What tank did Kolobanov fight on? The battle of tanker Kolobanov, which went down in history

On August 20, 1941, the tank crew under the command of Senior Lieutenant Zinovy ​​Kolobanov destroyed 22 enemy tanks. The feat of Zinovy ​​Kolobanov is now well known. In one battle, his crew destroyed 22 enemy tanks. In terms of this indicator - the destruction of the maximum number of enemy tanks in one battle, Zinoviy Kolobanov is second only to Dmitry Sholokhov.

It all started with the fact that on August 8, 1941, von Leeb’s troops, who had been trampling at the Luga line for almost a month, resumed their attack on Leningrad. On August 9, 1941, the 1st Panzer Division was able to break through the Soviet defenses and, going to the rear of the Soviet troops, linked up with the 6th Panzer Division. On August 14, 1941, German troops cut the Krasnogvardeysk-Kingisepp railway, on August 16, 1941 they took the Volosovo station and rapidly advanced to Krasnogvardeysk - the former and present Gatchina.

Our troops defending the line on the Luga River (70th, 111th, 177th, 235th rifle divisions, as well as the 1st and 3rd militia divisions) were cut off from the main forces and stubbornly resisted while surrounded. The reserves sent from deep in the rear had not yet arrived, and the road to Leningrad was open for the Germans who had broken through.

The only formation capable of delaying the German offensive was the 1st Tank Division of Major General Baranov. On August 12, the division went on the defensive in the area of ​​Vypolzovo, Kryakovo, Nerevitsa, and Lelino. At this point, the division consisted of 58 serviceable tanks, 4 of which were medium T-28s, and 7 of which were heavy KV-1s. The 3rd tank company of the 1st tank battalion of the 1st tank regiment of this division included five KV tanks. This company was commanded by Senior Lieutenant Zinovy ​​Grigorievich Kolobanov.

Zinoviy Kolobanov on the eve of the Winter War, in which he fought with the rank of lieutenant as commander of a tank company of the 1st light tank brigade

On August 19, Kolobanov was summoned to the division commander. Showing on the map three roads leading to Krasnogvardeysk from Luga, Volosovo and Kingisepp, the general ordered them to be blocked. Each tank was loaded with two rounds of armor-piercing shells. This time the crews took a minimal amount of high-explosive fragmentation shells. The main thing was not to miss the German tanks.

On the same day, Kolobanov advanced his company to meet the advancing enemy. He sent two tanks - Lieutenant Sergeev and Junior Lieutenant Evdokimenko to the Luga road. Two more KVs under the command of Lieutenant Lastochkin and Junior Lieutenant Degtyar headed to defend the road leading to Volosovo. The tank of the company commander himself was supposed to be ambushed near the road connecting the Tallinn highway with the road to Marienburg - the northern outskirts of Krasnogvardeysk.

Crew of Zinovy ​​Kolobanov. Kolobanov himself is in the center

In addition to Kolobanov himself, the crew included the gun commander, senior sergeant Andrei Mikhailovich Usov, the senior mechanic-driver, foreman Nikolai Ivanovich Nikiforov, the loader, who is also a junior mechanic-driver, Red Army soldier Nikolai Feoktistovich Rodenkov, and the gunner-radio operator, senior sergeant Pavel Ivanovich Kiselkov. For his KV Kolobanov determined the position in such a way that the fire sector had the longest, well-open section of the road. A little before reaching the Uchkhoz poultry farm, it turned almost 90 degrees and then went towards Marienburg. Vast swamps stretched along the sides of the road.

By evening we managed to hide the tank in a caponier that was open up to the tower. A reserve position was also equipped. After this, not only the tank itself, but even the traces of its tracks were carefully camouflaged.

As night approached, the military outpost arrived. The young lieutenant reported to Kolobanov. He ordered the infantry to be placed behind the tank, to the side, so that if something happened they would not come under gunfire.

KV-1 with additional armor / Zinovy ​​Kolobanov’s tank was also equipped with such armor

In the early morning of August 20, 1941, Kolobanov’s crew was awakened by the roar of German Ju-88 bombers flying at high altitude towards Leningrad. At about ten o'clock shots were heard from the left, from the side of the road going to Volosovo. A message came over the radio that one of the crews had entered into battle with German tanks. Kolobanov summoned the commander of the combat guard and ordered him to have his infantrymen open fire on the enemy only when the KV gun began to speak. For themselves, Kolobanov and Usov outlined two landmarks: No. 1 - two birch trees at the end of the intersection and No. 2 - the intersection itself. The landmarks were chosen in such a way as to destroy the leading enemy tanks right at the crossroads and prevent other vehicles from turning off the road leading to Marienburg.

Only in the second hour of the day did enemy vehicles appear on the road. The German motorcyclists turned left and rushed towards Marienburg, without noticing the camouflaged KV lying in ambush. Behind the motorcyclists, the Pz.III tanks themselves of the 3rd tank company of the 1st tank regiment of the 1st tank division of Major General Walter Krueger appeared. Their hatches were open, and some of the tankers were sitting on the armor. As soon as the lead vehicle reached landmark No. 1, Kolobanov ordered Usov to open fire.

The lead tank caught fire from the first shot. It was destroyed before it even managed to completely pass the intersection. The second shot, right at the intersection, destroyed the second tank. A traffic jam has formed. The column compressed like a spring, and now the intervals between the remaining tanks became completely minimal. Kolobanov ordered the fire to be transferred to the tail of the column in order to finally lock it on the road. The senior sergeant adjusted his aim and fired four more shots, destroying the last two in the tank column. The enemy was trapped.

In the first seconds, the Germans could not determine where the shooting was coming from, and opened fire from their 50-mm KwK-38 cannons at the haystacks, which immediately caught fire. But they soon came to their senses and were able to discover the ambush. A tank duel began between one KV and eighteen German tanks. A hail of armor-piercing shells fell on Kolobanov’s car. One after another, they hammered at the 25-mm armor of the additional screens installed on the KV turret. KV-1 tanks with similar armor were produced only in July 1941 and fought only on the North-Western and Leningrad fronts.

