Soviet crew of a 25 mm 72-K automatic anti-aircraft gun mounted on a GAZ-AA truck of the Red Banner Dnieper Flotilla, photographed in Europe, 1944.
This photograph shows the crew of a 25 mm 72-K automatic anti-aircraft gun mounted on a GAZ-AA truck and commanded by Senior Petty Officer Ilya Ivanovich Zhuravlev. The crew belonged to Battery No. 1082 of the 293rd Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division of the Red Banner Dnieper Flotilla, providing air defense for Soviet forces during operations in Europe in 1944.
The 72-K was a Soviet 25 mm automatic anti-aircraft gun introduced shortly before the German invasion of the USSR. Mounted on the widely used GAZ-AA truck, it combined effective firepower with mobility, allowing anti-aircraft crews to accompany advancing troops and engage low-flying enemy aircraft. The camouflage visible in the photograph helped reduce the risk of detection from the air.
The image also illustrates the important role of mobile anti-aircraft units assigned to the Dnieper Flotilla. Such detachments protected bridges, river crossings, supply routes, and frontline formations while supporting Soviet offensives during the final stages of the war in Eastern Europe.
Technical Photo Data
📝 Source of information: Pamyat Naroda, Goskatalog archives
📍 Location: Europe (front-line deployment)
📅 Date: 1944
📷 Photographer: Sergey Shimansky
Recommended literature:
- Chris McNab — Soviet Machine Guns and Artillery of World War II
- Steven J. Zaloga — Armored Champion
- David Glantz — When Titans Clashed
Related topics:
Dnieper Flotilla
GAZ-AA truck-mounted AA gun
Soviet naval ground operations
Ilya Ivanovich Zhuravlev
72-K automatic anti-aircraft gun
Mobile Soviet anti-aircraft artillery
Soviet AA units in 1944
Front-line air defense WWII
Red Banner military formations
Soviet artillery crews