Soviet Soviet & Eastern Block Quiz

[JimZ]

Hi Carol,

I was coming over to switch off my computer and I see that you already guessed my Lyudmilla. Well done!!!

Said it was not a complicated one

Now I am really off to get my beauty sleep!

Nite nite!

Jim

[Belaruski]

Pavlichenka's rifle:

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Belaruski,

that's not the ordinary sniper-rifle .

What's that for a model ?

Best regards

Christian

[Knarf]

Hallo Christian,

comparing that rifle with one of ours it should be the SVT-40 with PU telescopic sight.

regards

Frank

[Carol I]

I was coming over to switch off my computer and I see that you already guessed my Lyudmilla. Well done!!!

Thanks Jim. I was afraid that I might be right and have to prepare a new question. Well, I will try to come up with something later today.

[JimZ]

The article I used to get the correct facts from can be found on :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyudmila_Pavlichenko

Jim

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Frank,

many thanks for the information .

Just found that rifle in a book about SU-Infantryweapons (Motorbuchverlag) described as a "Tokarev Mod. 1940 with PU telescopic sight".

Do you have any links in the www to that rifle?

Best regards

Christian

Hallo Christian,

comparing that rifle with one of ours it should be the SVT-40 with PU telescopic sight.

regards

Frank

Edited March 27, 2007 by Christian Zulus

[Carol I]

OK, I think I've got an interesting (although probably easy) question which I think is related to the topic of this quiz.

1. Who is the man in the photo above?

2. When and where was he born?

3. When and where did he get his PhD?

Clue: His interesting dissertation on space travel was rejected by Heidelberg University as unrealistic, but later brought him a PhD title from another university. The thesis is said to have influenced in many ways the space race.

4. (Bonus) Name the unusual way in which the named thesis had directly influenced the space race of the Cold War, well before it had even started?

[JimZ]

1) I daresay its Hermann Oberth

2) Born in Sibiu ROmania on June 25th 1894

3) He got his PHD in Babes-Bolyai University in Romania

4) Die Rakete zu den Planetenr?umen or translated into By Rocket into planetary space, the title sets a target of using rockets to land on planets in space. The moon being the nearest celestial body became the first major goal in the space race.

Jim

[Knarf]

The man was Hermann Oberth

Born on jJune 25th 1894 in Hermanstadt/Transylvania

got his PhD in 1923 at Klausenburg

Wrote thesison "The Rocket into interplanetary Space"

Regards

Frank

[JimZ]

His wikifile

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Oberth

Jim

[Carol I]

1) I daresay its Hermann Oberth

Congratulations Jim. You've guessed right, it was indeed Hermann Oberth!

2) Born in Sibiu Romania on June 25th 1894

It was not Romania in 1894, yet Sibiu has been an important Romanian cultural centre for many years before and after that date.

3) He got his PHD in Babes-Bolyai University in Romania

Indeed, the dissertation which he printed as a book after being rejected by Heidelberg, was used as thesis to obtain a PhD in physics from the University of Cluj in 1923. The University got the 'Babeş-Bolyai' name only in 1959 (the names come from the Romanian bacteriologist Victor Babeş and the Hungarian mathematician J?nos Bolyai). After obtaining the doctorate, Hermann Oberth worked as a physics teacher for 15 years at a high school in Romania before moving to Germany.

4) Die Rakete zu den Planetenr?umen or translated into By Rocket into planetary space, the title sets a target of using rockets to land on planets in space. The moon being the nearest celestial body became the first major goal in the space race.

Indeed that was the name of the thesis, but that was a tricky question to which I expected a more anecdotical answer. It is said that as a child, a certain Wernher von Braun did not do well in physics and mathematics until he acquired a copy of the book Die Rakete zu den Planetenr?umen by Hermann Oberth. From then on, he applied himself at school in order to understand physics and mathematics.

You've got the word now, Jim!

P.S. Sorry Frank, Jim was faster this time.

[JimZ]

Cheers Carol!

Sorry Frank

Incidentally most of his pics show a much older man. But still very recognisable.

Let me work on a question and I'll post it shortly!

Jim

[JimZ]

Between meetings I came up with something to toss the ball back in the court. Hopefully for longer than the last one.

Regards

Jim

Question:

I was an officer, a gentleman and some might say, a hero.

Under enemy fire I disagreed with retaliation. I could not agree.

Reason prevailed and my name is remembered.

1) Who am I and what was my rank?

2) Where and when did we come under enemy fire?

3) Briefly a) how did the situation develop; b) Who did I disagree with? C) What solution was reached?

4) Many years after my heroic stand, how would one enemy representative refer to me?

[JimZ]

Almost 24 hours since posting my question. Should I start to drop the odd hint?

Jim

[Christian Zulus]

Almost 24 hours since posting my question. Should I start to drop the odd hint?

Would be great - your question might be too general .

3 b) I can only guess: Marshal Zhukov ?

Best regards

Christian

[JimZ]

Considering the previous one I asked...

No its not marshal Zhukov.... nor was he involved in any way. Of course next hint will explain why......

Next hint....... the gentleman in question is a Naval Officer

Jim

Edited March 28, 2007 by JimZ

[Christian Zulus]

Considering the previous one I asked...

