Hobby Master Archive

One of the best known KV-1 Model 1941 tanks in the Soviet wartime press was Besposhadniy (Merciless), of the 12th Tank Regiment, Western Front 1942. The tank was donated to the regiment by contributions from Moscow artists who had won the Stalin prize. The tank had been decorated with a cartoon of Hitler being blasted by a tank. The printing below the cartoon are lists of the of the tank donors names. The column to the left is the painters and to the right are the poets. The printing towards the front of the turret is a poem that was written especially for the occasion of the Regiment receiving the tank. “Storming through the fire goes Our KV heavy tank From the heartland it rolls To smash the Nazi flank Your fearless crew Never rests As they fire in combat Under Stalin’s commands” The tank Commander was the ace Lt. Pavel Khoroshilov who is credited with destroying 12 German tanks as signified by the 12 white stars on the turret. Also the markings indicate that this tank is also credited with the destruction of 4 SPGs, 7 armoured vehicles, 3 guns, 7 mortars, 4 heavy MGs, 10 trucks, 5 motorcycles, a staff bus and a supply bus.