The Battles of Rzhev

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Head of scouting dep. guards mortar division of the 17th guards mortar regiment, Lieutenant V.F. Pugach (on the right) and scout A. Gladkov (on the left) watching the enemy. Kalinin Front, 1942. State Archive (RGAKFD)

The best artillery intelligence troops of an unnumbered anti-aircraft battery watch out for the enemy’s warplanes

A large-calibre weapon captured by Red Army troops during fighting for Rzhev. Western Front

Wreckage of a German cargo aircraft downed near Rzhev. Western Front. September 1942. Photograph by D. Chernov. State Archive (RGAKFD)

Residents of Rzhev at their houses destroyed by the Germans.

View of a mobile sledging bath in the unit under Major General Zakharov. Western Front.

• Город Дорогобуж после освобождения его от немецких оккупантов в ходе Ржевско-Вяземской операции

A view of a street after liberation of the city from Nazi German troops, April 1943. Photo by Leonid Velikzhanin/TASS

Бойцы 354-й стрелковой дивизии. Лето 1942 г.

The enemy’s knocked out tractor unit and killed driver in a Kalinin Front direction

Commander of the twice decorated Guards Panfilov Division, order bearer, Guards Colonel Ivan Serebryakov

Order bearer, Division Commissar, Guards Regiment Commissar Pavel Lobov

N.M. Uralsky, Commander of the Guards Regiment of the twice decorated Guards Panfilov Division

Order bearer, Guards Battalion Commissar F.D. Tolstunov

Officers of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division; in the group: Guards Lieutenant A.G. Chernenko - regimental adjutant, Guards Major F.M. Barinov – Regiment Political Commissioner, Guards Lieutenant Colonel F.I. Reshetnikov – Regimental Commander, Guards Major I.V. Blinov - Regimental Executive Officer, Guards Captain L.G. Bozhenko - Engineer of the Regiment, Guards Gefreiter V.N. Lipinsky, A.I. Mordanov –Cook

Commander of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division Lieutenant Colonel F.I. Reshetnikov and Guards Regimental Executive Officer Major I.V. Blinov at the entrance to the dugout

Army Laundresses of the 19th Guards Infantry Regiment of the th Guards Panfilov Division

Guards Gefreiter Oruntaii Iskakov – gun layer and mortar gunner of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division

Guards Senior Sergeant Commander of the mortar crew of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division Bardulia Ibragimov

Guards Sergeant V. G. Minaev (in the center), Machine Gunner of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division with his team: Guards Senior Sergeant Sapir Mullabaev and Guard Sergeant I.E. Homyakov

Machine Gunner of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division Guards Sergeant V.G. Minaev

Deputy Commander for Political Affairs of the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division major T.A. Safayev

Commander of the Mortar Company of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment Captain V.P. Gadja from the 8th Guards Panfilov Division at lunch with the mortar gunners of the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment

Red Army Cook Nazarov prepares food for the mortar gunners of the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division in the field conditions

Red Army Cook Nazarov prepares food for the mortar gunners of the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division in the field conditions

Deputy Commander for Political Affairs of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division Guards Senior Lieutenant L.A. Akopyan conduct talks with the soldiers

Guards Senior Lieutenant N.G. Kungurtsev, Commander of the Air Defense Platoon of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division at the automatic anti-aircraft gun contracted by him

Guards Petty Officer Section Chief of the 2nd Machine Gun Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division I.D. Raschupkin conducts a class with his team on mastering a machine gun; on the left Kashat Muzhikov, on the right Satar Omashev

Major General Ivan Prokofievich Repin (in a uniform with awards), participant in the Great Patriotic War, Rzhev defense

The writer I.G. Ehrenburg (right) and American journalist L. Stow during their visit to one of the units near Rzhev

The writer I.G. Ehrenburg (2nd from the right) and American journalist L. Stow (3rd from the left) in one of the units near Rzhev

The corpses of the inhabitants of the city of Rzhev brutally tortured by the Nazi executioners

Commander of the 8th Tank Brigade Colonel P.A. Rotmistrov (right) with the last tank near Rzhev

2nd-level military engineer Grigory Yakovlevich Klyatis, deputy commander of the 31st combat engineer brigade (in the center) with local residents

The 122-mm howitzer nicknamed “Partisan” transferred from partisans to troops on the Kalinin Front

Colonel General M. A. Purkaev, Commander of the Kalinin Front, and General D.S. Leonov, member of the Military Council of the Kalinin Front, at the command post

Gunloader of anti-aircraft crew, who shot down five German planes, Private M. Kotolavidze loading the cannon with a clip with shells. Kalinin Front, 1943. State Archive (RGAKFD)

The crew of the anti-aircraft automatic gun of Senior Sergeant A.I. Sidorov, who was awarded with the Order of the Red Star. Kalinin Front, 1943. State Archive (RGAKFD).

