not an easy one. Many of my companions in arms fell in the fields of severest battles. It is extremely important to keep the memory of all this and to pass the baton of the past generations to the new generation. To the young tourists I wish many new discoveries, the best of luck and success in your noble self-sacrificing deeds.
Nikolai Sechkin, Sergeant, Hero of the Soviet Union, sniper:
- With heartache do I recall now the battle on the Kursk Salient and the forcing of Dnepr River. On 14 October 1943 we started crossing the river under the drenching fire from the enemy. In about 20 meters from the riverbank our boat was taken down, so we had to swim. Only five of us could reach the riverbank where we immediately came to close quarters. We survived. We took off our wet top coats that were as heavy as lead, put on the German top coats and went along the trenches – three of us took one direction and two of us took the other. It was a terrible "hack and slash", but it was a miraculous survival for us. Soon the bulk strength was coming to our bridgehead. Army Commander Konstantin Rokossovsky greeted us upon the brilliant completion of our operational task and said: "You are already the Heroes of the Soviet Union. But I will not hand the Golden Stars over to you now. You will go to Moscow, to the Kremlin. This will be a present for you!" It took me more than six months to get to the Kremlin. I was critically wounded and sent to a hospital in the city of Gorky where the doctors had to work a lot to get me back on my feet. Only on 5 May 1944 Mikhail Kalinin and Joseph Stalin handed the Hero of the Soviet Union award over to me.
Larisa Vasilieva, President of T-34 Tank History Museum, daughter of Nikolai Kucherenko, one of the designers of Ò-34:
- Dear guests! First of all, I would like to wish you the best of health as this is the most important. If you have good health, you have good memory enabling you to keep in it the details of great and small events which you can share with the future generations. For young tourists and local historians this is a special type of job: finding out and keeping the recollections of the people who actually took part in and saw the events of the past. The work of our museum is based on this principle. Designers, tank builders, tankmen and all those whose destinies were closely linked to T-34 meet in the museum’s homely atmosphere. I am very glad that the young tourists came to T-34 Tank Museum from different places. It means that yet another rapprochement, integration has taken place. This is extremely important since all of us are brothers and sisters on our Earth. God grant you health and happiness, be merry and fervent! Welcome to Ò-34 Tank Museum!
Ludmila Slesareva, Director of Moscow City Station for Young Tourists, Honored Teacher of the Russian Federation:
- It should be noted that not all young tourists are now taking part in our meeting in Ò-34 Tank History Museum. At this time many of them are at diggings and will be free only in the evening. We send our greetings to them and their representatives – kids from Bagration Search Association headed by Colonel Dmitry Yanupan.
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
Ò-34 TANK HISTORY MUSEUM REPRESENTED IN MOSCOW’S LIBRARY OF UKRANINAN LITERATURE
Exhibition dedicated to T-34 Tank History Museum and the book “Nikolai Kucherenko. Fifty years of Fight for the USSR Tanks” written by Larisa Vasilieva and Igor Zheltov opened in Moscow’s Library of Ukranian Literature. Exhibits include unique documents, photographs, recollections, books, artistic compositions. They provide the customers of the library with unique knowledge of the heroism of the tank designers and tank builders. At the same time they give moral lessons to our contemporaries, especially to the youngsters.
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
Ò-34 TANK HISTORY MUSEUM IN THE "SCIENCE’S FEAT OF ARMS" EXHIBITION HELD IN THE POLYTECHNIC MUSEUM
The key objective of the exhibition held to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Great Victory is to demonstrate the scientific, engineering and technical innovations that formed the basis for the creation of armaments, ammunition and engine in the years of the Great Patriotic War and played a significant role in the victory over of the enemy. Technical objects, rare books, archive documents and photographs show numerous research results. Among them are the most famous military technical achievements in the USSR: IL-2 strike fighter, Ò-34 medium tank, BM-13 rocket launcher nicknamed as Katyusha.
The exhibition was organized by more than thirty institutions: museums, archives, leading research centers, design offices, science and production association. T-34 Tank History Museum was among them.
