The Political Commissar Continues the Fight

June 4, 2025 - Reading time: ~1 minute

Soviet infantry soldiers of the Red Army engage in a fierce firefight using PPSh-41 submachine guns against superior enemy forces.

Location: Latvia, USSR  

Date: 1944  

Photographer: Ivan Shagin

Soviet infantry soldiers of the Red Army engage in a fierce firefight using PPSh-41 submachine guns against superior enemy forces. Leading them is a political officer — the *politruk* — who, despite being wounded in the head, did not leave the battlefield.

This striking photo symbolizes both the brutality of the Eastern Front and the resolve of Soviet forces during the late stages of World War II.

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Original archive title: The Political Commissar Continues the Fight

Category: Eastern Front

Tags: USSR, 1944, Latvia, Political Officer, PPSh-41, Battle