Hello! This is something I just saw on TV on russian documentary -and immediately searched it on the internet and found it there too even more detailed: a story about 19 year old gunner of 76 mm anti-tank gun Mikhail Borisov that destroyed 7 Tiger tanks alone after his comrades have died, and damaged another one.
Here is the whole story
Герой Советского Союза Михаил Борисов - YouTube
I am not russian but since I understand it and cam write it in english I thought about making a text translation and posting it here, but it will take
some time so the most important part from
5:12 on the video:
Narator: And so it comes the morning of 11 july 1943, when 19 "Tigers" are oposed by only 4 guns.(canons). The battery is saved because the smoke from the fires covered our fighters from the germans.
Hero: Such a curtain /from the smoke/, we managed to set the canons, shells (2 words I cant understand his voice is very weak-he says about setting the vehicles along with the canons or something else)
And so the first salvo, and I see how these machines (again cant hear him well), and stone fell away from my heart, when I saw, because it tirned out that these extolled machines were on fire. (this sentence end in 5:48 in the video)
Narator: after this first salvo the battery was found. The german tanks return fire. They are supported by german mortar battery. From the air the position is being attacked by two Messerchmits (Bf 109 german fighters for those who dont know). ONe after another the canons are disabled and rendered useless; soldiers are killed and injured one afther another.
Hero: and when the last canon went silent, (cant hear 3 words well) I ran, I could see injured and killed on the spot; I rotated the handle-everything worked correctly, there was shell loaded in the canon, aimed at the tank, fired, then I ran for another round, and they were far away, (the boxes), and again, a successful shot, and then again I ran, and I hear a bang from behind.
Narator: Then two other soldiers come to help Boris, but after few shots they are heavily wounded. The seargant is again left alone. ON the battery position advance tanks from the SS division "The Dead Head"
The " Tigers' " crews are formed by specialy selected officers. And this armada of excellent trained and armed personel is being opposed by 19 year old lad.
Hero: (this is almost impossible for me to understand his voice is weak and the editor did not lower the volume of the background of the explosion, anyway here is what i heard: "You know only one thing: that if you dont man the canon. THere is no one else there at all."
If someone russian can listen to this carefuly, ( I do with my $60 philips hi-fi headphones and still cant hear it well to translate it for you, please help with transtalion of this sentence.
Narator: The alone artylery operator continues the fight with the fascist tanks. He does the impossible. In one fight he destroys 7 "Tigers". The eight tank is headed straight to Boris's canon.
Boris (Hero): I very roughly pointed the barrel to the turret, and pressed the trigger.
(again cant hear first word) "But such an armor, my turret could not penetrate. He fired at the very same time, may be just a moment after me. The shell went strainght into the canon, and everything bursted in flames, (two words cant hear) only thing that left in my memories was that I was lying, wounded, and the sky, the blue blue sky...not a single cloud and there flies the wheel of my cannon and quickly, quickly spins.
Narator: Mihail had luck. The fight was watched by the corps' commander
His order was the wounded artylery operator to be rescued under the enemy fire, and transported to hospital.
On the 10th of January 1944 Mihail Borisov, for uneven fight with the "Tigers", is awarded Hero of the Soviet Union.
After the hospital Borisov returns to his batallion and takes part in the liberation of Ukraine and Poland. The end of the war, leitenant borisow sees in Berlin, signing at the wall of the Reichstag.
I end my translation here, the time in the video was 9:54
In the other video I watched on the TV documentary he says that he destroyed only 7 and a half tank, because the last tank he stopped was not destroyed but only damaged.
Interesting facts: the last tank was stopped arround 50 meters from his canon.
According to his words after the shot at the turret, the tank was not destoyed but failed to continue his movement. He says that it was only damaged (that why he says he destroyed only 7.5 Tigers.)
