72-K Automatic AA Gun Crew of RedBanner Dnieper Flotilla, 1944

August 28, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

Soviet crew of a 25 mm 72-K automatic AA gun from the Red-Banner Dnieper Flotilla on a GAZ-AA truck, photographed in Europe, summer 1944.

Crew of a Soviet 25 mm 72-K automatic anti-aircraft gun mounted on a GAZ-AA truck under camouflage, 1944.

This photograph captures the crew of a 25 mm 72-K automatic anti-aircraft gun—mounted on a GAZ-AA truck and painted in summer camouflage—serving under Senior Petty Officer Ilya Ivanovich Zhuravlev. These gunners, from the No. 1082 anti-aircraft battery of the 293rd Separate AA Artillery Division, were part of the Red-Banner Dnieper Flotilla’s air defense forces, tasked with protecting Soviet Army units from Axis air attacks across the European theatre in 1944.

The 72-K KBA (zenitnaya avtomaticheskaya pushka) was a mobile, rapid-firing 25 mm AA weapon designed in 1940 and widely deployed during the war. Mounted on the ubiquitous GAZ-AA truck chassis, its mobility allowed it to move with front-line troops and defend against low-altitude air threats. The summer camouflage, evident in this photo, helped conceal the battery during daylight operations.

This imagistic glimpse highlights the critical coordination between Soviet naval and ground forces, where flotilla artillery units like this supported broader air defense efforts. The clear visibility of uniformed gunners and weapon details offers historians and enthusiasts a vivid sense of wartime ingenuity and determination.

Technical photo data:
📝 Source of information: goskatalog.ru archives, pamyat-naroda.ru records
📍 Location: Europe (front-line deployment)
📅 Date of photo: 1944
📷 Photographer: Sergey Shimansky 72-K automatic anti-aircraft gun