Historical photograph from June 24, 1941, depicting intense street combat in Nemirov, showing a German anti-tank crew, crushed sIG 33 guns, and a knocked-out BT-7 tank.
Wehrmacht PaK 35 Crew in Street Fighting at Nemirov (June 24, 1941)
This remarkable and action-packed archival photograph, captured on June 24, 1941, freezes a critical moment of intense street fighting in the town of Nemirov (Lviv region, Ukraine) during the third day of Operation Barbarossa.
In the foreground, a German 37mm PaK 35/36 anti-tank gun crew engages oncoming Soviet armor. The scene encapsulates the raw tactical chaos of early-war urban clashes between advancing Wehrmacht infantry divisions and counterattacking Red Army mechanized units.
Tactical Breakdown of the Engagement
The photograph contains numerous detailed markers of the fierce battle that unfolded for control of Nemirov:
- The Anti-Tank Position: According to frontline records of the engagement, the PaK 35 crew shown firing from the roadside was shortly thereafter overrun and crushed by a Soviet BT-7M tank belonging to the 53rd Tank Regiment (81st Motorized Division).
- Crushed German Artillery: In the middle distance near the outpatient clinic building rest the wrecked remains of 150mm sIG 33 heavy infantry guns from the 13th Heavy Company, 211th Infantry Regiment (71st Infantry Division), which had been overrun by Soviet tanks during an earlier assault wave.
- Abandoned BT-7 Tank: Further down the street sits a damaged and abandoned Soviet BT-7 light tank of the 8th Tank Division, part of the 4th Mechanized Corps. This battle represented the very first combat baptism for the 4th Mechanized Corps in the war.
- Outcome of the Battle: Despite aggressive armored counterattacks by Soviet forces, the anti-tank units of the 211th Infantry Regiment managed to repulse the assaults by 11:40 AM, leaving the Wehrmacht in control of the town at the cost of roughly 35 Soviet tanks destroyed.
📍 Location: Nemirov, Lviv Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
📅 Date: June 24, 1941
📷 Photographer: Unknown (German Frontline Archive)
📰 Primary Source: 71st Infantry Division Combat Documentation
Recommended reading:
- The Battle of Nemirov (June 1941): The first combat actions of the 4th Mechanized Corps
- PaK 35/36 in 1941: Performance and limits against Soviet armor
- Street Fighting Tactics in Barbarossa: Infantry-versus-tank engagements in urban sectors