Visiting main Russian front battlefields?

[deadb_tch]

Originally Posted by Paul Reed

Alex - out of interest is there a local guidebook to the Kursk battlefields? I am wondering whether locally it is beginning to be realised as possible tourist potential?

Yep, Paul, I've seen such guides when I was at school and we have been visited local historical museum and memorial on height 254.4, but it was published by locap print shop with low number of copies. I think that local historical places of WW2 is not cosidered by authorities/locals like foreign/domestic tourist potential, may be I am wrong, but when I've searched internet for possible tours on Belgorod area (or even on places of main Russian front battlefields) I've found nothing. Owen was more lucky and found only one link .
I think the roots of this problem r that we r still far from Europe and other world, we still have influences of cold war period, many people consider western people like 'that damn capitalists' and jelous for their life level and also considering any foreigner like nabob that must share its money with them. I think this is wrong and harm image of our country. Another problem that often western people do not consider our country like worth to be respected and learned and understanding it like bears wearing 'ushanka' drinking vodka on streets while playing 'balalaika'. U may laugh but I've heard such variations on life in Russia from foreigners .

Anyway, personally I'm glad to see anyone from this forum here in my area to help explore Russia and local battlefield sites. This will be great experience for me and for u.

PS: hope, I didn't offended anyone

[deadb_tch]

BTW, guys I'm thinking of video report with me as narrator but one thing that stops me is that I don't want to be exposed on internet - I like privacy. ) Just a funny thought

[Paul Reed]

Thanks for that Alex - most interesting. Personally I think there would be a market for bringing Western people into the Eastern Front battlefields. It's just a matter of working out the logistics.

[deadb_tch]

[3rd Trip] Scheme of memorial area "The Kursk Salient"

Hi, everyone! Sure u have a good holidays don't know how its in Europe and around the world but here we have New Years holidays till 9th january.
Anyway let's continue..

I'm here to post an overview of main point of memorial area - the memorial itself.
First of all, lets look on sign with map of memorial area and check what can be attractive there

I'll explain a legend:
number 1 - memorial itself, also have museum of battle fame inside
no. 2 - common grave with little memorial
no. 3 - chapel build there together with belltower on Prokhorovka battlefield
no. 4 - AT gun of guards sergant Azarov P.D. that one of few soldiers at USSR in WW2 got Medal of Glory of all 3 classes, this gun were here at 6-7 july of 1943 and survived this battle like its commander
no. 5 - defence positions that survived the battle and were restored at place where they r actually have been
no. 6 - aircraft on pedestal, this is (probably) Yak-9, on of the common aircrafts of USSR in WW2
no. 7 - obelisk, erected there in honour of all units that were in battle of The Kursk Salient
no. 8 - WC
no. 9 - some technical building
no. 10 - T-34 on pedestal.

to be continued..

[deadb_tch]

[3rd Trip] Overview of an main memorial

Ok, he we go with overview on main memorial. Let's go.

First of all - the look on memorial from medium distance:

U can see in the middle of distance the square with star wich is the Eternal Fire place (at this time fire is off).
Here u can see place of Eternal Fire more closely:


This is another 2 views:

and

U can notice two 152-mm mortars at the edges of memorial.

The memorial shows symbolic images of 3 types of units - tankmen, airmen and infantry. It is made mostly from iron and makes impression by its rough forms. Me and my mate with whom I was there were impressed.

Here is the closer look:


As we r now closer to memorial, lets look around it and more closer.
This is the view to the left of memorial, in that direction is located alley to obelisk, Yak aircraft and special memorial wich is erected by local muslim community:


This is the view to the right of memorial, in that direction is located common grave, AT gun of guards sergant Azarov, defence positions and chapel:


Then we stepped up on the memorial and I've got several shots of it:

and

and

and

As I've mentioned somewhere above the memorial is under renovation u can see sign of this )

Lets look on 152-mm mortars:

and


Here is the view on common grave from memorial:


And this is view from memorial to defence positions:


And final view is view to field behind the memorial:

U can notice on this shot a line of trees - this is road to Belgorod.

Ah, forget! This is Museum of battle fame in the memorial:


At this time its all, folks. and also..

...to be continued..

[Owen]

Great photos Alex.
Sorry but I had to giggle at this comment.

Eternal Fire place (at this time fire is off).

Can you tell us more about guards sergant Azarov P.D?
Is there a photo of him?
I too like that memorial, I think the faces would make a good avatar for you, have a look what do you think?
EDIT tidied image up a bit to make it clearer.

[deadb_tch]

Originally Posted by Owen D

Can you tell us more about guards sergant Azarov P.D?
Is there a photo of him?

