PICs from my trip to Russia in oct .

Thanks for posting!

Looks like the lead was really flying in the flour mill.

How were the hotels, food, etc, etc in Russia?
 
Notice how well those pre-revolutionary buildings hold up? I remember reading about a foreigner in Moscow in the 50s who was talking to some workmen tearing down such a building. She said they were practically in tears saying "nothing of this quality will ever be built again."

I see they borrowed John McCrae's motif of the torch from "In Flander's Fields";)

Building weapons is about the only thing socialism does well. That and conscription and penal battalions.
 
Thanks for posting!

Looks like the lead was really flying in the flour mill.

How were the hotels, food, etc, etc in Russia?

Hotels are good , food was really good but i would not recommend traveling there if you dont know Russian .. you must have a translator or someone in your party that knows a bit of Russian .. Not many Russians know english , Russia is a bit like the wild west , very corrupt and backward , crazy drivers and most of the population really seem hate foreigners in their country especially Americans but when they find out your Canadian they are more friendly .. but i realized after a while they dont smile much and were rude even to eachother, just how they are there ..
 
You won't find this type of patriotism in any Canadian city.

It is amazing to see that flour factory, still in the condition it would have been when the German sixth army was still battling for control of the Stalingrad.

I am surprised you were allowed to video tape in the museum.

Did you happen to see Lenin's tomb at the Kremlin ?

Knowing the Russians, those firearms are not deactivated and are ready to fight off any future invaders.

You know your a collector when you look at the serial number of Vassili zaitsev's rifle :D.
 
The line up of 3 WW2 armored vehicles is impressive. I had no idea how low the profile was on a Joseph Stalin tank. The T-34 and SU-22 tower over it and the JS was a heavy tank with a 120mm gun that could fire right trough a Panther from front to back. It still looks menacing.
 
Bad news for you. They're are from left to right IS-2, SU-122, IS-3. The T34/76 or T34/84 never had a muzzle break, nor the citadel on the top of the turret.

IS2
800px-IS-2_Cubinka_1.jpg

IS3
IS3.jpg

SU122
800px-ISU-122_model_1944_at_the_Museum_on_Sapun_Mountain_Sevastopol_2.jpg



I do like the scale model that they made up. It's a shame that it's on the wall like that so that you can't get a good look at it. They should have put it in the floor under a glass panel.
 
Russian armor is austere, cheap, simple, and reliable. It has to be as it is made for conscripted troops to use under very harsh conditions. As long as fuel is available and scheduled maintenance is done, it keeps on ticking.

30 + yrs ago I toured the Israeli armor school and saw a display of Russian tank powerplants from the T34 thru the T62 ("gifted" by the Syrians and Egyptians). The engines were all an evolutionary development of the original T34 engine. They just kept getting bigger and more powerful.

Russian tanks enjoy excellent mobility and have a low silhouette in relation to western tanks. The trade off for this one is less protected ammo storage and reduced crew comfort/efficiency. Sheer numbers make a difference though.
 
Hotels are good , food was really good but i would not recommend traveling there if you dont know Russian .. you must have a translator or someone in your party that knows a bit of Russian .. Not many Russians know english , Russia is a bit like the wild west , very corrupt and backward , crazy drivers and most of the population really seem hate foreigners in their country especially Americans but when they find out your Canadian they are more friendly .. but i realized after a while they dont smile much and were rude even to eachother, just how they are there ..

This was my impression exactly! And I was in a more tourist friendly area in St. Pete. Fantastic pics... so much to see there if you can get the logistics nailed down.
 
This was my impression exactly! And I was in a more tourist friendly area in St. Pete. Fantastic pics... so much to see there if you can get the logistics nailed down.

Yea i might be going to St. pete soon .. i traveled mostly by train it was quite the journey the train went through where the German 6th army was outside Volgagrad .. I was with my uncle who knows a bit of Russian and can read it , he lived there for 8 years .. I loved Russia but only the strong survive there its not for the faint of heart .. You cant show any weakness or they will walk allover you, have to have balls there even get mad at the Russians and yell because they dont understand or respect smiles and politeness they respect strength and force , kind of like jail but with hot women.
 
Russian armor is austere, cheap, simple, and reliable. It has to be as it is made for conscripted troops to use under very harsh conditions. As long as fuel is available and scheduled maintenance is done, it keeps on ticking.

30 + yrs ago I toured the Israeli armor school and saw a display of Russian tank powerplants from the T34 thru the T62 ("gifted" by the Syrians and Egyptians). The engines were all an evolutionary development of the original T34 engine. They just kept getting bigger and more powerful.

Russian tanks enjoy excellent mobility and have a low silhouette in relation to western tanks. The trade off for this one is less protected ammo storage and reduced crew comfort/efficiency. Sheer numbers make a difference though.

One source I read, claimed a Russian tank engine had 300 hour life and when they changed the oil, it was full of metal shavings. :D

Grizz
 
Russian tanks enjoy excellent mobility and have a low silhouette in relation to western tanks. The trade off for this one is less protected ammo storage and reduced crew comfort/efficiency. Sheer numbers make a difference though.

Like the T-72. The crew had to be under 5'8" tall to fit in the damn thing, and they had to where tight fitting clothing, otherwise the autoloading mechanism would take the gunners or commanders arm off.
 
Hotels are good , food was really good but i would not recommend traveling there if you dont know Russian .. you must have a translator or someone in your party that knows a bit of Russian .. Not many Russians know english , Russia is a bit like the wild west , very corrupt and backward , crazy drivers and most of the population really seem hate foreigners in their country especially Americans but when they find out your Canadian they are more friendly .. but i realized after a while they dont smile much and were rude even to eachother, just how they are there ..

Did you go on a tour? Or just fly there, rent a car/taxi and do your own thing?

It sounds like Russia is about the same as parts of Italy(from my experience) and from your description below! Mama-Mia!

and most of the population really seem hate foreigners in their country especially Americans but when they find out your Canadian they are more friendly .. but i realized after a while they dont smile much and were rude even to eachother, just how they are there
 
Thank you for sharing.
But
Why the heck did the Russians deactivate Zaitzev's sniper?
I could be wrong here but I though Zaitsev was running a PE sniper at the battle of Stalingrad?
sniper.jpg
 
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