Destroyed Soviet T-34 Tanks of the 32nd Tank Division near Yazuv Stary, June 1941

August 23, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

Destroyed Soviet T-34 tanks of the 32nd Tank Division after a German airstrike near Yazuv Stary, June 1941.

This dramatic photograph shows Soviet T-34 medium tanks from the 32nd Tank Division of the Red Army, destroyed after a German airstrike near the village of Yazuv Stary in June 1941.

On June 25, 1941, the tanks of the 32nd Tank Division launched an attack from the edge of the Yaniv forest against units of the German 1st Mountain Division (1. Gebirgs-Division) in the Lviv region of Western Ukraine. The assault ended in disaster: Luftwaffe aircraft struck the advancing column, leaving several T-34s wrecked and abandoned on the roadside.

The T-34, a revolutionary design of 1941 produced by Factory No. 183, was the backbone of Soviet armored forces during World War II. However, in the chaotic opening phase of Operation Barbarossa, even this advanced tank could not prevent heavy losses, as Soviet forces were often outmaneuvered and overwhelmed by German tactics.

This photo captures both the technical strength and tragic vulnerability of the Red Army in the first days of the Great Patriotic War.

Technical Photo Data

📝 Source of information: niemirow41.narod.ru
📍 Location: Yazuv Stary, Lviv region, Ukraine, USSR
📅 Date of photo: June 1941
📷 Photographer: Unknown

Soviet T-34 destroyed 1941
German airstrike Yazuv Stary
32nd Tank Division Red Army
T-34 tanks Operation Barbarossa
Wrecked T-34 in Ukraine
June 1941 Eastern Front battle
Red Army tank losses WWII
Soviet armored forces 1941
Wehrmacht vs T-34 early war
Luftwaffe strikes Soviet tanks