Anti-aircraft gun-layer Corporal I.M. Bessonov, awarded with the Order of the Red Star. Kalinin Front, 1943. State Archive (RGAKFD)

Наводчик зенитной пушки ефрейтор Т.Д. Горячий, награждённый орденом Красной Звезды

Cavalry platoon scouts before the combat operation. Political officer S.V. Kozlov (on the left) and Lieutenant A.A. Vasilistov (on the right) specifying the plan for the upcoming operation. Kalinin Front, 1942. State Archive (RGAKFD).

View of a village near Rzhev burnt by Germans upon retreat

View of a village near Rzhev burnt by Germans upon retreat

German military cemetery near Rzhev

Residents of a liberated village near Rzhev welcome the Soviet liberators

Armor-piercers of the 1245th Infantry Regiment of the 375th Infantry Division before the battle for the city of Rzhev

A group of Red Army soldiers and officers talking to a resident of Rzhev

Soldiers of a Kalinin Front unit moving to the frontline

The village of Zakharovo near Rzhev looted and burnt by Germans

Flamethrowers of the 1245th Infantry Regiment of the 375th Infantry Division before the battle for the city of Rzhev

The village of Zakharovo near Rzhev looted and burnt by Germans

Soviet advanced forces entering the liberated village, August 1942. State Archive (RGAKFD)

Soviet riflemen fighting for Rzhev

Soviet sappers rebuild the bridge destroyed by the Germans in a Kalinin Front section

Field tea facilities for wounded soldiers and officers near Rzhev

Soviet troops pile trophies seized from the enemy near Rzhev

Air Defense Platoon Commander Lieutenant A.I. Mekhlis with soldiers of his platoon before going on a combat operation. Western Front, 1943. State Archive (RGAKFD)

View of anti-aircraft guns abandoned by the Germans upon their retreat from the airfield near Rzhev

Guards-machine gunners under the command of Lieutenant Sedinin fighting near the railway station. Western Front, May, 1942. State Archive (RGAKFD)

Sergeant A.F. Khoroshev, gun-layer of an anti-aircraft gun, reflecting the attack of German assault aircrafts on an armored train. Western Front, 1943. State Archive (RGAKFD)

Captain M.I. Lomsadze, commander of the 389th separate scouting troop of the 330th Infantry Divisio giving instructions to scouts, 1943. State Archive (RGAKFD)

Head of scouting dep. guards mortar division of the 17th guards mortar regiment, Lieutenant V.F. Pugach (on the right) and scout A. Gladkov (on the left) watching the enemy. Kalinin Front, 1942. State Archive (RGAKFD)

The best artillery intelligence troops of an unnumbered anti-aircraft battery watch out for the enemy’s warplanes

A large-calibre weapon captured by Red Army troops during fighting for Rzhev. Western Front

Wreckage of a German cargo aircraft downed near Rzhev. Western Front. September 1942. Photograph by D. Chernov. State Archive (RGAKFD)

Residents of Rzhev at their houses destroyed by the Germans.

View of a mobile sledging bath in the unit under Major General Zakharov. Western Front.

• Город Дорогобуж после освобождения его от немецких оккупантов в ходе Ржевско-Вяземской операции

A view of a street after liberation of the city from Nazi German troops, April 1943. Photo by Leonid Velikzhanin/TASS

Бойцы 354-й стрелковой дивизии. Лето 1942 г.

The enemy’s knocked out tractor unit and killed driver in a Kalinin Front direction

Commander of the twice decorated Guards Panfilov Division, order bearer, Guards Colonel Ivan Serebryakov

Order bearer, Division Commissar, Guards Regiment Commissar Pavel Lobov

N.M. Uralsky, Commander of the Guards Regiment of the twice decorated Guards Panfilov Division

Order bearer, Guards Battalion Commissar F.D. Tolstunov

Officers of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division; in the group: Guards Lieutenant A.G. Chernenko - regimental adjutant, Guards Major F.M. Barinov – Regiment Political Commissioner, Guards Lieutenant Colonel F.I. Reshetnikov – Regimental Commander, Guards Major I.V. Blinov - Regimental Executive Officer, Guards Captain L.G. Bozhenko - Engineer of the Regiment, Guards Gefreiter V.N. Lipinsky, A.I. Mordanov –Cook

Commander of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division Lieutenant Colonel F.I. Reshetnikov and Guards Regimental Executive Officer Major I.V. Blinov at the entrance to the dugout

Army Laundresses of the 19th Guards Infantry Regiment of the th Guards Panfilov Division

Guards Gefreiter Oruntaii Iskakov – gun layer and mortar gunner of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division

Guards Senior Sergeant Commander of the mortar crew of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division Bardulia Ibragimov

Guards Sergeant V. G. Minaev (in the center), Machine Gunner of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division with his team: Guards Senior Sergeant Sapir Mullabaev and Guard Sergeant I.E. Homyakov

Machine Gunner of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division Guards Sergeant V.G. Minaev

