I admit that in the evenings I sometimes play WOT (World of Tanks) at home. Quite relaxing afterwards have a hard day. A powerful toy, I want to tell you. The Belarusians can only be praised for this successful project. And the other day I got a little lucky in this game. During the battle I knocked out three tanks (I had a KV-1s). And when there was only one left, he knocked out three more. True, two of them were self-propelled guns. The result, victory and six destroyed tanks. After the fight I learned that for this “feat” I was awarded the Kolobanov medal.

Since I am interested in the history of the Second World War, I decided to find out who this Kolobanov was, whose name was given to the medal in the famous computer game. It turns out that this is a tanker (which is not surprising), originally from Belarus. He can safely be called a hero tanker, although the title of Hero Soviet Union he never received it. In August 1941, he knocked out 22 German tank Pz.Kpfw.35. Unlike the KV-1, the Germans had light tanks. But this in no way detracts from the merits of Zinovy ​​Grigorievich Kolobanov. According to some reports, his tank received up to 150 hits. I’m sure that many of today’s Internet fighters needed to make an appointment with a urologist only after the mention of a real battle. Not to mention, withstand such an unrealistic battle.


Here he is, that legendary tank. It is possible that it was Zinoviy Kolobanov who initiated the “pincer” tactics. When the lead and trailing vehicles in a tank column are knocked out. And the execution of the remaining tanks that have lost their maneuverability begins. Subsequently, this tactic was used against us in Afghanistan (by dushmans) and by militants in Chechnya.

In total, during that battle near the city of Krasnogvardeysk, Zinovy ​​Kolobanov’s company knocked out 43 enemy tanks. The company included 5 KV-1 tanks. For this outstanding battle, the crew of Kolobanov’s tank was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. But for some reason the headquarters decided that they had had enough of the orders. Although, receiving the order in 1941 is also an outstanding achievement. Against the backdrop of a retreating army, it is more difficult to perform feats than during an offensive. By the way, according to unconfirmed information, they wanted to award Kolobanov with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the Finnish company. But again, the matter was limited to the Order of the Red Banner.

Zinoviy Kolobanov.

The crew of Z.G. Kolobanov in 1941.

Zinovy ​​Grigorievich died in 1994 at the age of 83 in Belarus. Perhaps someone will think that the Belarusians from Wargaming specifically chose the feat of this tanker as a model for creating a medal. Like, after all, he lived most of his life in the BSSR. But in my opinion, the exploits of our soldiers in the Great Patriotic War have no nationality. All of them were Soviet soldiers..

Let us remind you that to receive this reward, you must, being alone in the team, destroy at least 5 enemy tanks.

Zinovy ​​Kolobanov - Soviet tank ace, company commander heavy tanks KV-1 with the rank of senior lieutenant.

After graduating from 8th grade primary school, studied at the Gorky Industrial College, from where he was drafted into the ranks of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in 1933. In 1936 he graduated from the Oryol Armored School. He received his baptism of fire in the Soviet-Finnish war with the rank of commander of a company of light tanks. It burned three times.

After the start of the Great Patriotic War, Zinoviy Kolobanov was sent to the northern front as the commander of a company of KV-1 heavy tanks of the 1st tank regiment of the 1st tank division. Due to his combat experience and merits, Kolobanov immediately received the rank of senior lieutenant.

Kolobanov's tank after the battle at Voyskovitsa.

The most famous tank battle, which glorified Zinovy’s commander’s ingenuity and military talent not only among his colleagues, but throughout the country, was the battle near the village of Voiskovitsy.

On August 20, 1941, the German command planned to transfer significant motorized and armored forces in the area of ​​the village of Voyskovitsy to support the advance of Army Group North towards Leningrad. Upon arrival at headquarters, Zinovy ​​Kolobanov received an order from the division commander to “block it and stand to the death!” three roads leading to Gatchina. Behind is Leningrad. The command relied on the thick armor and powerful guns of the KV-1 heavy tanks, which were supposed to set up a tank ambush. Each tank was loaded with a double set of armor-piercing shells and a minimum of high-explosive shells.

