Unequal tank duels. Part of 4. Red Army soldier with an ax against Pz.38 (t)
Of course, the incident that occurred at the front in the summer of 1941 is difficult to name. tank a duel, since only one tank participated in it, but this case can be safely called the most unusual battle involving a tank and an infantryman in stories. There is nothing surprising in this, because the Soviet soldier alone with an ax won the battle against the German tank Pz.38 (t), capturing the crew of an enemy vehicle consisting of four people. The feat of the Red Army soldier Ivan Sereda was very widely popularized during the Great Patriotic War, it was even reflected on the Soviet propaganda posters of those years. In the future this led to the fact that many began to believe that the cook and the whole story with a tank, an ax and captured Nazis - a myth, but the reality of Ivan Sereda and his feat is documented.
Many people know the classic Russian fairy tale, in which a clever soldier managed to cook porridge from an ax. In this tale, the soldier was able to provide himself with dinner thanks to his wit and ax. In the history of August 1941, sharpness and an ax also played a major role and, as in the famous Russian fairy tale, porridge was also present.
But back to the very beginning of this amazing story. Its main hero was Ivan Pavlovich Sereda. He was born 1 July 1919, in the village of Aleksandrovka, which is now part of the city of Kramatorsk, in an ordinary family of Ukrainian peasants. At a certain point, his family moved to the village of Galitsinovka, Mariinsky District, Donetsk Region. Since childhood, Ivan Sereda loved not only tasty food, but also cooking. It is for this reason that after graduation he entered the Donetsk Food Technical School, which he managed to finish before being drafted into the army.
He was drafted into the Red Army in November 1939. Due to his main profession and love of culinary business, he served as a cook in the 91-th tank regiment of the 46-th tank division of the 21-th mechanized corps. The Red Army man Ivan Sereda met the beginning of the Great Patriotic War with this corps. This mechanized corps was part of parts of the North-Western Front.
The second week of the war, at this time 21 th mechanized corps, which at that time commanded by Major-General Lelyushenko, after the unsuccessful attempt to defeat Dvinsk (Daugavpils) from the Germans, was defending east of the city, putting his units in order and not giving 56 Manstein's corps, to break through the front of defense and go to the operating room. While the Red Army conducted heavy and generally unsuccessful battles for itself, Ivan Sereda also rushed to the front line, but he was left in the kitchen. Since everyone could fire a rifle, only a few could feed a fighter.
The famous story of the capture of the German tank Pz.38 (t) and its crew occurred on June 30 1941, near Dvinsk. Light tanks Pz.38 (t) of German-Czech production could be called one of the best light tanks of the beginning of the Second World War. The Germans gained access to Czechoslovak technology, including this tank as a result of the occupation of Czechoslovakia. This Czech tank was distinguished by a balanced set of characteristics: armor, speed, armament. At the initial stage of the war, his 37-mm guns were enough to combat the enemy’s many armored targets. And the hp-mounted 125 engine on the tank. allowed a combat vehicle weighing almost 10 tons to reach speeds of up to 48 km / h. By the beginning of 22 in June, the 1941 of the year in the Wehrmacht was in service with approximately 600 tanks of this type, they were armed with 5 German tank divisions. One of these divisions - 8-I tank - was part of the 4-th tank group Göpner (Army Group "North"), acting against the connections of the North-Western Front.
It was with a tank from the German 8 Tank Division that 30 of June 1941 of the year was encountered by a Red Army soldier Ivan Sereda, who was working at that time in his kitchen. The field kitchen of the battalion on which Sereda was cooking at that moment was located in a small forest. It housed the entire economic platoon. Suddenly, the liaison from the battalion commander, who spoke about the new German attack and the threat of encirclement, came to the position. He ordered the supervisor to move to the front line to help keep the front, and it was decided to leave the cook alone in the kitchen. Of weapons Ivan Sereda had only a carbine and an ax, which in the fight against the formidable armored vehicle seemed to be bad assistants. However, when German tanks appeared in the positions of the economic platoon, he did not lose his head and did not run.
Before that, he had already managed to unhash all the horses and take them away into the forest. He himself decided to lurk behind the field kitchen, having decided that the German tanks would pass by without paying attention to her. One of the tanks really drove somewhere further, and the second went directly to the field kitchen. In what happened in the future, psychology played a big role. The crew of the German tank at the sight of a trophy in the form of a field kitchen and a ready lunch amused and relaxed. From the tank tower, the head of a German appeared who was laughing and saying something to his comrades inside the tank.