Yep
His full name is Azarov Pavel Dmitrievich.
Here is his portrait by some soviet artist:


Here u can read his story (translation is poor ): Translated version of http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=4174

EDIT: another interesting story about Azarov from here: http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/...sky_ii/04.html
---
In defence operations at Zhytomyr region great part were played by our great anti-tank gunners. They have repeatedly rescued and infantry, and mobile troops. And then I want to talk about these courageous example of one of the thousands of skilled and courageous fighters - Commander Pavel D. Azarov.

Fighting at Zhitomir and Shepetovka became for him step in the honorary rank of full cavaliers the Order of Glory. The first military experience he got back in the Kursk battle, in which participated while in the 7th separate Guard fighter anti-artillery brigade. Even in those battles on fiery arc distinguished Pavel Azarov, he shot down two tanks. His gun, damaged by enemy shot, now can be seen on the sideline of road to Oboyan’. As a symbol of immortality of Soviet gunners it stands on granite pedestal next to the common grave of fallen heroes-gunners.

After the Kursk have been fighting for Kharkov, the battle for the Dnieper, and all anti-tank gun battle was Azarov case, and there was at its trunk appear more and more stars, amplifying through shot down enemy targets. That was under the Zhitomir.

In a enemy counter attack Azarov’s gun crew knocked four tanks, but during the battle from gully appeared “Tiger”. Gun duel begun. Anti-tank gun was damaged. A monster armoured firepower already in position of AT gun. In a matter of seconds there was a sergeant bold decision: to hide in the crew in the trench and hit tank with trophy panzerfausts. Sounded two shots - commander and loader. "Tiger" knocked and under fire. Then were fighting at Shepetovka, and the first of three Orders of Glory, which was decorated by years of war blouse of P.D. Azarov, demonstrated on the chest Guard Sgt.
translated by Google with my help but still not excellent translation.

PS: this story little differs with that r told on memorial plate at AT gun at memorial

[deadb_tch]

Originally Posted by Owen D

Great photos Alex.
Sorry but I had to giggle at this comment.

I too like that memorial, I think the faces would make a good avatar for you, have a look what do you think?
EDIT tidied image up a bit to make it clearer.

Me too giggled when I was writing comments to that shot

Hmmm, good idea, but I'm still too impressed by Kurt Russell's role in Tarantino's 'Death Proof' to change him on this, maybe a little later ) If u want u can get it to make it ur avatar

[deadb_tch]

Hi, everyone looking on this thread I'm visiting forum but not posting anything because of this holidays I took so-called 'rest of WW2' But at this time I have to post. During the browsing my foto archive on HDD I've found amazing photos of Belgorod dated by 1911 year, it is amazing to me - to see how is changed town for century.. And I have to show u this 2 photos, then and now..
Then

(http://funkyimg.com/u/14650oldbel010.jpg)
and now:

(http://funkyimg.com/u/51511IMG_27JPG.jpg)

[deadb_tch]

[3rd Trip] AT gun of sergant P.D. Azarov.

Hi everyone! I'm back and continue report about memorial area "The Kursk Salient" located at village Yakovlevo northward of city of Belgorod.

At this post we gonna see AT gun of famous sergant Azarov P.D. As I've posted above this man one of few soviet soldiers that got all 3 classes of Order of Glory (and of course other Orders). His first battle exprience were here - on height 254.5 at The Kursk Salient - fighting against nazi invaders as a gunner of AT gun, then he became a commander of AT gun and continued his fights till the end of war. In memoirs of Marshal Yakubovskiy I've read that his AT gun ZIS-3 were damaged (after only 2 enemy tanks knocked out) in this hard fights at 6-7 july 1943 and left here when soviet units were forced to fall back under high pressure of germans. But as this hill were recaptured at 17-20 july 1943 by soviet this gun were erected there as a symbol of valour and courage of soviet soldiers in fights on The Kursk Salient.
This story above slightly differs from what told on memorial plate on gun. But, stop talking, lets see

Here is gun from the back:


From the right:


From the front (sorry, foto out of focus , damned nikon L10):


Look from the back of gun to the defence positions:


And finally the memorial plate:


Lets stop on this plate It tells us that this gun (that actually stands there) is gun of Azarov's AT gun unit but it is brought there from the banks of river Dnepr in october 1943 where Azarov fought beating germans further. So we can suppose that actually this is not gun that were damaged there in 6-7 july 1943 as Marhsal Yakubovskiy tells us in his memoirs or it was no damaged at all . I'm preferring version that damaged gun were utilized or even missed in action when hill was under germans in period of 8-17 july and replaced by new after hill was captured. But after the end of The Kursk Salient battle soviet authorities ordered to organized little (at that time of course) memorial there and choosed Azarov's AT gun unit and him as a example of good soviet fighter.
Interesting, is somewehere else such personal weapon (tank, AT gun etc.) memorials in Europe or elsewhere?

to be continued..