Having carefully studied the situation and terrain features, Zinoviy Kolobanov positioned 2 KV-1 tanks on one road, 2 on the other, and placed his tank on the central road in order to be able to support both extreme directions with fire, and if the German column went along the central road, then meet it head on with the support of 4 KV-1 tanks from the flanks. The spaces between the roads were swampy, which would have greatly reduced the maneuverability of German armored vehicles in their attempts to escape. Kolobanov’s tanks were installed in such a way that no matter from which direction the enemy was approaching, one of the ambushes was capable of firing at him on the side.

Finally, in the morning, the first volleys rang out along one of the outer roads. Having waited until the enemy column, consisting of light tanks PzKpfw 35t, reached the most convenient position for execution, Kolobanov’s crew opened fire. The next moment, the lead tank of the column was beheaded. Within just a few subsequent seconds, the tanks at the rear of the column were also set on fire. When the ammunition racks of one German tank after another began to burst, the crews of the surviving armored vehicles hastily abandoned the remaining combat-ready tanks. And only the few remaining opened fire in response. The first wave of the column was defeated. However, that was not all.

Air reconnaissance followed around noon, but without identifying the camouflaged Soviet heavy tanks, the remaining German column moved forward. Having let the motorized detachments pass, Kolobanov’s group opened fire on the German tanks that appeared. These were PzKpfw IV. During this battle, neither side celebrated complete victory. The task of the German tanks was to distract attention so that the motorized and infantry forces could move on. While conducting a firefight at medium-long distances, Kolobanov’s tank received damage to its observation devices and its turret became jammed. After the Germans rolled up their 88mm anti-aircraft guns, the Soviet tankers retreated.

However, this battle, during which only 5 Soviet tanks were able to destroy 43 German tanks, 22 of which were Kolobanov’s, deprived Army Group North of the necessary armored support, which never reached them. This stopped the German advance on the northern front for some time. Also, for the first time, the Germans realized that the war in the USSR would not be like a picnic, akin to the annexation of France, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia and Belgium with Austria. Having first met on the battlefield with Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks, developed under strict secrecy, the German command realized what military potential, as well as engineering, technical and raw material base has the USSR in reality. These impressions did not coincide in any way with the data of German intelligence, which collected information about a potential enemy in the late 30s.

Like other tank aces of the Second World War, Zinoviy Kolobanov and the KV-1 tank were one whole, a well-functioning mechanism for the fight against Nazism, a symbiosis of ingenuity and talent, determination and composure Soviet soldier with the highest tactical and technical characteristics of the KV-1 heavy tank at that time. It is unlikely that a tank and a soldier could achieve this alone.

Zinovy ​​Kolobanov survived the war, commanding many more tank brigades and participating in many operations, both defensive and offensive. Having received a shell shock at the very end of the war, Kolobanov, after being cured in the hospital, again asked to join the ranks and continued military service. After the war, he commanded tank and self-propelled battalions. On the day of the 40th anniversary of the Victory, by decree of the USSR Minister of Defense awarded the order Patriotic War 1st degree.

Zinovy ​​Kolobanov died in 1994 in his bed, surrounded by loved ones and dearly loved Soviet people, for whom he has been a hero all these years and will be forever.

Awarded to the player who remains alone against 5 or more enemy tanks or self-propelled guns and won.