It was then that Ivan Sered was literally seized with rage. He was preparing porridge for his soldiers, and not for some fascist tank crews. After a moment, he suddenly jumped out from behind the kitchen with an ax in his hands. The German tanker, seeing that a Russian soldier was running at him with an ax, quickly dived into the hatch. From the tank earned a machine gun, but Sereda did not fall into his zone of fire. With a few blows of an ax, the Red Army man bent the barrel of the machine gun, after which he used a tarpaulin, which the Germans prudently fixed on the armor of their tank. The tarpaulin he used to close the inspection gaps and deprive the German tankers of the review. Courage, as you know, takes the city, and there was only one tank. The cook literally saddled the enemy machine and violently thrashed the hatchet with an ax, giving commands to his non-existent comrades at that time. Stunned by such pressure, the German tankers, who could not observe what was happening around the tank, were clearly taken aback. They did not know how many Red Army men surrounded the tank, and the furious blows of the ax on the armor did not improve their state of health.
When other Red Army soldiers, brought to the kitchen position with a loud noise, came running to the rescue, on the ground near the tank Pz.38 (t) four tied German tankers were already sitting. Sereda remembered that he also had a carbine, only when the Germans began to get out of the tank to surrender. Now they were tied up, and Sereda held them on the front sight. According to the estimates of the commander of the 21-th mechanized corps, Major-General Lelyushenko, with his valiant act Ivan Sereda demonstrated an exceptional example of heroism.
Having learned about the heroism of the cook, the commander of the intelligence unit suggested that Sereda become a scout, and literally in a few days he was able to prove his heroism again. Being on reconnaissance in the rear of the enemy, a group of Red Army soldiers attacked the Germans, took three prisoners, captured motorcycles and other trophies, successfully returning to the location of their troops. In July and August, 1941, Ivan Sereda was injured (the second time - hard). And 31 August 1941, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star Medal (№507).
He received his award in a ceremonial atmosphere in October 1941 of the year, being on the same North-Western front. According to the recollections of fellow soldier Sereda V. Bezhevitelnov, the cook's ax was kept in the unit as a valuable war relic. Ivan Sereda went through the whole Great Patriotic War from the first to the last day, took part in the defense of Leningrad and Moscow. During the years of the war he became an officer, graduating with the rank of guard lieutenant. In this rank in 1945, he was fired. After the war, he served as chairman of the village council in the village of Aleksandrovka, Donetsk region. Unfortunately, his post-war life was short-lived; he passed away at the age of 31, 18 November, 1950. Most likely, his fighting wounds affected.
Presentation of the Gold Star Medal by I. P. Sereda, North-Western Front (October 1941)
The memory of the hero was immortalized in Daugavpils, where a street was named after him and a memorial plaque was installed. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the street was renamed and the board was removed. In addition, a street in the city of Balti (Moldova) was named after him, as well as in the village of Galitsynivka, Maryinsky district, Donetsk region, an obelisk was installed in the same village.
Information sources:
http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=5612
http://www.aif.ru/society/history/desert_iz_topora_kak_kashevar_sereda_vzyal_v_plen_nemeckiy_tank
http://42.tut.by/447333
http://www.opoccuu.com/s-toporom-protiv-tanka.htm
Many people know the classic Russian fairy tale, in which a clever soldier managed to cook porridge from an ax. In this tale, the soldier was able to provide himself with dinner thanks to his wit and ax. In the history of August 1941, sharpness and an ax also played a major role and, as in the famous Russian fairy tale, porridge was also present.
But back to the very beginning of this amazing story. Its main hero was Ivan Pavlovich Sereda. He was born 1 July 1919, in the village of Aleksandrovka, which is now part of the city of Kramatorsk, in an ordinary family of Ukrainian peasants. At a certain point, his family moved to the village of Galitsinovka, Mariinsky District, Donetsk Region. Since childhood, Ivan Sereda loved not only tasty food, but also cooking. It is for this reason that after graduation he entered the Donetsk Food Technical School, which he managed to finish before being drafted into the army.
He was drafted into the Red Army in November 1939. Due to his main profession and love of culinary business, he served as a cook in the 91-th tank regiment of the 46-th tank division of the 21-th mechanized corps. The Red Army man Ivan Sereda met the beginning of the Great Patriotic War with this corps. This mechanized corps was part of parts of the North-Western Front.
The second week of the war, at this time 21 th mechanized corps, which at that time commanded by Major-General Lelyushenko, after the unsuccessful attempt to defeat Dvinsk (Daugavpils) from the Germans, was defending east of the city, putting his units in order and not giving 56 Manstein's corps, to break through the front of defense and go to the operating room. While the Red Army conducted heavy and generally unsuccessful battles for itself, Ivan Sereda also rushed to the front line, but he was left in the kitchen. Since everyone could fire a rifle, only a few could feed a fighter.