I hope that you enjoy reading my translation, I did as much as I could and sorry if any typos
Some info from russian wikipedia ( you can use google translate)
<a href="http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B2,_%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BB_%D0%A4%D1%91%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87" target="_blank">http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Борисов,_Михаил_Фёдорович
:IS2:
Here is the whole story
Герой Советского Союза Михаил Борисов - YouTube
I am not russian but since I understand it and cam write it in english I thought about making a text translation and posting it here, but it will take
some time so the most important part from
5:12 on the video:
Narator: And so it comes the morning of 11 july 1943, when 19 "Tigers" are oposed by only 4 guns.(canons). The battery is saved because the smoke from the fires covered our fighters from the germans.
Hero: Such a curtain /from the smoke/, we managed to set the canons, shells (2 words I cant understand his voice is very weak-he says about setting the vehicles along with the canons or something else)
And so the first salvo, and I see how these machines (again cant hear him well), and stone fell away from my heart, when I saw, because it tirned out that these extolled machines were on fire. (this sentence end in 5:48 in the video)
Narator: after this first salvo the battery was found. The german tanks return fire. They are supported by german mortar battery. From the air the position is being attacked by two Messerchmits (Bf 109 german fighters for those who dont know). ONe after another the canons are disabled and rendered useless; soldiers are killed and injured one afther another.
Hero: and when the last canon went silent, (cant hear 3 words well) I ran, I could see injured and killed on the spot; I rotated the handle-everything worked correctly, there was shell loaded in the canon, aimed at the tank, fired, then I ran for another round, and they were far away, (the boxes), and again, a successful shot, and then again I ran, and I hear a bang from behind.
Narator: Then two other soldiers come to help Boris, but after few shots they are heavily wounded. The seargant is again left alone. ON the battery position advance tanks from the SS division "The Dead Head"
The " Tigers' " crews are formed by specialy selected officers. And this armada of excellent trained and armed personel is being opposed by 19 year old lad.
Hero: (this is almost impossible for me to understand his voice is weak and the editor did not lower the volume of the background of the explosion, anyway here is what i heard: "You know only one thing: that if you dont man the canon. THere is no one else there at all."
If someone russian can listen to this carefuly, ( I do with my $60 philips hi-fi headphones and still cant hear it well to translate it for you, please help with transtalion of this sentence.
Narator: The alone artylery operator continues the fight with the fascist tanks. He does the impossible. In one fight he destroys 7 "Tigers". The eight tank is headed straight to Boris's canon.
Boris (Hero): I very roughly pointed the barrel to the turret, and pressed the trigger.
(again cant hear first word) "But such an armor, my turret could not penetrate. He fired at the very same time, may be just a moment after me. The shell went strainght into the canon, and everything bursted in flames, (two words cant hear) only thing that left in my memories was that I was lying, wounded, and the sky, the blue blue sky...not a single cloud and there flies the wheel of my cannon and quickly, quickly spins.
Narator: Mihail had luck. The fight was watched by the corps' commander
His order was the wounded artylery operator to be rescued under the enemy fire, and transported to hospital.
On the 10th of January 1944 Mihail Borisov, for uneven fight with the "Tigers", is awarded Hero of the Soviet Union.
After the hospital Borisov returns to his batallion and takes part in the liberation of Ukraine and Poland. The end of the war, leitenant borisow sees in Berlin, signing at the wall of the Reichstag.
I end my translation here, the time in the video was 9:54
In the other video I watched on the TV documentary he says that he destroyed only 7 and a half tank, because the last tank he stopped was not destroyed but only damaged.
Interesting facts: the last tank was stopped arround 50 meters from his canon.
According to his words after the shot at the turret, the tank was not destoyed but failed to continue his movement. He says that it was only damaged (that why he says he destroyed only 7.5 Tigers.)
I hope that you enjoy reading my translation, I did as much as I could and sorry if any typos
Some info from russian wikipedia ( you can use google translate)
<a href="http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B2,_%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BB_%D0%A4%D1%91%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87" target="_blank">http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Борисов,_Михаил_Фёдорович
:IS2:
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