On the second Sunday in September, Russia celebrates Tankers’ Day, a military holiday commemorating the heroic deeds of the armored troops and tank producers during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
On the second Sunday in September, Russia celebrates Tankers’ Day, a military holiday commemorating the heroic deeds of the armored troops and tank producers during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Photo: A Soviet tanker greets a prisoner freed from a concentration camp.
In Russia, each member of the tank crew is commonly referred to as a “tanker.” A tank crew usually includes a commander, driver, gunner, and loader, but may have other crewmembers.
For instance, a World War II era KV-2 tank had a crew of six. Photo: Withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.
The commander supervises the maintenance and operation of the tank and assumes responsibility for the vehicle and crew as a whole.
The gunner is the tank’s deputy commander. He is responsible for laying the tank’s gun. He prepares the tank, the personnel and the equipment for movement and combat, locates targets and employs weapons systems. Photo: Hero of the Soviet Union, tanker Vladimir Khazov.
The tank driver is responsible for all the systems involved in the tank’s mobility.
The driver must position the tank to fire on target and perform additional maintenance and operational duties.
The loader loads the tank’s gun with a round appropriate to the target. The loader must be ready to replace the gunner if necessary.
After the Second World War, the Soviet government inaugurated Tankers’ Day, to be celebrated on the second Sunday of September.
Tankers’ Day is one of the most respected military holidays. In the 1940s and 1950s tank convoys would roll through the streets of the largest Soviet cities to mark Tankers’ Day.
