Christophe

OK, let's try this : 1) Name the person who received these boots? Joseph Stalin 2) Who was the full name of the person giving these boots? Khorloogiin Choibalsan (Mongolian: Хорлоогийн Чойбалсан; February 8, 1895?January 26, 1952) 3) What military rank is sometimes associated with this person? Marshal 4) What post did he occupy preceeding and until his death? Prime Minister of Mongolia 5) When did he die - and what was Stalin's comment upon his death? He died in Moscow on January 26, 1952. His death concerned the aging Stalin who commented, "They die one after another. Shcherbakov, Zhdanov, Dimitrov, Choibalsan ... die so quickly! We must change the old doctors for new ones." Voila... Of course, if I'm the winner, I'll give the floor to Christian for the next question. Cheers. Ch.

Hi Christian, You're right. The next one will be yours!!! The simplest way is to answer correctly Jim's one.... Cheers. Ch.

Portrait #33 Close-up pic #2 Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Portrait #33 Close-up pic. Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Portrait #33 Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Portrait #32 Close-up pic #2 Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Portrait #32 Close-up pic. Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Portrait #32 Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Portrait #31 Close-up pic. Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Portrait #31 Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Portrait #30 Close-up pic #2 Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Portrait #30 Close-up pic. Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Portrait #30 Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Portrait #29 Close-up pic #2 Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Portrait #29 Close-up pic. Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Portrait #29 A Hero of Russia. And a former Pilot / Navigator... Can't tell which badge it is... Again like the previous portraits, he has recently been awarded the Medal for 60th Anniversary of the Liberation of Belarus from the German Invaders. Ch. Pic : ? Christophe ? ChR Collection

Marc, One hint please ? Cheers. Ch.

Back to my "modest" question, Effectively, Christian is the winner. Cheers. Ch.

