Soviet Soviet & Eastern Block Quiz

[Hauptmann]

Do I get the sense we are very VERY puizzled here . . . ??

These are "Soviet & Eastern Block" (however defined?)?

Hi Ed,

Yes, definitely "Soviet & Eastern Block".

Dan

[Belaruski]

The second guy is VIktor Belenko, the pilot who flew to Japan, then went to the USA mentioned earlier in this thread. Business card "Victor Belenko. Mig-25 Pilot. World's Greatest Anti-Communist Fighter Pilot. Unconventional Emigrant. Landed in Japan on 9/6/76 with 30 seconds of fuel remaining. No passport. No visa. had a gun and used it. Spent time in Japanese jail. U.S. Citizen by unanimous vote of US Congress."

[Belaruski]

Is the first man Jonas Ple?kys the Lithuanian Submarine defector?

[JimZ]

Now that second pic of Belenko I do recognise from when I asked my question and was looking up the info. I am really surprised at the effect of American fast food (and probably vodka!!!) on the guy!!!

Jim

[Christian Zulus]

Is the first man Jonas Ple?kys the Lithuanian Submarine defector?

Dear Belaruski,

well, it seems that you might be the winner, who is entiteled to post question #100 .

Pleskys at Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonas_Ple%C5%A1kys

Book about him:

Best regards

Christian

[Hauptmann]

The second guy is VIktor Belenko, the pilot who flew to Japan, then went to the USA mentioned earlier in this thread. Business card "Victor Belenko. Mig-25 Pilot. World's Greatest Anti-Communist Fighter Pilot. Unconventional Emigrant. Landed in Japan on 9/6/76 with 30 seconds of fuel remaining. No passport. No visa. had a gun and used it. Spent time in Japanese jail. U.S. Citizen by unanimous vote of US Congress."

Hi Belaruski,

You're absolutely correct on this part of the question. Well done. Sorry about it being mentioned earlier in the thread... I simply didn't have time to go all the way through it before posting but had hoped I'd have come up with something new. But seems it was still a bit of a challenge so hoping it worked out okay after all.

Dan

[Hauptmann]

Is the first man Jonas Ple?kys the Lithuanian Submarine defector?

Hi Belaruski,

Sorry to say but on this part of the question... you didn't get it. The first man is "not" Jonas Ple?kys.

Another hint:

He did serve in a seagoing capacity... but not in the Soviet navy.

Dan

[Christian Zulus]

Hi Belaruski,

Sorry to say but on this part of the question... you didn't get it. The first man is "not" Jonas Ple?kys.

Another hint:

He did serve in a seagoing capacity... but not in the Soviet navy.

Dan

Dear Dan,

no idea, who the first comrade might be ...

Best regards

Christian

[Hauptmann]

Hi all,

Okay, I guess a few more hints are called for on part one of the question:

He served as a merchant seaman.

He was a defector who "literally" jumped ship.

There was a movie made about his experience.

Hope this helps. Can provide more if needed.

Dan

[Christophe]

Hi Dan,

This is now too easy!!!!

You are referring to Simas Kurdika.

Simas Kurdika was a Soviet defector.

Simas Kudirka, was a radio operator on the fishing trawler Sovietskaya Litva. On 23 November 1970, he jumped to the deck of a US Coast Guard vessel and requested political asylum.

The Lithuanian ship Litva was a 500-foot vessel that processed and refrigerated fish caught by the Soviet-controlled Lithuanian fishing fleet. The Litva and Vigilant were moored next to each other at Menemsha Bight, one mile off Martha's Vineyard, for a day-long fishing conference attended by American and Soviet officials. At the time, foreign fishing fleets could fish as close as 12 miles from the U.S. coastline, before a 200-mile territorial limit took effect several years later.

Standing along the rail of the Sovetskaya Litva, he first made his intentions known early in the afternoon to a Coast Guardsmen on the deck of the Vigilant, and finally made the leap to the cutter's flight deck across 12-feet separating the two ships late in the afternoon.

After Kudirka made his daring leap to the Vigilant, several hours of high-stakes wrangling followed between American and Soviet officials after the Soviets demanded Kudirka's return. In the end, the U.S. government complied, allowing sailors from the Litva to board the Vigilant, restrain Kudirka by force and assault him.

10 hours later Kudirka was subsequently forcibly removed from the US Coast Guard vessel and returned to the Soviet ship by force. Six Soviet sailors were allowed to board the Vigilant. They beat Kudirka unconscious, bundled him up in a blanket and ropes, and carried him back to the Sovetskaya Litva around 11:30 p.m.

Upon his return to Lithuania, Kudirka was tried for treason and sentenced to ten years in the Gulag.

After almost four years in Soviet labor camps it was learned that Kudrika's mother had been born in Brooklyn (but later returned to Lithuania).

The State Department therefore ruled that Kudirka had a valid claim to U.S. citizenship. A month later he was released from the Gulag and granted permission to go to the US.

In November 1974, with his wife, two children, and his mother, Kudirka arrived in the United States.

