Soviet Soviet & Eastern Block Quiz - 2008

[RedMaestro]

The question is what was the name of the German defensive line that the Soviets smashed through? The time frame starts in April 1943?

Would that be the Blue Line?

-Alex

[ANZAC]

Would that be the Blue Line?

-Alex

That would be correct Alex

Your up next....

[Christophe]

Well done, guys!!!!

And Brendan (Anzac), welcome to the Quiz!!!!

Alex, your turn, now...

Cheers.

Ch.

[RedMaestro]

Alright then. I hope this one isn't too broad a question. I bet there are actually a lot of answers I don't know about, but there is one in particular I am looking for. So here it is:

What was one tradition in the Red Army when a soldier received an award? (Hint: it involves vodka, not surprisingly)

Good luck!

-Alex

[Hauptmann]

Alright then. I hope this one isn't too broad a question. I bet there are actually a lot of answers I don't know about, but there is one in particular I am looking for. So here it is:

What was one tradition in the Red Army when a soldier received an award? (Hint: it involves vodka, not surprisingly)

Good luck!

-Alex

Hi Alex,

Okay, I'm going to take a crack at this one. I'd actually found a story referring to this a while back and posted it :

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=15021&hl=drink

It's a tradition whereby the recipient of an Order or medal would drop it into a glass of vodka, drink down the liquid until left holding the award in his or her teeth.

Hope it's what you're looking for.

Dan :cheers:

[Lapa]

Hi Alex,

Okay, I'm going to take a crack at this one. I'd actually found a story referring to this a while back and posted it :

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=15021&hl=drink

It's a tradition whereby the recipient of an Order or medal would drop it into a glass of vodka, drink down the liquid until left holding the award in his or her teeth.

Hope it's what you're looking for.

Dan

Dan,

I think you got that one nailed, once more.

In russian, it is called "обмывать".

Marc

[RedMaestro]

That's right Dan! Wow, that question lasted all of a half hour Congrats!

Your turn now!

-Alex

[Christophe]

Bravo Dan, well done!!!

Your turn, now...

Cheers.

Ch.

[Hauptmann]

Many thanks! Tell you what... if he has time and doesn't mind I'd like to pass the honor of the next question on to Charles (Hunyadi) in honor of he and his family being once again on this side of the "big" pond.

Charles... if you'd like to run with the next one it's all your's my friend. And WELCOME BACK HOME!!!!

Dan :cheers:

[hunyadi]

Honored to be asked agian -

I shall come up with a question ASAP - though it may take a few days - really busy right now! :jumping:

[Christophe]

Charles,

Back with us soon ?

Cheers.

Ch.

[hunyadi]

OK -

Here is my question - Hungarian Communist of course:

Kun Bela was the defacto leader of the Communist Hungarian Party in the Soviet Hungarian Republic of 1919. The question is in two parts -

1) During World War One he was captured on the eastern front by the Imperial Russian Army. What camp was he sent to?

2) While he was in the camp he was involved in a revolt over the distribution of Red Cross parcels. He was to be court marshaled but a strange twist of events occured which saved his life from certain exectution - what were the circumstances?

Enjoy! :rolleyes:

[Hauptmann]

OK -

Here is my question - Hungarian Communist of course:

Kun Bela was the defacto leader of the Communist Hungarian Party in the Soviet Hungarian Republic of 1919. The question is in two parts -

1) During World War One he was captured on the eastern front by the Imperial Russian Army. What camp was he sent to?

2) While he was in the camp he was involved in a revolt over the distribution of Red Cross parcels. He was to be court marshaled but a strange twist of events occured which saved his life from certain exectution - what were the circumstances?

Enjoy!

Okay, the answer to 1) is Tomsk in Siberia.

The found something saying at some point he was accused of stealing from the other prisoners... possibly the red cross packages but no specific mention of them. And the fact that he basically was offered power directly from his prison cell by the sound of it (this from: http://www.workersliberty.org/node/2322):

Things came to a head in February and March, 1919. On its left the National Government was opposed by the newly formed Hungarian Communist Party, formed only four months previously and headed by former journalist, B?la Kun, who, like many of his comrades, had been recruited to the cause of revolution while a prisoner of war in Russia.

After a demonstration outside the offices of N?pszava (People's Voice), the newspaper of the Hungarian Social Democratic Party (a major partner in the National Government), Kun and many of the leading HCP cadre were arrested and imprisoned and publication of the Communist paper, V?r?s ?js?g (Red News) was banned.

Just a month later, with Kun and most of the HCP leadership still in prison, Karolyi was handed an ultimatum by Colonel Vyx commander of the French forces in the area (France regarded Eastern Europe as its 'sphere of influence' and had stationed an army in eastern Hungary). The ultimatum stated that Hungary must immediately withdraw to demarcation lines drawn up by the allies. Karolyi had no desire to accede to the French demand which would have meant the end of 'Greater Hungary' but he had no support with which to mount any opposition. He then asked the Social Democrats to form a Government.

The Hungarian SDP was, without a doubt, the most influential party in the National Government, claiming strong support from both the Soldiers' Council and the Workers' Council, although many activists were turning to the Communists. However, the SDP baulked at taking over the reins of power. The Hungarian SDP was a mirror image of the Austrian SDP and shared the same evolutionary, cautious, step-by-step approach to the struggle for socialism. In a sense they needed 'cover', some organisation that could take the risks and the blame should things go wrong. They also needed the increasing popularity and energy of the Communists.