Infantry units moving behind the column came to the aid of the German tankers. Under the cover of fire from tank guns, for more effective shooting at the KV, the Germans rolled out anti-tank guns onto the road. Kolobanov noticed the enemy’s preparations and ordered Usov to fire a high-explosive fragmentation shell at the anti-tank guns. The combat guard located behind the KV entered into battle with the German infantry.

Award sheet of Zinovy ​​Kolobanov: fund 33, inventory 682524, storage unit 84. Pages 1 and 2. TsAMO, fund 217, inventory 347815, file No. 6 on sheets 102-104.

Usov managed to destroy one anti-tank gun along with its crew, but the second one managed to fire several shots. One of them broke the panoramic periscope from which Kolobanov was observing the battlefield, and the other, hitting the tower, jammed it. Usov managed to destroy this gun, but the KV lost the ability to maneuver fire. Large additional rotations of the gun to the right and left could now only be done by turning the entire tank body.

Kolobanov ordered the senior mechanic-driver, petty officer Nikolai Nikiforov, to remove the tank from the caponier and take up a reserve firing position. In front of the Germans, the tank reversed out of its cover, drove to the side, stood in the bushes and again opened fire on the column. At this time, gunner-radio operator Nikolai Kiselkov climbed onto the armor and installed a spare periscope instead of the damaged one.

Finally, the last 22nd tank was destroyed. By this time, there were 12 shells left in the tank. By order of the battalion commander, Captain Joseph Spiller, Kolobanov’s tank moved from its position and, having mounted five wounded soldiers from the security platoon, retreated to the location of the main forces of the division. At the same time, in the battle on the Luga road, the crew of Lieutenant Fedor Sergeev destroyed eight German tanks, and the crew of Junior Lieutenant Maxim Evdokimenko - five. The junior lieutenant was killed in this battle, three members of his crew were wounded. Only the driver-mechanic Sidikov survived. The fifth German tank destroyed by the crew in this battle was attributed to the driver: Sidikov rammed it. The HF itself was disabled. The tanks of junior lieutenant Degtyar and lieutenant Lastochkin burned four enemy tanks each on that day. In total, the 3rd tank company destroyed 43 enemy tanks that day.

Awarding ceremony for Kolobanov's crew

For this battle, the commander of the 3rd tank company, senior lieutenant 3inovy ​​Grigorievich Kolobanov, was nominated for the heroic rank but was awarded only the Order of the Red Banner of Battle, and the gun commander of his tank, senior sergeant Andrei Mikhailovich Usov, received the Order of Lenin.

The military battle seriously delayed the enemy’s advance near Leningrad and saved the city from lightning capture. By the way, one of the reasons why the Germans were so eager to capture Leningrad in the summer of 1941 was precisely because the Kirov plant, which produced KV tanks, was located in the city.

Kolobanov with his family after the war

On August 20, 1941, a historic tank battle took place, which is called “the most successful battle” in the entire history of tank confrontations. The battle was led by Zinovy ​​Kolobanov, an ace tankman of the Red Army.

Zinovy ​​Kolobanov was born at the end of December 1910, in the village of Arefino, Vladimir province. Kolobanov’s father died during the Civil War, and Zinovy ​​worked constantly from an early age. He graduated from 8 grades of school, entered a technical school, and in the 3rd year he was drafted into the army. Kolobanov was assigned to the infantry troops, but the army needed tankers, and he was sent to study at the armored school named after. Frunze. In 1936, he graduated with honors, and with the rank of senior lieutenant he went to the Leningrad Military District.

Zinoviy Kolobanov underwent a “baptism of fire” during the Soviet-Finnish war. He met her as a tank company commander. In a short period of time, Kolobanov almost died three times in a burning tank, but each time he returned to duty. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

After the start of the Great Patriotic War, Kolobanov had to quickly master the heavy Soviet KV-1 tank in order not only to fight on it, but also to train recruits.

Offensive on Gatchina

At the beginning of August 1941, Army Group North launched an attack on Leningrad. The Red Army was retreating. In the area of ​​Gatchina (at that time Krasnogvardeysk), the Germans were held back by the 1st Tank Division. The situation was difficult - the Wehrmacht had tank superiority, and any day now the Nazis could break through the city’s defenses and capture the city. Why was Krasnogvardeysk so important for the Germans? At that time it was a major transport hub in front of Leningrad.

On August 19, 1941, Zinovy ​​Kolobanov received an order from the division commander to block three roads coming from Luga, Volosovo and Kingisepp. The division commander's order was short: fight to the death. Kolobanov's company was on heavy KV-1 tanks. The KV-1 stood up well to the Panzerwaffe, the tank units of the Wehrmacht. But the KV-1 had a significant drawback: lack of maneuverability. In addition, at the beginning of the war, there were few KV-1s and T-34s in the Red Army, so they were taken care of and, if possible, tried to avoid battles in open areas.

The most successful tank battle of 1941

Lieutenant Kolobanov's crew consisted of senior sergeant Andrei Usov, senior driver-mechanic Nikolai Nikiforov, junior driver-mechanic Nikolai Rodnikov and gunner-radio operator Pavel Kiselkov. The crew of the tank was the same as Lieutenant Kolobanov: people with experience and good training.

After Kolobanov received the division commander’s order, he set his team a combat mission: to stop the German tanks. Each tank was loaded with armor-piercing shells, two sets. Arriving at the place near the Voyskovitsy state farm, Zinoviy Kolobanov set up “combat points”: the tanks of Lieutenant Evdokimenko and Degtyar near the Luga Highway, the tanks of Junior Lieutenant Sergeev and Lastochkin near Kingisepp. Senior Lieutenant Kolobanov and his team stood in the center of the defense, on the coastal road. The KV-1 was placed 300 meters from the intersection.

22 tanks in 30 minutes

At 12 o'clock on August 20, the Germans tried to capture the Luga Highway, but Evdokimenko and Degtyar knocked out 5 tanks and 3 armored personnel carriers, after which the Germans turned back. At about 2 p.m., German reconnaissance motorcyclists appeared, but Kolobanov’s team on the KV-1 did not give themselves away. After some time, German light tanks appeared. Kolobanov commanded “fire!” and the battle began.