In all docs I have consulted, I have only seen Gennady Yanayev designated as acting President, which mean he has not been offficially President of the Soviet Union. This is what Christian detailed to us in one of his previous posts. To clarify, we should have access to sources in Russian, to see what exact term is employed in documlents signed by Yenayev... Of course, I know that Wikipedia can't always be considered as reliable enough as a source, but in all cases, I find their article on the subject quite documented and interesting. Here it is, wishing you a good reading : From Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_coup_attempt_of_1991 ) : 1991 Soviet coup d'?tat attempt "During the 1991 Soviet coup d'?tat attempt (August 19-August 21, 1991), also known as the August Putsch or August Coup, a group of members of the Soviet Union's government briefly deposed Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev and attempted to take control of the country. The coup leaders were hard-line members of the Communist Party (CPSU) who felt that Gorbachev's reform program had gone too far and that a new union treaty that he had negotiated dispersed too much of the central government's power to the republics. Although the coup collapsed in only three days and Gorbachev returned to power, the event crushed the Soviet leader's hopes that the union could be held together in at least a decentralized form. Background Since assuming power in 1985, Gorbachev had embarked on an ambitious program of reform, embodied in the twin concepts of perestroika and glasnost, meaning economic/political restructuring and openness, respectively. These moves prompted resistance and suspicion on the part of hardline members of the Communist system. The reforms also unleashed some forces and movements that Gorbachev did not expect. Specifically, nationalist agitation on the part of the Soviet Union's non-Russian minorities grew, and there were fears that some or all of the union republics might secede. In 1991, the USSR was in a severe economic and political crisis. There were shortages of almost all products, and people had to stand in long lines to buy even essential goods. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Georgia had already declared their independence from the USSR. In January 1991, there was an attempt to return Lithuania to the USSR by force. About a week later, there was a similar attempt to overthrow the legitimate Latvian authorities by local pro-USSR forces. There were continuing armed ethnic conflicts in Nagorny Karabakh and South Ossetia. Russia declared its sovereignty on 12 June 1990 and thereafter limited the application of USSR laws, in particular the laws concerning finance and the economy, on Russian territory. The Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR adopted laws which contradicted the USSR laws (the so-called "war of laws"). In the unionwide referendum on March 17, 1991, boycotted by the Baltic states, Armenia, Georgia, and Moldova, the majority of the residents of the rest of the republics expressed the desire to retain the renewed Soviet Union. Following negotiations, eight of the nine republics (except Ukraine) approved the New Union Treaty with some conditions. The Treaty would make the Soviet Union a federation of independent republics with a common president, foreign policy, and military. The Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan were to sign the Treaty in Moscow on August 20, 1991. The Conspiracy On December 11, 1990, the Chairman of the KGB, Vladimir Kryuchkov, made a "call for order" over Central television in Moscow. That day, he asked two KGB officers to prepare a plan of measures that could be taken in case a state of emergency was declared in the USSR. Later, Kryuchkov involved the USSR Defense Minister, Dmitriy Yazov, the USSR Internal Affairs Minister, Boris Pugo, the USSR Prime Minister, Valentin Pavlov, the USSR Vice President, Gennady Yanayev, the deputy Chief of the USSR Defence Council Oleg Baklanov, the head of Gorbachev's secretariat, Valeriy Boldin, and a CPSU Central Committee Secretary Oleg Shenin in the conspiracy. The conspirators hoped that USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev could be persuaded to declare the state of emergency and to "restore order". On July 29, 1991, Gorbachev, Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed the possibility of replacing such hardliners as Valentin Pavlov, Dmitriy Yazov, Vladimir Kryuchkov and Boris Pugo with more liberal figures. This conversation was eavesdropped on by the KGB and became known to Vladimir Kryuchkov who had placed Gorbachev under close surveillance as Subject 110 several months earlier. On August 4, 1991, Gorbachev went on holiday to his dacha in Foros in the Crimea. He planned to return to Moscow on August 20, 1991, when the union treaty was to be signed. On August 17, the conspirators met in a KGB guesthouse in Moscow. There they read of the new union treaty, which they believed would pave the way to the Soviet Union's breakup, and decided that it was time to act. On August 18, Sunday, Oleg Baklanov, Valeriy Boldin, Oleg Shenin, and Deputy USSR Defense Minister General Valentin Varennikov flew to the Crimea for a meeting with Gorbachev. At the same time, all communications lines from the Foros dacha (which were controlled by the KGB) were shut down. Additional KGB security guards with orders not to allow anybody to leave the dacha were placed at its gates. Baklanov, Boldin, Shenin and Varennikov demanded that Gorbachev either declare a state of emergency or resign and name the USSR Vice President Gennady Yanayev as acting president so as to allow the conspirators "to restore order" in the country. Gorbachev has always claimed that he refused point blank to accept the ultimatum. Varennikov has insisted that Gorbachev said: "Do what you think is needed, damn you!" However, those present at the dacha at the time testified that Baklanov, Boldin, Shenin, and Varennikov had been clearly disappointed and nervous after the meeting with Gorbachev. The conspirators ordered 250,000 pairs of handcuffs from a factory in Pskov and 300,000 arrest forms. Kruchkov doubled the pay of all KGB personnel, called them back from holiday, and placed them on alert. The Lefortovo prison was emptied to receive prisoners. The August Coup After the return of Baklanov, Boldin, Shenin and Varennikov from the Crimea the conspirators met in the Kremlin. Gennady Yanayev, Valentin Pavlov and Oleg Baklanov signed the so-called ?Declaration of the Soviet Leadership? in which they declared the state of emergency on ?some? (unspecified) territories of the USSR and announced that the State Emergency Committee (Государственный Комитет по Чрезвычайному Положению, ГКЧП, or Gosudarstvenniy Komitet po Chrezvichaynomu Polozheniyu, GKChP) was created ?to manage the country and to effectively maintain the regime of the state of emergency." The GKChP included the following members: Gennady Yanayev Valentin Pavlov Vladimir Kryuchkov Dmitriy Yazov Boris Pugo Oleg Baklanov Vasily Starodubtsev, chairman of the USSR Peasant Union Alexander Tizyakov, president of the Association of the State Enterprises and Conglomerates of Industry, Transport, and Communications Gennady Yanayev signed the decree naming himself as acting USSR president on the pretext of Gorbachev's inability to perform presidential duties due to ?illness.? The GKChP banned all newspapers in Moscow, except for nine communist-controlled newspapers. The GKChP also issued a populist declaration which stated that ?the honour and dignity of a Soviet man must be restored,? promised that the new union treaty will be discussed by all the people,? that ?the streets of the cities will be purged of crime,? that the GKChP will focus on solving the problem of food shortages. At the same time the GKChP assured the citizens that it supported ?genuine democratic processes? and reforms, supported free enterprise. August 19 ?Declaration of the Soviet Leadership,? the decree of Yanayev and the GKChP documents were broadcast by the state radio and television starting from 7 a.m. Radio Rossii radio station and Televidenie Rossi TV channel controlled by the Russian SFSR authorities and "Ekho Moskvy," the only independent political radio station were cut off the air. Tanks, IFVs and APCs of Tamanskaya motorized infantry division and Kantemirovskaya tank division rolled into Moscow. Paratroopers