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, held the rank of sergeant, and commanded a T-54. His crew consisted of driver Misha Kasyanov, gunner Pavel Gryzlov, and loader Mogamed Safarli.

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.

The fateful day came on January 23, 1951 when the U.S. dropped several atomic bombs in Manchuria, and Stalin ordered retaliatory attacks in Europe on February 1. Stalin also ordered the Red Army west. Morozov's company moved to the border between Soviet zone and the American zone under the cover of darkness a few days after the European bombings.

The U.S. and the U.S.S.R. traded another round of bombings, concluding with the destruction of three Eastern European cities on February 15. On the morning of February 17, the Soviet invasion of West Germany began, with Morozov's unit as part of the initial spearhead towards Fulda.

In short order, Morozov discovered that the T-54 had a design flaw: the 100mm gun wouldn't despress as far as the main armament on the American and British tanks they were facing. That meant that the T-54s, when on a reverse slope, had to move farther forward and expose themselves when the fired, leaving them vulnerable to the enemy. Moreover, the U.S. was able to use atomic bombs to negatively impact the Soviet supply lines. At one point, Morozov's crew had around eight rounds of AP, half a dozen HE, and a couple of canister shells, and it wasn't clear when they'd be resupplied.

In April, Morozov's tank was hit by a British or American tank. While the shell killed the tank's engine, it didn't immediately destroy the tank, allowing Morozov and his crew to escape into a Soviet fox hole. The tank was destroyed almost immediately after they'd escaped. The driver, Misha Kasyanov, was shot in the leg. They were able to carry him in as well, and he received treatment.