Red Army Tank Commander: At War in a T-34 on the Eastern Front - Hardcover

Bryukhov, Vasiliy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1781590230 ISBN 13: 9781781590232

Publisher: Pen and Sword Military, 2013

Synopsis

What was it like to command a T-34 tank on the Eastern Front during the Second World War? How were tank operations organized and carried out, what was the actual experience of combat, and what were the qualities that made the difference between success and failure - and what were the chances of survival? Vasiliy Pavlovich Bryukhov’s vivid, detailed and gripping memoir of his wartime service gives a fascinating and authentic insight into these questions. In addition, it provides an accurate, unsentimental record of the day-to-day life of a tank man whose unit fought in the forefront of the Red Army throughout the conflict across the western Soviet Union and into Eastern Europe. His first-hand eyewitness account is a memorable personal story, and it gives a powerful insight into the reality of tank warfare seventy years ago.

Vasiliy Pavlovich Bryukhov was born in 1924 in Osa. In April 1943, after graduation from tank school, he was given command of a T-34 tank, and he took part in the Battle of Kursk. He served continuously until the end of the war, fighting through Ukraine, Moldavia, Romania and Hungary to Austria. In one action his crew destroyed nine German panzers and in another he led the vanguard of his tank brigade through German lines to capture bridges and cut off the German retreat. In 1944, he was promoted to battalion commander. For his actions at the end of 1944 and 1945, he was nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union, but this nomination was not fulfilled until 1995 when he was given the title of a Hero of the Russian Federation for the courage and gallantry he displayed in battle during the Great Patriotic War.

About this title

Review

Vasiliy Pavlovich Bryukhov's vivid, detailed and gripping memoir of his wartime service gives a fascinating and authentic insight. An accurate, unsentimental record of the day-to-day life of a tankman. Graphic first-hand account of tank warfare on the Eastern Front. Accurate depiction of small-scale, lethal clashes with enemy tanks and anti-tank guns. OCAD MILITARIA COLLECTORS RESOURCES Translated from the Russian origional, this is one man's story. Starting from his youth in Osa, one of a fairly large family wh had their own hardshops to get through in the pre-war years, he graduated from tank school in 1943, in time to be a commander of a T-34 during the battle of the Kursk salliet. A fascinating account, he simply tells what it was like at the time, wiout trying to over-dramatise things, or glorify himsef or any other. An interesting read, giving a good insite to what it ment to be Red Army Tank Commander in WW2, just as the title suggests. Military Modelling www.militarymodelling.com

Edition details

• Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1781590230
• ISBN 13: 9781781590232
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 224