also took part in the operation. Four Russian SFSR people's deputies (who for some reason were considered the most ?dangerous?) were detained by the KGB and held on an army base near Moscow. Detaining Russian SFSR president Boris Yeltsin upon his arrival from a visit to Kazakhstan on August 17 or after that when he was on his dacha near Moscow was considered, however, for some reason was not done. Boris Yeltsin arrived at the White House, Russia's parliament building, and at 9 a.m. of August 19 he, together with the Russian SFSR Prime Minister Ivan Silaev and the acting Chairman of Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR Ruslan Khasbulatov, issued a declaration in which it was stated that a reactionary anti-constitutional coup had taken place. The military was urged not to take part in the coup. The declaration called for a general strike with the demand to let Mikhail Gorbachev address the people. This declaration was distributed around Moscow in the form of flyers. In the afternoon the citizens of Moscow began to gather around the White House and to erect barricades around it. In response Gennady Yanayev declared the state of emergency in Moscow at 4 p.m.Yanayev declared at the press conference at 5 p.m. that Gorbachev was "resting." He said: "Over these years he has got very tired and needs some time to get his health back.? Yanayev said GKChP was committed to continuing the reforms. However, his weak posturing, trembling hands and shaky expressions made his words unconvincing. Meanwhile, Major Evdokimov, chief of staff of a tank battalion of Tamanskaya motorized infantry division who had orders to guard the White House declared his loyalty to the leadership of the Russian SFSR. Yeltsin climbed one of the tanks and addressed the crowd. Unexpectedly, this episode was included in the evening news program broadcasted by the state TV. August 20 At noon General Kalinin, the commander of Moscow military district who had been appointed by Yanayev military commandant of Moscow, declared the curfew in Moscow from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., effective from August 20. This was understood as the sign that the attack on the White House was imminent. The defenders of the White House prepared themselves. Some of them were armed but most of the volunteers were unarmed. The tank company which had been under command of Major Evdokimov who had declared his loyalty to the leadership of the Russian SFSR was moved from the White House in the evening. The makeshift White House defense headquarters was headed by General Konstantin Kobets, a Russian SFSR people?s deputy. He had at his disposal a number of generals and senior officers (some of them retired) who volunteered for the defense of the White House. In the afternoon of August 20 Vladimir Kryuchkov, Dmitriy Yazov and Boris Pugo finally decided to attack the White House. This decision was supported by other GKChP members. KGB general Ageev, the deputy of Kryuchkov, and Army general Achalov, the deputy of Yazov, planned ?Operation Grom? (Thunder) which was to be carried out by Alpha Group and Vympel Group, the KGB's special forces detachments, with the support of the paratroopers, Moscow OMON, Dzerzhinsky division of Internal Troops, three tank companies and a helicopter squadron. Alpha Group commander General Viktor Karpukhin and other senior officers of Alpha Group together with General Alexander Lebed, deputy commander of the Airborne Troops, mingled through the crowds near the White House and assessed the possibility of undertaking such an operation. After that Viktor Karpukhin and Vympel Group commander Colonel Beskov tried to convince Ageev that the operation was impossible, as it would result in bloodshed. Alexander Lebed, with the consent of Pavel Grachev, the commander of the Airborne Troops, returned to the White House and secretly informed the defense headquarters that the attack would begin at 2 a.m. August 21 At about 1 A.M. not far from the White House a column of IFVs of Tamanskaya motorized infantry division was blocked in a tunnel by barricades made of trolleybuses and street cleaning machines. Dmitriy Komar climbed one IFV and tried to ?blind? the observation slit with a piece of tarpaulin but either fell to his death from the IFV or was shot. Then Vladimir Usov, who tried to help him, was shot (possibly unintentionally by a ricocheting bullet). At about the same time a third young man, Ilya Krichevskiy was also shot under unclear circumstances. Several other men were wounded. The IFV was set on fire by the crowd but no soldiers were killed. Alpha Group and Vympel Group did not move to the White House as it had been planned. When Dmitriy Yazov learned about this, he ordered the troops to pull out from Moscow. The troops began to move from Moscow at 8 A.M. The GKChP members met in the Defence Ministry and, not knowing what to do, decided to send a delegation to the Crimea in order to meet with Mikhail Gorbachev for negotiations. Vladimir Kryuchkov, Dmitriy Yazov, Oleg Baklanov, Alexander Tizyakov, chairman of the USSR Supreme Soviet Anatoliy Lukianov and Deputy CPSU General Secretary Vladimir Ivashko flew to the Crimea. At 5 P.M. the delegation arrived at the Foros dacha but Mikhail Gorbachev refused to meet with it. Instead Gorbachev, after the communication with the dacha was restored, declared void all the decisions of GKChP and dismissed its members from their state offices. The USSR General Prosecutors Office started the investigation of the coup attempt. The aftermath Mikhail Gorbachev flew to Moscow. So did the GKChP delegation. When Vladimir Kryuchkov, Dmitriy Yazov, and Alexander Tizyakov arrived in Moscow in the early hours of August 22 they were arrested at the airport. In the morning of August 22 Gennady Yanayev was arrested in his office. Boris Pugo together with his wife committed suicide on August 23. On the same day Valentin Pavlov and Vasily Starodubtsev were arrested. Oleg Baklanov, Valeriy Boldin, Oleg Shenin were arrested on August 24. Since a number of heads of the regional executive committees supported GKChP, on August 21 Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR by its Decision No.1626-1 authorized Russian President Boris Yeltsin to appoint heads of regional administrations, though the Russian constitution effective at that moment did not provide such a right to the President. On August 22 the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR by its Decision No.1627/1-1 declared the historical Russian white-blue-red national flag the official national flag of Russia, instead of the Soviet red flag. In the night of August 23 ? August 24 the monument to Feliks Dzerzhinskiy, the head of Vecheka, in front of the KGB building at Dzerzhinskiy Square (Lubianka) was dismantled. On August 24 thousands of Moscow citizens took part in the funeral of Dmitriy Komar, Vladimir Usov and Ilya Krichevskiy. Mikhail Gorbachev posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to them. Boris Yeltsin asked their relatives to forgive him for not being able to prevent their deaths. End of the CPSU On August 24 Mikhail Gorbachev resigned from the office of the CPSU General Secretary. Vladimir Ivashko was acting CPSU General Secretary until August 29 and then also resigned. On August 24 Russian President Boris Yeltsin by his Decree No. 83 transferred the archives of the CPSU to the state archive authorities. On August 25 Boris Yeltsin by his Decree No. 90 nationalized the property of the CPSU in Russia (which included not only the headquarters of party committees but also educational institutions, hotels, etc.). On November 6 Boris Yeltsin by his Decree No.169 terminated the activity of the CPSU in Russia. Disintegration of the USSR On August 24 Mikhail Gorbachev created the so-called ?Committee for the Operational Management of the Soviet Economy? (Комитет по оперативному управлению народным хозяйством СССР), to replace the USSR Cabinet of Ministers (government) headed by Valentin Pavlov, a GKChP member. Russian prime minister Ivan Silaev headed this committee. From August 24, several former Soviet republics declared their independance (...). On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev announced his resignation as Soviet president; the red hammer and sickle flag of the Soviet Union was lowered from the Senate building in the Kremlin and replaced with the tricolour flag of Russia; the Soviet Union ceased to exist." Ch.

