Showing posts tagged USSR
Into the USSR ‘Vehicles of a motorized artillery unit roll past a column of soldiers on a dusty road in a Russian village.” from: The History of World War II; Lt-Col E Bauer; 1966; Orbis Publishing. Anecdotally, some German infantry soldiers have said that in spite of the ‘motorized Blitzkrieg image’ people have of German forces in World War Two … First they walked west to conquer France … Then they marched back east into the USSR. They were almost always on foot and seldom traveled on motorized transport. Another little-known aspect of the transportation system was Germany’s extensive use of horses. Hitler jumped the gun on his life-long ambition to invade the USSR. He invaded several years before Germany could amass the resources and equipment needed - assuming the mission was even possible. It seems he had too little to do after failing to come to terms with Britain on the latter’s surrender, and he worried he wouldn’t live to see his various imperatives carried out. German citizens were later outraged that a great government appeal went out to send warm clothes to their loved ones at the ‘Russian Front’ during the winter of 1941-42. Hitler’s Barbarossa was a total Gong Show! USSR civilians suffered unspeakably behind the advancing German lines, and again as the battle lines rolled west to finally reach Hitler’s Berlin bunker. The history of ‘civilized’ warfare following the Geneva Conventions is a thin volume indeed. View high resolution

Into the USSR

‘Vehicles of a motorized artillery unit roll past a column of soldiers on a dusty road in a Russian village.”

from: The History of World War II; Lt-Col E Bauer; 1966; Orbis Publishing.

Anecdotally, some German infantry soldiers have said that in spite of the ‘motorized Blitzkrieg image’ people have of German forces in World War Two … First they walked west to conquer France … Then they marched back east into the USSR. They were almost always on foot and seldom traveled on motorized transport. Another little-known aspect of the transportation system was Germany’s extensive use of horses.

Hitler jumped the gun on his life-long ambition to invade the USSR. He invaded several years before Germany could amass the resources and equipment needed - assuming the mission was even possible. It seems he had too little to do after failing to come to terms with Britain on the latter’s surrender, and he worried he wouldn’t live to see his various imperatives carried out.

German citizens were later outraged that a great government appeal went out to send warm clothes to their loved ones at the ‘Russian Front’ during the winter of 1941-42. Hitler’s Barbarossa was a total Gong Show!

USSR civilians suffered unspeakably behind the advancing German lines, and again as the battle lines rolled west to finally reach Hitler’s Berlin bunker. The history of ‘civilized’ warfare following the Geneva Conventions is a thin volume indeed.

Hitler’s Operation Barbarossa, Spring 1941 The lightning surprise invasion of the USSR. from: The History of World War II; Lt-Col E Bauer; 1966; Orbis Publishing. View high resolution

Hitler’s Operation Barbarossa, Spring 1941

The lightning surprise invasion of the USSR.

from: The History of World War II; Lt-Col E Bauer; 1966; Orbis Publishing.

from: The Korean War - history and tactics; David Rees; 1984; Orbis Publishing. Soviet-Korean Blitzkrieg In August 1945, at the end of World War 2, the speed of the Soviet invasion of Japanese-held territory surprised the other Allies. A US colonel hastily suggested the 38th parallel as the north-south ’meeting point’ in Korea and this was cleared by the British, Soviet and Chinese governments. By August 24, Soviet forces had entered Pyongyang and pushed toward the 38th parallel. US forces accepted the Japanese surrender below the 38th on September 9th having just landed at Inchon from Okinawa, Japan. There were 9 million Korean civilians in the north and 21 million in the US zone to the south. By 1947, hope of an independent united Korea through United Nations efforts was gone. The Cold War had begun and former anti-Japanese guerilla Kim Il Sung had been selected by the USSR as local leader. The Korean People’s Army became a well-trained force of about 135,000 with each division having its own artillery and armour - a highly effective Soviet-model army. The South had little more than an upgraded paramilitary force of about 95,000. The North invaded at 04hr on 25 June 1950 and the forces of the South Korea had nothing with which to stop their tanks. United Nations forces were left holding only Pusan until US Marines began arriving at the very end of July. View high resolution

from: The Korean War - history and tactics; David Rees; 1984; Orbis Publishing.