B?la Kun must therefore have been somewhat bemused when a delegation from the SDP, the very people who earlier had thrown him in prison, visited him in his cell and proposed that the two parties share power in a new government. The outcome was a hastily arranged amalgamation between the Communists and the left of the Social Democrats (the right wing withdrew) to form the Hungarian Socialist Party. Without a single shot being fired, with no fighting, not even a street demonstration, power passed from the Karolyi government to a Revolutionary Governing Soviet (with Kun at its head). The populace of Budapest woke on the morning of 22 March 1919 to find the Red Flag flying from the Parliament Building and the bourgeois democratic revolution transformed into a proletarian revolution!

That's about the best I can do at least for now.

Dan :cheers:

[hunyadi]

Yes #1 is correct - keep digging. It has partly to do with his name - in his reasons for survivial....

[hunyadi]

dont know if it helps - but it has to do with his name and a request for information from his previous employer - the same one that he imbezzeld money from just before leaving for the war

[hunyadi]

Well I know Dan has a migrane headache from researchign this one - so in my opinion it should go to him... I may have been a little unfair with the language barrer....

In the spring of 1917 Kun and others staged a rebellion over the distribution of Red Cross parcels. The protest did not last long and Kun and his companions were arrested and tried under a military court for their actions. THey certainly faced the death penalty for the uprising, but the events of revolution within imperial Russia provided a rare opportunity for Kun and his comrades on trial. During the trial, Kun appealed to the Tomsk branch of the Russian Socialist Democratic Workers Party. He proclaimed that he was beneficial to the revolution by promoting himself as the president of his Kolozsv?r Workers Insurance Bureau. It was this bureau from which he had dismissed for stealing money. During his hearing he expressed that the inflated position made him a prominent figure within the Hungarian Social Democratic Party. His jurors did not entirely believe his story and as such sent a letter to the Kolozsv?r Workers Insurance Bureau inquiring of Kun?s status with the organization. A reply was sent back, undeniably claiming that there was no such person who held that position. To B?la?s pure luck, when the reply from Hungary arrived at the Tomsk camp, the camp postman discarded the letter as he was unaware of any prisoner of war by the name of Kun B?la. As such the Tomsk barnch of the SDP believed his story and he was aquited of the charges - (Bors?nyi Gy?rgy, Kun Bela Budapest : Kossuth 1979. pg. 46)

Beacus e I personaly know that Dan pounded his head on the screen for several hours - my vote is to give him at least 50% if not 100%

Edited July 14, 2008 by hunyadi

[Hauptmann]

Many thanks Charles. I'll hold off to see if the group agrees... if so I think I'd like to pass the honor of the next question on to Ed... he also tends to give very interesting questions.

I'll stay in a holding pattern.

Dan :cheers:

[Christophe]

Hi Guys, well done !!!

Ed, do you want to launch the next challenge ?

Cheers.

Ch.

[Christophe]

Time for a few stats...

Quiz 2008 :

* 35 questions asked,

* with 467 answers,

* and viewed more than 3,760 times.

Nb of good answers for the Quiz 2008 :

* 8 : Marc (Lapa)

* 5 : Christian (Zulus), Christophe & Frank (Knarf)

* 4 : Dan (Hauptman)

* 2 : Alex (RedMaestro) & Auke (Ferdinand)

* 1 : Brendan (ANZAC), Jim (JimZ) & Wild Card

Complete statistics give since this Quiz has been launched (on 1 Nov. 2005) :

* 206 questions asked,

* with 2,612 answers,

* This quiz has been viewed more than 27,160 times.

* 41 Members of the Forum played, and 30 correctly answered at least 1 question :

Nb of good answers :

* 40 : Christian (Zulus)

* 37 : Christophe

* 17 : Frank (Knarf)

* 13 : Jim (JimZ)

* 11 : Bryan (Soviet)

* 9 : Dan (Hauptman)

* 8 : Auke (Ferdinand), Marc (Lapa) & Simon (Red Threat)

* 6 : Belaruski, Carol I & Ed (Haynes)

* 5 : Wild Card.

* 3 : Andreas (Alfred), Ivan (Piramida) & Kim (Kimj).

* 2 : Alex (RedMaestro), Chuck (in Oregon), Gerd (Becker), Jan (vatjan) & Order of Victory.

* 1 : Brendan (ANZAC), Charles (Hunyadi), Darrell, Daredevil, Dave (Navy FCO), Dudeman, Filip (Drugo), Rick (Stogieman) & Steen (Ammentorp).

This is a great achievement. Thanks to all for your participation in this Quiz.

Now, let's play for the 207th question, Ed's one ??

Cheers.

Ch.

[Christophe]

Hi Ed,

Your turn ?

Cheers.

Ch.

[Hauptmann]

Hi all,

I just heard from Ed and he's declining this time around. Too many irons in the fire right now. And I still can't come up with anything decent.

Marc (Lapa)... would you care for the honor of the next question?

Dan :cheers:

[Lapa]

Hi all,

I just heard from Ed and he's declining this time around. Too many irons in the fire right now. And I still can't come up with anything decent.

Marc (Lapa)... would you care for the honor of the next question?

Dan

Thanks Dan, I'll happily oblige!

So, that one is more trivia than anything else, but shouldn't be that difficult nevertheless.

Although never holding any position of authority or command, I was instantly recognized all; it was said that Hitler feared me so much and considered me his personal enemy, that he placed a substantial reward on my head.

Who am I? Why did Hitler fear me?

Marc

[Wild Card]

Lavrenty Beria?

Why? He had his ways - made Himmler, Heydrich, Kaltenbrunner and friends look like rank amatures.

Edited July 31, 2008 by Wild Card

[Lapa]

Lavrenty Beria?

Why? He had his ways - made Himmler, Heydrich, Kaltenbrunner and friends look like rank amatures.

Nice try, Wild Card, but no, that's not him.

By the way, I don't think that Beria "never held any position of authority or command"

Marc

[Wild Card]

You are right. Too much of a stretch on my part, sorry.