Superheavy Trophy

The German superheavy Maus tank left a mark in the history of tank building. This was the heaviest tank in the world, developed as an assault tank, practically invincible to enemy fire. In many ways, its fate was the same as the fate of another giant, the French FCM 2C, which holds the title of the world's largest tank to this day. Like the French heavyweight, the German tank never saw combat. In both cases, the tanks were blown up by their own crews. Another similarity was that the tanks became the subject of a careful study.

World of Tanks History Section: Crushing the Tarnopol Fortress

The main purpose of new IS-2 heavy tanks that appeared in the Red Army in 1944 was the destruction of German pillboxes with their 122 mm guns. Fighting enemy tanks was not a priority. However, plans and forecasts rarely work in war. The IS tanks got a chance to test themselves against enemy armour soon after they arrived on the battlefield.

This happened in the spring of 1944, during the Proskurovo-Chernovtsy operation. In addition to their other objectives, the Soviet forces had to surround the German 1st Tank Army. Colonel-General Chernyakhovskiy's 60th Army participated in this task. One of the first targets in its path was Tarnopol (modern day Ternopol). Hitler declared it a Festung: a city-fortress that German forces had to hold until the last man. On April 11th, it was time for the defenders to carry out that order.

Lisow Finisher

Remember that battle in the Lisow direction where a battalion of shiny new King Tigers was stomped into the ground? Isayev wrote that the tanks were falsely identified as Panthers, but perhaps not entirely, as this award order suggests.

"Award Order:

1. Name: Novikov, Vasiliy Ivanovich
2. Rank: Guards Lieutenant
3. Position, unit: tank reconnaissance platoon commander, 3rd Tank Battalion, 53rd Guards Fastov Order of the Red Banner, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitskiy Tank Brigade
   is nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
4. Year of birth: 1921
5. Nationality: Russian
6. Party affiliation: VKP(b) candidate
7. Participation in the civil war and subsequent actions in defense of the USSR and Patriotic War: South Front (February 1942-August 1942), North Caucasus Front (August 1942-December 1942), 1st Baltic Front (February 1944-April 1944), 1st Ukrainian Front since June 15th, 1944.
8. Wounds or concussions in the Patriotic War: wounded on January 19th, 1945
9. In the Red Army since: October 1940
10. Recruited by: Pushkin recruitment office, Moscow oblast
11. Previous awards: Order of the Red Banner, August 1st 1944

Brief and specific description of the heroism or achievements: as a reconnaissance platoon commander, comrade Novikov demonstrated exceptional bravery and heroism in battle for the Socialist Motherland. during action with his battalion from January 12th, 1945 to January 19th, 1945. During this period, he personally destroyed many enemies and enemy vehicles including 4 tanks: 2 Tigers, 1 Panther, and 1 PzIV. With his gun, he killed about 200 German soldiers and officers

Comrade Novikov was the first to cross the German state border, destroying 4 AT guns, 2 field guns, crushed 5 MG nests, and destroyed up to 50 cars with military cargo.

In battles for Radomsk, he was among the first to burst into the city and captured up to 50 enemy soldiers and officers.

He is worthy of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union."

CAMD RF 33-793756-34

Tiger, King Tiger, close enough. The Panther and PzIV may not have been misidentifications, as the Tiger unit was refilled with whatever was available, including Panthers and PzIVs.

"14 January 1945: 3 tanks of the 2./schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501 fight near Kielce. Several Tigers continue fighting in the following days in the big pocket, but all have to be blown up after running out of fuel. Tiger 323 (Oberfeldwebel Schaffer) breaks through a 12-ton bridge and is abandoned. The remnants of the battalion gather at Griinberg (Silesia). In this area, several crews received surplus armored vehicles (2 Panthers, 3 Panzer IVs, 2 Hornisse tank destroyers and several Hetzer tank destroyers from the maintenance facility at Brieg)."

The rest of the heroisms of Lieutenant Novikov are not confirmed in the German diary, as the unit neglects to make any entries until January 21st.

Heavy Tanks in Combat

On April 16th, 1944, heavy fighting raged on around Ternopol. Soviet forces encircled the city, and the Germans trapped in their fortress no longer wished to remain there. Here is a rare case where both sides committed their biggest tanks to the fighting.

