(http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z147/jimtoronto/Public/6F3C17C7-2FC2-4DAE-BE53-231E1E97AF77_zps3qhg4kle.jpg) (http://s190.photobucket.com/user/jimtoronto/media/Public/6F3C17C7-2FC2-4DAE-BE53-231E1E97AF77_zps3qhg4kle.jpg.html)
(http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z147/jimtoronto/Public/6C8F58DC-4FDC-4FE0-9E09-26A703220063_zpslyld31ee.jpg) (http://s190.photobucket.com/user/jimtoronto/media/Public/6C8F58DC-4FDC-4FE0-9E09-26A703220063_zpslyld31ee.jpg.html)
Moved on to Stalingrad yesterday
Theres lots of SKS's this time of year, lining the Victory Day parade route for one. I dont recall if they have any in the parade but i assume so, also the period correct group with Mosins, PPSH and SVTs is always good to see. I recommend watching at least that much to everyone here.
Thanks for the pictures. His unit patch says "Presidential Regiment". 8)
Hope there are more interesting reports from your trip. thumb1
neat, thanks for sharing. thumb1
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing this with us! thumb1
Quote from: Phosphorus32 on May 08, 2017, 06:55:13 AM
Hope there are more interesting reports from your trip. thumb1
What! youre there for Victory day? :o
Now i am jealous 8)
That's awesome!
Sorry, Ive been away from the website for a while but am back now.
That was an amazing trip and Im planning in going back to see more next summer. Brought back some xool artefacts, one that got me in a bit of trouble by their customs people,, another story
A bud of mine who lives there toured me all over the place and he knows his war history! At the end of 11hrs of touring the first day, hiking etc,, Im greasy and tired but my bud Andrey received a call from his best friend Artem, who is the news anchor for Volgograd24 news. Next thing I know we are at Mamaev Kurgan for a Victory Day celebration with 100000 people present and he wants an interview with me. We had to squeeze through the huge crowd to get to the front where the film crew were. I gotta say, those Russians are a lot more conservative and polite than I expected. If I had tried to bud to the front of this huge crowd in Canada, there probably would have been some aggressive response. I hate being photograped or filmed but wtf, I just got a free 11 hr tour so I had to. Maybe I should add photos of some of the sites and artefacts I brought home.
You ever notice that you look a lot fatter than you think you are when photograped? :)
Youtube link
https://youtu.be/-K7U0CB-gR0
cool. thumb1
QuoteI gotta say, those Russians are a lot more conservative and polite than I expected
I hear that from everybody thats been there.
Ok, a few photos...
https://i.imgur.com/bLIae9r.jpg Moscow flea market-Cute gal from Turkmenistan who sold me one of those Russian dolls
https://i.imgur.com/kL5rOLn.jpg. About to land in Stalingrad
https://i.imgur.com/EfK4A7O.jpg
Grave of Vasily Chuikov on the side of Mamaev Kurgan
https://i.imgur.com/kL5rOLn.jpg. 1930s home just south of the Barrikady Arms factory! Scene of the heaviest fighting in Stalingrad. This home changed hands a number of times.
https://i.imgur.com/2tChqxq.jpg. Looking towards the Barrikady factory from the lower settlement. That park area was hell on earth in October-December 1942.
Flak 88 shell base that I somehow came into possession of :) The Germans cut off the rest of the shell tube to use as a smoke stack feom their bunkers.
https://i.imgur.com/PbZtgQM.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/f7rQII4.jpg. A Soviets mess canteen my bud found two weeks ago. Its in the mail now on the way to me. The sodiers name caught my attention.
No idea if its the most deadly sniper during Stalingrad but its the same name, Merkulov!
https://i.imgur.com/uG18ocG.png
This sucker got me detained while trying to leave the country! They didnt care about the Soviet WW2 helmet I had.
https://i.imgur.com/xS2vrvp.jpg. On the east bank of the Volga with Stalingrad behind us across the river
https://i.imgur.com/dsOS6Pt.png. Also in the mail on the way to me,, the WH licence plate template for the Heer-German Army
Jeese so many cool photos are on my computer and not my phone or imgur
Sweet!... All kinds of relics. How much was the m42 and how long were you detained? They let you keep it?
