World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
20 Jun 2012 02:09:35 PM

RUSSIAN BEAR HUG:

RUSSIAN DEMONSTRATIONS OF HUGS, BACKSLAPPING,
KISSES ON THE CHEEK, HANDSHAKES AND OTHER GESTURES ARE VERY COMMON AMONG FRIENDS AND COMRADES-IN-ARMS.
IN THE FILE PHOTOGRAPH, IT LOOKS LIKE PAVEL AND CHEKOV HAVE SURVIVED BATTLE AND ARE GLAD
TO MEET ON THE BATTLEFIELD. ALSO IN GREETING
WITH A HANDSHAKE, THE GLOVE OR MITT MUST COME OFF...AS SEEN IN PHOTOGRAPH.

WHERE'S THE VODKA:

DID YOU KNOW ONCE A BOTTLE OF VODKA IS OPENED
IT MUST BE EMPTIED..DA!

WHAT'S THE UNIFORM OF THE DAY ON BOTH THE LENINGRAD AND VOLKHOV FRONTS. LOOKS LIKE PAVEL HAS BEEN ISSUED THE M40 WINTER CAP AND THE M1940 PATTERN USHANKA OVERCOAT, WITH LEATHER BELT HE COULD BE ARMED WITH A TOKAREV MODEL M1933 7.62x25mm SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOL OR A NAGANT M1895 7.62x38R REVOLVER CARRIED IN A LEATHER HOLSTER, BUT THIS IS ONLY MY GUESS.

FIREPOWER:

TROOPS COULD BE ARMED WITH THE PPsH-41 OR THE PPS-42/43 SUB-MACHINE GUNS IN 7.62x25mm DEGTYAREV DT 7.62x54R MACHINE GUN AND THE MOSIN-NAGANT MODEL 1891 BOLT-ACTION RIFLE OR CARBINE IN 7.62x54R SAY I'LL EVEN THROW IN A TOKAREV SVT SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLE ALSO IN 7.62x54R, AND HAND GRENADES FOR EVERYBODY.

RIFLES FIRED 7.62x54R FULL POWER CARTRIDGE, SUB-MACHINE GUNS FIRED THE 7.62x25 SMALLER PISTOL CARTRIDGE.

PERSONNEL NOTE*

DURING MY TOURS IN VIETNAM, I WOULD MEET MEN THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN IN WEEKS BECAUSE OF DIFFERENT OPERATIONS WE WERE ON IT WAS GREAT TO KNOW WE SURVIVED, WE HAD OUR HANDSHAKES AND HUGS, BUT NO KISSES.
IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE THAT'S DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE, AND WHAT ONLY SOLDIERS CAN REALLY UNDERSTAND.

I THANK THE EDITOR/WW2DB FOR ALLOWING ME TO LEAVE THIS PERSONNEL COMMENT ABOUT MY PAST EXPERIENCES DURING THE VIETNAM WAR...