German MG-34 machine gun crew during Operation Barbarossa, positioned atop a fortress bastion in Narva. The assistant carries a spare barrel container, essential for maintaining the high rate of fire of the MG-34. Read more
Soviet border guards with a service dog observe enemy territory near the Danube Delta in the last peaceful days before Nazi Germany's invasion of the USSR. Both soldiers would later serve in the NKVD Internal Troops during the war. Read more
Soviet Naval Infantrymen of the 8th Brigade under Col. Gorpishchenko land on the shores of Crimea under heavy enemy fire. Part of the Black Sea Fleet’s assault operations to retake strategic coastal positions. Read more
A Soviet KV-1 heavy tank stands destroyed on the market square of Rostov-on-Don after German forces seized the city in 1942. The tank is a 1941 model featuring a welded turret and 76.2mm ZiS-5 cannon. Read more
A Soviet KV-1 heavy tank lies in the River Shchara after being abandoned by its crew during an attempted armored thrust through the town of Slonim. The tank slid off the riverbank and became immobilized. The crew survived and later joined Soviet partisan units. Read more
Abandoned Soviet KV-2 heavy tank with towing cables, likely left behind after a mechanical breakdown during the opening months of Operation Barbarossa. A 152mm shell rests atop the turret. Read more
Loading of a Soviet 76mm F-22 divisional gun onto the destroyer leader Tashkent before her final mission to Sevastopol. Read more