T-26 Light Tanks of the 105th Tank Division Counterattacking German Positions, Smolensk Region, July 1941

December 8, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

Soviet T-26 light tanks of the 105th Tank Division counterattacking German positions near Smolensk, July 1941.

This historical wartime photograph shows Soviet T-26 light tanks of the 105th Tank Division launching a counterattack against German positions during the defense of Smolensk in late July 1941. The action took place on the Western Front of the Red Army, within the operational group commanded by Major General Konstantin K. Rokossovsky, one of the most capable Soviet field commanders of the war.

By the summer of 1941, the T-26 was already technically outdated. Designed in the early 1930s, it had thin armor and limited mobility, but it still made up a significant part of the Red Army’s armored strength during the first months of the German invasion. Despite obvious technical disadvantages, Soviet crews repeatedly used these tanks in desperate counterattacks to slow down the Wehrmacht’s advance.

The fighting around Smolensk was one of the first major strategic clashes of Operation Barbarossa. Soviet mechanized units attempted to stop or delay the German drive toward Moscow by launching localized armored counterblows. These attacks were often carried out under extremely unfavorable conditions — poor coordination, lack of air cover, and overwhelming German firepower.

The photograph captures a moment of determined resistance rather than technological superiority. It reflects the reality of the early Eastern Front, where obsolete machines were thrown into battle by crews who often understood that their chances of survival were minimal, but whose actions bought valuable time for the defense of the Soviet capital.

The image was taken by Georgy Petrusov, a well-known Soviet war photographer. The photo is referenced in historical literature, including I. Morshchansky’s “The Smolensk Battle” and the wartime newspaper Vostochno-Sibirskaya Pravda, issue No. 218 from 14 September 1941.

Technical Photo Data:

📍 Location: Smolensk region, USSR
📅 Date: July 1941
📝 Subject: T-26 tanks of the 105th Tank Division during a counterattack in the Smolensk defensive operation
📷 Author: Georgy Petrusov

• 105th Tank Division
• Early Eastern Front tank combat
• Operation Barbarossa armor
• Red Army defensive battles
• Soviet light tanks WWII