The 53rd Guards Tank Brigade received the 11th Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment, three companies of new IS-2 tanks, on the night of April 16th. That morning, a company was readied to defend the small town of Pochapintse.

The Germans committed their Tigers from s.Pz.Abt 507. These Tigers, as well as 9th SS "Hohenstaufen" and elements of SS Division Galizien (which appeared to have spent the previous day torching the village, according to Nieukarane zbrodnie SS-Galizien z lat 1943—1945). 

With the two forces less than seven kilometers apart (and a seven minutes' drive, according to Google, although neither the Tigers nor ISes would have managed it that fast), a confrontation is inevitable. Schneider says:

"16 April  1944: Relief attack continued with 12 operational Tigers in support. Several antitank positions  were  wiped out and Hill 363 was captured. Initial contact with the defenders of Tarnopol was established."

Hm, rather laconic. The Soviet record of the battle is much more in depth.

"At 10:30 on April 16t, 1944, the enemy attacks with a force of up to 25 tanks and two battalions of infantry, and at 16:00 with 40 tanks. At a high cost, the enemy managed to displace elements of the 53rd GTBr. 

Heavy tanks (one company), placed behind the medium tanks, opened intense fire at a range of 1500-2000 meters. As a result, 13 enemy tanks were destroyed, (3 Tigers and 10 Panthers). The crew of Guards Lieutenant comrade Vovk showed themselves well, knocking out four enemy tanks (one Tiger), as well as Guards Lieutenant Timokhin, knocking out three enemy tanks (one Tiger).

The enemy attack was repelled, and its tanks returned to initial positions."

It's interesting to note that despite the Panther's thicker armour, it is the Tigers that are considered a more prestigious prize. Now, how closely does the Soviet description matches the Germans' records. I cannot say for sure how many Panthers the Germans lost, but Wielhelm Tieke writes that 9th SS came in with 24 Panthers, which makes the claim of knocking out ten of them feasible. Counting knocked out Tigers, however, is a much easier feat.

"17 April  1944: The 2./schwere Panzer-Abteilung 507 attacked north of Seredynki; it had eight  operational  tanks."

12 - 8 = 4, so that means the Soviet count was correct. Not only that, but the Germans managed to lose another Tiger elsewhere, or someone confused a Tiger for a Panther. The Soviet record that the Germans failed to displace them is also confirmed (despite some casual Googling turning up opinions that 9th SS somehow won the engagement), as they are attacking the same target from a different location the next day. It appears that this Hill 363 was of no help to them. 

Again, the Germans had no luck at all.

"18 April  1944: The relief attack bogged down and a withdrawal was  executed during the night. One company remained in support of the XXXXVIII. Panzer-Korps. Eight tanks reported operational; seven of them with  the 1./schwere Panzer-Abteilung 507."

Eight tanks remain in the German battalion. You may have noticed that I have omitted mention of the 1st company until now. The thing is, Brody is quite a ways away from where the fighting was taking place, so it would have had no effect on this engagement.

The Germans attacking Pochapintse have failed, losing 11 Tigers and at least 10 Panthers against the defending IS-2 company. 

World of Tanks History Section: Hunting King Tigers

In the summer of 1944, the Red Army was advancing on all fronts. The Germans defended with equal desperation and skill, occasionally revealing nasty surprises for our forces. Since they have long-lost strategic initiative, they had to rely on wonder weapons. In Poland, during August battles for the Sandomierz foothold, this role was played by new PzKpfw VI Ausf B Tiger II tanks, nicknamed "King Tiger" by Soviet soldiers.

Armoured Ram

The Germans understood that Sandomierz opened the road deep into Poland, and losing it was catastrophic. The plan was to strike between two Soviet armies. The offensive would be joined by the 501st heavy tank battalion (45 King Tigers).

The 53rd Guards Tank Brigade lay in the path of the Germans, commanded by Colonel Vasiliy Arkhipov. He was an experienced officer, having fought enemy tanks back in the Winter War. He was well capable of competently organizing defenses, including tank ambushes.

The King Tiger suffered from technical problems. Before the August 11th offensive, only 12 of the 45 501st's King Tigers remained operational. The rest broke down.

Initially, the enemy achieved significant gains. By August 12th, King Tigers overran infantry defenses and reached the villages of Szydłów and Ogledow, next to Staszow. This is where their luck ran out.