No its not marshal Zhukov.... nor was he involved in any way. Of course next hint will explain why......

Next hint....... the gentleman in question is a Naval Officer

Jim

Thanks for the hint .

So, it is a "real" Naval Officer at the high sea + ship - not a naval pilot, naval infantry, danube flottillia, etc. ?

Best regards

Christian

[JimZ]

Yep ... a real navy officer........

I am off to a Rachmaninov and Tchiakovsky Concert in the KKL at Luzern.....

If I am not back too late I'll drop another hint when I return .....

Jim

[Christian Zulus]

Yep ... a real navy officer........

I am off to a Rachmaninov and Tchiakovsky Concert in the KKL at Luzern.....

If I am not back too late I'll drop another hint when I return .....

Jim

Dear Jim,

should have been an extraordinary fine concert tonight . Gravilov is suits very well as a pianist for Rach's #3 and the Simon-Bolivar-Youth-Orchestra (+ their conductor) are absolute first rate. Some weeks ago I had talks with the ambassador of Venezuela in Vienna to start a cultural exchange & partnership (in terms of classical music) between Serbia & Venezuela (Chavez is very popular in Serbia ). I would like to bring together some of our great solists from Serbia with that fantastic youth orchestra. I never heard the young Venezulenians live in concert . Tell me: How precise had been the intonation and the harmony among the strings? The brass is famous in Venzuela!

Coming back to your quiz question:

So, it has neither to do with Sevastopol, nor Novorossyisk ("small land"), Stalingrad, Budapest or Vienna ?

Might be a case in the Baltic Sea 1944/45, Soviet ship, submarine, vessel, etc. attacked by a hughe German ship with thousends of (civilian) refugees on board ... So, no retailiation ...

Best regards

Christian

[JimZ]

One of the best I have been to actually! Gavrilov was not scheduled to play originally but he is an excellent first rate pianist ... and then playing Rachmaninov's 3rd was swell!! Now do I rank him with Yevgeny Kissin ... or Helene Grimaud (whom I heard plating Rach's 2nd piano concerto last year) ... I would think that these are indeed amongst the finest contemporary pianists!!! .... Now as for the orchestra I was very impressed by their discipline as well as the composer of their young but brilliant conductor. When they came to play Tchaikovsky the orchestra was 120 people strong..... I think the crowd spent a good ten minutes applauding them. They are indeed a must!

OK back to the Quiz this next hint will throw light on the period and should help starting to narrow down the incident in question.

Our naval officer would have been in possesion of a KEY

Think....why a key.... what for? Hope this starts to widen things a bit.

Jim

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Jim,

I am rating Gavrilov - specially with Rach #2 & #3 - higher than Kissin or Grimaud: The first has an immaculate and stupend technique, but no real insight and true emotion and the second doesn't have the technique to play these concerts at the same level as the great "Count" Rach himself . But the benchmark are still Rach's - ultra-cool - own recordings of his concerts (NAXOS) - the same, as Beethoven would play his "Mondscheinsonate" himself ... Rach lived in Switzerland and during the GPW he gave propaganda-concerts for the Soviet Union, despite the fact, that he left Russia due to the Octoberrevolution.

Back to your question:

Without enemy fire - only "fire" - and without retaliation, but with KEY, I would guess, that it's Marshall Malinovski and the K-19-incident - but that's not the answer.

"Key" & naval officer & ship/high (or deep) sea points to a submarine, to a nuclear submarine with ballistic missiles on board.

Two person on board have the key for launching the rockets: The CO + the political officer, who have to use the key simultanous.

But I don't remember such incident at all .

For what else do you need a key on board of a ship, then for launching missiles ?

Dave might know the answer, he is an authentic FCO of the US-Navy .

Best regards

Christian

[JimZ]

I do in fact have the "Rachmaninov plays Rachmaninov" CD for piano concertos 2 and 3. Used to spend long times listening to it when I was in Italy many years ago....

You are on the right track as Key is indicative to the launching nuclear tipped missiles or torpedoes.

So lets recap what we have so far.....

I was a Submarine officer, a gentleman and some might say, a hero.

Under enemy fire I disagreed with retaliation.

Retaliation would have unleashed hell.

I had a key which I would not use.

I would not agree to use it. I could not agree to use it.

Reason prevailed and my name is remembered.

1) Who am I and what was my rank?

2) Where and when did we come under enemy fire?

3) Briefly a) how did the situation develop; b) Who did I disagree with? C) What solution was reached?

4) Many years after my heroic stand, how would one enemy representative refer to me?

What we have is a submarine that came under enemy fire .... whether direct or just to raise the sub is immaterial when you are submerged and have not got contact with your superiors. Believeing the worst, the sub was in a position to retaliate. They however did not because of our officer! Now that should help you as there are not as many cold war incidents (the key inidicates nuclear weapons and hence post ww2 period) that actually escalated to actually firing at a russian sub.

Is this incident so obscure that few know about it?

Jim

[Knarf]

Sounds a bit like Hunt for red October

Regards Frank

[JimZ]

Oh gee... that is not a real historical event???!!! Well I was going to put that up in the previous post specifically saying "And if you are wondering, its not clancy's hunt for red October!!!)" Lots of similarities indeed

jim