The exhibition is open until 30 October 2010.
It is held in the Central Exhibition Complex of Polytechnic Museum, Moscow (Entrance 1).
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
EXPOSITION DEDICATED TO THE 70th ANNIVERSARY OF KHARKOV-MOSCOW-KHARKOV TANK MARCH
There is nothing similar to this in the history of tank building. In order to “remove” numerous questions and doubts Mikhail Koshkin, Chief Designer of Ò-34 Tank, took an unprecedented decision: make a trip from Kharkov to Moscow to show the tanks to the USSR leaders, not by rail but under the tanks’ own power. Two vehicles pulled through the long distance, mud-locked roads and bad weather. This was one of T-34’s first victories.
In 2010 researchers from T-34 Tank History Museum managed to reconstruct the full picture of this event, as well as to eliminate many "blind spots", inaccuracies and delusions. The updated information is represented in the relevant exposition on the Museum’s ground floor.
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
MEMORY WATCH OF THE YOUTH AND THE VETERANS OF THE NORTH-EAST ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICT OF MOSCOW
Nobody is forgotten and nothing is forgotten!
These are not just words.
Every open heart is blazing:
"Victory!" – cheers Moscow!
"Victory!" – cheers Russia when marching past with banners.
Respects to those who are still alive, silence in remembrance of those who were killed in fight
This was and this will always be!
The thread of great achievements will not be snapped!
The country will be in safe hands,
As long as the memory of those who brought Victory to us flickers in our grateful hearts!
These words became an epithet for the Memory Watch of the youngsters of Moscow’s North-East Administrative District held in T-34 Tank History Museum.
.
Below are some fragments from the speeches at this event.
Irina Raber, Prefect of North-East Administrative District, Member of the Moscow City Government:
- For 65 years we have been living under peaceful skies thanks to the unequalled self-devotion of the generation of the veterans of the frontline and the hinterland of the Great Patriotic War. Their heroism cannot be forgotten! These veterans symbolize honor, heroism and patriotism. Today’s schoolchildren, pupils of cadet corps, members of search teams follow their example. We, the young people and the veterans, are together and this makes us confident that the tradition of heroism will continue!
Tatiana Shikhova, younger daughter of Mikhail Koshkin, Chief Designer of Ò-34 Tank:
- I am proud of the fact that my father had taken part in the creation of the fighting vehicle that eventually became a weapon of the Victory. The destiny of Ò-34 tank is an example of efficient cooperation, personal responsibility for the destiny of the whole country and unprecedented civic courage. These qualities are especially important for the young people of today. Dear friends, do rely on the experience of the veterans, be brave in starting your lives and always strive for the best result!
Maria Pevtsova, Chairman of the Youth Parliament of Otradnoye District:
- Various forms of cooperation between youngsters and veterans exist nowadays. For example, in Otradnoye District we have Thank You for Life youth movement. Kids help veterans in solving their daily problems and give them commemorative badges with words “Thank you for life. From the youth of Otradnoye" printed on them.
Leonid Zagumennov, veteran of the Great Patriotic War:
- I am very proud of my small contribution to the Great Victory and of being part of the generation of the defenders of our Motherland. I have two wishes to the younger generation. First, let there be clear skies above your heads, happy life without bombs and shells, blood, grief and tears of mourning for the dead. Second, let you be the worthy successors of the glorious generation of the defenders of the Motherland. You are the future of our country. You will go on post.
Valentin Tuller, veteran of the Great Patriotic War:
- Dear kids! When I look at you I inadvertently recall the days of my youth. The war left the heaviest of imprints on me and my contemporaries. I was 19 when the victory was won. By that time I had an operational record that started in Velikiye Luki and ended in Eastern Prussia. Various challenges await you in your life. Live up to your Motherland in any of them!
