Ride to the battle fields in Leningrad region

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Volchkoff_imp

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Dear friends,

As I announced earlier, this Saturday I have made a ride to the battle fields in Leningrad region. The Blockade of Leningrad started in 08/09/1941. From the first days Red Army tryed to break it. There was number of operations during 1941-1943 in a region near Slisselburg. German command called this place as "bottle throat", because it was the narrowest point in the German defense. For example in 19/09/1941 soviet forces captured two beachheads on German side of Neva river. One of them named as "Nevsky pyatachok" was bloodiest place in Leningrad frontline. It was first point of my destination.
My ride started from cup of coffee at gasoline station
It is 35 km from Saint-Petersburg. A few kilometers before my destination I saw small wooden church and decided to stop there.
There was only one prayed old man there. My short prayer was for all people, killed there during the War.
 
Awesome pictures. Your bike looks great! Is that you inside the church? BTW, I have an uncle who is a colonel in the Red Army.
 
Neat pictures Volchkoff. Hope there are more to be added to this thread.

The one of the old man in the church is very poignant.

I am always amazed that we humans never seemed to have learned anything from that war. What a terrible event in our history.
 
The ferret_imp said:
Neat pictures Volchkoff. Hope there are more to be added to this thread.

The one of the old man in the church is very poignant.

I am always amazed that we humans never seemed to have learned anything from that war. What a terrible event in our history.
Click to expand...
Humans never seem to learn anything from any war.
 
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Finally I arrived. The beachhead is not so big. 500m on 2km.
I parked my bike and went to walk.
Now there is a monument. The text on the front of the monument: "You, alive, know that this earth we did not want to leave and we did not leave. We fought near dark waters of Neva river. We died to give you live.".
Territory of beachhead looks like a lunar landscape. Everywhere surface of earth is pitted. You can recognize traces of bunkers, trenches. Many years no one tree didn't grow there. Because of shell fragments, and other metal scrap.
There are a lot of "souvenirs" everywhere.
 
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Nowadays every year groups of Russian and German soldiers together as well as ordinary people interested in history, carry out archaeological excavations and annually find here hundreds of remains of Soviet and German soldiers. The first buried here in mass graves. The remains of German soldiers are sent to Germany.
Next point of my destination was a museum, locates in a place on a coast of Neva river where in January 1943 the Blockade was broken.
This picture touched me. This Teddy Bear looks brand new. Some little girl came here and laid her favorite toy on the grave of her great-grandfather.
 
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The Museum locates inside of a road embankment.
The exposition of the Museum is a diorama of a breakthrough of the German defense in this place.
On the open area in front of the Museum there are 6 tanks, really involved in the fighting here.
Mostly they was sinked near Nevskiy pjatachok during the crossing of the river.
This tank was found in the swamp exploded. There is an interesting film in youtube how this tank was found by divers, lifted up and repaired.
 
Nice Volchkoff. Amazing people are still putting flowers on the tanks all these years later.

One thing I really like about motorcycles, we may all come from different countries, are from varying social backgrounds, speak different languages, eat different foods, have different religious beliefs, and different politics, but we are all drawn together by beautiful motorcycles as evidenced by this forum. Members from around the world, 21 countries, celebrating the same bike. That is so cool to me.
 
Thanks for posting these Volchkoff. When I visited St. Petersburg & Moscow years ago, I was struck by the how easily that could have been my life as well. I was first generation born in this county-had my parents made different choices perhaps you and I would be riding together today.
 
Great Photos. I was really ignorant about the entire siege of Leningrad until about seven years ago a friend gave me a book about it. What a sad few years in history. Thanks again
 
Thank you for sharing the story of your ride, Volchkoff. And for sharing the pictures.
 
Thanks, Volchkoff, for the somber pictures!...I particularly share your interest in combining your CB1100 rides to significant museums/historical places... where we can pay homage and contemplate the immense loss of lives of those generations before us...I also appreciate/thank Mr. "Ferret" for his Post#13 for expressing thoughts for which I share!!!
 
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