A Nazi tank, donated to the German army in memory of Ernst vom Rath, counselor of the German embassy in Paris who was assassinated there in 1938 by a Polish-Jewish youth, Herschel Grynzpan, has been captured by a Russian Jewish tankist, it was reported in a local newspaper here today.
According to the paper’s correspondent, the Red Armyman, Solomon Ravnitsky, who was formerly heavyweight boxing champion of Odessa, jumped from his own tank in the midst of a battle with Nazi infantry and tank units and, using a tommygun, cleared a path through the advancing Germans until he reached the Nazi machine. He succeeded in throttling the lone German who barred his way and silenced the tank, enabling the Russians to advance and capture the village where the German units had been based.
When he examined his trophy after the battle, Ravnitsky found the following inscription on its side: “This tank is a gift in memory of our beloved son Ernst, who was killed in Paris while in the performance of his duties, by a dirty Jew criminal.” It was signed “the vom Rath family.” When he saw the inscription Ravnitsky asked permission to take over the tank, which was granted. Since then, the correspondent reports, he has driven the machine into battle many times and participated in the recent Soviet advances on the central front.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
