http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7241042.stm

Has anyone been to Stalingrad?
A visit to this place is on my bucket list.

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Semyon Yakovlevich Sorókin
Guardsman
2nd Guards Rifle Division

"The guts of the German army have been largely torn out by Russian valour and generalship." - Winston Churchill, speech to Parliament 1944

Our comrade Martin has been to Stalingrad.
He picked up a souvenir 6" nail from the dockside area that looked like it belonged to the siege ,you should ask him to tell the story next time you see him.

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Name: Valtar Valtarovich Prusins
Rank: Serzhant
Suvarov Section Leader

Ray and myself went a while back, Wish I'd done a lot more research on the battlefield itself. Its a great place and you get a real sence of prewar Stalingrad. The buildings have been rebuilt on old foundations so the lower edges are battle damaged. There's the mill by the museum left standing as it was, and I'd wished we'd gone to the factory district as I found out later the gates of the tractor factory still exist. The views are impressive over the Volga and the monument is kitsh and impressive. If I could get the chance to go back I would, but it;s a pain to get to as you have to take an internal flight.
Lesson learnt Do not try to take a rusty 6'' nail through airport security, if you can't speak Russian, you just get a strange look and it thrown into the bin.
Looked like a real tramp as well, as I bought the kettle the unit use from the department store(on the same site as the original) and had it hanging off my bag.

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Guards Serjant Yevgeni Trubetskoi 2nd Gds rifle div

http://www.regent-holidays.co.uk/volgograd.html

I'm sure that it is slightly less expensive were one to do it all independently, but the package will get you there with the minmum of fuss.

I've heard that the hotels are still quite old inside (although that's desirable to enthusiasts of Progressive Kulture!)

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"Okay, dig out yer best booze and lets talk about me 'till the car comes."

If the Barbarossa trip is cancelled would anyone be interested in going to Volgograd as an alternative about same dates ( 17th-23th June)?

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Semyon Yakovlevich Sorókin
Guardsman
2nd Guards Rifle Division

"The guts of the German army have been largely torn out by Russian valour and generalship." - Winston Churchill, speech to Parliament 1944

Hi Folks,

Regarding Stalingrad, in case if you have not seen yet a unique item like that.

I have found recently a rare colour photo from Stalingrad 1943.
It features a family of survivors living in a dug-out, like all the other 25 million people who had become homeless after the Great Patriotic War.
Terrible conditions!
But we Russians can endure any rigours.

The photo was shot soon after the liberation of the city.
It can be seen at the bottom of my webpage http://www.russian-victories.ru/index.htm

Cheers!

Michael

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SI VIS VIVERE - NOLI RUSSIAM TANGERE

Interesting colour photo I have not seen before.

However, I have seen far worse of the living conditions of the homeless at the end of the GPW... far worse!

Ultimately the human race will survive though - no matter what. I don't think its a national trait, just mearly the will to live that carries us all through adversity.

Although, the adversity of the Soviet People in 1945 was extreme!

To imagine anything else would be to give credence to the fascist lie that the Soviet People "lived closer to nature" and that is why the fascists failed to conquer them. Which is crap - they were just simply out fought and crushed with superior strategy and logistics. If they want to try and make some stupid nazi racial theory about it, then fine! (although that does actually prove them to be inferior by their own measure, which is quite funny actually!)

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"Lenin left us a great legacy, and we have f*cked it up." I.V. Stalin, June 29, 1941