Evening bell:
Graduation day concert.
The photograph of war correspondent Anatoly Egorov, "Musical Moment", taken on April 24, 1945, on a street in Breslau, is known throughout the world. The photo shows the crew of the IS-2 Heavy Tank #537 posing for the resourceful photojournalist.
Commander, Lieutenant of the Guards Boris Degtyarev (smiling on the turret). He served in the Red Army since July 8, 1941, and was wounded five times.
Loader, Private Boris Clagin (plays the harmonium). He served in the Red Army since June 17, 1942.
Gun Commander, Private Ivan Kazykin (standing next to his musical instrument). He served in the Red Army since April 18, 1941, and was wounded three times.
Driver-mechanic, Sergeant Major Konstantin Karagpolov (on the turret to the left of the commander). He served in the Red Army since 1941 and was seriously wounded in 1942.
And what remained behind the scenes was restored by the historical magazine "Rodina. ".
Two days after the photo, an IS-2 crew burst ahead of the attacking infantry during a street fight, and found themselves on Friedrich Wilhelmstrasse, stuck with its left wheels in an underground sewer in the middle of the street. Enemy fire cut off the infantry, leaving them a hundred meters behind the tank near a square. The crippled IS-2 engaged in a head-on duel with enemy artillery and self-propelled guns firing from the direction of the German barricade.
Over the next two days (April 26-28), the crew repulsed five enemy counterattacks. Then they blew up the tank. All crew members survived.
The burned IS-2 sat rusting on the tram tracks for nine months and was only removed in January 1946...
And what about the "pianists"?
Commander Degtyarev was seriously wounded in battle and stayed in hospitals until March 1946, and was released in May.