The famous story of the capture of the German tank Pz.38 (t) and its crew occurred on June 30 1941, near Dvinsk. Light tanks Pz.38 (t) of German-Czech production could be called one of the best light tanks of the beginning of the Second World War. The Germans gained access to Czechoslovak technology, including this tank as a result of the occupation of Czechoslovakia. This Czech tank was distinguished by a balanced set of characteristics: armor, speed, armament. At the initial stage of the war, his 37-mm guns were enough to combat the enemy’s many armored targets. And the hp-mounted 125 engine on the tank. allowed a combat vehicle weighing almost 10 tons to reach speeds of up to 48 km / h. By the beginning of 22 in June, the 1941 of the year in the Wehrmacht was in service with approximately 600 tanks of this type, they were armed with 5 German tank divisions. One of these divisions - 8-I tank - was part of the 4-th tank group Göpner (Army Group "North"), acting against the connections of the North-Western Front.
It was with a tank from the German 8 Tank Division that 30 of June 1941 of the year was encountered by a Red Army soldier Ivan Sereda, who was working at that time in his kitchen. The field kitchen of the battalion on which Sereda was cooking at that moment was located in a small forest. It housed the entire economic platoon. Suddenly, the liaison from the battalion commander, who spoke about the new German attack and the threat of encirclement, came to the position. He ordered the supervisor to move to the front line to help keep the front, and it was decided to leave the cook alone in the kitchen. Of weapons Ivan Sereda had only a carbine and an ax, which in the fight against the formidable armored vehicle seemed to be bad assistants. However, when German tanks appeared in the positions of the economic platoon, he did not lose his head and did not run.
Before that, he had already managed to unhash all the horses and take them away into the forest. He himself decided to lurk behind the field kitchen, having decided that the German tanks would pass by without paying attention to her. One of the tanks really drove somewhere further, and the second went directly to the field kitchen. In what happened in the future, psychology played a big role. The crew of the German tank at the sight of a trophy in the form of a field kitchen and a ready lunch amused and relaxed. From the tank tower, the head of a German appeared who was laughing and saying something to his comrades inside the tank.
It was then that Ivan Sered was literally seized with rage. He was preparing porridge for his soldiers, and not for some fascist tank crews. After a moment, he suddenly jumped out from behind the kitchen with an ax in his hands. The German tanker, seeing that a Russian soldier was running at him with an ax, quickly dived into the hatch. From the tank earned a machine gun, but Sereda did not fall into his zone of fire. With a few blows of an ax, the Red Army man bent the barrel of the machine gun, after which he used a tarpaulin, which the Germans prudently fixed on the armor of their tank. The tarpaulin he used to close the inspection gaps and deprive the German tankers of the review. Courage, as you know, takes the city, and there was only one tank. The cook literally saddled the enemy machine and violently thrashed the hatchet with an ax, giving commands to his non-existent comrades at that time. Stunned by such pressure, the German tankers, who could not observe what was happening around the tank, were clearly taken aback. They did not know how many Red Army men surrounded the tank, and the furious blows of the ax on the armor did not improve their state of health.
When other Red Army soldiers, brought to the kitchen position with a loud noise, came running to the rescue, on the ground near the tank Pz.38 (t) four tied German tankers were already sitting. Sereda remembered that he also had a carbine, only when the Germans began to get out of the tank to surrender. Now they were tied up, and Sereda held them on the front sight. According to the estimates of the commander of the 21-th mechanized corps, Major-General Lelyushenko, with his valiant act Ivan Sereda demonstrated an exceptional example of heroism.
Having learned about the heroism of the cook, the commander of the intelligence unit suggested that Sereda become a scout, and literally in a few days he was able to prove his heroism again. Being on reconnaissance in the rear of the enemy, a group of Red Army soldiers attacked the Germans, took three prisoners, captured motorcycles and other trophies, successfully returning to the location of their troops. In July and August, 1941, Ivan Sereda was injured (the second time - hard). And 31 August 1941, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star Medal (№507).
He received his award in a ceremonial atmosphere in October 1941 of the year, being on the same North-Western front. According to the recollections of fellow soldier Sereda V. Bezhevitelnov, the cook's ax was kept in the unit as a valuable war relic. Ivan Sereda went through the whole Great Patriotic War from the first to the last day, took part in the defense of Leningrad and Moscow. During the years of the war he became an officer, graduating with the rank of guard lieutenant. In this rank in 1945, he was fired. After the war, he served as chairman of the village council in the village of Aleksandrovka, Donetsk region. Unfortunately, his post-war life was short-lived; he passed away at the age of 31, 18 November, 1950. Most likely, his fighting wounds affected.
Presentation of the Gold Star Medal by I. P. Sereda, North-Western Front (October 1941)
The memory of the hero was immortalized in Daugavpils, where a street was named after him and a memorial plaque was installed. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the street was renamed and the board was removed. In addition, a street in the city of Balti (Moldova) was named after him, as well as in the village of Galitsynivka, Maryinsky district, Donetsk region, an obelisk was installed in the same village.
Information sources:
http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=5612
http://www.aif.ru/society/history/desert_iz_topora_kak_kashevar_sereda_vzyal_v_plen_nemeckiy_tank
http://42.tut.by/447333
http://www.opoccuu.com/s-toporom-protiv-tanka.htm
Information