Historical background

Zinoviy Grigorievich Kolobanov - Soviet tank ace, senior lieutenant, commander of a company of heavy tanks in the Great Patriotic War Patriotic War, reserve lieutenant colonel. According to all known wartime documents, on August 20, 1941 (according to post-war (erroneous) publications - August 19, 1941), during the Kingisepp-Luga defensive operation, the crew of his KV-1 tank in one battle in the area of ​​the strategic transport hub Voyskovitsy-Krasnogvardeysk (now Gatchina) knocked out 22 enemy tanks in a column from an ambush, and in total Z. G. Kolobanov’s company, consisting of five heavy KV-1 tanks, together with cadets of the border school and the Leningrad militia, on that day knocked out 43 German tanks from 1- 1st Panzer Division, 6th Panzer Division and 8th Panzer Division, which carried out a change of positions during the attack on Leningrad on August 20, 1941.

The crew of the KV-1, senior lieutenant Z. Kolobanov (in the center) at their combat vehicle. August 1941 (CMVS)

The crew of the KV-1 tank in battle on August 20, 1941 at the state farm (manor) Voyskovitsy in the Krasnogvardeisky now Gatchina district of the Leningrad region: tank commander - senior lieutenant Kolobanov Zinoviy Grigorievich, gun commander senior sergeant Andrey Mikhailovich Usov, senior mechanic-driver foreman Nikolai Ivanovich Nikiforov, junior mechanic-driver, Red Army soldier Nikolai Feoktistovich Rodenkov and gunner-radio operator, senior sergeant Pavel Ivanovich Kiselkov. On August 19, 1941, after heavy fighting near Moloskovitsy, Z. G. Kolobanov arrived in the 1st battalion of the 1st regiment of the 1st tank division. The division was replenished with new KV-1 tanks with crews arriving from Leningrad. The commander of the 3rd tank company of the 1st tank battalion, senior lieutenant Z. G. Kolobanov, was summoned to the division commander, General V. I. Baranov, from whom he personally received an order to cover three roads leading to Krasnogvardeysk (now the city of Gatchina) from Luga , Volosovo and Kingiseppa (across the Tallinn highway): “Block them and stand to the death!” On the same day, Z. G. Kolobanov’s company of five KV-1 tanks advanced to meet the advancing enemy. It was important not to miss the German tanks, so each tank was loaded with two rounds of armor-piercing shells and minimum quantity high-explosive fragmentation.

According to the hypothesis of historian O. Skvortsov, who studied post-war publications, events developed as follows. Having assessed the likely routes of movement German troops, Z. G. Kolobanov sent two tanks to the Luga road, two to the Kingisepp road, and he himself took a position on the seaside road. The location for the tank ambush was chosen in such a way as to cover two possible directions: the enemy could have reached the road to Marienburg along the road from Voiskovits, or along the road from Syaskelevo. Therefore, the KV-1 caponier No. 864 of Senior Lieutenant Z. G. Kolobanov was dug just 300 meters opposite the T-shaped intersection (“Landmark No. 2”) in such a way as to fire “head-on” if the tanks took the first route . On both sides of the road there was a swampy meadow, which made it difficult for German armored vehicles to maneuver.

The next day, August 20, 1941, in the afternoon, the crews of Lieutenant M. I. Evdokimenko and Junior Lieutenant I. A. Degtyar were the first to meet a German tank column on the Luga Highway, chalking up five enemy tanks and three armored personnel carriers. Then, at about 14:00, after an unsuccessful aerial reconnaissance, German reconnaissance motorcyclists followed along the seaside road to the Voyskovitsy state farm, whom Z. G. Kolobanov’s crew freely let through, waiting for the main enemy forces to approach. Light tanks (presumably Pz.Kpfw.35(t)) of the German 6th Panzer Division (other sources also called the 1st or 8th Panzer Divisions) moved in the column.