First, the gun commander Usov knocked out 3 lead tanks, then brought fire down on the tanks closing the column. The passage of the German column was choked, the tanks were burning at the beginning of the column and at the end. Now there was no way to escape the shelling. At this time, the KV-1 revealed itself, the Germans opened fire back, but the heavy armor of the tank was impenetrable. At one point, the KV-1 turret failed, but senior mechanic Nikiforov began to maneuver the vehicle so that Usov would have the opportunity to continue to beat the Germans.

30 minutes of battle - all the tanks of the German column were destroyed.

Even the “aces” of the Panzerwaffe could not imagine such a result. Later, the achievement of Senior Lieutenant Kolobanov was included in the Guinness Book of Records.

On August 20, 1941, five tanks of Kolobanov’s company destroyed a total of 43 German tanks. In addition to the tanks, an artillery battery and two infantry companies were knocked out.

On August 19, 1941, the commander of an incomplete tank company, Kolobanov, on the near approaches to Leningrad, fought a battle that had no analogues in military history, destroying 43 fascist tanks with his company and 22 fascist tanks with his crew!

Zinoviy Grigorievich Kolobanov

Zinoviy Grigorievich Kolobanov

The fight took place on outer perimeter of the Krasnogvardeisky fortified area, y Gatchina , near Voyskovitsy. Zinovy ​​Grigorievich Kolobanov was invited to Tankman Day in Gatchina. The gun commander of his crew, Andrei Mikhailovich Usov, who was awarded the Order of Lenin for that battle, also promised to come. Here we can talk...

Field near Voyskovitsy

And so, with Zinoviy Grigorievich Kolobanov and Andrei Mikhailovich Usov, we walk along a country road behind Troops . There is a crossroads behind you. The road intersects with the highway. There was a crossroads here more than forty years ago. Only there was no asphalt. And the road along which we are walking was probably the main one, because it was along it that a column of fascist tanks walked.

The crew of the KV-1, senior lieutenant Z. Kolobanov (in the center) at their combat vehicle. August 1941 (CMVS)

The crew of the KV-1, senior lieutenant Z. Kolobanov (in the center) at their combat vehicle. August 1941 (CMVS)

Here is the poultry farm of the educational farm,” says Kolobanov. “It still stands as it stood.” A rare fact. I survived everything. She looked the same then. There were a lot of chickens and geese here. And people, when we first saw her, had already left here...

“I remember a lake nearby,” says Usov. “Geese swam in it.” And now he's gone. Apparently it's overgrown.

Both of these people have no similarities in appearance. Kolobanov is short, fit, and somewhat dry. In his manner of holding himself and turning his head, there is something elegant and officer-like. He is in the uniform of a lieutenant colonel, with orders. The Order of the Red Banner for that battle is attached to the uniform as it was received - without a ribbon. Usov, on the contrary, is tall, with sharp features and a stern gaze behind strong glasses. He would have looked like a purely civilian man, if not for the veteran’s badge and the five rows of medal bars on his chest. Both are very excited. As for the battle that took place here, there is essentially no doubt about its picture, because to this day, it turns out, a document signed on September 1, 1941 is kept in the military archive. Here it is:

“A brief description of the feat:

On August 18, 1941, the tank of Senior Lieutenant Kolobanov was ambushed... On August 19, 1941, at 14.00, a patrolman reported the movement of a tank column to the Voyskovitsy state farm. With the approach of the lead tank to the state farm, comrade. Kolobanov gave the command to the artilleryman to open fire on the first and second vehicles, which caught fire. Comrade Kolobanov ordered the destruction of the last two tanks, which was carried out by the artilleryman.

After this comrade. Kolobanov adjusted the artilleryman’s shooting at the tanks... During this time, the crew destroyed 22 enemy tanks, and the company of comrade. Kolobanov, 43 enemy tanks were destroyed..."

KV-1 tanks of the 1st Tank Division change positions. Leningrad Front, August 1941

KV-1 tanks of the 1st Tank Division change positions. Leningrad Front, August 1941

A lot has changed here, under Troops . The soil itself became drier. Previously, vast swamps stretched on both sides of the road. The height on the left where the tank stood was overgrown with dense forest.

But much has been preserved. Near the road itself, two birch trees, which served the tank crews, still grow and rustle with their spreading crowns. "landmark number 1". And the field beyond the intersection remained the same. And just like then, there are haystacks on it...

“Fight to the death!”

It all actually began with this order. Tank company commander Zinovy ​​Kolobanov was summoned to the commander 1st Panzer Division V.I. Baranov. The headquarters was located in the basement of the cathedral in Gatchina , which was then called Krasnogvardeysk.

Kolobanov appeared as ordered and reported. The division commander looked at him point-blank with a heavy gaze.

Can you read the map well? Can you navigate freely?

Kolobanov: “ I was silent. What should the division commander answer? I think this exam will suit me now...»

Standing in front of Baranov was a thirty-year-old senior lieutenant, who could hardly be called a newcomer. He joined the tank forces through the Komsomol conscription. After graduating from college, as an excellent student who had the right to choose his place of service, he chose Leningrad, "who loved in absentia". During the Soviet-Finnish War, it passed from the border to Vyborg and burned three times. Recently he distinguished himself in battles near Ivanovsky. His crew destroyed a fascist tank and cannon. Of course, the division commander knew all this. But this time he was especially restrained and strict.

Well, look... - He pointed to the map. - What road is this?

To the Meadow.

So... And this one?

On Kingisepp.

Fine. So you understand. So, senior lieutenant, with your company you will block all the roads to Krasnogvardeysk. So that nothing German passes through them... - He looked sharply at the tanker. - You will fight to the death!.. Do you know the situation?

Zinoviy Kolobanov knew the situation. There was nowhere to retreat. Behind is Leningrad.

