Soviet Soviet & Eastern Block Quiz

[Guest RedThreat]

Is she Lysya Gerasimenko?

[Guest RedThreat]

Christophe,

Let me take another shot. The young lady in question is probably Zina Portnova.

Simon

[attachmentid=55016]

Edited September 29, 2006 by RedThreat

[Christophe]

Excellent Simon!! We have a winner!!!!

Our "mystery" Heroin is Zinaida Martynovna Portnova, commonly known as Zina Portnova.

Born on 20 February 1926, she died in January 1944.

She was a Russian teenager, Soviet partisan and Hero of the Soviet Union.

Zina Portnova was born in Leningrad and was a seventh grade student spending summer in a children's camp in Vitebsk region when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union.

In 1942 Portnova joined the Belarusian resistance movement, becoming a member of the local underground Komsomol organization in Obol, Vitebsk Voblast, named Young Avengers. Young partisan was distributing Soviet propaganda leaflets in the German occupied Belarus and participated in a number of sabotage actions.

In August of 1943 she became a scout of the partisan unit named after Kliment Voroshilov. In October 1943 Portnova joined VLKSM. Two months later she was captured by the Germans, tortured, blinded and then shotl.

In July 1958, Zina Portnova was posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union.

There is a complete bio of her in Henry Sakaida's "Heroines of the Soviet Union" (Osprey) where the pic I posted is coming from.

Simon, Congrats.

Your turn now .

Cheers.

Ch.

[Guest RedThreat]

Thank you, Christophe. I found info about Zina on warheroes website. During interrogation, she grabbed a gun that was laying on the table, shot a German officer and 2 soldiers. Impressive, especially for a teenage girl.

Here are the next two questions. What's his name? What heroic act did he commit? These questions killed a similar thread on sovietawards forum. To prevent this from happening here, I will give a few hints. His heroic deed inspired a sculptor to create the monunent which stands in Berlin. The monument is depicted on Soviet "20 years of Victory" medal.

Simon

[attachmentid=55159]

[Guest RedThreat]

Another pic of the monument:

[Christophe]

Hi Simon,

You are here talking to a real Berlin lover !!!

Our man is Nikolay Masalov, a Soviet soldier who saved a German girl. His action inspired the sculptor of the monument... certainly as a propaganda objective...

Am I right ?

Cheers.

Ch.

[Christophe]

Here is he...

Ch.

[Guest RedThreat]

Good job, Christophe.

Nikolay Masalov is a true war hero. He defended Stalingrad, crossed Dnepr, Visla and Oder rivers, took part in the capture of Berlin. His deed is described in (attention, Dolf ) General Chuikov's memoirs. Here is a short excerpt, "The Guardsman rose at all his height - tall, powerful. Battle orders shined on his chest. Not bullets, not shrapnel can stop such a man." For saving a girl, sergeant Masalov got order GPW 2 from Chuikov's hands. I believe he was awarded Glory 3 earlier in the war. At one point, it was suggested that he deserved HSU for saving the child, but N. Masalov never got the title.

The statue of Warrior Liberator was created by sculptor Vutechich. While presenting his models to Stalin, Vutechich first proposed to erect the statue of the dictator himself. Stalin joked, "Aren't you tired of this guy with mustache? Show me other ideas." Then, Vutechich displayed a model of a soldier with a child on his arm. Stalin liked it and suggested to replace PPSh submachine gun with a sword because the latter is a symbolic weapon of a warrior throughout history.

The monument was erected in 1949. Masalov found out about it years later by pure accident when he bought a match box with a picture of the statue on it. He was getting hero's treatment especially on anniversary dates. The brave soldier died in 2001. Since his only surviving relative is alcoholic daughter, his decorations were probably sold to a collecter.

His deed was widely publicized. In Soviet schools, children read the part of Chuikov's memoirs describing Masalov's deed and a poem about the monument. I have seen the statue on countless posters, postcards, pins, etc.

