• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

Modern Russian Army in the photos.

waayfast

waayfast

Active member
814
106
43
Location
Lake Fork,Idaho
Thanks,
That tracked machine is a wwii era American made Cletrac M2 Medium High Speed Tractor used to move and service aircraft. VERY popular machine during the war. I was wondering if this ended up in Russia under the Lend Lease program. Have never heard or read of these being supplied in the lend lease ,but I would guess it possible.

There were 8510 total machines built, and sent to all theaters of the war. Some went to Alaska and were driven all the way. Some were in the South Pacific, one even backed the B-29's over the "pit" on the airfield on Tinian so the atomic bombs could be loaded for that "final" mission. A video on You Tube shows a Cletrac towing a Japanese Betty Bomber after it landed on Iejima, to start the negotiations for the surrender of the Japanese.
Lot's of these were in England of course and after D-Day, ended up all over Europe. There is a you tube video of a survivor being driven in parades and shows in Luxumborg. Another is owned by Wildenberg Parts in the Netherlands.

Just very curious about this machine in Russia. Very Cool!!!! Would like to see this up close and in person, maybe I could restore one of mine to be 'Russian"!IMG_3536.JPG
 
Another Ahab

Another Ahab

Well-known member
17,999
4,556
113
Location
Alexandria, VA
USSR said:
In every city we have a museum. 26 million lives WWII war ...
Click to expand...
That Russian statistic (26 million causalties), is not common knowledge over here. That wasn't taught in our history classes (not sure if it is even today).

Communism was a threat after WWII, the Cold War broke out, and making Russia look good was nobody's goal here in the U.S.

Few here know that the single Battle of Stalingrad was close to a million casualties PER SIDE (German and Russian).

We are proud of our role in the war, justifiably, for D-Day and all the battles fought in defeating the Nazis and facism.

The American casualties on D-Day were horrific, and some 7,000 men in total.

The Battle of Stalingrad cost Nazi Germany close to 1 million casualties, and cost the Soviet Union also close to 1 million casualties, that's 2 million men.

If I remember right, according to Antony Beevor's book about Stalingrad, there were altogether some 50 battles of a similar size between the Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

The Eastern Front of WWII was not emphasized (understandably) in U.S schools, not sure if it is much addressed even today.
 
waayfast

waayfast

Active member
814
106
43
Location
Lake Fork,Idaho
Another Ahab said:
That Russian statistic (26 million causalties), is not common knowledge over here. That wasn't taught in our history classes (not sure if it is even today).

Communism was a threat after WWII, the Cold War broke out, and making Russia look good was nobody's goal here in the U.S.

Few here know that the single Battle of Stalingrad was close to a million casualties PER SIDE (German and Russian).

We are proud of our role in the war, justifiably, for D-Day and all the battles fought in defeating the Nazis and facism.

The American casualties on D-Day were horrific, and some 7,000 men in total.

The Battle of Stalingrad cost Nazi Germany close to 1 million casualties, and cost the Soviet Union also close to 1 million casualties, that's 2 million men.

If I remember right, according to Antony Beevor's book about Stalingrad, there were altogether some 50 battles of a similar size between the Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

The Eastern Front of WWII was not emphasized (understandably) in U.S schools, not sure if it is much addressed even today.
Click to expand...
A few years ago I spoke with a young lady (high school) that was visiting with family about my "collection" on the place. I explained I had a solid interest in history and mostly WWII history since my Dad and various Uncles had been there, done that.
She thought for a minute with a puzzled look on her face and said " oh, yeah --WWII, I think I remember reading something about that. I think it was a about one paragraph long in the history book."
 
marchplumber

marchplumber

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,801
2,828
113
Location
Peoria, Illinois
waayfast said:
A few years ago I spoke with a young lady (high school) that was visiting with family about my "collection" on the place. I explained I had a solid interest in history and mostly WWII history since my Dad and various Uncles had been there, done that.
She thought for a minute with a puzzled look on her face and said " oh, yeah --WWII, I think I remember reading something about that. I think it was a about one paragraph long in the history book."
Click to expand...
=-__(
 
USSR

USSR

Well-known member
1,129
316
83
Location
USSR
Another Ahab said:
That Russian statistic (26 million causalties), is not common knowledge over here. That wasn't taught in our history classes (not sure if it is even today).

