Soviet Naval Scouts of the 2nd Baltic Fleet Brigade, August 1941
June 25, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes
Soviet naval infantry of the 2nd Separate Brigade of the Baltic Fleet during the Battle of Leningrad. Front and center: Chief Petty Officer Nikolai F. Garanovsky, later killed in action in 1944.
Leningrad Front, August 1941.
No helmets. No body armor. Just black tunics, rifles, and the resolve of iron.
This rare wartime photograph captures Soviet naval infantrymen — морпехи — from the 2nd Separate Brigade of the Baltic Fleet during the desperate early phase of the Battle of Leningrad. At the front stands Chief Petty Officer Nikolai Fyodorovich Garanovsky, a seasoned scout of the brigade’s reconnaissance company.
A veteran since the age of 13, Garanovsky had been serving in the Red Navy since 1936. As part of the 2nd Brigade’s recon unit, he distinguished himself in the brutal engagements along the Luga Line in the summer of 1941. By 1942, he commanded a reconnaissance platoon and was awarded the Medal “For Courage”.
But his story didn’t end there. In 1943, as a lieutenant, he led the 161st Independent Reconnaissance Company of the 120th Rifle Division on the Leningrad Front. He had already endured four wounds and earned multiple decorations, including the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class, in early 1944.
He was killed in action just days before his 27th birthday — February 2, 1944, near the village of Yashchera, Luga District. His comrades remember him as brave, unbreakable, and deeply respected — the very embodiment of the Soviet морпех.
In this photo, his gaze is steady. His comrades, equally battle-worn. The war had only just begun, but the price of defending Leningrad was already being paid in blood.
📷 Technical photo data:
📸 Photographer: V. Valentinov
🌐 Source: 1. Leningradskaya Pravda, Issue No. 212 (8005), Sept 5, 1941
📅 Date: August 31, 1941
📍 Location: Leningrad Oblast, Soviet Union