Larisa Vasilieva, President of T-34 Tank History Museum, daughter of Nikolai Kucherenko, one of the designers of Ò-34:
- We have many guests today in our hospitable home. Many of them came to Moscow on this special occasion. I would like to highlight the presence of Colonel Alexander Laudansky. He was a friend of Dmitry Lavrinenko, the Soviet tankman who destroyed the largest number of enemy tanks in the Great Patriotic War. After the war Alexander Laudansky became an undisputable leader in his professional activity. But through many a decade he remained faithful to his friends who fought alongside by contributing to the perpetuation of the memory of the heroes of the First Tank Guards Brigade, the tankmen led by Katukov to defend Moscow. I am pleased to note that the interest towards the heroic deeds is not fading away. A new museum will open soon in Moscow’s School ¹2044 – the one dedicated to tankmen and tank builders. We give three books about the creators of T-34 in order to lay the foundations of its future exposition.
Anastasia Usatyuk, pupil of 10 À form of School ¹2044:
- There are ordinary books that contain simple words:
where one was born, what he did, how he lived and how he died.
Leaves on the birch-trees rustle over the grave of an unknown hero,
But on the pages of a book he is still serving his Motherland.
He wins in a battle to fulfill his dreams.
He is here, he is near as soon as I open the page.
And I feel like I am standing near as well,
I look at him and I want to equal him in his deeds!
There are priceless books that contain simple words:
where one was born, what he did, but if you read them with your heart,
you come to understand:
your Motherland is loved and revered by you
as long as the memory of the past lingers…
.
The Memory Watch ended in a symbolic parade. The following participants of the event marched past the veterans:
- servicemen of the internal security troops;
- members of Zhukov Cadets military patriotic club in School ¹709, winners of 2010 Heroes of Russia Cup, participants of the honor guard at Post 1 on Poklonnaya Gora on 9 May 2010;
- pupils of School ¹2044;
- members of Scarlet Sails military patriotic club in School ¹264, the key activity of which is assistance to war veterans; in 2010 in the First Steps contest these schoolchildren won the first prize in the Administrative District and the second prize in Moscow in the Best Military History Museum nomination;
- members of Native Land military patriotic club in School ¹1459, recipients of the Diploma of the City of Moscow awarded to the best military patriotic club and best scouting force;
- members of Baseline local history club in School ¹1411, winners of 2008 Heroes of Russia Cup.
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
MEMORY OF THE VICTORY
Such is the name of an artistic miniature based on the scale model of Ò-34-85 tank. Vyacheslav Dzhendoyan, student of Moscow Light Industry College ¹24 made it in commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the Great Victory. Here’s what he said:
- The theme of the Great Patriotic War captured me in my early childhood. I was making tanks out of clay in the kindergarten. Later I used plasticine to make them: it allowed to make the tanks much closer to the original. But plasticine models do not last long. So I used to reinforce my models with matches, plastic or metal. Plastic and metal gradually replaced all other materials. Now I do my best to electrify the models: for example, you can now switch on their headlights and hear their engines vibrating. I made Ò-34-85 model (1 : 43 scale) along with all other components of the miniature all by myself. It took me two weeks of scrupulous work to have it completed. Both hatches on the tank’s turret and a hatch on the hull can be opened, and the gun barrel can be moved up and down. By removing the turret you can see the fighting and the motor compartments of T-34.
It should be added that, apart from the models of the fighting vehicles of 1941-1945, the portfolio of Valery who lives in Lytkarino, Moscow Region, contains a collection of modern heavy fighting machines. Valery has been making tank models since 2007. The team of T-34 Tank History Museum wishes the young model-maker every success in his creative work.
We specify the size of the model: length of the hull (without gun) - 129 mm, width - 69 mm, height – 63 mm.
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
Ò-34 IN THE LIMELIGHT OF THE DAYS OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL CREATION AND YOUNGSTERS' INITIATIVES
The Days of Scientific and Technical Creation and Youngsters' Initiatives held in Crocus Expo exhibition center in Moscow were the final chord of the festival of the same name. Pupils of primary and secondary schools, grammar schools, vocational schools, education centers, as well as college and university students were the key participants of this event. They showed more than 600 works to the visitors of the exhibition in the following categories: "Scientific and Technical Creation", "Scientific Research and Project Activities", "Initiatives of the Young", "Conservation and Cost-Effective Use of Resources".