Soviet-Korean Blitzkrieg

In August 1945, at the end of World War 2, the speed of the Soviet invasion of Japanese-held territory surprised the other Allies. A US colonel hastily suggested the 38th parallel as the north-south ’meeting point’ in Korea and this was cleared by the British, Soviet and Chinese governments.

By August 24, Soviet forces had entered Pyongyang and pushed toward the 38th parallel. US forces accepted the Japanese surrender below the 38th on September 9th having just landed at Inchon from Okinawa, Japan. There were 9 million Korean civilians in the north and 21 million in the US zone to the south.

By 1947, hope of an independent united Korea through United Nations efforts was gone. The Cold War had begun and former anti-Japanese guerilla Kim Il Sung had been selected by the USSR as local leader.

The Korean People’s Army became a well-trained force of about 135,000 with each division having its own artillery and armour - a highly effective Soviet-model army. The South had little more than an upgraded paramilitary force of about 95,000.

The North invaded at 04hr on 25 June 1950 and the forces of the South Korea had nothing with which to stop their tanks. United Nations forces were left holding only Pusan until US Marines began arriving at the very end of July.

Continental Defence and NATO, late 1950s ‘In addition to mineral discoveries, continental defence requirements were responsible for much of the attention paid to northern Canada after the Second World War. In this period world power was centred round two great nuclei, the United States and Russia, and attack by the latter across the North Pole rapidly became feasible through the development of long-range bombers and later intercontinental ballistic missiles. Being in the direct line of any such attack, Canada’s defence role took on an entirely new character. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which Canada had helped form in 1949 along with the United States, Britain, and a number of western European countries, mainly with a view to the defence of the latter, now had to be supplemented by increasing emphasis on defence of the North American continent itself. ‘Among the steps taken for this purpose was the construction in Canada of three lines of radar stations to give advance warning of an enemy air attack. The first, the Pinetree Line, became fully operational in 1954 and consisted of 34 stations, 22 built by the United States. It was followed by the McGill Fence or Mid-Canada Line undertaken by Canada, and finally by the American-financed Distant Early Warning Line, in use by 1957.’ from: A Historical Atlas of Canada; DGG Kerr; 1961; Thomas Nelson and Sons, Toronto. (please excuse my book gutter) View high resolution

Continental Defence and NATO, late 1950s

‘In addition to mineral discoveries, continental defence requirements were responsible for much of the attention paid to northern Canada after the Second World War. In this period world power was centred round two great nuclei, the United States and Russia, and attack by the latter across the North Pole rapidly became feasible through the development of long-range bombers and later intercontinental ballistic missiles. Being in the direct line of any such attack, Canada’s defence role took on an entirely new character. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which Canada had helped form in 1949 along with the United States, Britain, and a number of western European countries, mainly with a view to the defence of the latter, now had to be supplemented by increasing emphasis on defence of the North American continent itself.

‘Among the steps taken for this purpose was the construction in Canada of three lines of radar stations to give advance warning of an enemy air attack. The first, the Pinetree Line, became fully operational in 1954 and consisted of 34 stations, 22 built by the United States. It was followed by the McGill Fence or Mid-Canada Line undertaken by Canada, and finally by the American-financed Distant Early Warning Line, in use by 1957.’

from: A Historical Atlas of Canada; DGG Kerr; 1961; Thomas Nelson and Sons, Toronto.

(please excuse my book gutter)

Pavilion of the Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture All-Union Agricultural Exhibition, Moscow, 1934. from: Architecture of the Stalin Era; Tarkhanov and Kavtaradze; 1992; Calmann and King, London. View high resolution

Pavilion of the Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture

All-Union Agricultural Exhibition, Moscow, 1934.

from: Architecture of the Stalin Era; Tarkhanov and Kavtaradze; 1992; Calmann and King, London.