Scheme of the battle between KV senior lieutenant Z. Kolobanov and a German tank column on August 19, 1941

After waiting until the lead tank of the column reached two birch trees on the road (“Landmark No. 1”), Z. G. Kolobanov commanded: “Landmark one, at the head, direct shot under the cross, armor-piercing - fire!” After the first shots, the three lead German tanks caught fire, blocking the road. Then the tankers transferred fire to the tail, and then to the center of the column (“Landmark No. 2”), thereby depriving the enemy of the opportunity to retreat back or towards Voyskowitz. A crush formed on the road: cars, continuing to move, bumped into each other, slid into ditches and ended up in a swamp. Ammunition in the burning tanks began to explode. Apparently, only a few German tank crews attempted to return fire. In 30 minutes of battle, Z. G. Kolobanov’s crew knocked out all 22 tanks in the column. 98 armor-piercing rounds were used from the double ammunition load.

Together with the authorities, Izvestia newspaper correspondent Pavel Maisky also came to the battlefield, who photographed the crew of Z. G. Kolobanov and the panorama of burning cars. In the surviving photograph taken immediately after the battle, the crew does not even look tired.

By order of Divisional Commander V.I. Baranov, the crew occupied the second caponier in anticipation of a second attack. Apparently, this time the tank was discovered, and the Pz.Kpfw.IV fire support tanks began firing at the KV-1 from a long distance in order to divert attention to themselves and not allow targeted fire on the tanks and motorized infantry that were breaking through at that time to the area of ​​the educational farm and further to Chernovo. In addition, they needed to force Soviet tank crews leave the position to begin evacuating the damaged tanks. The tank duel did not bring results to both sides: Kolobanov did not report a single tank destroyed at this stage of the battle, and Z. G. Kolobanov’s tank had its external surveillance devices broken and its turret jammed. He even had to give the command to leave the caponier and turn the tank around in order to aim the gun at the German anti-tank guns, which were brought to close range to the tank during the battle.

However, Kolobanov’s crew completed the task, engaging in battle the German Pz.Kpfw.IV fire support tanks, which were unable to support the advance in depth Soviet defense the second company of tanks, where it was destroyed by a group of KV-1 tanks under the command of battalion commander I.B. Shpiller. After the battle, more than a hundred hits were counted on Z. G. Kolobanov’s KV-1 (various sources give different numbers of dents on the armor of Z. G. Kolobanov’s tank: 135, 147 or 156).

Memorial plaques on the pedestal of the monument

Thus, as a result, the crew of senior lieutenant Z. G. Kolobanov knocked out 22 German tanks, and in total his company chalked up 43 enemy tanks (including the crew of junior lieutenant F. Sergeev - 8; junior lieutenant V. I. Lastochkin - 4; junior lieutenant I. A. Degtyar - 4; lieutenant M. I. Evdokimenko - 5). In addition, the battalion commander I.B. Shpiller personally burned two tanks. On the same day, the company destroyed: one passenger car, an artillery battery, up to two infantry companies, and captured one enemy motorcyclist.

In September 1941, for this battle, the commander of the 1st Tank Regiment, D. D. Pogodin, Z. G. Kolobanov was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. However, management decided otherwise. In September 1941, the presentation was approved by the command of the 1st Tank Division, but at the headquarters of the Leningrad Front, someone reduced the award to the Order of the Red Banner. The award sheet with the nomination for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union crossed out in red pencil is kept in the TsAMO of the Russian Federation.

IS-2 at the battle site of the crew of Z. Kolobanov

Kolobanov received the Order of the Red Banner on February 3, 1942. The remaining crew members - the gun commander, senior sergeant A. M. Usov, was awarded the Order of Lenin, the driver mechanic, sergeant major N. I. Nikiforov, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the gunner-radio operator, senior sergeant P. I. Kiselkov and the loader of the Red Army, N. F. Rodenkov - Order of the Red Star.

On the eve of Tankman's Day on September 8, 1983, at the site of the military battle, in the area of ​​Uchkhoz "Voyskovitsy", a memorial was opened - the IS-2 tank monument. Among the veteran tankers present at the opening of the memorial were direct participants in the battle, crew members Z. G. Kolobanov, A. M. Usov. The political instructor of the battalion, V.K. Skorospekhov, also arrived. Z. G. Kolobanov about the military battle: