Soviet air defense lookout post in action during German bombing raids on Moscow. These spotters coordinated early warnings, guiding anti-aircraft fire and civil defense during the Battle for Moscow. Read more
Soviet civilians — likely teenagers — executed en masse by retreating German troops. Eyewitnesses confirm the victims were selected without cause and summarily executed before the Wehrmacht abandoned the region. Read more
Captured Soviet KV-1 heavy tanks lie destroyed or abandoned along a dirt road. These steel giants, formidable in theory, often fell to logistical failure or superior German maneuver tactics. Read more
A Wehrmacht soldier poses next to a captured Soviet KV-1 heavy tank. The vehicle was abandoned intact and is prepared for transport behind German lines for evaluation or reuse. Read more
Soviet troops ride on American M3 "General Lee" tanks during the liberation of Vyazma. The tank’s rubber-metal tracks, visible in the image, were a notorious weak point in Eastern Front combat. Read more
Soviet flamethrower operator A.D. Puchkov fires at German troops entrenched in the lower floor of a ruined building during the Battle of Stalingrad. Read more
Kazakh officer Major Baltabek Zhetpysbayev and Russian gunner Sgt. Trofim Shalayev man a 122mm M-30 howitzer under fire during the battle for Lithuania. Read more