Free Republic

Russia’s scaled-down Victory Day military parade showed not only Moscow’s insecurities over possible Ukrainian attacks but also highlighted the country’s depleted military resources due to the conflict, political analysts said. May 9 is a public holiday in Russia when it commemorates the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. It is arguably the most important day in Russia’s public calendar and history, forming a central part of the country’s modern national identity. This year’s military parade through Red Square in Moscow and celebrations around the country were noticeably smaller than in previous years or entirely canceled, with...

Vladimir Putin’s annual Victory Day parade in Moscow meant to showcase Russia’s military might failed to impress Tuesday, with critics poking fun at the lone World War II-era tank that was seen rolling forlornly through Red Square. The event celebrating Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 was a drastically pared-down affair compared to years past, featuring a mere 8,000 soldiers — the lowest number since 2008. Even the procession in 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic, featured some 13,000 soldiers. Last May, more than a month into the invasion of Ukraine, 11,000 troops took part in...

VLADIMIR Putin rushed through a speech in Moscow's Red Square today to open a diminished parade marking Russia's victory in World War II. Far fewer troops and a solitary rusting tank dating from the war were on display amid tight security after a suspected assassination attempt on the tyrant. -snip- A solitary WWII vintage commemorative T-34 was the only tank that took part and instead of usual show of armoured might, it was followed by just 10 armoured jeeps. The usual flypast over Moscow and other cities was cancelled again, after a lack of trained pilots grounded it last year.

Russia has taken tanks from the 1940s out of storage, according to new images from a monitoring group, as it continues to lose large numbers of tanks in Ukraine. The Conflict Intelligence Team, a group that monitors Russia's military, shared images of the antique tanks on a train. It said that the images show T-54 tanks, which the Soviet Union started producing in 1947, moving west from the far east of Russia. While other old tanks have been used by Russia in Ukraine, none have been as old as the T-54, the group said.

A pink tank quickly became the star of the Czech weapons amnesty program. (Photo Credit: PolicieCZ / Twitter) When police in the Czech Republic used a tank in their ad to promote weapons amnesty, they didn’t realize someone would take it so seriously. The Czech weapons amnesty program is designed to help people who own weapons but not the required paperwork to bring those weapons in and have the police help them obtain the proper documentation so they can keep those weapons legally. Weapons that are known to have been used in a crime are not eligible for the program....

Last week we noted the bizarre arguments of Seattle Times editorial writer Bruce Ramsey, who tried so hard to defend Barack Obama against President Bush’s “appeasement” speech that he actually ended up defending Hitler for annexing Austria. His exact words were: “What Hitler was demanding was not unreasonable.” If you think that’s an ahistorical pretzel of monumental proportions, though, you ain’t seen nothin’ — because here comes Pat Buchanan. According to old Pat, not only was the Anchluss not a problem, Hitler’s invasion of Poland was also perfectly understandable, given the Poles’ refusal to negotiate. Those darned stubborn Poles were...

Their alliance was vital in stopping Hitler. But the tetchy wartime relationship between Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin was frequently stretched to its limits. In November 1941, when the Soviet leader had the cheek to criticise the quality of tanks and guns sent from Britain to help Russian forces, the Prime Minister had reached the limit of his patience. Fortunately Stalin realised he had gone too far and took advantage of the fact Churchill’s 67th birthday was imminent to send a gushing ‘card’ as a conciliatory measure.

Ruthenians (Belarus) vs the Germans.

Thick, black graffiti sprayed onto a Russian polar bear's coat poses an extra threat to an animal already in danger, experts say. Video shared on social media shows a lumbering polar bear whose back had been branded with "T-34," the name of an old Soviet Union tank. . . . Polar Bears are listed as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The loss of sea ice cover due to climate warming is considered the single biggest threat to their long-term survival. A reassessment of their habitat in 2015 found there was a "high probability" that the...

The wide tracks of Soviet T-34S and colossal KV-1S crunched through the snow. Night had fallen west of Belgorod on March 15, 1943. The Soviet tank column was headed toward a village, looking for shelter for the night. Although the village appeared deserted, the Soviet commander was wary. For days now there had been heavy fighting, with the Nazis trying to recapture Kharkov from the Soviets. The T-34s fired incendiary shells, setting ablaze a few peasant huts. When nothing moved, the tanks rumbled into the village. The commander’s tank came to halt, unaware that the muzzle of a Tiger tank...

(CNN)Russia is taking back World War II-era tanks from Laos because, well, Moscow needs a star, lots of them. The Russian Defense Ministry said this week that 30 T-34 tanks had arrived in the far eastern port of Vladivostok after a 4,500-kilometer (2,800-mile) journey from the Southeast Asian nation. They soon will be on their way to the Moscow area. Until recently, the tanks were on active duty in the Laotian military, almost 80 years after first being introduced into the Soviet military in 1940. T-34 production continued into the Cold War, with more than 80,000 produced in all. Thousands...

World War II tanks still in service in the world, video of T-34's in Ukraine and Syria, JSIII in Ukraine, SU-152's and 100's in Ukraine, Stuarts and Shermans in South America...

VOLGOGRAD, Russia - An aged T-34 tank clattered into the centre of the southern Russian city once known as Stalingrad and soldiers dressed in World War II-era uniforms marched solemnly as Russia marked the 70th anniversary of the end of one of modern warfare's bloodiest battles. President Vladimir Putin came to the city later Saturday to take part in the commemorations, including a visit to the famous hilltop memorial complex surmounted by a towering 87-meter (280-foot) statue of a sword-wielding woman representing the motherland. "Stalingrad will forever remain a symbol of unity and invincibility of our people, a symbol of...

at first which are various quotes from a book, concerning tanks; that part not copied-and-pasted to hereOkay, a whole lot of questions, from a professional civilian. (a) What were the significant differences between a Sherman tank and a Soviet T-34; one has the impression they were very much alike? (b) A by-then-antique British Centurion tank has been the only tank I myself have ever seen up close, and operating (although not in combat, of course); how did that tank compare with the Shermans and T-34s? (c) One gets the impression the Allies did in fact have some heavy tanks, comparable...

Local Navy student pilots will learn the craft's digital cockpit Student pilots at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi will begin training for more advanced aircraft when the T-6 Texan II replaces the T-34 Turbomentor. The change will occur in 2012. The single-engine, two-seat T-6 that will replace the single-engine, two-seat T-34 will have a digital cockpit instead of a dial-instrumentation cockpit. The change allows the students to learn a digital cockpit from the beginning, instead of learning a dial cockpit and then a digital cockpit in advanced training, said Lt. Sean Robertson, a spokesman for the Chief of Naval Air...

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - Planning for the upcoming open house on Oct. 22 and 23 is hitting a fever pitch as base officials finalize one of the most diverse air shows to hit the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles area in years. This year there will be just under seven hours of continuous flying featuring nearly 34 separate flight demonstrations; more than triple those of most shows common to southern California. Some highlights include a special performance by aviation legend Chuck Yeager flying a P-51 Mustang, the same type of aircraft Yeager flew when he became an ace in...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

What do you all think is the best tank in the world, now and before of cause. I´m from Germany so for me it´s clear. The Leopard 2A5 ist the best tank the world has ever known. We also produced some great tanks like the Tiger or Panther, for Expert´s the Henschel Sturmtiger and the Köngistiger are the ancestors of all modern tanks and the Us and Russia have stolen our ideas.