Communism was a threat after WWII, the Cold War broke out, and making Russia look good was nobody's goal here in the U.S.

Few here know that the single Battle of Stalingrad was close to a million casualties PER SIDE (German and Russian).

We are proud of our role in the war, justifiably, for D-Day and all the battles fought in defeating the Nazis and facism.

The American casualties on D-Day were horrific, and some 7,000 men in total.

The Battle of Stalingrad cost Nazi Germany close to 1 million casualties, and cost the Soviet Union also close to 1 million casualties, that's 2 million men.

If I remember right, according to Antony Beevor's book about Stalingrad, there were altogether some 50 battles of a similar size between the Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

The Eastern Front of WWII was not emphasized (understandably) in U.S schools, not sure if it is much addressed even today.
Click to expand...
One blockade of Leningrad took more than a million lives. I have a memorial near the house - a former mine, where the Nazis dumped 150 thousand people.
 
USSR

USSR

Well-known member
1,129
316
83
Location
USSR
Tracer said:
View attachment 790606 Motherland Calls, is a monument overlooking Volgograd where the battle of Stalingrad was fought. Look at the people at the base of the statue for reference.
Click to expand...
This year will open another monument to the fallen soldiers. It will be open on May 9th. A soldier hovering above the ground.
Who fought and died in one of the most terrible and bloody battles of the Great Patriotic War - the Battle of Rzhev. In offensive and defensive operations in the region of the Rzhev-Vyazemsky ledge in 1942-1943, Soviet troops lost about 400 thousand people - killed, missing and captured, and taking into account the wounded, they amounted to 1 million 160 thousand people.
d3c0c40d3f9b7e15f7c50f6b8a8c1ec7.jpg
 
Another Ahab

Another Ahab

Well-known member
17,999
4,556
113
Location
Alexandria, VA
waayfast said:
She thought for a minute with a puzzled look on her face and said " oh, yeah --WWII, I think I remember reading something about that. I think it was a about one paragraph long in the history book."
Click to expand...
Knowing history isn't much our strong suit here really:

- Hollywood and the Oscars get more attention than our Constitution and the Bill of Rights

"Whatcha" going to do? Just the way it is...
 
Another Ahab

Another Ahab

Well-known member
17,999
4,556
113
Location
Alexandria, VA
USSR said:
One blockade of Leningrad took more than a million lives. I have a memorial near the house - a former mine, where the Nazis dumped 150 thousand people.
Click to expand...
I read a history or two about that horrible siege of Leningrad (can't recall the authors just now):

- Never really a battle on the part of the German Wehrmacht but a slow deliberate siege, it lasted close to 900 days if I remember it right

- Hitler apparentlly never intended to take the City, he only personally wanted to starve everyone in it (man, woman, and child), deliberately for as long as that took

And there are people today even now who still see something to admire in Hitler and his Nazi party. Go figure.
 
USSR

USSR

Well-known member
1,129
316
83
Location
USSR
Another Ahab said:
I read a history or two about that horrible siege of Leningrad (can't recall the authors just now):

- Never really a battle on the part of the German Wehrmacht but a slow deliberate siege, it lasted close to 900 days if I remember it right

- Hitler apparentlly never intended to take the City, he only personally wanted to starve everyone in it (man, woman, and child), deliberately for as long as that took

And there are people today even now who still see something to admire in Hitler and his Nazi party. Go figure.
Click to expand...
Come and See (1985)
find this movie.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
110,879members
165,314threads
2,326,215posts
1,982online users
Top