One of the expositions of the event was dedicated to the 65th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. T-34 Tank was the "protagonist" of the miniature paintings, small dioramas and various scale models. The photos taken in Crocus Expo can show only a small number of the works represented there.
A delegation from Ò-34 Tank History Museum took part in this memorable event.
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
WE CHERISH THE MEMORY OF HERO TANK BUILDERS AND TANKMEN
The team of Ò-34 Tank History Museum takes care of the graves of famous tank builders and tankmen at Novodevichye Cemetry in Moscow:
.
.
.
.
.
.
N.À. Kucherenko and Y.N Fedorenko are represented in the Museum’s exposition on the ground floor, V.Ì. Badanov and Ì.Å. Katukov – on the first floor..
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
WOMEN AND TANKS
“Tankwomen” mini-exposition opened in T-34 Tank History Museum in March, Russia’s traditional women’s month. Among those represented in the exposition are: tank commander Irina Levchenko, Hero of the Soviet Union; commander of IS-2 heavy tank Guards Sub-Lieutenant Alexandra Boyko; commander of Ò-34 tank Alexandra Samusenko; T-34 tank drivers Maria Oktyabrskaya, Hero of the Soviet Union, Alexandra Raschupkina, Maria Lagunova and Yekaterina Petluyk. The latter was a member of the crew of Ò-60 light tank specially named «The Little Thing».
Women and tanks make up an uncommon topic. Yet, throughout the Great Patriotic War women:
– MADE TANKS
Instances of their efforts were in abundance, among them was Tatiana Bulgakova's "Guards Frontline Brigade" at Urals Railcar Factory in Nizhny Tagil which was the key manufacturer of T-34s in the War years.
.
.
– FOUGHT IN TANKS
Maria Oktyabrskaya became a driver of Ò-34 Tank named «Girl Friend at Wartime». Having learned about her parents and her soldier husband being killed in the war, she sold her valuables and donated the proceeds and all her savings for the construction of this tank. Guards Sergeant Oktyabrskaya demonstrated eminent skills and courage while fighting in 26th Guards Tank Brigade of the 2nd Tatzinsky Tank Corps. She was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title.
.
.
– REPAIRED THE TANKS DAMAGED IN THE BATTLES
Ludmila Kalinina was one of the first graduates of the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization. She was assigned to the South Front in June 1941. In 1944 Engineer Major Kalinina had a mobile tank repair shop, three mechanical engineers battalions and a clearing company – more than thousand persons – in her ‘household”. Now T-34 Tank History Museum has a special exposition dedicated to Engineer Colonel L. Kalinina.
.
.
– CONTRIBUTED NOT ONLY TO THE RELEASE OF NEW TANKS, BUT TO THE FORMATION OF TANK COLUMNS
The most widely known was «Girls Friends at Wartime», tank column formed for the personal funds donated by soldiers’ wives. This initiative was inspired by the soldiers’ wives from Omsk Region. They started collecting donations in January 1942.
Some tank builders and tankmen named their tanks after the women who had heroically fought in the Great Patriotic War. The tank named «Tanya» was built for the money collected by the young pioneers and schoolchildren of Novosibirsk. A tank column of the same name was formed to commemorate the heroic deed of Moscow schoolgirl Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, legendary partisan who was posthumously awarded with the Hero of the Soviet Union title. She called herself Tanya when arrested by the Nazis.
A section in the exposition of N.A. OSTROVSKY "OVERCOMING" STATE MUSEUM - HUMANITARIAN CENTER
Workers of Uralmash Plant released five T-34 tanks in excess of the plan. They had the words «For Zina Tusnolobova» written on their turrets. The vehicles were dedicated to Zina Tusnolobova, a nurse in a rifle regiment who had saved 128 wounded soldiers. In 1943 Zina was wounded. She lost her feet and hands. Artificial limbs and other special devices helped this brave woman to come back to active life. She got married and brought up two children. Muscovites and visitors to Moscow can get a more detailed account of the heroism of Zina Tusnolobova, Hero of the Soviet Union, in N.A. Ostrovsky "Overcoming" State Museum - Humanitarian Center or at the website of this museum: www.moepreodolenie.ru
.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
.
