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German RPGs in Soviet service


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Sometimes people ask whether soviet soldiers used captured german RPGs. They obviously did, as evidenced by this picture:

Vataman.jpg

The caption says: "Private Vataman clubbed 10 hitlerites with a faustpatron in hand-to-hand fight."

[ 06-05-2001: Message edited by: Skipper ]

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Big deal. However, this uniform grog finds the use of the German mess tin fascinating

:D ....especially since it doesn't appear to have the leather strap holding it closed, and is simply strapped to the waistbelt by means of the wire handle. Looks very uncomfortable and unwieldy!

I thought the Russians also made copies of the Panzerfaust, calling it the RPG-1. Do we know this isn't one of them?

[ 06-05-2001: Message edited by: Michael Dorosh ]

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What were the little hitlerites doing, sleeping when he beat them to death with the faust :rolleyes: Seems it would have been easier to beat them with the mess tin then try to swing the faust around like a club.

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dittohead:

This proves once again that Russian soldiers were not smart enough to use captured weapons. ;) I would like to see him beat a tank to death next.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

LOL, is that going to be part of CM2 or the next mod (German mess tin and all).

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Guest Babra

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Cos:

What were the little hitlerites doing, sleeping when he beat them to death with the faust :rolleyes: <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't even want to know the answer. My guess is they were non-combatants/prisoners/wounded...

I must be old. I find it disturbing rather than funny. It takes a vicious animal to beat a person to death. It takes something less than human to do it ten times...

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Very interesting. Where did you get the picture from?

Personally I am very amazed at the caption however because the Panzerfaust (must be a PzF 60 or PzF 100 the guy is holding) seems too little a robust construction to be an ideal means to club people to death with in a melee - remember the warhead is barely connected to the tube etc.

But a very interesting picture nonetheless.

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Babra:

I don't even want to know the answer. My guess is they were non-combatants/prisoners/wounded...

I must be old. I find it disturbing rather than funny. It takes a vicious animal to beat a person to death. It takes something less than human to do it ten times...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Meant the rolly eyes for disbelief, not a joke. I was figuring it was more WWII propoganda. Just can't see how/why you would beat 10 people with a faust. I mean wouldn't you pick up the weapon off the first one....if they had one.

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Skipper:

I know that this chap received a medal for this. So, they weren't.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

My guess is this is pure BS. A nice picture taken like that with a nice smiley face by the private with a caption that says he killed 10 hitlerites to death with the fuast. This is more likely to be fabrication.

What could I do with a caption and a picture of a wrench in my hand?

The possibilities are endless...

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I am repeating myself:

This man has been awarded for that action.

And the award citation specifically mentioned him clubbing 10 fascists with pzfaust. Unfortunately, this is the only thing my source says. It was an article about various unbeleivable, but real incidents of the war.

Perhaps, "beating to death" was a wrong translation. The actual russian verb does not imply a lengthy process, or a helpless victim.

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Heh... Moreover, this guy is stereotypical cossack - from the looks to the name (which means "gangleader") to the deeds. Dont you think using pzfaust as a club is gamey? smile.gif

[ 06-05-2001: Message edited by: Skipper ]

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Odd things happen in the heat of battle, and when you find yourself surrounded by enemy troops a p-faust makes a better weapon as a club than its intended use.

I don't think the guy carried the thing into battle intending to club people with it, there are many medal citation accounts here in the US of desperate or enraged people killing several enemy soldiers in hand to hand combat with e-tools, broken rifles, rocks etc.

It's war, don't forget that's the way it used to be before gun powder.

Gyrene

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Michael Dorosh:

At least one Marine I read about carried a sharpened screwdriver with him throughout the Pacific - like it better than the fighting knife. Maybe cause he never had to kill anyone with it?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

In WWI both sides were known to charge trenches with grenades and a sharpened spade. If you don't believe me read "All Quiet On The Western Front".

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Many an enemy was killed by a GI wielding his entrenching tool. The one I had dating from the late 40's even had a bare polished edge, ready for sharpening.

Propaganda is everywhere, but sometimes the truth can be strange and incredible too.

One thing is sure, the Russians used a lot of captured 'fausts! There were thousands of the things lying around in those days.

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by gunnergoz:

Many an enemy was killed by a GI wielding his entrenching tool. The one I had dating from the late 40's even had a bare polished edge, ready for sharpening.

Propaganda is everywhere, but sometimes the truth can be strange and incredible too.

One thing is sure, the Russians used a lot of captured 'fausts! There were thousands of the things lying around in those days.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The Germans made 1.3 million Panzerfaust 60s in December '44 alone.

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