Black Sunday

On August 13th, at 7:00, under the cover of fog, 11 Tiger II tanks and two APCs with infantry formed up for an attack on a nameless height east of Ogledow. On the eastern slopes, an ambush with two Soviet tanks awaited them. One was a T-34-85 commanded by Guards Lieutenant Alexander Oskin. At 300 meters, he opened fire. Three tanks were destroyed, the rest turned back.

That day, on another section of the front, two IS-2 tanks from the 71st Independent Heavy Tank Regiment, attached to Arkhipov's brigade, faced King Tigers. Before dawn, a platoon of IS-2 tanks commanded by Senior Lieutenant Klimenkov set up next to Ogledow. When our infantry went into an attack, they spotted a King Tiger in some bushes in the south of the village, and informed our tankers. Klimenkov moved out to a prepared position and set a house on fire with two shots. The Tiger began retreating.

Klimenkov's next shot shattered his track. The crew bailed out and ran. Soviet infantry took over the tank, turned the turret towards the Germans, and opened fire. Meanwhile, Klimenkov destroyed another tank on the right flank. The attack on Ogledow failed.

Seven more King Tigers tasted defeat that day. At 14:00, they attacked our positions at Ogledow from height 271.2. Senior Lieutenant Udalov let them approach to 700-800 meters, and opened fire with his IS-2. One tank burned, another was damaged. When the German tanks passed the ambush and continued on, Udalov went around through a forest road, cut off their advance, and destroyed another tank. The enemy retreated, but soon repeated his attempt. This time, the Germans hit Senior Lieutenant Belyakov's ambush, who opened fire at 1000 meters, and destroyed a tank on his third shot. The rest turned back. Our tankers, combined with artillery, deflected 7 tank attacks that day.

On the night from August 13th to August 14th, Arkhipov's 53rd brigade captured four King Tigers. According to Soviet reports, the Germans lost 31 tanks at Szydłów and Ogledow. Reports mentioned the poor mobility of the new Tigers, which were frequently bogged down in the sand, and large size, which made aiming easier.

Trophy trials

The appearance and capture of new tanks did not go unnoticed. The King Tigers underwent extensive trials. How did Soviet specialists find the trophies?

The King Tiger, weighing 68 tons, had high fuel consumption due to its worn out engine, 971 L for 100 km, instead of 700, as specified in the manual. 860 L that could fit in the tank was enough to travel 90 km on dirt roads.

In comparison, a Panther can travel 120 km with 750 L of fuel, and the 44-ton Soviet IS-2 could travel 135 km on its 520 L tanks, spending 400 liters on 100 km.

The IS-2 was also superior in speed: 17 average kph on dirt roads, compared to the King Tiger's 13.4 kph.

While driving to the proving grounds, the tank showed its poor reliability. Final drives broke twice, on the 1st and 113th kilometer. The drive wheel broke on the 86th and 103rd kilometer, the second time taking out the torsion bar of a road wheel with it.

The planetary mechanism gave the King Tiger a good turning rate, but two track links and 12 track pins broke during turning. The pins shattered into several pieces. Additionally, the turning mechanism was expensive and complicated.

The convenient positioning of aiming mechanisms, a backup electric trigger mechanism, hydraulic foot-operated turret turning mechanism, and monocular ball-mounted sight with variable field of view gave the King Tiger good precision and a rate of fire of 5-6 RPM.

The crew positions were well designed and comfortable, aside from the commander's seat. The report mentions that it is too low, and its height cannot be adjusted, making it so the commander had to lift himself up to observe through the cupola. The cupola's vertical field of view was also insufficient.

Despite the thick armour (150 mm UFP at 50 degrees and 190 mm turret front at 10 degrees), the armour was of low quality, worse than first Tigers and Panthers. Due to the poor armour, welding seams were unreliable. Even if the armour was not penetrated, it formed see-through cracks. After 3-4 hits from 500-600 meters with 100-122 mm shells, an armour plate would be completely destroyed.

The side armour was significantly less protected than the front plates, and therefore more vulnerable. The tank's protection was insufficient for its excessive size and weight.

The most effective way to fire on a King Tiger was a volley from a battery (3-4 guns) of high caliber guns at a range of 500-1000 meters.

The conclusion is that the King Tiger could be, like its predecessor, a dangerous opponent in a defensive line prepared ahead of time. For instance, the 17-19 tanks of the 501st battalion claim 250 Soviet tanks and 142 guns destroyed in the winter of 1943-1944.

