The Soviet Tank Ace Who Didn't Own His Tank — Zinoviy Kolobanov

On August 20, 1941, near the town of Krasnogvardeysk (now Gatchina) outside Leningrad, Soviet Lieutenant Zinoviy Kolobanov took his KV-1 heavy tank — one of the few Soviet tanks heavy enough to penetrate German armor — and positioned it in a swampy area overlooking a narrow causeway. He buried it under mud and branches, leaving only the gun barrel exposed. Then he waited. A column of 43 German tanks and vehicles from the 4th Panzer Division advanced onto the causeway. Kolobanov opened fire and single-handedly destroyed 22 German tanks and two anti-tank guns in a 30-minute ambush. His gunner, Andrei Usov, loaded 150+ rounds. The remaining German vehicles retreated in panic, not knowing whether they were facing an ambush by an entire tank battalion or just one well-concealed Soviet tank. Kolobanov was recommended for Hero of the Soviet Union but received the Order of the Red Banner instead — partially because his Soviet superiors refused to acknowledge the achievements of a non-Russian soldier as the definitive 'Hero.' He was never properly celebrated for the single greatest tank ambush of the entire war.