Archival 1942 photograph by renowned TASS photographer Emmanuil Evzerikhin, capturing a squad of Red Army submachine gunners holding a trench line with PPSh-41 submachine guns.
Soviet Submachine Gunner Squad in Frontline Trenches (1942)
This striking frontline photograph taken in 1942 by legendary Soviet TASS war correspondent Emmanuil Evzerikhin depicts a squad of Red Army submachine gunners taking up firing positions inside a trench network along the Eastern Front.
Clad in steel helmets (SSh-40) and rain capes (plashch-palatka), the infantrymen are armed with the famous 7.62mm PPSh-41 submachine gun fitted with 71-round drum magazines, the primary close-quarters weapon of Soviet shock units and assault squads.
Technical Observation: Bolt Position and Weapons Operation
A detailed inspection of the soldier nearest to the camera reveals a notable technical detail regarding the operational state of the weapon during the photoshoot:
- Open-Bolt Firing Mechanism: The PPSh-41 fires exclusively from an open bolt position. For the weapon to be cocked and ready to fire, the bolt handle must be pulled all the way to the rear and engaged by the sear mechanism.
- Uncocked Bolt Indicator: In this frame, the charging handle is resting in its forward position. This clearly demonstrates that the photograph was staged during a lull between active combat engagements or during tactical field training, as pulling the trigger in this state would not discharge a round.
- Frontline Handling Techniques: The soldier is gripping the weapon directly by the heavy steel drum magazine to steady his aim—a widespread field habit among Red Army soldiers, despite official manuals instructing troops to hold the ventilated barrel shroud.
- Trench Defense Tactics: Submachine gun squads provided immense volume of automatic fire at ranges up to 200 meters, making them invaluable for repelling enemy infantry assaults and clearing trench lines.
The Legacy of Emmanuil Evzerikhin
As one of the Soviet Union's premier war photographers, Emmanuil Evzerikhin captured some of the most enduring images of the Great Patriotic War, documenting frontline conditions from the Battle of Stalingrad to the liberation of Eastern Europe.
📍 Location: Eastern Front, USSR
📅 Date: 1942
📷 Photographer: Emmanuil Evzerikhin (TASS Photo Chronicle)
📰 Primary Source: State Catalogue of the Museum Fund of the Russian Federation (Goskatalog) / RGAKFD Archive
Recommended reading:
- Technical analysis: Firearms mechanics and open-bolt design of the PPSh-41
- Infantry doctrine: The role of dedicated submachine gun companies (rotas avtomatchikov)
- Photographic history: The wartime photojournalism of Emmanuil Evzerikhin
- Equipping the Red Army: Production and variants of the 7.62x25mm PPSh-41