Soviet Union (Russia) in 1941 In this wartime atlas, you can see Stalingrad just north-west of the top of the Caspian Sea. In the top left corner is Leningrad. The recent annexation of eastern Poland, and Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by the USSR are also shown. These acquisitions flowed from the secret protocol of the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact of August 24, 1939 - the USSR - Germany 10 year non-aggression pact. Stalin and Hitler spilt up part of neutral Europe based on their self-defined ‘spheres of influence’. On June 22, 1941 - typically - Hitler broke this agreement and was rolling into the USSR on a 3000 km front in Operation Barbarossa. This undated atlas was probably printed just before Pearl Harbor and would have been devilishly hard to keep up to date! from: Daily Mail World War Atlas; compiled by George Philip and Son Ltd; circa 1941-2. View high resolution

Soviet Union (Russia) in 1941

In this wartime atlas, you can see Stalingrad just north-west of the top of the Caspian Sea. In the top left corner is Leningrad.

The recent annexation of eastern Poland, and Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by the USSR are also shown. These acquisitions flowed from the secret protocol of the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact of August 24, 1939 - the USSR - Germany 10 year non-aggression pact. Stalin and Hitler spilt up part of neutral Europe based on their self-defined ‘spheres of influence’.

On June 22, 1941 - typically - Hitler broke this agreement and was rolling into the USSR on a 3000 km front in Operation Barbarossa.

This undated atlas was probably printed just before Pearl Harbor and would have been devilishly hard to keep up to date!

from: Daily Mail World War Atlas; compiled by George Philip and Son Ltd; circa 1941-2.

CBC and Radio Canada International Shortwave Service - History Excerpts from: Canada Handbook 1952; Ministry of Trade and Commerce; Canada. Television Shortages of materials have delayed completion of CBC television centres being built at Montreal and Toronto, and the first television broadcasts will not be on the air until sometime in 1952. Channels 2 and 5 have been assigned to the CBC at Montreal, where the Corporation ultimately will operate two stations (English and French), and Channel 9 at Toronto where one station will be operated. The Montreal television studios are housed in an addition to the Radio Canada Building and the transmitter is being erected on top of Mount Royal in the heart of the city. The transmitter for Toronto will be incorporated with the studio building at the Toronto location, with a 500 foot tower adjacent to it. A contract has been let for the provision of microwave relay links between Buffalo USA and Toronto, and Toronto and Montreal. International Service The International Service is operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on behalf of the Government of Canada. Its finances are provided wholly by a parliamentary appropriation; it uses none of the revenue of the CBC designated for its service to Canadian listeners. The policies of the International Service are formulated through consultation with the Department of External Affairs and with an Advisory Committee on which are represented the Department of External Affairs, the Department of Trade and Commerce, the Privy Council, the National Film Board and the CBC. Since its inception in February 1945, the CBC International Service has so expanded that it programs are now heard abroad in fourteen languages. The latest language to be added, in February 1951, was Russian; the Voice of Canada Russian language programs are timed to coincide with those of the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Voice of America. A monthly program schedule designed to provide factual information about Canada is distributed free to listeners upon request. Two editions are currently published - one for Europe and one for Latin America and the Caribbean. Their combined circulation has passed the 100,000 mark. View high resolution

CBC and Radio Canada International Shortwave Service - History

Excerpts from: Canada Handbook 1952; Ministry of Trade and Commerce; Canada.

Television

Shortages of materials have delayed completion of CBC television centres being built at Montreal and Toronto, and the first television broadcasts will not be on the air until sometime in 1952. Channels 2 and 5 have been assigned to the CBC at Montreal, where the Corporation ultimately will operate two stations (English and French), and Channel 9 at Toronto where one station will be operated. The Montreal television studios are housed in an addition to the Radio Canada Building and the transmitter is being erected on top of Mount Royal in the heart of the city. The transmitter for Toronto will be incorporated with the studio building at the Toronto location, with a 500 foot tower adjacent to it. A contract has been let for the provision of microwave relay links between Buffalo USA and Toronto, and Toronto and Montreal.

