#7
Post
by Steady » 06 Jul 2010, 20:12
"Panssarikauhu" is actually Porvali's first book. It was published in 1987. In its foreword he tells that the story follows Eero Seppänen's own words. Seppänen was Porvali's uncle. So naturally there is ample space for non-historical additions to the story and errors in Seppänen's memory.
Anyway, this is how Seppänen's JS-2 kill is told in the book:
" A small knoll gave at least some kind of shelter. Behind it lay six men. Eero had lifted the Shreck on his shoulder and aimed at the biggest monster of a tank he had ever seen, which was moving around remains of Seppälä's house. Another tank had also appeard at Siiranmäki's highest point.
Eero felt a slight tap on his buttocks. It was Ruokonen's way of informing him that a grenade was ready to be fired.
He glanced quickly on both sides and back. He wanted to be sure that nobody got hurt by Panzerschrek's almost ten-metre backslash.
He pressed the trigger. Everybody saw how the grenade hit tank tower, but nothing more happened. Only a black speck was left in the base of the tower.
- Dammit, yelled Eero.
- That must be that Josef Stalin, said captain Laamanen next to him.
...
Now also Eero remembered. Tank was of the model t-70 and named after Josif Stalin.
- Maybe I should try with this, Mielonen suggested. He had taken with him a Panzerfaust.
- No you won't, denied Eero. If I failed with the Schreck, you wont succeed with the Faust. I shall try again.
T-70 started to move. Tank crew had seen where the grenade came from. Enemy trusted their tanks thick armor plates. Because of this it did not shoot at the Finns with either its main gun or machine guns. Slowly the tank approached the spot where the men were sheltering. Tank was clearly attempting to crush them under its tracks.
Eeros forehead started to sweat even more profusely. Panzershreck was on his shoulder and he felt how Ruokonen pushed a grenade into its place. How was it taking so much time? Laamanen's expression next to Eero was stressed. He was ready to shoot with his submachine gun. Tank approached steadily. It grew in their vision as gigantic monster and Eero knew the range would soon be too close for the Schreck.
- Eero, shoot already! Mielonen cried.
- Olli, is it already... started Eero. Suddenly he felt a slap on his buttocks. Eero aimed at the front of the tank. He was not sure if the range was correct, but he sent a grenade on its way. It hit the tanks track and stopped it. At the same time tank fired its cannon.
- Quickly back, shouted Eero. - Or it will shoot us to pieces.
First grenade swooshed over them. Tanks machine gun shot. Bullets sunk into soft mud on the same spot the men had occupied just a moment ago. Eero thanked in his mind for the short woods that was growing on the clearing. It gave them at least some kind of shelter from enemy observation. Clearly the tank was searching for them by shooting all the time.
They started to veer to the right. There grew a small dense forest of young birch trees and alders two to three meters tall. There they couldn't be easily seen.
Puffing sligthly, Eero stopped. He lay the Shreck on the ground. Others gathered around him.
- What shall we do now? He asked Muhonen.
- You decide.
- We have to try to destroy it. Standing there it will command the whole area. Let's try to get behind it.
...
T-70 was still standing in the same place where Eero stopped it. Its massive cannon fired now and then. A group of other tanks had gathered around it, but they were much smaller than it.
Eero left Ruokonen and Mielonen. He had decided to settle matters with the "Josef". Carrying also the grenade box he walked as close to the ugly tank as he could. He closed to twenty meters and stopped. At this range he surely could not miss. He laid the grenade box into the ground, took one grenade and pushed it into the muzzle. He aimed at the t-70. Now you, Josif, shall go!
...
grenade hit base of the tank tower, which was the best place to destroy it. Flames poured out the tanks sides and "Josef Stalin" was on fire. Eero still had one grenade in the box. Quickly he loaded the weapon and while looking up he saw how t-70's hatches had opened. Tank crew fled across the clearing at lightning speed. They climbed on top of a second tank and entered its tower.
For the first time Eero wanted to have some other weapon besides the Schreck. What a target the fleeing men would have been for a submachine gun.
Tank revved its engine. It started to turn. It was attempting to leave the battle. Having their biggest and strongest tank destroyed clearly made enemy nervous. Also other tanks started to move back.
Cruel sneer appeared on Eero's face. He was not going to need a submachine gun. That tank contained crews of both tanks!
Tank was already gathering distance. Eero got its stern in his aim. He fired, and explosion that followed made him temporarily loose his hearing. Tanks farther away started shooting at the point they believed the tank killer to be hiding in, but grenades did not land anywhere near Eero."
Numbers and markings, sadly not (although the heavy tank was burned, so its main colour was probably black). 
