Polish Jews are forced to hold heavy logs while squatting. This is a classic form of torture and torment the world over. Not terribly taxing at first, holding the object becomes more and more difficult with every passing minute. After only a short while, the arm muscles begin to ache and shake. Finally, the muscles simply give out. Not a big deal when it's a contest between friends. A much bigger deal when you continue to live only as long as you can keep the object raised.
The men,at first glance,seem to be somewhat smiling.Wrong,this is grimacing,trying to hold on for dear life.
I've tried it out myself,seemed childsplay at first but indeed ,soon all muscles screamed for release.

This is no game

I was browsing images and noticed that the petty officer in the foreground looked familiar. If you go here, there is a colorized photo of him alone. According to the tumblr webpage that hosted this image, the photo was taken on 31 August 1941. Petty Officer Granulovsky, the one in the foreground, was killed on 2 February 1944.

Link to colored photo: http://www.ww2incolor.com/colorizations/IMG_2054.html

Tumblr Page:http://bag-of-dirt.tumblr.com/post/53553667317/soviet-marines-of-the-russian-naval-infantry-of 

Petty Officer Granulovsky

Destroyed soviet T-28 in Karelian isthmus 1939-1940