The Great Patriotic War: Collecting War Material / Artifacts

World War II artidacts
Figure 1.--Here a Moscow school boy shows off his collection of World War II material. "Sir, it's history", he explained. Put your cursor on the image to see some of the ordinance he and his father collected.

NAZI Germany and the Soviet Union fought the largest and most horific military campaign in human history. Much of the fighting during 1941-44 took place in Russia or the Ukraine. Human losses probably exceeded 20 million people, both as a result of actual fighting anf genocidal NAZI poiicies and actual killing operations. Huge quantities of military ordinance were expended during this campaign. Great quantities lies buried in Russia, Beylorussia, and the Ukraine. A teacher in Moscow tells us that a popular activity in Moscow is to collect World War II arifacts, weapons and ordinance. He explains that they go to places around here where major battles were fought and there are numerous places around Russia where the decisive battle of World War II was fought. One boy came into class today dragging a sack full of World War II weapons. shell cases, and spent bullits. At least I hope they were spent. Other items included a revolver and some sort of what looked to me was a Lugger-type pistol. One boy insisted, however, "Sir they are Russian weapons." Some looked leathal to me. The boys hunt the weapons with their fathers. Some may also buy from shops. The bullets have had a hole drilled in the side to make them safe. They use the old guns to play army. The boy with the sack said, "Sir its history!" and of course he has a point.

The Great Patriotic War

NAZI Germany and the Soviet Union fought the largest and most horific military campaign in human history. Much of the fighting during 1941-44 took place in Russia or the Ukraine. Human losses probably exceeded 20 million people, both as a result of actual fighting anf genocidal NAZI poiicies and actual killing operations. Huge quantities of military ordinance were expended during this campaign. Great quantities lies buried in Russia, Beylorussia, and the Ukraine.

Collecting War Material

A teacher in Moscow tells us that a popular activity in Moscow is to collect World War II artifacts--weapons and ordinance. He explains that they go to places around here where major battles were fought and there are numerous places around Russia where the decisive battle of World War II was fought. One boy came into class today dragging a sack full of World War II weapons. shell cases, and spent bullits. At least I hope they were spent. Other items included a revolver and some sort of what looked to me was a Lugger-type pistol. One boy insisted, however, "Sir they are Russian weapons." Some looked leathal to me. The boys hunt the weapons with their fathers. Some may also buy from shops. The bullets have had a hole drilled in the side to make them safe. They use the old guns to play army. The boy with the sack said, "Sir its history!" and of course he has a point. Several of the boys have been bringing in these trophies for a while. I read recently that an 8 year old boy was killed in a gun clubs exhibition. He was allowed to fire a weapon that he lost control of and got shot in the head. The organisers must have been mortified as they were all gun experts. Our teacher writes, "Thankfully they can have this experience and develop a sense of history and come to an understanding of the part their country played in shaping the 20th century."

War Views

It is interesting to view the very different attitudes toward the War that has emerged in the various beligerant countries. The Russians have taken a very unuanced view of the War. It is understandable that these boys understand only the achievement of the Red Army. There is no doubt that it was the Red Army broke the back of the Whrmacht and played a central role in destroying the NAZI tyranny. There is, however, little appreciation on the part f their parents of the terrible crimes the Soviets committed throughout Eastern Europe. Many Russians today are mistified and often offended by the way they are viewed in neigbiring states like the Baltics, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Germans seem to view the War primarily as an example of the futility of war and see the War as one more in the long series of European Wars. Some Germans understand the very unique character of the War. No Allied soldier liberating a NAZI concentration camp had any doubt about what they had accomplished. This is, however, probably not the primary view of the younger generation. French attitudes tend to be quite varied and are difficult to summarize. France was bothan Allied nation and during the NAZI occupation a country which colaborated with the NAZIs. Attitudes in Britain and America have shifted in recent years, especially after the Vietnam War. The early generation saw the War for what it was, a crusade agaunst evil to defeat regimes that planned to destroy the substance of Western Civilization. Modern Britons and Americans are more likely to see the War as just another war and illustrating the futility of War.







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Created: 4:14 PM 10/27/2008
Last updated: 3:06 AM 1/5/2010