John Kettler Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Site's called TheSovietWorld, and the proprietor is Lisa Soinceva, who's in Ukraine. Reputation is top notch. Sanity loss entirely possible. Was gobsmacked myself. Prices are quite reasonable. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erwin Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 The prices are amazingly good. I have a large number of old Soviet military badges that I brought out from CCCP decades ago and was thinking they must be valuable by now. Unfortunately apparently not... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 Erwin, Don't know whether you're looking for one, but ebay has super inexpensive ($6) Mosin Nagant two chamber oilcans, also a pair of Mosin Nagant cartridge pouches (~$44 w/ free shipping). Store's called Suzy's Surplus. If you're short on cool Soviet GPW sniper prints... The gentleman below had 230 confirmed kills. Dealer is PrimrosePrints 1940s Vintage Military Print of Maxim Passar, Nanai USSR Decor, Available Framed, WW2 Art, Old Soviet Union Gift for Sniper, Russian Artwork Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erwin Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 Well doesn't everyone have a "Mosin Nagant two chamber oilcan" already?? I do have one of those fur hats with Soviet badge - I think from when it used to be called Leningrad. Very good for cold weather at Sundance Film Festival and for getting attention. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted July 26, 2017 Author Share Posted July 26, 2017 Erwin, Ah, the ushanka. You may find this thread of interest. http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/headgear-steel-helmets-rkka-red-army-soviet-army/tankist-vdv-helmet-408148-2/ And I feel a song coming on! If you can sit still during this one, you are most likely dead. This song will make more sense when you understand that Tula was famous for its samovars before the GPW, but its war production served an altogether different form of hot tea! The visuals on this video are fabulous. This one very neatly mirrors the behavior of its subject. When you hear it you'll understand.There are lots of images here I've never seen. I truly believe the Red Army Choir is the best in the business when it comes to military songs. People jonesing for partisans may well lose their minds from the photos, though I'm sure a few aren't partisans. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted July 26, 2017 Author Share Posted July 26, 2017 (edited) This one gave me goose bumps and practically made me cry. The girl singing is so pretty (pigtails with ribbons while in uniform = adorable), charming and emotive she's really getting to the audience and some of the choir members. Bonus in that there's an English translation. Believe she's a big deal singer in Russia. Apparently, the the youngest singer to work with the Red Army Choir. We talk about singers here having soul, but heretical as it may sound, I think our soul singers have nothing on the soul of Russian singing. Gets me right here (points to heart). There is something so fundamental, elemental and visceral to Russia's music. This one doesn't send my boat down the Volga, but the pictures are wonderful. Not sure the caption's right, since I'm pretty sure it says tankisti. It does have pictures of tanks, but I don't here tanki or tankisti much. This is the classic tankisti song. Sure wish the images weren't so blurry! Regards, John Kettler Edited July 26, 2017 by John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erwin Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 Go get some sleep, John. Being on these forums for 5 days without sleep can't be good 4 u. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted July 27, 2017 Author Share Posted July 27, 2017 Erwin, Not only did I get some sleep (was not awake for five days, have, in fact, generally been going to bed pretty early), but I got in a couple of good walks (the second with groceries) and got the latest version of one of my books done--for now, aT least. Consequently, I answered some E-mail, put together a big one to brother George who's working on some rules for WW II combat with miniatures, and got to chase down and post some videos. And where Valeria moved me to tears, this version of Katyusha gave me goosebumps. Powerful, with serious vocal power and fireworks! Lovely harmonies, too. Speaking of power, get a load of these two Chinese guys singing it in Chinese, if you can avoid being distracted by their lovely and sweet voiced female counterparts! Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erwin Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 (edited) Lovely singing if you close your eyes. Otherwise all those fresh wholesome faces exploiting kids etc. in a propagandist/militaristic setting... reminds me too much of Scientologists or a Mormon Tabernacle show. Here's another example: Edited July 27, 2017 by Erwin 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted August 1, 2017 Author Share Posted August 1, 2017 (edited) Erwin, Fair points. To us here in the States who've seen the videos (very few compared to Bieber et al.), it's kind of weird and perverse. We have a deeply meaningful, brutal and powerful song from one police state refusing to bow to another, by invoking something transcending Communism. Moving to the present, we now have spectacle of citizens of the replacement Russian dictatorship being sung to by Chinese military personnel, who themselves are under a dictatorship. Surreal. In case anyone thinks I'm Russia bashing here, I'll say flat out I find my own country is a mess. Believe it's wise to stop there. Compared to Valeria, the boy might as well not shown up. Now, to me, those lovely and talented Chinese singers and that woman in the crowd seen briefly wearing pearl earrings are what make watching this video worthwhile, as far as I'm concerned. Here is that powerhouse Elena Vaenga doing "The Sacred War" and backed by part of the Red Army Choir. I absolutely believe she would rip the guts out of an attacker and not think twice. She gave me goosebumps early on and moved me to nearly crying later--and those eyes! Since everyone in the audience stood up when the song began, I think this is a deeply engrained social custom, and I saw tears in the eyes of some there when she sang. In fact, I got choked up, so probably would've come unstuck as a Russian. Whiie I really didn't and don't like look of gigantic Soviet era war monuments, with the aerials in this video of the arresting one at the top of, I believe, Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, that same gigantic scale really works. Great to finally see the lyrics. I think the enthusiasm for WITE would've been dampened considerably had the German people heard that song properly translated and powerfully sung, so got it at a visceral level. Not kidding. Scared me, and I'm the multi-generational descendant of a major wartime ally! Regards, John Kettler Edited August 1, 2017 by John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erwin Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Yes, I use a version of that for my CMRT game. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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