REPUBLIC OF BELARUS: Ò-34 TANK AS A MONUMENT TO HEROISM
On 22 June 1941 Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. From the very first day of the Great Patriotic War Belarus became the arena of the most severe hostilities. From here the Center, Wehrmacht’s largest army group, started its assault on Moscow. The loss of life and weaponry on Belorussian land was considerable for Hitler’s armed forces. Soviet tankmen, including the crews of the few T-34 tanks, demonstrated their unconquerable tenacity in defense and mastery in counteroffensive. Strong resistance on the part of Belorussian people in the initial period of the War was one of the reasons for the failure of Blitzkrieg.
During the Great Patriotic War the Belorussians fought in infantry, armor and motorized battalions. They organized a very efficient underground and partisan resistance. Now we have every reason to be proud of those who took the enemy’s deadly blow, demonstrated heroism and immeasurable desire to win the war. The Republic lost more than 2.2 million people.
More than twenty legendary «thirty-fours» now stand on pedestals in various parts of Belarus as monuments to those who defended and liberated towns and district centers. These tanks have become the symbols of courage and endurance of the Soviet people, as well as the symbols of the uneclipsed fame of the war heroes. Our story is about six of these monuments.
Hero-City of Minsk
In the night of 3 July 1944 the Soviet troops came into a position near the Nazi-occupied Minsk. Major General À.S. Burdeyny ordered the tank platoon headed by Second Lieutenant Dmitry Frolikov to engage in an intelligence coup.
Tankmen broke through the Nazis’ main line of defense and headed for Minsk. At 2:30 a.m. the first Soviet tank entered the city, having destroyed a self-propelled gun and killed several dozens of enemy soldiers on Sovietskaya Street.
Still, the key result of this attack was a piece of valuable intelligence data on the location and composition of the enemy’s forces. Offensive of the tank units of the 2nd Guards Corps, 25th and 26th Tank Brigades of Guards, 1st Donskoy Tank Corps was based on these data. Seven tank, motorized and cavalry corps approached the outskirts of the Belorussian capital and entrapped the 100,000-strong German army group. This is how the famous Minsk Trap was formed. By the evening of 3 July 1944 the Belorussian capital was fully liberated by the Soviet troops.
In 1952 a T-34 monument was erected opposite the Army Officers Club in commemoration of the heroic deed of the tankmen who were the first to break into the occupied Minsk.
Pukhovichi District Center, Minsk Region
Guardsmen of the 1st Donskoy Tank Corps were engaged in slogging combat in the course of the military operation aimed at the liberation of Minsk in 1944. Having fought through the distance of more than 80 kilometers, the tankmen liberated Lapichi village and approached Barsukovaya Gryada settlement.
The next stop on the assault line was the village of Maryina Gorka. The most difficult thing to do there was to cross the river. Had the Nazis destroyed the mined bridge, the casualties would have been tremendous.
In these conditions the vanguard of the tank brigade – the motorized rifle battalion headed by Major I.G. Kobyakov – accomplished something that seemed impossible. The guardsmen forced the Nazis to leave Maryina Gorka, demined the bridge and the surrounding areas. One can only imagine how many soldiers’ lives were saved as a result of this successful attack.
SU-100, a self-propelled artillery vehicle based on T-34 tank, was put on a pedestal in Pukhovichi to commemorate the heroic deed of the soldiers and commanders of the 1st Donskoy Tank Corps.