cute doll seller :)
Nice pics. Thanks for sharing them with us! thumb1
Re the helmet, my bud warned me to cover the swastika with something as they are illegal in Russia. I gave him $100 US for it and after a free two day tour, i knew it was a deal. He also gave me a bunch of other xool stuff I can photo later for free. So i left the next day but only had toothpaste available to cover the seastika...Fyi also leaving with historical artefacts, anything more than 50yrs old is supposed to be illegal. The toothpaste rubbed off and when i was going through the scanner before boarding my flight out of Moscow,the scanner observed the helmets and pulled me aside. No english whatsoever but I was motioned to open my knapsack. First thing she pulls out are the two helmets,, didnt care about the Soviet one but started freaking out about the German one and saying something about Swastika- thats all I could understand. I was taken aside and stood there, while other passengers streamed by,, and my guard lady made a call to a superior. It lasted about 2-3 minutes but felt like an hour. I guess her supervisor told her to relax, and I was soon on my way with everything :)
Good deal. Glad it worked out for you. They were probably just happy to have that swastika helmet thingy out of their country! :)
Looks like the trip of a lifetime. I like your TV moment thumb1 with the caption "Tourist (Canada)" :))
Great artifacts, the M42 is definitely the most valuable prize, and worth the sphincter-puckering moment with the customs agent, but all of the other items are great too. Is it an SSh-39 or SSh-40 WWII dated helmet? Can we see it? Any photos on Mamayev Kurgan of the big statue etc.?
Sure ill find some when I get a chance to get home and onto the computer :)
i am photoshopping the helmet on to that picture of you and then sending it to cnn! rofl
Just kidding, i dont have photoshop
Ok, some free time so more pics :)
https://imgur.com/a/YRqk1 Helmet at home, I applied some light spray-on gun protectant to prevent further rusting
Let me know if the links work :) Loading more pics...
https://imgur.com/gallery/BEd03 More artefacts these ones free
https://i.imgur.com/Pei48UG.jpg and
https://i.imgur.com/UtUq8Zg.jpg. We were visiting the German and Russian war graves on the outskirts of town,, and came across a serious accident. Drunk guy prob passed out and drove 40yards off the road, rolling it at least a few times. Car was leaning on his head and neck which was out the passenger side window. My bud and I lifted it just enough that he could free his head. Then we left as more people showed up.
Wow, its taking forever to upload more pics to imgur.. well while they load ill attach a link to my buds youtube channel,, one of his few english videos searching for artefacts..
https://youtu.be/DsfizxnlXpI
And Mamaev Kurgan photos on Victory Day
https://i.imgur.com/rUDjJIl.jpg near the railway line at its base
https://i.imgur.com/pFLtSE8.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/6xLTrjl.jpg about 1/3 up the hill looking towards the city
https://i.imgur.com/qKyMVFy.jpg
Wow, The Motherland Calls! statue is quite impressive.
Looks like there are a lot of interesting sites to see in Volgograd/Stalingrad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzGmYe0NJ1M
I was cringing with each shovel strike in that video by your buddy, not exactly archaeological excavation protocol rofl
Oh ya, lots to see :) Ive only scratched the surface. More reason to go back next yr :)
And ya my bud has damaged a few artefacts while digging them out. But at least he and his buds are respectful,, if they happen to come across a soldiers remains, they carefully remove them and take them to appropriate cemetary and notify the appropriate authorities, whether German or Russian.
https://i.imgur.com/bLIae9r.jpg Moscow flea market-Cute gal from Turkmenistan who sold me one of those Russian dolls
You should have brought her home with you.............
Quote from: reddragon23 on September 02, 2017, 09:23:20 PM
https://i.imgur.com/bLIae9r.jpg Moscow flea market-Cute gal from Turkmenistan who sold me one of those Russian dolls
You should have brought her home with you.............
If he is married, do you think "momma" would approve? :o :))
Ya the wife definitely wouldnt approve. She even got jealous asking me, "Who is that?" when she saw this pic. :).
Quote from: reddragon23 on September 02, 2017, 09:23:20 PMhttps://i.imgur.com/bLIae9r.jpg Moscow flea market-Cute gal from Turkmenistan who sold me one of those Russian dolls
You should have brought her home with you.............
I need one of those Turkmenistan Dolls. If you know what I mean.