Konstantin Morozov

Konstantin Morozov (b. 1927) was a Soviet tank commander. During World War II, he'd enlisted in the Red Army in 1944 at the age of 17, survived having four or five tanks killed out from under him with burns and machine gun wounds, and rose from loader to commander. In January, 1951, on the eve of World War III, he was stationed in Meiningen, East Germany, and commanded a T-54.

In the first week of January, after a round of solo drinking, Morozov was informed by his commanding officer that it appeared that the U.S. would use atomic weapons against China, and that Joseph Stalin was prepared to retaliate if the U.S. did.