Krasnoye Settlement
Krasnoye is a major transport hub and a place of fierce battles with the Nazi invaders who were retreating from Minsk baselines in early June 1944. Forces of 45th Tank Guards Regiment of 9th Mechanized Brigade commanded by Captain G.G. Kiyashko were stationed on the railroad and the highway in order to prevent the Nazis from invading the settlement. In spite of heavy casualties, Kiyashko’s regiment was holding Krasnoye for three days. But the enemy soldiers managed to surround Kiyashko’s tank and set fire to it. The fighting machine was all in flames and heavy black smoke. The Nazis were already celebrating their victory when the manhole on the turret of the burning tank opened and Kiyashko who had three wounds stood out on the turret and started throwing grenades thus clearing the way out of the trap. For this heroic deed Captain Kiashko was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union Title, and after the war he became an honorary citizen of Krasnoye.
The courage of the soldiers and officers of 45th Tank Guards Regiment enabled the Soviet High Command to relocate its forces and liberate the town of Molodechno and Molodechno Ditrict in a decisive attack. Tankmen of 3rd Stalingrad Mechanized Guard Corps distinguished themselves in this battle. At the initiative of the workers of Molodechno District a T-34 tank was put on a pedestal on Tankman’s Day 1978.
City of Mogilev
In June 1944 the troops of 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts countered the enemy’s Mogilev Group. Mogilev was turned by the Nazis into some sort of a fortress where they were waiting for the reserve forces to come. They declined the Soviet High Command’s summons to surrender. Sanguinary street fighting began. Tankmen were especially selfless in this battle. One of the T-34s was set ablaze by an enemy shell. Its crew directed the burning tank to a German pillbox which was throwing fire into the Soviet infantry troops. The tank and its crew exploded having destroyed the pillbox and killed the Nazis. The tankmen whose names have never been determined saved the lives of many soldiers and cleared the way for the offensive of the Soviet troops. Destroyed German weapons were standing all along the road from Mogilev to Minsk. Such was the outcome of the successful attacks of the tank brigade commanded by Colonel Yershov. 28 soldiers and officers were awarded a title of the Hero of the Soviet Union, and an honorary name of “Mogilev” was awarded to twenty troop units and formations which had distinguished themselves in this battle. After the liberation of Mogilev the troops of the 2nd Byelorussian Front made a move to Minsk in order to noose the Nazi group jointly with the mobile teams of the 1st and the 3rd Byelorussian Fronts. A monument – T-34 tank – was erected in Mogilev city center to commemorate its liberation.
Town of Bobruisk
Tankmen from 9th Tank Corps commanded by Major General B.S. Bakharov distinguished themselves in the battle for Bobruisk in June 1944. It should be noted that the Boris Sergeyevich Bakharov, who was born in the town of Demyansk in Novgorod Region, became the commander of a tank brigade in 1938. At an earlier stage in the Great Patriotic War he headed a tank division that made several major blows to the assailing invaders. Wehrmacht’s High Command had to throw a whole mechanized corps against Bakharov’s troops. But his soldiers had been dominating the objective for two days and retreated only upon the relevant order from the front commander.
In 1944 9th Tank Corps was to make a gap and, jointly with the forces of 3rd Army of General Gorbatov, regain a crossing over Berezina River near Bobruisk 3. During this military operation the tankmen suddenly changed the direction of their attacks and, making an unpleasant surprise for the Nazis, not only took Titovka Village (that was standing at the junction of the roads leading from Bobruisk to Rogachev, Zhlobin and Mogilev!), but broke into the enemy’s backland, having taken the crossings and strategic points along the road. This is how the 40,000-strong enemy group came to a trap. A dozen of fierce attacks undertaken with a view to break out from the trap were not successful. At the most critical moments of the battle General Bakharov personally led the counterattacks of his corps.
After the liberation of Bobruisk General Bakharov’s tank corps rapidly took the direction from Slutsk to Baranovichi. By July 16, 1944 the Soviet troops came to the Svisloch-Pruzhany line. On this day Major General Bakharov was killed by a square hit of an enemy shell. A street and a mini-park in Bobruisk were named after him. Ò-34 tank standing on granite pedestal became the center of the memorial for the heroes who had fallen in the battle for the liberation of this town.
Alexandra Radkevich, Student of Journalism Institute of Belorussian State University, Hero-City of Minsk
Written specially for T-34 Tank History Museum. Photos: Alexandra Radkevich
