Two Soviet soldiers near a disabled Nazi tank. He effectively hit German tanks at long distance, but preferred to close in on the enemy at high speed at a distance of 150-300 meters and strike at point blank range. His sniper skills served him in the tank as well. Lavrinenko was known as a perfect sniper – he could shoot precisely with many types of firearms. He used the advantages of the landscape to perfection, hiding his T-34 behind trees, hills and uneven terrain to suddenly appear in unexpected places and cause maximum damage to the enemy. Lelyushenko, “Dawn of Victory,” 1966).īefore going on the attack, Lavrinenko always carefully scrutinized the future battlefield and organized proper reconnaissance. Luring them to approach within range, he unleashed hell from his ambush position and terminated nine tanks, two guns and numerous soldiers.” (D. The fascists opened fire on these dummy targets. General Dmitry Lelyushenko recalled: “Lieutenant Dmitry Lavrinenko scrupulously disguised his tanks by mounting logs which looked like tank guns. Perfect tacticianĭmitry Lavrinenko not only clashed with the enemy in open fighting, but organized skillful ambushes. 5, Lavrinenko was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union for destroying 37 German heavy, medium and light tanks during a 2-month period of permanent battles. Lavrinenko's (first from the left) tank crew in October 1941.
Fearlessīorn in the village Besstrashnaya (“Fearless”) in the Krasnodar Region, Dmitry Lavrinenko lived up to the name of his birthplace – he never hesitated to engage in battle with superior enemy forces, if the situation demanded it. Still, during these 2.5 months, he managed to terminate 52 enemy tanks, which makes him the best tank ace of the Allies.īesides, whereas a major role in the victories of German aces was played by their gunners, T-34 tank commanders during the early period of the war performed their own gunning duties. Dmitry Lavrinenko entered battle in October 1941 and was killed in late December the same year. The big difference between Lavrinenko and the tank aces of the Third Reich is that unlike most of them, who went through the whole war, the Soviet tank commander died too early. Although the most efficient tank aces of WWII were Germans with over 100 tank kills, the Allies also had their heroes and Soviet tank ace Dmitry Lavrinenko was top.
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