Hi (again) Marc, Back to your question, before Christian asks the next one. Can you give us one more hint ? Cheers and thanks. Ch.

Sorry, but... yes, it is. Cheers. Ch.

Marc, No pb about "disappearing" , but just let us know that you won't be active here during a few days, and that the Quiz won't be your priority ( again) ... But the Quiz needs to move !!! And that's why we "adapted' the rules... Now, as your question has still not been answered, and mine is... back to yours!! Cheers. Ch.

You're absolutely correct!!!! Your turn, now.... Cheeers. Ch.

OK, my turn... A two prong question (easy) : * Who has been the first President of the Soviet Union ? * Who has been the last President of the Soviet Union ? The winner will be the first one to correctly answer the 2 questions... Cheers. Ch.

And, here is the list of Soviet officers being awarded 3 times the Order of Suvorov 1st Class : P.I. Batov P.A. Belov K. A. Vershinin N.N. Voronov A.E. Golovanov V.N. Gordov A.I. Eryomenko V.I. Kazakov V.Y. Kolpachki A.A. Luchinsky I.I. Lyudnikov A.A. Novikov N.P. Pukhov P.S. Rybalko V.D. Sokolovsky S.K. Timoshenko V.D. Tsvetaev V.I. Chuikov Cheers. Ch.