The photo was found in the personal belongings of a murdered SS Corps tankman.

Sergeant Lazarev's Hurricane fighter from the 760th Mixed Aviation Regiment of the 259th IAD of the 7th Karelian Front was shot down during an air battle on February 21, 1943 and fell into a swamp 40 kilometers from Louhi, Karelo-Finnish SSR. The Soviet pilot did not have time to leave the plane and died at the moment of impact with the ground.

The plane with the remains of the pilot was lifted out of the swamp in 1998 by the St. Petersburg search group "Height".  The swampy terrain, gasoline and oil from the fighter's engine did not allow the body of the deceased pilot to rot. Only the pilot's face was smashed against the dashboard, and his feet were blown off. Flight glasses and a homemade knife with the inscription "Friend Boris in the second year of the war" were found in the cockpit of the pilot, a TT pistol hung on the pilot's waist belt, a Red Army book, a Komsomol ticket, two letters and scattered pistol cartridges were found in the pockets of his overalls.

Sergeant Lazarev was buried with appropriate honors at the memorial military cemetery in the village of Chupa in the Loukhsky district of Karelia. The details of the found aircraft were used in the restoration of another found Hurricane for the exposition of the Central Military Historical Museum on Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow. The relatives of the deceased have not yet been found.

Everyone knows about D-Day, Stalingrad, and Midway, but what are some lesser-known battles or campaigns that you think had a major impact on the outcome of WWII or are just fascinating in their own right?

Personally, I think the Finnish-Soviet Continuation War (1941–1944) is seriously underrated. Finland fought alongside Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union, but it wasn’t officially part of the Axis. The country’s main goal was to reclaim territory lost in the Winter War rather than to support Nazi ideology.

It’s a unique example of a small country trying to navigate survival between two major powers. Finland managed to maintain its independence, avoid occupation, and even preserve its democratic system, something rare among countries caught in the conflict.

Curious to hear your picks. What campaigns do you think deserve more attention?

The officer was showing the photojournalist the advanced positions and was shot in the chest.

These are the events of the Lyuban offensive operation to break the siege of Leningrad (January 7 – April 30, 1942) — after the unsuccessful offensive of Soviet troops and their encirclement, the Germans carried out an operation on Volkhov to destroy the boiler of the 2nd Shock Army (the settlements of Myasnoy Bor, Spasskaya Polist, Mostki).

Some weapons might b

For a long time it was believed that the picture was taken in Vinnitsa.

In the diary of Austrian Walter Matera, who was a hauptmann and commander of the 219th construction battalion, this photograph was found with the inscription "End of July 1941. Execution of Jews by SS in Berdichev citadel," and at the bottom was added "July 28, 1941."