Deputy Commander for Political Affairs of the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division major T.A. Safayev

Commander of the Mortar Company of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment Captain V.P. Gadja from the 8th Guards Panfilov Division at lunch with the mortar gunners of the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment

Red Army Cook Nazarov prepares food for the mortar gunners of the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division in the field conditions

Red Army Cook Nazarov prepares food for the mortar gunners of the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division in the field conditions

Deputy Commander for Political Affairs of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division Guards Senior Lieutenant L.A. Akopyan conduct talks with the soldiers

Guards Senior Lieutenant N.G. Kungurtsev, Commander of the Air Defense Platoon of the 30th Guards Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division at the automatic anti-aircraft gun contracted by him

Guards Petty Officer Section Chief of the 2nd Machine Gun Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Infantry Regiment of the 8th Guards Panfilov Division I.D. Raschupkin conducts a class with his team on mastering a machine gun; on the left Kashat Muzhikov, on the right Satar Omashev

Major General Ivan Prokofievich Repin (in a uniform with awards), participant in the Great Patriotic War, Rzhev defense

The writer I.G. Ehrenburg (right) and American journalist L. Stow during their visit to one of the units near Rzhev

The writer I.G. Ehrenburg (2nd from the right) and American journalist L. Stow (3rd from the left) in one of the units near Rzhev

The corpses of the inhabitants of the city of Rzhev brutally tortured by the Nazi executioners

Commander of the 8th Tank Brigade Colonel P.A. Rotmistrov (right) with the last tank near Rzhev

2nd-level military engineer Grigory Yakovlevich Klyatis, deputy commander of the 31st combat engineer brigade (in the center) with local residents

The 122-mm howitzer nicknamed “Partisan” transferred from partisans to troops on the Kalinin Front

Colonel General M. A. Purkaev, Commander of the Kalinin Front, and General D.S. Leonov, member of the Military Council of the Kalinin Front, at the command post

Gunloader of anti-aircraft crew, who shot down five German planes, Private M. Kotolavidze loading the cannon with a clip with shells. Kalinin Front, 1943. State Archive (RGAKFD)

The crew of the anti-aircraft automatic gun of Senior Sergeant A.I. Sidorov, who was awarded with the Order of the Red Star. Kalinin Front, 1943. State Archive (RGAKFD).

Anti-aircraft gun-layer Corporal I.M. Bessonov, awarded with the Order of the Red Star. Kalinin Front, 1943. State Archive (RGAKFD)

Наводчик зенитной пушки ефрейтор Т.Д. Горячий, награждённый орденом Красной Звезды

Cavalry platoon scouts before the combat operation. Political officer S.V. Kozlov (on the left) and Lieutenant A.A. Vasilistov (on the right) specifying the plan for the upcoming operation. Kalinin Front, 1942. State Archive (RGAKFD).

View of a village near Rzhev burnt by Germans upon retreat

View of a village near Rzhev burnt by Germans upon retreat

German military cemetery near Rzhev

Residents of a liberated village near Rzhev welcome the Soviet liberators

Armor-piercers of the 1245th Infantry Regiment of the 375th Infantry Division before the battle for the city of Rzhev

A group of Red Army soldiers and officers talking to a resident of Rzhev

Soldiers of a Kalinin Front unit moving to the frontline

The village of Zakharovo near Rzhev looted and burnt by Germans

Flamethrowers of the 1245th Infantry Regiment of the 375th Infantry Division before the battle for the city of Rzhev

The village of Zakharovo near Rzhev looted and burnt by Germans

Soviet advanced forces entering the liberated village, August 1942. State Archive (RGAKFD)

Soviet riflemen fighting for Rzhev

Soviet sappers rebuild the bridge destroyed by the Germans in a Kalinin Front section

Field tea facilities for wounded soldiers and officers near Rzhev

Soviet troops pile trophies seized from the enemy near Rzhev

Air Defense Platoon Commander Lieutenant A.I. Mekhlis with soldiers of his platoon before going on a combat operation. Western Front, 1943. State Archive (RGAKFD)

View of anti-aircraft guns abandoned by the Germans upon their retreat from the airfield near Rzhev

Guards-machine gunners under the command of Lieutenant Sedinin fighting near the railway station. Western Front, May, 1942. State Archive (RGAKFD)

Sergeant A.F. Khoroshev, gun-layer of an anti-aircraft gun, reflecting the attack of German assault aircrafts on an armored train. Western Front, 1943. State Archive (RGAKFD)

Captain M.I. Lomsadze, commander of the 389th separate scouting troop of the 330th Infantry Divisio giving instructions to scouts, 1943. State Archive (RGAKFD)

Head of scouting dep. guards mortar division of the 17th guards mortar regiment, Lieutenant V.F. Pugach (on the right) and scout A. Gladkov (on the left) watching the enemy. Kalinin Front, 1942. State Archive (RGAKFD)

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