Tank action from Karelian Isthmus

[Crossroads]

I dug a bit deeper, and what is truly fascinating is that the lower quality photos are from a film reel that still should exist somewhere in the archives.

As this also has to do with JTCS level tactics, here's more information about how the road was secured for your reading pleasure. Also more detail to the last moments of the stray T-34.

How the road was secured:

Symbols:
o Panzerschreck crew
I Panzerfaust crew
RK Direct fire 76 mm infantry cannon (HE)
Well you know what an ATG symbol is so I won't try to repeat it here with letters from keyboard...



I found this from AHF:

Pic was taken 30.6.44.This T-34 was one of 2 Russian tanks who had gone thru frontlines in Tali-Ihanta battle and was aproaching Ihantala village.Troops in the area were told that Finnish tanks might appear,they would be idenfield by east turned gun and those 2 tanks had their guns turned to East(Finnish Armoured Division had also few T-34 tanks).

As tanks were just few meters away,men noticed red stars in their turrets(stars were not easily seen because dirt and smut from exhaust pipes).Other tank went to right and was soon destroyed.The T-34 in pic advanced one km and then turned back and headed back to Russian lines.But Finnish antitank teams were waiting.First an shell from German Stug of 2./303.Stug.Brigade hit it to side armour.T-34 stopped and man jumped from turret.As he started run towards frontline with pistol in his hand,Panzerfaust fired by Corporal from GunCompany/12IR hit the tank.T-34 exploted.
As Russian tankcommander fled,he ran to private Viljanen and wounted him by shooting thru his chest.Private Arvi Peräsalo was close but his rifle was in his back.In desperate effort he picked large stone from ground and threw it toward Russian.Russian throught it was handgrenade and changed his running direction towards Finns in foxholes and was shot and killed.He turned out to be an officer,some said he was a Major.

The pic was taken few hours later and tanks is still burning.The men in pic are Sergeant Kaarlo Niemelä on the left and Sergeant Heino Nikulassi on right.Both men are from II/IR12 and experienced tank destroyers.Niemelä (age 24 from Salla) destroyed 3 KV and 1,5 T-34 and Nikulassi (27 from Kemijärvi) destroyed 1 JS and 2-T34.Nikulassi was killed next day.

The text refers to picture with two men with fausts on their shoulder walk past the tank.

(Also, the PaK 40 in pictures was not that, but a Pak 38/97, ie. a modified old French 75 mm barrel taken into ATG duty. Common before the PaK 40 was available in numbers. Just to set that right as well

AHF thread: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.p...9&t=178408