The Boy Who Stole a Tank

In 1945, a 17-year-old Czech boy named Jiri Vavra watched as a damaged German Tiger II tank was abandoned on the outskirts of Prague during the uprising. With no experience driving a tank, he and several friends managed to start it and drove it through the streets, providing what firepower they had against German strongpoints. The tank's 88mm gun and machine guns proved devastating in urban combat. The German forces, shocked to see one of their most feared weapons being driven by Czech teenagers, retreated from several positions. The tank was eventually disabled by a German anti-tank weapon, but the boy and his friends survived. After the war, Vavra became a mechanical engineer.