Kolobanov: “When I returned to the company, they were finishing loading shells. They took on orders mainly armor-piercing ones. Two rounds of ammunition. This meant that we would have to deal with enemy tanks.

There were three roads that needed to be closed. I gave the order to the crews, directing them to the roads on the flanks, and I myself decided to stand on the road in the middle. We kept in touch with the tank commanders by radio. They, as expected, reported about entering the position, about camouflage... We went too. We chose the same height behind the Voyskovitsy. The road passed us at a slight angle and was clearly visible. We began to set up an ambush position. And dig a caponier for " KB"- I’ll tell you straight, it’s hard work. Moreover, the soil was strong. But they equipped both the main position and a reserve one. They set up a tank and carefully camouflaged everything.” The dashing radio operator Pavel Kiselkov shook his head towards the abandoned farm:

Commander, a goose... Eh?

Goose? - Kolobanov thought. It was impossible to make noise while in ambush. “Okay, Kiselkov, you shoot.” But only so that I don’t hear.

The radio operator carried out the order exactly. The goose was plucked and boiled in a tank bucket.

Scheme of the battle between KV senior lieutenant Z. Kolobanov and a German tank column on August 19, 1941

Scheme of the battle between KV senior lieutenant Z. Kolobanov and a German tank column on August 19, 1941

By nightfall the military guard arrived. The young lieutenant reported to Kolobanov. He ordered the soldiers to be placed behind the tank and to the side. So that if something happens they do not come under gunfire.

Then he gave the crew the order: sleep! He himself could not sleep. At dawn, the air was filled with a disgusting, intermittent roar: at a high altitude, a formation of fascist dive bombers was moving towards Leningrad. Then Kolobanov realized that he was not the only one awake. Someone, gritting his teeth, said:

When will we beat them?

Okay,” answered the commander. “Someday we will.”

The day started out clear. The sun was rising higher. It was quiet, calm near Voyskovitsy. Because of the camouflage, the gun silently looked at the road "KB".

Kolobanov: “Our cars were manufactured at the Kirov plant. Here, in the OUTB (separate training tank battalion), crews were formed. Each of them took part together with the workers in assembling their machine. The running distance was from the Kirov plant to Srednyaya Rogatka. Then the cars went to the front. We've all walked this path.".

At about ten o'clock there was clear shooting from the left, from the Luzhskoe highway. Kolobanov received a radio message that one of the crews had entered into battle with fascist tanks.

And everything around them was calm. Only in the second hour of the day a cloud of dust appeared at the far end of the road.

"Heroic panel" depicting the battle of KV Z. Kolobanov

"Heroic panel" depicting the battle of KV Z. Kolobanov

Armor and fire.

Prepare for battle! - the commander gave the order. The hatches were closed. The tankers froze in their places.

Kolobanov: “Wonderful, wonderful people. I don't know if you understand this, but a tank crew is more than a family. After all, a tank is a machine that obeys the team. This requires complete coherence and mutual understanding. Otherwise there is no way to fight. I understood and felt everyone: the most experienced driver-mechanic Kolya Nikiforov, the gun commander, a real master of his craft Andrei Usov, the very brave radio operator Pasha Kiselkov, the loader, a good person Kolya Rodenkov.”

The first to pass along the road were three motorcycles with sidecars.

Skip! - Kolobanov ordered. - This is reconnaissance.

The thick dust had not yet settled when the column appeared. In front are staff vehicles, behind them are tanks. The column stretched out and stretched out, engines roaring, along the road. It seemed to have no end.

KV-1 tanks on the firing line. Leningrad Front, August 1941

KV-1 tanks on the firing line. Leningrad Front, August 1941

The head of the column passed the intersection and went to the birch trees. The distance to her was only one and a half hundred meters, and "KB" crew I saw everything quite clearly. Tanks "T-III", "T-IV" they did not walk as expected - at a reduced distance. The hatches were open. Some of the Germans were sitting on the armor. Someone was chewing, someone was playing the harmonica. "Eighteen... Twenty... Twenty-two", - Kolobanov thought. And then came the reports from the crew:

Commander, twenty-two!

Kolobanov, why are you letting the Germans through?!

Meanwhile, the first fascist tank was already approaching the birch trees, and Kolobanov commanded:

The first landmark, head on, straight, cross shot, armor-piercing - fire!

A shot struck and there was a sharp smell of gunpowder smoke. The first fascist tank shuddered, froze, and flames burst out from somewhere inside.

View of the road and intersection where Kolobanov destroyed German tanks. The picture was taken from the expected location of the HF position

View of the road and intersection where Kolobanov destroyed German tanks. The picture was taken from the expected location of the HF position

The column was so long that its rear tanks continued to roll forward, further reducing the distance between them. The second tank was already burning, and Kolobanov transferred the fire to the tail of the column in order to finally lock it in the swamp.

The Nazis were taken by surprise. They fired their first shots at the haystacks, deciding that an ambush was hiding there. But after a few seconds everything was clear to them. What were the enemy tankers thinking as they turned their turrets and took aim at their sights? Probably, the lone Soviet tank seemed to them simply suicidal. They didn't know what they were dealing with "KB" and before they kill or destroy him, many of them will have to go to the next world.

The crew of the shielded KV-1 tank receives a combat mission. Leningrad Front, August-September 1941

The crew of the shielded KV-1 tank receives a combat mission. Leningrad Front, August-September 1941

Kolobanov: “ People often asked me if I was scared. It’s awkward to answer, they might take you for a braggart. But I didn’t feel any fear. I'll explain why. I am a military man. After retiring, I worked in the national economy for twenty-three years. But all my life I still feel like a military man. Then the division commander gave me the order to “stand to the death.” This is not some kind of emotional formulation, but an exact order. I accepted it for execution. He was ready, if necessary, to die. And I no longer had any fears and could not have them.».

A duel began at a direct shot distance. Gun "KB" hit twenty fascist tanks, two dozen fascist tank guns hit KB. At his position the earth was boiling and rising in fountains. There was nothing left of the disguise anymore. Fascist shells shredded 80-mm "false armor" at the tower. The tankers were deafened by explosions, suffocated by powder gases, and scale, bouncing off the armor, hit them in the face. But Usov sent shell after shell at the enemy column. This went on for over an hour.

Kolobanov: “ What does the tanker remember about the battle? Sight crosshair. Here the tension is such that time is compressed, there is not a second for extraneous thoughts. I remember how my guys shouted: “Hurray!”, “It’s burning!.. But I can’t restore any details of this battle».

View of the section of the road along which German tanks were advancing

View of the section of the road along which German tanks were advancing

There were two memorable incidents. The explosion cut off the commander's periscope. Kiselkov climbed onto the armor and installed a spare one instead of the damaged one. Then the tower was jammed by a shell. Here Nikiforov showed his skill by turning the entire car around.

And then the explosions died down (after the battle, the KB crew counted the traces of hits on their tank - there were 156 of them). The road was silent. All 22 fascist tanks were burning. Ammunition continued to explode in their armored bellies, and heavy blue smoke billowed across the plain.

Suddenly Kolobanov noticed that the Nazis had rolled out an anti-tank gun from behind the trees.

Landmark... - he shouted. - Directly under the shield, fragmentation fire!

View of the road leading to Marienburg. The Uchkhoz poultry farm is visible from behind the trees on the left

The cannon flew into the air, followed by a second one in exactly the same way, then a third. There was a long silence again. They changed their position and moved to the reserve position. Spiller's loud voice came over the radio:

Kolobanov, how are you? Are they burning?

They burn well, comrade battalion commander!

Soon a light, crazy car approached. A man with a movie camera in his hands jumped off the ground after Shpiller. Leaning close to the viewfinder, he shot a long panorama of the burning column.

They were still in position. Then they began a battle with fascist tanks, which turned here after receiving a blow on the Luga road. But then the armor-piercing shells ran out. Kolobanov reported this to the battalion commander and received an order to withdraw to replenish ammunition.

IS-2 at the battle site of the crew of Z. Kolobanov

Different destinies

The poet Alexander Gitovich wrote a poem about this battle at the same time "Tank driver Zinoviy Kolobanov". I will quote a few quatrains from it, and it will be clear that it conveys events quite accurately:

It all went like this:

In the harsh silence

There is a heavy tank,

Disguised in the fishing line,

Enemies are coming in droves

Iron idols,

But he takes the fight

Zinoviy Kolobanov.

And through the explosions the roar

The world looks upon the plain,

Where is the senior lieutenant

I took my car to battle.

He hits enemies in a row,

Like an epic hero,

Around him lie

Damaged cars

There are already twenty-two of them,

Scattered like a storm,

They are lying in the grass

Pieces of metal...

Under the poem are the words: “ September 26, 1941. Active army" It was published in a front-line newspaper. We read it in all parts. But the hero of the poem could not read it. For the fifth day he was in severe unconsciousness.

Kolobanov: “ It happened on September 21st. At night. At the cemetery in Pushkin. The GSEEM men came there to refuel us, they brought ammunition there. I remember I got out of the car, suddenly there was a burst, I was lifted into the air and thrown back. I didn’t lose consciousness right away; I tried to move in the heat of the moment. But I don’t remember how they took me out...»

The hospital documents record: “ Shrapnel damage to the head and spine. Contusion of the brain and spinal cord" In 1942, in critical condition, he was transported across Ladoga to the mainland. It lay flat in 1943 and 1944. Then he began to get up and walk with the help of a stick.

Kolobanov: “ For some reason I was convinced that I would not die. But he turned out to be a cripple. The whole body was shaking, the head was shaking. In the hospital, by the way, I had the opportunity to see the battle near Voyskovitsy again: the footage filmed there was included in one of the releases of military newsreels.

Having gained strength and courage, he asked to join his native army again. Of course, I had to throw away the stick and hold on. Great happiness: they took it. Served. My comrades understood me and helped me. Thanks to them. I can only say that I did not eat the soldier’s bread in vain: over time, my tank battalion was recognized as the best in the army, the commander gave me a personalized hunting rifle.

Only after the war did I learn about the existence of the poem. Alexander Gitovich has already died, a book of his poems has been published. Friends sent it to me from Leningrad.”

There was another difficult test in the life of Zinovy ​​Grigorievich. On the first day of the war, he separated from his pregnant wife, and all these years he knew nothing about her. Zinovy ​​Grigorievich and Alexandra Grigorievna found each other after the war “p about radio" There were programs back then that helped people find loved ones. And they met - a wounded tanker and an exhausted woman who had survived evacuation successively from four cities with a small son in her arms.

Memorial plaques on the pedestal of the monument

Memorial plaques on the pedestal of the monument

The fate of the gun commander Andrei Mikhailovich Usov turned out to be happy. He fought his way to the end, to Germany. He returned to his native Vitebsk region and was secretary of the district party committee. The desperate radio operator Pavel Kiselkov died shortly after the commander was wounded - in a battle on the Nevsky "patch". His widow and daughter now live in Leningrad.

The loader, a good man, Red Army soldier Nikolai Rodenkov, also died.

There were two versions about the fate of former driver-mechanic Nikolai Ivanovich Nikiforov at the time when I was collecting material for the essay and talking with Kolobanov. According to one, he did not return from the war. According to another, he is alive, lives in Pyatigorsk, disabled in a wheelchair, blind.

But when the essay was published, his widow Tamara Alexandrovna sent a letter. She said that Nikolai Ivanovich, like Usov, went through the war to the end, and then remained to serve in the Soviet Army, training young tank crews. In 1974, he died from a severe lung disease. He was buried in his native village of Borki, Lomonosov district.

Battlefield 61 years later; This is what it looked like in July 2002

“The world looks at the plain...” The great dignity of the poetic image is that the greatness of the event is conveyed in a few simple words. Well, the battle of Kolobanov’s tank company on the Krasnogvardeysky line is worthy of being watched by the world.

I.B. Lisochkin, journalist. 1992

*****

Hello!

In the new magazine “Armor” No. 2 for 2009 (supplement to the M-Hobby magazine, publishing house “Tseykhgauz”) my article “From Voyskowitz to Berlin” was published. In the article, I questioned the record of the German tanker, non-commissioned officer Muller. According to Western data (and they already wander from book to book, from magazine to magazine), this tanker on January 25, 1944, near the Voyskovitsy railway station, knocked out 25 Soviet tanks in one battle, setting a record of the Second World War (it is noteworthy that in the same place , only on August 19, 1941, our Kolobanov on the KV knocked out 22 German tanks and set his own record).

Object coordinates:

The feat of a tanker.
Zinoviy Grigorievich Kolobanov is a hero of the Great Patriotic War, who went through two wars.
His name is known to more than 30 million players of the international Internet game World of Tanks. Virtual tankers are trying to play out a combination of Kolobanov’s historical battle, where he knocked out 22 enemy vehicles.
For this, players are awarded the Kolobanov medal.
But this rarely happens - even in a virtual battle great skill is required.
I would like more people to know about the feat of this hero.

Zinoviy Grigorievich Kolobanov - master of tank combat

In 1933, Zinoviy Kolobanov was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army.
During the “winter war,” breaking through the positions of the White Finns, he burned in a tank three times.
On March 12, 1940, a peace treaty was signed between the USSR and Finland, after which the fighters of both sides began to fraternize, for which the company commander Kolobanov was demoted to the reserve, deprived of his rank and awards.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Zinovy ​​Grigorievich was reinstated in the ranks of the Red Army.
On the night of August 8, 1941, the German Army Group North launched a rapid attack on Leningrad. On August 18, the commander of the 3rd tank company of the 1st tank regiment of the 1st Red Banner Tank Division, senior lieutenant Zinovy ​​Kolobanov, was summoned to the division commander, General V.I. Baranov. The division headquarters was then located in Krasnogvardeysk (now Gatchina).
Showing on the map three roads leading to Krasnogvardeysk from Luga, Volosovo and Kingisepp, the division commander ordered: “Block them and stand to the death!”

Get started

On the same day, Kolobanov's company - five brand new KV-1 tanks built at the Kirov plant - advanced to meet the enemy.

The KV-1 had a crew of five people; the tank was armed with a 76 mm cannon and three 7.62 mm machine guns.
The thickness of the turret and frontal armor of the hull was 75 mm.
The 37 mm German gun did not even leave marks on his armor.
Each vehicle was loaded with two rounds of armor-piercing shells and a minimum of high-explosive fragmentation shells.
A reconnaissance was carried out with the vehicle commanders, and it was ordered to create two shelters: the main one and the reserve one.
Kolobanov sent two tanks - Lieutenant Sergeev and Junior Lieutenant Evdokimenko - to the Luga Highway, two - under the command of Lieutenant Lastochkin and Junior Lieutenant Degtyar - to the road leading to Volosovo.
Zinoviy Kolobanov himself went to the road connecting the Tallinn highway and the road to Marienburg.

In a fighting position

The crew of the tank with tail number 864 consisted of the commander, senior lieutenant Kolobanov, the gun commander, senior sergeant Andrei Usov, the senior mechanic-driver, foreman Nikolai Nikiforov, the junior mechanic-driver, Red Army soldier Nikolai Rodenkov, and the gunner-radio operator, senior sergeant Pavel Kiselkov.
Kolobanov determined the location of his tank in such a way that the largest, clearly visible section of the road was located in the firing sector.
He identified two landmarks: the first was two birches on the road to Marienburg, the second was the intersection with the road to Voyskovitsy.
Around the position there were haystacks and a small lake where ducks swam.
There were swampy meadows on both sides of the road.
It was necessary to prepare two positions: the main one and the reserve one.
The main tank had to have a tower buried in the ground.
The crew worked all day.
The ground was hard, and digging a caponier (a structure for conducting flanking fire in two opposite directions) for such a colossus was not easy.
By evening both positions were ready. Everyone was terribly tired and hungry, but the space for provisions in the tank was occupied by shells.
Gunner-radio operator Pavel Kiselkov volunteered to run to the poultry farm to get a goose.
The brought goose was boiled in a tank bucket.
In the evening, a lieutenant approached Kolobanov and reported on the arrival of the infantry.
Kolobanov ordered the combat guard to be placed closer to the forest, away from the tank, so that they would not come under fire.

doomsday

On the morning of August 20, 1941, the crew was awakened by the roar of German bombers heading towards Leningrad. Calling the commander of the combat guard, Kolobanov ordered him not to engage in battle until his gun spoke.
German tanks appeared in the Kolobanov sector only in the afternoon.
These were Pz.Kpfw III with 37 mm guns from the 1st Panzer Division of Major General Walter Kruger.

It was hot, some of the Germans, having got out, were sitting on the armor, someone was playing the harmonica.
They were sure that there was no ambush, but still they sent three reconnaissance motorcycles in front of the column.
Quietly closing the hatches, the KV-1 crew froze.
Kolobanov gave the order not to shoot at reconnaissance and to prepare for battle.
German motorcycles turned onto the road leading to Marienburg.
Kolobanov ordered senior sergeant Kiselkov to report to headquarters about the appearance of a German column, and he himself looked at the fascist tanks through the periscope: they were moving at a reduced distance, exposing their left sides to the KV-1 gun.
The dissatisfied voice of battalion commander Shpiller was heard in the headset, asking why Kolobanov let the Germans through and did not shoot.
There was no time to answer the commander.
After all, the first tank in the column reached two birch trees, which were about 150 meters away.
Kolobanov only managed to report that there were 22 tanks in the column.
“Landmark first, head shot, straight shot under the cross, armor-piercing - fire!” - Kolobanov commanded.
The first tank was hit by a precise hit and immediately caught fire.
"It's burning!" - Usov shouted.
The second shot hit the second German tank.
The cars coming from behind poked their noses into the rear of those in front, the column compressed like a spring, and a traffic jam formed on the road.
To lock the column, Kolobanov ordered the fire to be transferred to the trailing tanks.
The last vehicle was about 800 meters away, so Usov failed to hit the target the first time: the shell did not reach.
Having adjusted his aim, the senior sergeant hit the last two tanks with four shots.
Since there were marshy meadows on both sides of the road, the enemy was trapped.