Simon

Edited September 29, 2006 by RedThreat

[Christophe]

Thanks Simon. An interesting one.

I'm afraid that, again, it's my turn....

Ch.

[Ed_Haynes]

I'm afraid that, again, it's my turn....

YOU'RE afraid?? WE'RE afraid!!

[Christophe]

Ha, ha !!!!!

Ch.

[Bryan]

Very interesting question RedThreat! Can you please give us information under which circumstances he saved that little German girl?

Edited September 29, 2006 by Soviet

[Guest RedThreat]

Very interesting question RedThreat! Can you please give us information under which circumstances he saved that little German girl?

Soviet,

The battle was raging on Berlin streets. The little girl was trapped between Soviet and German lines, crying next to her dead mother. N. Masalov volunteered to save her. He crawled to the girl while his buddies gave covering fire. When Red Army began artillery barrage, Masalov brought the girl to Soviet positions.

Simon

[Christophe]

Simon,

Very interesting precision. A nice story.

Ch.

[Christophe]

Ok, my turn...

Something a litle bit different...

In March 1969, The World Ice Hockey Championship took place in Stockholm (Sweden). The USSR finally won the competition.

On 21 and 28 March, two very sensitive matches took place, opposing the two same countries.

These matches each time, led to public demonstrations. The last one, on 28 March, had a few weeks later important political consequences at a country level.

Here are my questions :

1. Which were the 2 countries involved in these matches, and who won (the same country won the 2 matches) ?

2. What precisely happened after the 28 March match ? How ? And where ?

3. What has been the immediate political consequence of these matches and the associated events ? Which political decision has been taken ?

The first Member who can provide the complete 3 answers is.... the winner!!!!!!

Good hunt!!

Cheers.

Ch.

Edited September 30, 2006 by Christophe

[Bryan]

#1 USSR and Czechoslovakia : Czechoslovakia won in the first round.

#2 The so called "Czechoslovak Hockey Riots", people wanted to express themselves after what happened after the occupation of the country after the Prague Spring in August 1968.

#3 The events were used as a pretext to oust remaing leaders symbolizing Prague Spring from power. Among them, Alexander Dubček was forced to resign as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, to be replaced by Gust?v Hus?k who started politics of "normalisation".

Reference : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_...ey_Riots_(1969)

[Christophe]

Bravo Bryan!!! You're the winner!!!

Effectively Dubcek himself later recalled after the 21 March match : "The whole country watched (on TV) as Czechoslovakia played the Sovites; it was much more than ice hockey, of course. It was replay of a lost war..." (Dubcek, Hope Dies Last). The Czechs won.

According to the Mitrokhin Archive (p. 262), The KGB (with local support of the Czech Ministry of Interior)) prepared an anti Soviet riot to follow the next match on 28 March. Shortly before the match, a team of police agents unloaded a pile of working stones in front of the offices of the Aeroflot, in Wenceslas Square. And, immediately after the match, the celebrating crowd (helped by the StB) began to throw the conveniently placed stones at the Aeroflot office.

Dubcek had no option but to resign, as Moscow had the fabricated evidence it required to demand that "the counter-revolution must be beheaded".

Dubcek was succeded by Husak on 17 April.

Bravo again Bryan!!!!

Your turn now!!!

Ch.

[Bryan]

Ok my turn.

#1 What are those things in the showcase and what do they represent?

#2 Were was this picture taken?

#3 In which year was build that building and for which purpose?

[Ed_Haynes]

1- Showcase: the ornamental shield, shord, and sheath presented to the museum (see below) on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of victory (impossible to see in your picture, but it is a hard place to take pictures, in part due to the post-Soviet attitudes in place, but, then, almost everything on display is fake -- the building is far more impressive than the displays)

1a- Extra Credit - the sculpture on the steps is "The Soldier's Road to Victory" by Z. Tseretely

2- Where - the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War (Moscow)

3- I assume you are asking when the museum opened? 9 May 1995 (50th Anniversary of GPW)

See: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=9297&st=42 and following posts

Edited September 30, 2006 by Ed_Haynes

[Bryan]

Well I guess it was too easy for the guy who recommend me to go to these places. I'll maybe add few pictures I have made to your thread.

