Today Poltava celebrates the Liberation Day

September 23, 2018 On September 23, 1943 the Red Army liberated the city of Poltava, that has been turned by German army into a powerful defense center in the Ukraine to the east of the Dnieper. In the fighting for the liberation of the town of Poltava, troops commanded by Lieutenant General Zhadov, Lieutenant General Managarov and airmen commanded by Lieutenant General of Aviation Goryunov, distinguished themselves, especially the 9th Guards Airborne Division (Colonel Sazonov), the 13th Guards Red Banner Infantry Division (Major General Baklanov), the 66th Guards Infantry Division (Major General Yakshin), the 95th Guards Infantry Division (Major General Nikichenko), the 97th Guards Infantry Division (Colonel Antsiferov), the 84th Kharkov Infantry Division (Major General Bunyashin), the 42nd Light Artillery Brigade (Colonel Skorodumov), the 301st Anti-tank Artillery Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Vlassenko), the 57th Tank Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Federov), the 431st Engineering Battalion (Lieutenant Colonel Boltusevich), the 294th Fighter Aviation Division (Lieutenant Colonel Taranenko) and the 266th Attack Aviation Division (Colonel Rodyakin). 

An unique picture below was taken by the Soviet press photographer Yakov Ryumkin during the fighting somewhere near Poltava in late September 1943. As you can see the master had no time to adjust his camera during such a quick advance of the Soviet combat group. On the background you can see battered German self-propelled gun.

 It was very dangerous to shoot such photos when bullets whistled over his camera but nevertheless many military press photographers risked their lives to capture WWII as it really was.

Photographer Yakov Ryumkin near the Brandenburg Gate (Potsdam). The photo was taken in 1945.