In order for this to happen, the King Tiger must already be at the spearhead of the offensive, and not trying to catch up with the increasing strength of Soviet attacks, frequently unaware of where they are happening. The unreliable suspension, poor mobility, and very vulnerable sides were frequently fatal for King Tigers, as it happened at Sandomierz.

Author: Evgeniy Belash

Evgeniy Belash is a historian, an author of books and articles on the First and Second World Wars. His best known work is "Myths of the First World War". Currently, he is working on the manuscript of a book on the application of tanks in the 1920s and 1930s.

Sources:

1. NIBT report on brief Tiger B trials.
2. NIBT report on ballistic testing of the front hull and turret of the Tiger B.
3. Report of the combat actions of the 53rd Guards Tank Brigade from April 19th to September 1st, 1944.
4. Report of the combat actions of the 71st Independent Heavy Tank Regiment from July 14th to August 31st, 1944.
5. A. Isayev, Operatsiya Bagration, Moscow, Yauza, Eksmo, 2014, p. 71
6. P. Schitkin, Konigstiger: neudachniy debut, Korolevskiye Tigry na Sandomirzkom Platsdarme, "Mir Oruzhiya", 2005 #8, p. 14-25

Original article available here. 

King Tigers at Ogledow

I have posted a number of articles regarding testing of a Tiger II. But where did the Red Army get one of those relatively rare vehicles, especially intact? How long were these King Tigers roaming around the Eastern Front? The answers to all of these questions lie in the tank battle at the villages of Ogledow, Nemetzine, Zarez, Poniki, and Mokre, between the 501st s.Pz.Abt and elements of the 6th Guards Tank Army, namely the previously mentioned 53rd Guards Tank Brigade. The engagement is long and complicated. A map drawn up by one of the combatants is included at the end of the article, to clarify what happened where.

The story starts shortly before the battle. A German prisoner mentioned "Panther tanks" being delivered. Of course, he didn't know (or didn't admit to knowing) the difference between the similar looking Panther and Tiger II tanks. Indeed, the difference is much less than between a Tiger and Tiger II. Even the Soviet report on tests of the captured vehicle describes it as "a modernization of the Panther tank".

On the night before the battle, August 11th, 1944, a T-34-85 commanded by Guards Junior Lieutenant Oskin, and another T-34-85, commanded by Guards Captain Ivushkin, accompanied by infantry tank riders, approached the village of Ogledow. Since several Panther tanks have been immobilized and subsequently destroyed in the sandy terrain around the cluster of villages, the Germans were expected to move through the more reliable terrain. Ivushkin's tanks set up in a field. It is a well known historical fact that the tanks were disguised as haystacks, but there is more to that story, told by Oskin himself. At first, Oskin's crew simply covered the tank in hay. The result was a massive 3 meter tall haystack, with a 5 meter long gun barrel sticking out. Since it was quite suspicious compared to other haystacks in the field, barely a meter tall, the rest of the night was spent consolidating the smaller haystacks into more tank-like ones.

The morning of August 13th was very foggy, concealing the Soviet ambush. At 7:00 am, on August 13th, Ivushkin reported hearing a number of tanks approaching. These were eleven of the brand new Tiger II tanks. The new Tigers were accompanied by several APCs with infantry.

The tanks became visible to the 53rd's GTB. This is how the commander describes what happened next:
"A monstrous tank emerged from the valley. It moved in bursts, losing traction in the sand. Major Korobov radioed in from the left flank: "They're coming." I replied "Don't be hasty! Open fire from 400 meters." Another tank emerged, and then a third. They were very much spaced out, by the time the third tank emerged, the first already passed Ivushkin's ambush. "Fire?", he inquired. "Fire!", I replied. I saw the haystack that Oskin's tank was camouflaged as move. His gun barrel emerged. It twitched, again and again. Oskin opened fire. I saw how black holes appeared in the sides of enemy tanks, one after another. One tank started burning. The third rotated his front to face Oskin, but his track was knocked off, he could not complete his maneuver, and was finished off.

Soviet soldiers posing with a knocked out King Tiger.

I sent a radio signal, "307 - 305", to all units. Thirty guns fired directly, and the howitzer divisions covered the valley in indirect fire. Ogledow was concealed in a cloud of sand."

By the end of the day, the 53rd occupied the south side of Height 247.9, 300 meters eastward of Ogledow. Two tanks from the 3rd Tank Battalion and a company of submachine gunners were sent into the village, and cleared it of the enemy by 8:00 am. Among the houses of the village stood more Tiger IIs that retreated when the attack failed and were abandoned by their crews. Only then did the Soviets realize that they were dealing with new tanks. Oskin initially reported that he knocked out 3 Panthers.

V. S. Arhipov describes these events: "Two hours later, relative silence stood over the battlefield. Scouts reported that there are two undamaged tanks closer to Ogledow. They were stuck in the sand at the turn. On our left flank, we found another one. It drove into a swampy pool and was left there. The crew was in such a hurry to leave, they forgot their documents. Turns out, these new tanks weighed 68 tons..."

King Tiger #502, captured at Ogledow.

These actions are highlighted in red on the map.

However, the battle was not yet over, and there were more new tanks to fight. Infantry advancing in the direction of Zarez was stopped by fire from more Tiger IIs. A platoon of IS-2 tanks led by Senior Lieutenant Klimenkov entered the battle. Klimenkov took out two Tiger IIs, one of which caught fire. The fate of the other is more interesting.

"Before dawn, a tank platoon led by the company commander Klimenkov took his initial position near Ogledow. 2nd Battalion 294th SP attacked Ogledow. Its progress was halted by enemy tanks, hidden behind a house and some bushes behind the south outskirts of Ogledow. Infantry was stalled, and we sent a report to Klimenkov. Comrade Klimenkov took a high position, and made two shots, destroying the house the tank was hiding behind. The enemy tank retreated, but Klimenkov knocked off a track with the next shot. The enemy left the tank and fled. Our infantry captured the tank turned the turret towards the enemy, and opened fire."

Klimenkov's actions are highlighted in blue on the map. The infantry still falls within the red zone.

Seven Tiger IIs moved in from the direction of Mokre. An IS-2 belonging to Guards Senior Lieutenant Udalov opened fire at 800 meters, destroying two Tiger IIs, one of which also burned. The German tanks retreated, regrouped, and advanced on Poniki. Lieutenant Belyakov's IS-2 was in ambush in that direction. Opening fire at the column from 1000 meters, he set fire to one Tiger II. The rest turned back.

These actions are highlighted in green on the map.

Over the 3 days of fighting, from August 11 to August 13, seven Tiger IIs were irreparably destroyed, and six were captured intact or mostly intact. One was a commander's vehicle with maps and instruction manuals for the new tanks. A prisoner confirmed the losses. On August 16th, a prisoner from the 501st s.Pz.Abt confirmed that the battalion was formed with 20 Tiger II tanks and 20 PzIV tanks. Currently, the battalion only possessed 26 tanks.

The commander of the 53rd recalls: "...it is hard to tell who destroyed which tanks. Two battalions opened fire at once, Mazurin's and Korobov's, as well as two artillery battalions were were assigned (185th howitzer and 1645th light), and two SPG regiments (1893rd and 385th). Ground attack planes worked effectively. Oskin's crew definitely burned 3 tanks and knocked out one. Aleksandr Petrovich [Oskin] himself earned a Hero of the Soviet Union. [His gunner] Abubakir Merhaydarov got an Order of Lenin. All crew members were awarded medals. "

The 52nd Guards Tank Brigade also ran into some new Tigers. Two T-34-85 tanks were partially buried west of Staszow. The commander of the 52nd GTB describes what happened: "Early in the morning, we saw a "frame" in the sky, a fire correction scout plane. It flew over our sector and disappeared. Shortly after, enemy artillery opened fire. The shells missed and hit behind us, at the forest clearing and the outskirts of the village. "The Tigers and Panthers are coming", [company commander] Tokarev told me, after the artillery stopped. "I'll be in the trench, visibility is better there. Georgiy (Senior Sergeant, tank gunner), watch out." The loaders stared into the distance where the sound of engines was coming from. After several minutes, tanks emerged behind a hill, showing their sides. The Germans did not expect an ambush.
"Five, six, seven...twelve...," counted Komarichev. "Twenty! Twenty, with infantry!"
"Do not fret, Zhora, we are Guardsmen! Load armour piercing!"

Junior Lieutenant Kraynev's tank also spotted the enemy. At five hunded meters, Komarichev and Kraynev opened fire. Komarichev's shot set a King Tiger on fire, Kraynev knocked out another. The fascists tried to break through to the forest clearing. After taking severe losses, the Germans retreated. They did not advance on our defensive lines again."

The losses were heavy indeed. After expending nearly all of their ammunition, the ambush took out 14 Tigers and Panthers. The contributions of the 52nd are not present in the map drawn up by the 53rd, but the approximate area of their ambush is highlighted in yellow. Interestingly, Popov (Konstruktor Boyevih Mashin) writes that Oskin destroyed three Tiger IIs, and damaged another. Other literature agrees with Popov's version of events.

The figures accepted by historians, after going through everyone's kill claims are as follows:
Klimenkov's IS-2 took out two Tiger IIs, 14 and 15 on the map.
Udalov's IS-2 took out three Tiger IIs, 2, 6, and 7 on the map.
Belyakov's IS-2 took out one Tiger II, 16 on the map.
Oskin, supported by artillery, took out three Tiger IIs, 8, 9, and 10 on the map.
A raid by elements of the 53rd GTB captured four Tiger IIs, 11, 12, and 13 on the map, one not shown (it is present on Arhipov's original map).

This is a sketch of the area, as composed by Brigade Commander Arhipov, showing locations of the tanks in question. Regrettably, the map only has some of the action on it.

The following map is a little nicer, and more complete. I have shaded various portions of the map where various events described in this article took place.

Memoir text and elements of the battle summary retrieved from Battlefield.ru and Konstruktor Boyevih Mashin, Popov et al. Lenizdat, 1988. Handwritten materials retrieved from CAMD RF. 

IS-2 vs Ferdinand

My previous article talked about the effects of the IS-2's gun on various German tanks. However, a popular character, the Ferdinand, is missing. This article is going to remedy that.

"Photo #35. Front of the assault gun "Ferdinand" hit by a 122 mm shell. The first armour plate, 100 mm in thickness was penetrated. The shell ricocheted from the second plate. Distance: 1400 meters.

Photo #36. Turret of the assault gun "Ferdinand" hit by 122 mm shells.
1. Dent 100 mm deep, a bump formed on the other side. Armour thickness here is 200 mm.
2. Penetration, the shell is stuck. Armour thickness here is 150-180 mm. Distance: 1400 meters."

The Ferdinand is a formidable opponent, even for the powerful D-25 gun. However, we see the flaw in Soviet penetration metrics. The shell that penetrated the Ferdinand penetrated the armour, and produced spalling that would have killed the crew. And yet, the shell itself is stuck in the armour. This does not count as a penetration by Soviet standards. If you look at the table of penetrations, the IS-2, theoretically, cannot penetrate this much armour.

Let's see how these test results apply to real life. An IS-2 from the 71st Guards Heavy Tank Regiment of the 3rd Guards Tank Army encountered a Ferdinand belonging to the s.Pz.Jg.Abt 653 on July 22nd, 1944, near the city of Magerov. From the report:

"At 13:30, the regiment received a new objective: the 53rd Guards Tank Brigade was to move toward Nogortse, Veryny, Turnnko, Dobrosin, Magerov, Shezehts, Yavorov, and must be ready to deflect a counter-attack from the Zhulkev and Nemirov direction.

In the region of Nogortse and Turnnko, about 15-20 km in the march, the terrain became extraordinarily difficult for heavy tanks, due to a large amount of swamps, lowlands, and completely destroyed roads. Due to this, the regiment crossed this section all night, and only made it to the highway at Dobrosin in the morning.
Moving forward, elements of the brigade were ambushed next to Magerov. Without engaging, the attacking forces were ordered to go around Magerov from the North-East, and regroup at their original destination 3 km away from Magerov. At the same time, a platoon from Ryzhinkiy's tank company, acting with the 53rd Tank Brigade, was ordered to destroy the ambush, and clear the road to Nemirov.

Lieutenant Slunayev's tank, under the cover of another tank, moved to the crossroads north of Shestaki, and observed the enemy ambush for 10-15 minutes. It was thoroughly camouflaged on the clearing in the forest south of Borki. After detecting all threats, Slunayev's tank opened fire from 1000 meters, and destroyed it in several shots. As a result, a Ferdinand SPG and an APC were burned, along with 2 guns. The path to Magerov was open."