Tank duel

From that moment on, Kolobanov began to fire at enemy tanks as if in a shooting range.
The remaining 18 vehicles began firing indiscriminately at the haystacks, mistaking them for camouflaged firing points, but then they finally discovered the position of Kolobanov’s tank, and then the real duel began. A barrage of armor-piercing shells fell on the cave.
Fortunately, in addition to the standard armor, additional 25 mm screens were installed on the KV turret. The guys were suffocating from the smoke of gunpowder and deaf from the blows of the blanks on the turret.
Kolya Rodenkov was driving shells into the breech of the gun at a frantic pace.
Andrei Usov, without looking up from his sight, fired continuously at the Nazis.
The Germans, realizing that they were trapped, began to maneuver, but this only complicated their situation.
The KV-1 tirelessly continued to fire at the column.
The tanks caught fire like matches. Enemy shells did not cause significant damage to our vehicle - the superiority of the KV-1 in armor affected it.
German infantry units moving behind the column rolled out four PaK-38 anti-tank guns onto the road.
And here high-explosive fragmentation shells came in handy.
“Direct under the shield, fragmentation fire!” - ordered Kolobanov.
Andrei Usov managed to destroy the first crew of the German anti-tank gun, but they managed to fire several shots, damaging Kolobanov’s panoramic periscope with one.
Under the cover of the military outpost that had entered the battle, Nikolai Kiselkov climbed onto the armor and installed a spare periscope.
After the second shot from the enemy cannon, the turret jammed, the tank lost the ability to maneuver the gun and turned into a self-propelled gun.
Kolobanov ordered to leave the main position.
The KV-1 reversed out of the caponier and retreated to a reserve position.
Now all hope was on the driver Nikiforov, who, following Usov’s orders, aimed the gun, maneuvering the hull.
All 22 tanks were burning, the ammunition inside them was exploding, and the three remaining German anti-tank guns were blown up one after another.
The column was broken. The tank duel lasted more than an hour, and during this time Senior Sergeant Usov fired 98 shells at the enemy.
Inspecting the armor of their tank, the KV-1 crew counted 156 hit marks.

Battalion commander Shpiller contacted Kolobanov:
“Kolobanov, how are you doing there? Are they burning? - “They’re burning, comrade battalion commander. All 22 are on fire!

Hero's feat

V.I. Baranov, commander of the 1st Tank Division, which included Kolobanov’s company, signed an order nominating Zinovy ​​and the crew of his tank for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The answer came from the bet:
“What are you doing? He just got out of prison. He discredited our army on the Finnish front.”
At the headquarters of the Leningrad Front, awards were reduced.
Kolobanov received the Order of the Red Banner. Gun commander senior sergeant A.M. Usov was awarded the Order of Lenin, Sergeant Major N.I. Nikiforov - Order of the Red Banner, senior sergeant P.I. Kiselkov - medal "For Courage".
The feat of a simple Russian guy from the Vladimir province remained in Russian history for centuries.
A year after this battle, Zinoviy Kolobanov was seriously wounded, and during the war he lost contact with his family. Only after the war, thanks to a radio broadcast in which information about the missing was announced, he found his wife and son, whose birth he did not know.

Sincerely, Yours -

In the early 1990s, a huge amount of literature appeared in Russia glorifying the exploits of German pilots, tank crews, and sailors. The colorfully described adventures of the Nazi military created in the reader a clear feeling that the Red Army was able to defeat these professionals not with skill, but with numbers - they say, they overwhelmed the enemy with corpses.

The exploits of Soviet heroes remained in the shadows. Little has been written about them and, as a rule, their reality has been questioned.

Meanwhile, the most successful tank battle in the history of World War II was carried out by Soviet tank crews. Moreover, it happened during the most difficult time of war - at the end of the summer of 1941.

On August 8, 1941, the German Army Group North launched an attack on Leningrad. Soviet troops, fighting heavy defensive battles, retreated. In the area of ​​Krasnogvardeysk (that was the name of Gatchina at that time), the onslaught of the Nazis was held back by the 1st Tank Division.

The situation was extremely difficult - the Wehrmacht, successfully using large formations of tanks, broke through the Soviet defenses and threatened to capture the city.

Krasnogvardeysk was of strategic importance, as it was a major junction of highways and railways on the outskirts of Leningrad.

August 19, 1941 commander of the 3rd tank company of the 1st tank battalion of the 1st tank division, senior lieutenant Kolobanov received a personal order from the division commander: to block three roads that lead to Krasnogvardeysk from Luga, Volosovo and Kingisepp.

- Fight to the death! - the division commander snapped.

Kolobanov's company was equipped with KV-1 heavy tanks. This combat vehicle could successfully fight the tanks that the Wehrmacht had at the beginning of the war. Strong armor and a powerful 76-mm KV-1 cannon made the tank a real threat to the Panzerwaffe.

The disadvantage of the KV-1 was its poor maneuverability, so these tanks operated most effectively from ambushes at the beginning of the war.

There was another reason for the “ambush tactics” - the KV-1, like the KV-1, was scarce in the active army at the beginning of the war. Therefore, they tried to protect the available vehicles from battles in open areas whenever possible.

Professional

But technology, even the best, is effective only when it is operated by a competent professional. The company commander, senior lieutenant Zinovy ​​Kolobanov, was just such a professional.

He was born on December 25, 1910 in the village of Arefino, Vladimir province, into a peasant family. Zinovy's father died in the Civil War when the boy was not even ten years old. Like many of his peers at that time, Zinovy ​​had to join peasant labor early. After graduating from eight years of school, he entered a technical school, from the third year of which he was drafted into the army.

Kolobanov began his service in the infantry, but the Red Army needed tankers. A capable young soldier was sent to Orel, to the Frunze armored school.