You are next Mr. Haynes!

P.S.: I have also noticed that there was a lot of fake medals on display in that museum, but am I roiht to say that the Soviet Armed Forces Museum has more original things displayed than the "Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War".

Edited October 1, 2006 by Soviet

[Ed_Haynes]

P.S.: I have also noticed that there was a lot of fake medals on display in that museum, but am I roiht to say that the Soviet Armed Forces Museum has more original things displayed than the "Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War".

I, too, was sadly struck that almost everything on display at the CMGPW was a (bad and nasty) fake. All I saw fake at the Armed forces museum were Zhukov's awards and I can, I guess, understand that??

Shall work on a puzzle. Don't want to make it one of those "how many fingers am I holding up" puzzles.

[Ed_Haynes]

Let me try this (maybe too easy?) -- where is this plaque located and why??

[Christophe]

Good round, Ed and Bryan!!! Many thanks for the other good pics posted here and there on the Forum.

About Ed's question, my first uncomplete comments : It is for sure a plaque honouring the Order of Victory holders, with those who were given the award twice (Vasilevsky, Zhukov and Stalin) on the left, on the right the Soviet Army Marshals and the General given the award once, and below the foreign recipients. Brezhnev is not present.

I suspect the plaque has been made for the 50th anniversary of the GPW (1995). But, that's all I can say by now. I don't know where the plaque is located abnd why it has been made (except for the 50th anniversary..).

Let's the others find the "real" and expected answers...

Ch.

[Guest RedThreat]

Ed and Christophe,

The plaque was installed only a few years ago with Pres. Putin present at the ceremony. When the Order of Victory was established, names of all order recepients were supposed to be recorded on a plaque somewhere on the Red Square. I don't remember where exactly. The decision wasn't carried out and Stalin somehow didn't notice it. The oversight was corrected only decades later.

Simon

[Christophe]

Good job, Simon .

Here is what I have found on what seems to be this plaque :

" BBC MONITORING - KREMLIN VICTORY PLAQUE GIVES PROMINENCE TO STALIN

Shortly before the Victory Parade yesterday [9th May 2000] Vladimir Putin unveiled

a memorial plaque bearing the names of the statesmen and military leaders who

have been awarded the Order of Victory.

The memorial plaque measures 2 metres by 3 metres and weighs 2.5 tonnes. The

plaque is cast in bronze and embellished with gilt and embossed work. It is

the work of the sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, president of the Russian Academy of

Arts...

The plaque's primary interest lies not in its artistic merit but in the

implications of the list of names commemorated. The list is headed by

Generalissimo Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin. Together with the commemorative

coin issued by the Central Bank to mark the 55th anniversary of Victory,

Tsereteli's plaque forms a sort of series of Stalin mementoes linked to

Victory Day. By and large, this is understandable. The two leitmotivs of this

year's Victory celebrations are victory as a national tradition and the tough

centralized leadership that established this national tradition. The image of

precise, outwardly modest, impersonal leadership has become the new hallmark

of the celebrations, replacing the tearful sincerity that was becoming

established in Yeltsin's times. Stalin symbolizes this image to a certain

extent.

The subtlety of Tsereteli's work lies, perhaps, in its impeccable

stylization: The plaque is surprisingly well matched not only to the strictly

official style of the Palace of Congresses but also to the strictly official

image of the president who unveiled it. It is amazing how life has changed

the sculptor. There are no flourishes or ornamentation. Mind you, the style

is unimportant. Tsereteli has managed to see to it that the new president too

has received his own two tonnes of artistic metalwork."

Let's wait Ed's verdict...

Ch.