Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

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snake
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Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by snake » 29 Jun 2010 23:01

I have a long shot question.

I have read that there are information about some Finnish soldiers in the summer 1944 destroyed a ISU 152 with panzerfausts or shrecks. The finnish soldiers who did this was recognized for it and the number of the tank and what army it belonged to is known.

I am wondering if anyone knows of a similar situation were a IS2 tank was destroyed by panzerfauzts, shrecks, AT-gun or another tank. If you know who (soldier name, divition, regiment, batallion etc.) destroyed it, what army/divition the tank belonged to and what number it had?

I have come over a model of a IS2 tank and whas thinking of making some scenery to it and make it look destroyed and i would like to have a true story behind the model.

Hope someone can help

:milwink:

Steady
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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by Steady » 04 Jul 2010 17:17

Private Eero Seppänen allegedly destroyed seven enemy tanks in one day in Siiranmäki. He gave a detailed description of the battle in his memories, and it appears that at least one of the tanks was only immobilized by a hit on the tracks. But it was of course out of the battle for that day.

One of his victims was a JS-2 which was left burning after a direct hit astern from a Panzerschreck. Seppänen and his comrades also killed the crew of the tank.

snake
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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by snake » 05 Jul 2010 22:28

Great info! And the name of the destoryer also, a great moment that is worth to be rememberd. Do you happen to know the nummer and markings on the IS-2 tank?? I have seen the marking J13 on an IS-2 on a photo but it would be great to have the number of the IS-2 that Seppänen.

Ragnar

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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by Steady » 06 Jul 2010 13:13

Hello Snake,

if you are able to read Finnish, the account is told in detail in the the following book. Account even recounts details of the surroundings, so it would really make for a nice diorama :) Numbers and markings, sadly not (although the heavy tank was burned, so its main colour was probably black).

Seppo Porvari: Panssarikauhu. Mannerheim-ristin ritari Eero Seppäsen tarina. Tampere:Kustannusosakeyhtö Revontuli, 2004. ISBN 952-5170-39-X (sid.) 207 s.

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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by Mangrove » 06 Jul 2010 14:34

Steady wrote: if you are able to read Finnish, the account is told in detail in the the following book.
Although it's good to remember the book was written by Porvali, a man who is not known for accuracy. For example in last three years he has written ten books, a book every four months! The biggest problem to me is he never lists his sources in any way.

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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by snake » 06 Jul 2010 17:08

Hi Martti

Sadly i don´t read finnish, i am half Estonian but never took that class in junior high school to my great regret :-(

Well the search carries on but thanks for the help :-)

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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by Steady » 06 Jul 2010 19:12

"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."

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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by snake » 08 Jul 2010 20:29

Thanks a lot for that inspiring aneqdote! So a IS-2 is also known as a T-70? I didn´t knom that but thanks again. There is no way telling the number on the IS-2?

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John Hilly
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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by John Hilly » 08 Jul 2010 21:45

Snake, never mind!
J-P
"Die Blechtrommel trommelt noch!"

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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by snake » 09 Jul 2010 18:38

John: Never mind??

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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by John Hilly » 09 Jul 2010 20:31

Only meaning the obvious error, which we all sometimes tend to do!
With best
Juha-Pekka
"Die Blechtrommel trommelt noch!"

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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by Bair » 10 Jul 2010 19:50

my friends who do battlefield archeology said they found bits and pieces of JS-2 in Siiranmäki last year. In any case, use of close-range German anti-tank weapons gave Finns a huge advantage in battle for that hill.

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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by snake » 13 Jul 2010 09:01

Great! Haven´t read in the litterature that IS-2 tanks were used there so thats news.


The question conserning the number on the tank still stands. I have found several IS-2 tanks with numbers on sites but none that says it was taken out in the Ishtmus 1944 :-(

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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by Juha Tompuri » 14 Jul 2010 00:31

Image
http://www.sodatkuvina.cjb.net/images/J ... at008.html

From books Suomi tahtoi elää II and Viisi Sodan Vuotta
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Re: Destroyed IS2 tank in summer 1944

Post by Juha Tompuri » 14 Jul 2010 00:32

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