In 1936, Zinoviy Kolobanov graduated from the armored school with honors and was sent to serve in the Leningrad Military District with the rank of lieutenant.

Kolobanov received his baptism of fire during the Soviet-Finnish war, which he began as the commander of a tank company of the 1st light tank brigade. During this short war, he burned in a tank three times, each time returning to duty, and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army was in dire need of people like Kolobanov - competent commanders with combat experience. That is why he, who began his service on light tanks, urgently had to master the KV-1, so that he could then not only defeat the Nazis with it, but also teach his subordinates how to do it.

Ambush company

The crew of the KV-1 tank, senior lieutenant Kolobanov, included gun commander senior sergeant Andrey Usov, senior mechanic-driver foreman Nikolai Nikiforov, junior mechanic-driver, Red Army soldier Nikolai Rodnikov And gunner-radio operator senior sergeant Pavel Kiselkov.

The crew was a match for their commander: well-trained people, with combat experience and a cool head. In general, in this case, the advantages of the KV-1 were multiplied by the advantages of its crew.

Having received the order, Kolobanov set a combat mission: to stop enemy tanks, so two ammunition loads of armor-piercing shells were loaded into each of the company’s five vehicles.

Arriving on the same day at a place not far from the Voyskovitsa state farm, Senior Lieutenant Kolobanov distributed his forces. The tanks of Lieutenant Evdokimenko and Junior Lieutenant Degtyar took up defense on the Luzhskoye Highway, the tanks of Junior Lieutenant Sergeev and Junior Lieutenant Lastochkin covered the Kingisepp road. Kolobanov himself received the coastal road located in the center of the defense.

Kolobanov’s crew set up a tank trench 300 meters from the intersection, intending to fire at the enemy “head-on”.

The night of August 20 passed in anxious anticipation. Around noon, the Germans tried to break through along the Luga Highway, but the crews of Evdokimenko and Degtyar, knocking out five tanks and three armored personnel carriers, forced the enemy to turn back.

Two hours later, German reconnaissance motorcyclists drove past the position of Senior Lieutenant Kolobanov’s tank. The camouflaged KV-1 did not reveal itself.

22 destroyed tanks in 30 minutes of battle

Finally, the long-awaited “guests” appeared - a column of German light tanks, consisting of 22 vehicles.

Kolobanov commanded:

The first salvos stopped the three lead tanks, then the gun commander Usov transferred fire to the tail of the column. As a result, the Germans lost room for maneuver and were unable to leave the fire zone.

At the same time, Kolobanov's tank was discovered by the enemy, who brought down heavy fire on it.

Soon there was nothing left of the KV-1’s camouflage; German shells hit the turret of the Soviet tank, but they could not penetrate it.

At some point, another hit disabled the tank's turret, and then, in order to continue the battle, driver Nikolai Nikiforov took the tank out of the trench and began to maneuver, turning the KV-1 so that the crew could continue to fire at the Nazis.

Within 30 minutes of battle, the crew of Senior Lieutenant Kolobanov destroyed all 22 tanks in the column.

No one, including the vaunted German tank aces, could achieve such a result in one tank battle. This achievement was later included in the Guinness Book of Records.

When the battle died down, Kolobanov and his subordinates found traces on the armor from more than 150 hits from German shells. But the reliable armor of the KV-1 withstood everything.

In total, on August 20, 1941, five tanks from the company of senior lieutenant Zinovy ​​Kolobanov knocked out 43 German “opponents.” In addition, an artillery battery, a passenger car and up to two companies of Nazi infantry were destroyed.

Unofficial hero

At the beginning of September 1941, all members of Zinoviy Kolobanov’s crew were nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. But the high command did not consider that the tank crews’ feat deserved such high praise. Zinovy ​​Kolobanov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, Andrei Usov was awarded the Order of Lenin, Nikolai Nikiforov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and Nikolai Rodnikov and Pavel Kiselkov were awarded the Order of the Red Star.

For three more weeks after the battle near Voyskovitsy, the company of Senior Lieutenant Kolobanov held back the Germans on the approaches to Krasnogvardeysk, and then covered the withdrawal of units to Pushkin.

On September 15, 1941, in Pushkin, while refueling a tank and loading ammunition, a German shell exploded next to Zinovy ​​Kolobanov’s KV-1. The senior lieutenant was very seriously wounded with injuries to the head and spine. The war was over for him.

But in the summer of 1945, having recovered from injury, Zinoviy Kolobanov returned to duty. He served in the army for another thirteen years, retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel, then lived and worked in Minsk for many years.

A strange incident occurred with the main feat of Zinovy ​​Kolobanov and his crew - they simply refused to believe in it, despite the fact that the fact of the battle near Voyskovitsy and its results were officially documented.

It seems that the authorities were embarrassed by the fact that in the summer of 1941, Soviet tank crews could so brutally defeat the Nazis. Such exploits did not fit into the generally accepted picture of the first months of the war.

But here’s an interesting point: in the early 1980s, it was decided to erect a monument at the site of the battle near Voyskovitsy. Zinovy ​​Kolobanov wrote a letter to the USSR Minister of Defense Dmitry Ustinov with a request to allocate a tank for installation on a pedestal, and the tank was allocated, although not the KV-1, but the later IS-2.

However, the very fact that the minister granted Kolobanov’s request suggests that he knew about the tank hero and did not question his feat.

Legend of the 21st century

Zinovy ​​Kolobanov passed away in 1994, but veteran organizations, social activists and historians are still making attempts to get the authorities to award him the title of Hero of Russia.

In 2011, the Russian Ministry of Defense rejected the request, considering a new award for Zinovy ​​Kolobanov “inappropriate.”

As a result, the feat of the Soviet tankman in the hero’s homeland was never fully appreciated.

The developers of a popular computer game set out to restore justice. One of the virtual medals in the online tank-themed game is awarded to a player who single-handedly wins against five or more enemy tanks. It is called the Kolobanov Medal. Thanks to this, tens of millions of people learned about Zinovy ​​Kolobanov and his feat.

Perhaps such a memory in the 21st century is the best reward for a hero.