Dmitry Lavrinenko was the Soviet Union’s leading tank ace. As both commander and gunner of a T-34, he knocked out 52 German tanks in two months of fighting. Had a fragment from a German mine not ended his life on 18 December 1941, the tank hero’s tally might have been far higher. Dmitry was posthumously awarded the Gold Star of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The photograph shows 27-year-old Dmitry Fyodorovich Lavrinenko with his crew.
It is interesting to compare the number of tanks knocked out by Dmitry Lavrinenko with the tally of Kurt Knispel, the most successful German tank ace. At first glance, the German’s tally is higher: 126 tanks. However, unlike Dmitry, Kurt served as a tank gunner for 33 months rather than two. Dividing their victories by the number of months gives our hero an average of 26 tanks knocked out per month, compared with only around four for the German. Moreover, Lavrinenko was not only the T-34’s gunner but also its commander, so his attention was constantly divided between observing the battlefield and issuing orders to his crew. Kurt, by contrast, served only as a gunner, with his tank commander identifying targets for him.
From the summer of 1943, Knispel served in a Tiger heavy tank, whose armour at that time could not be penetrated by any Soviet tank at any range, whereas German tanks could penetrate the T-34’s armour.
From May 1944, Knispel commanded the even heavier King Tiger tank and, by 28 April 1945, had added a further 42 victories to his previous tally of 126. However, as a tank commander, he no longer aimed the gun himself, but merely identified targets for the gunner.
Ultimately, Dmitry Lavrinenko truly was an outstanding tank ace, while Knispel was a mediocre figure whose victories were due to the advantages of German armoured vehicles and who stood out only in comparison with the even less capable tank crews of the Third Reich.
Knispel’s career as a tank crewman was brought to a fatal end by a shot from a Soviet SU-100 self-propelled gun commanded by Guards Junior Lieutenant Sheiko of Kyiv.
Glory to the Soviet Heroes!
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