International Service

The International Service is operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on behalf of the Government of Canada. Its finances are provided wholly by a parliamentary appropriation; it uses none of the revenue of the CBC designated for its service to Canadian listeners. The policies of the International Service are formulated through consultation with the Department of External Affairs and with an Advisory Committee on which are represented the Department of External Affairs, the Department of Trade and Commerce, the Privy Council, the National Film Board and the CBC.

Since its inception in February 1945, the CBC International Service has so expanded that it programs are now heard abroad in fourteen languages. The latest language to be added, in February 1951, was Russian; the Voice of Canada Russian language programs are timed to coincide with those of the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Voice of America.

A monthly program schedule designed to provide factual information about Canada is distributed free to listeners upon request. Two editions are currently published - one for Europe and one for Latin America and the Caribbean. Their combined circulation has passed the 100,000 mark.

#StPetersburg #Russia Winter Canal ‘The short canal connecting the Moika and the Neva derived its name from its location beside the Winter Palace. The mouth of the Winter Canal is spanned by the Hermitage Bridge (1763-66), the first granite bridge in the city.’ from: Leningrad; Mikhail Dudin; 1974; Aurora Art Publishers, Leningrad. View high resolution

#StPetersburg #Russia

Winter Canal

‘The short canal connecting the Moika and the Neva derived its name from its location beside the Winter Palace. The mouth of the Winter Canal is spanned by the Hermitage Bridge (1763-66), the first granite bridge in the city.’

from: Leningrad; Mikhail Dudin; 1974; Aurora Art Publishers, Leningrad.

#Russia #StPetersburg Sheremetev Palace, St Petersburg Built 1750-55 and designed by S Chevakinsky. ‘This building is also known as The Fontanka House. In its design the Sheremetev Palace is an example of a country-estate mansion, a type of building popular in St Petersburg in the 18th Century. The cast-iron grille, put up in 1837-40 was designed by the architect Corsini.’ from: Leningrad; Mikhail Dudin; 1974; Aurora Art Publishers, Leningrad. View high resolution

#Russia #StPetersburg

Sheremetev Palace, St Petersburg

Built 1750-55 and designed by S Chevakinsky.

‘This building is also known as The Fontanka House. In its design the Sheremetev Palace is an example of a country-estate mansion, a type of building popular in St Petersburg in the 18th Century. The cast-iron grille, put up in 1837-40 was designed by the architect Corsini.’

from: Leningrad; Mikhail Dudin; 1974; Aurora Art Publishers, Leningrad.

#StPetersburg #Russia Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre, Saint Petersburg ‘Formerly Mariinsky Theatre, 1859. The opera and ballet companies of the Kirov Theatre enjoy a high international reputation. Through their history they have played a leading role in the development of Russian musical culture. Glinka’s Ivan Susanin and Ruslan and Liudmila were first presented here, as were Musorgsky’s [sic] Boris Godunov, Borodin’s Prince Igor, and Chaikovsky’s [sic] Queen of Spades. ‘The Theatre suffered heavy damage during the War of 1941-45 from enemy air raids and artillery bombardment. As early as 1943 restoration work was started and on September 1, 1944 the first opera season after a three years’ interval began’ from: Leningrad; Mikhail Dudin; 1974; Aurora Art Publishers, Leningrad. View high resolution

#StPetersburg #Russia

Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre, Saint Petersburg

‘Formerly Mariinsky Theatre, 1859. The opera and ballet companies of the Kirov Theatre enjoy a high international reputation. Through their history they have played a leading role in the development of Russian musical culture. Glinka’s Ivan Susanin and Ruslan and Liudmila were first presented here, as were Musorgsky’s [sic] Boris Godunov, Borodin’s Prince Igor, and Chaikovsky’s [sic] Queen of Spades.

‘The Theatre suffered heavy damage during the War of 1941-45 from enemy air raids and artillery bombardment. As early as 1943 restoration work was started and on September 1, 1944 the first opera season after a three years’ interval began’

from: Leningrad; Mikhail Dudin; 1974; Aurora Art Publishers, Leningrad.