He initially lived in New Jersey and then the Bronx, N.Y., but later moved to Santa Monica, Calif., where he operated a landscaping business and served as an apartment superintendent.

I think Belaruski is here the winner. He found the first guy, Viktor Belenko.

Dan, thanks for the questions .

Belaruski, your turn, now!!!!!

Cheers.

Ch.

[Christophe]

I forgot to mention the movie was "The Defection of Simas Kudirka", by David Lowell Rich (1978).

Ch.

[Christophe]

Before Belaruski asks the 100th question , the latest stats :

This small game has now been launched 17 months ago now (on 1 Nov. 2005), and since :

* 99 questions asked,

* with 1,186 answers,

* and 60 pages of Q&As.

* This quiz has been viewed more than 11,585 times.

* 32 Members of the Forum played, and 25 correctly answered at least 1 question :

Nb of good answers :

* 15 : Christian (Zulus)

* 11 : Christophe

* 9 : Bryan (Soviet)

* 8 : Simon (Red Threat)

* 5 : Belaruski, Carol I and Jim (JimZ).

* 4 : Ed (Haynes), Franck (Knarf), and Wild Card.

* 3 : Andreas (Alfred), Auke (Ferdinand) and Kim (Kimj).

* 2 : Chuck (in Oregon), Gerd (Becker), Ivan (Piramida), Jan (vatjan), and Order of Victory.

* 1 : Dan (Hauptman), Darrell, Daredevil, Dave (Navy FCO), Dudeman, Rick (Stogieman) and Steen (Ammentorp).

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

Now, let's continue to have fun with the 100th question... Belaruski's one!!!

Cheers.

[Ed_Haynes]

Good and educational work here, comrades!

Now . . . drum roll . . .

[Christophe]

Thanks Ed,

A real Team work here!!!!

Ch.

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Christophe,

thanks for your fair verdict to give question #100 to Belaruski .

For answering his 50 % of the question, he didn't have so good hints from Dan.

Best regards

Christophe

[Hauptmann]

Hi all,

I hope I didn't make that last "too" easy ... but after talking with Christian it seemed I needed to give additional hints. When I originally did these I had no idea either of them would be that difficult. Seems ya'll have come up with things much harder than this... but perhaps it's because these are areas I've been intro'd in for so many years and I felt others would know of them. I saw the movie (which I "HIGHLY" recommend by the way!) when I was young when it originally aired on tv (I believe it was a made for TV movie) and it left a deep impression. Years later I got a copy of the book about Belenko and it too impressed me.

Well, hope they gave a bit of entertainment for all concerned. Best of luck on the 100th question!

Dan

[Christophe]

Dan,

You did very well for one of your first participations in the quiz!!! Congrats!!

I'm very pleased, because I learnt a lot during this set of question from you.

Please, continue to participate, answer questions, ask questions!!!!

Thanks again.

Cheers.

Ch.

[Hauptmann]

Dan,

You did very well for one of your first participations in the quiz!!! Congrats!!

I'm very pleased, because I learnt a lot during this set of question from you.

Please, continue to participate, answer questions, ask questions!!!!

Thanks again.

Cheers.

Ch.

Many thanks Christophe... I deeply appreciate that. I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for more that I can answer.

Thanks again!

Dan

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Dan,

your question had been a great question, because it was a difficult one .

Now we are waiting for comrade Belaruski's question #100 .

Best regards

Christian

[Belaruski]

Thanks Christophe! So Question Number 100,

possibly an easy one:

What was the name of the Soviet tank Commander who first encountered a 'Royal' German threat?

What was the outcome,

And what did he win?

[Christian Zulus]

What was the name of the Soviet tank Commander who first encountered a 'Royal' German threat?

What was the outcome,

And what did he win?

Dear Belaruski,

1) Guards Lieutenant Os'kin from the 53rd Guards Tank Brigade encountered "Royal Tigers" (Tiger II) of the "Schwere PzAbt 501" for the first time at the Eastern Front at the 12th of August 1944 in the fighting at the Soviets' Baranov bridgehead over the Vistula River.

2) Comrade Os'kin, commander of a T-34/85 tank, knocked out three "Royal Tigers" by firing at their sides from an ambush position.

3) He got HSU.

Best regards

Christian

BTW: The T-34 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-34 had been the most successful tank in history of warfare .

Edited April 23, 2007 by Christian Zulus

[Belaruski]

Correct! and here he is..

[Christian Zulus]

Correct! and here he is..

He looks impressive - like a hero

Best regards

Christian

[Christian Zulus]

New question #101

Gentlemen,

what was my "nickname" ?

I - look my avatar on your left side - had been writing poems in my younger years.

What had been my pseudonym or nickname as a author at that time ?

Best regards

Christian

[JimZ]

Erm that is a Georgian gentleman by the name of იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი or Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili as Latin alphabet would have it .....

..... nicknamed Stalin.... from the old Georgian word Steel (also same in Russian).

However, this man of steel was also a budding poet in his youth writing under the nom de plume of "Soselo" ..... I believe!

Jim