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Where would one find this rifle?
- Thread starter Mountain
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BUMPA01603
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Dark and fuzzy is your photo, looks like a Russian SKS to me because of the bayo?
Yes, a little dark and fuzzy. Took pick with a phone camera from distance. Besides, can't make it too easy or someone will know the year/month/location via just the the shape of a screw head or some other minute detail, LOL.
greencobra
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well, it looks like a memorial site, i'd say not Russian cause their honor guard guns are shiny chrome, plus his shoes aren't highly polished. I really got nothin' so I said Czech republic. he's really not standing like Chinese military either. I give up.
Anyone thinking Russian (or anyone who knew where I have been for the last 8 days) would have been correct. SKS rifles are held by the honor detail at the Mamayev Kurgan, a memorial with eternal flame for the multitude who died defending Stalingrad from the Nazi army. The guys looked pretty young- probably cadets of some type? I thought they did a good job of holding perfectly still. The rifles were fairly basic SKS's with black stocks and white web slings, another reason I thought cadets.
Looks like this from above:
That's the Volga river in the background. I rather like that Stalingrad was renamed to Volgograd as my German ancestors had settled there at the invitation of Katharine II but had to bug out when the Bolsheviks came into power. Today's Russians have wiped clean most of the commie names. I was visiting on business but had an hour or so to see this site before a dinner. Nearly 2 million soldiers and citizens died there in the largest, longest, and bloodiest battle in modern warfare.
A few more pics:
Anyone see the movie Enemy at the Gates? Vasily Zaytsev was a real guy, and he is buried at Mamayev Kurgan. Including Zaytsev, there were several soldiers laid to rest here who had received their country's highest honor, 'Hero of Russia' (historically Soviet Union).
The ground in this area was so obliterated, blood soaked, and covered in iron and lead bits that nothing grew for at least 3 years after the battle. My contacts there when they were kids used to go up to that hill after a hard rain and look for artifacts. They never came away empty handed. I am told that the ground still bears countless bones and fragments.
Looks like this from above:
That's the Volga river in the background. I rather like that Stalingrad was renamed to Volgograd as my German ancestors had settled there at the invitation of Katharine II but had to bug out when the Bolsheviks came into power. Today's Russians have wiped clean most of the commie names. I was visiting on business but had an hour or so to see this site before a dinner. Nearly 2 million soldiers and citizens died there in the largest, longest, and bloodiest battle in modern warfare.
A few more pics:
Anyone see the movie Enemy at the Gates? Vasily Zaytsev was a real guy, and he is buried at Mamayev Kurgan. Including Zaytsev, there were several soldiers laid to rest here who had received their country's highest honor, 'Hero of Russia' (historically Soviet Union).
The ground in this area was so obliterated, blood soaked, and covered in iron and lead bits that nothing grew for at least 3 years after the battle. My contacts there when they were kids used to go up to that hill after a hard rain and look for artifacts. They never came away empty handed. I am told that the ground still bears countless bones and fragments.
Hell of a battle, some tough bastards. Enemy at the Gates was a fantastic movie, that boy could shoot! Love the picture of the woman silhouetted against the sky, what's the story behind the statue?
"The Motherland Calls" is the title of the statue. It's the center piece of the monument featuring the markers and gravesites for the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad, including Zaytsev. When it was built in 1967, it was the tallest statue in the world and remains the tallest statue of a woman and the tallest non-religious statue.
The carnage in that battle was beyond comprehension. Though the 'ghosts' are simply in peoples' heads, I think the various monuments do a nice job of putting them to rest.
LOL, what?
edit-
You referring to me colluding with our resident commies? The commies are all here in the US now, except for the ones in the UK and Germany. The Russkies even have Playboys and gun magazines openly displayed on magazine racks in the airports. How many gun mags do you see in our airports these days? Almost brought a tear to my eye when remembering the days of my youth when Playboys were in the magazine racks at the grocery stores and drug stores.
Not that it has anything to do with this post, but neither does your comment.
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Incredible. I'm fascinated with The Battle for Stalingrad. The scene at the beginning of Enemy at the Gates where they hand one fighting man a rifle and the next fighting man just ammo was pretty telling of how things went. When the guy with the rifle got shot, you get to use your ammo...maybe.
Imagine a war like that today in America...there would be 4 million teenagers and twenty somethings sobbing on each other in a field, demanding free shit from wall street for their suffering.
Imagine a war like that today in America...there would be 4 million teenagers and twenty somethings sobbing on each other in a field, demanding free shit from wall street for their suffering.
Hardwired
NES Member
Stalingrad in color in case some haven't seen it.
Rifles and SMGs of the day Mosin snipers, ppsh41 and pps43 in the war torn eastern front
Battle of Stalingrad in colour, 75 years on: Striking war photographs
Rifles and SMGs of the day Mosin snipers, ppsh41 and pps43 in the war torn eastern front
Battle of Stalingrad in colour, 75 years on: Striking war photographs
The building behind the downed Messerschmitt looks like the one ruin that was left to this day as a reminder. I drove by and didn't have a chance to snap a good pic, but that looks like it. The city was obliterated.
Hardwired
NES Member
What you mean like forcing a herd of weapon less mongols to charge the German lines through the mine field to clear it? One way to save "Russian" grunts I guess until they are in range of the mg42s of course
I like Russians... Communists, not so much.
Eastern Europeans that kill Communists?
...Them, I love.
Oh, I also love Russian weapons...
Cool stuff! I think that's one that the Finns would capture and use against the communists as well.
Seems that the majority of Russians aren't too fond of communists either. There are a few left, but the CPRF only makes up about 11%- a distant second to the United Russia party. IMHO, based on my observation if Russia can enjoy reasonable international trade, especially with their oil until other goods catch up, it will see some solid economic growth and the commies won't have any leverage to gain power. I really liked what I saw in their factories regarding overall organization and 5S, modern control systems, and even solid HSE programs. Bit of a contrast to what I usually see in China, and even a step above of many factories I have seen in the US.
Wondering if we still have Oblabla's restrictions on Russian firearms. Seems like Trump's Cohen bullshite is settling down. If we still have restrictions, he should remove them so we can buy cool stuff and watch liberal heads implode.
