OT: Dream Vacations in Military History

[TOMLABEL]

MineSweeper,

In case you get the chance, take pics for us of the CVN65 being scrapped. MAYBE WE WILL REMEMBER THIS TIME!!!!

[TOMLABEL]

As far as the places I would like to visit the most:

Omaha:

[TOMLABEL]

and The USS Arizona

[TOMLABEL]

Rick's

[TOMLABEL]

And this sweet spot in Paris

[geofflambert]

Well if you get to go to Rick's Cafe, I get to go to Luftstalag 13.

[MineSweeper]

ORIGINAL: TOMLABEL

MineSweeper,

How far are you from Ahoskie? That's where my SO is from. That's about how far we had to drive to Norfolk when we went to go see BB64 and the base. Just curious....

Tom, it is about a 2 hour drive.

[MineSweeper]

ORIGINAL: TOMLABEL

MineSweeper,

In case you get the chance, take pics for us of the CVN65 being scrapped. MAYBE WE WILL REMEMBER THIS

I'll see want I can do.....getting on the base will be a no no....but might be able to get some pics at another vantage point.

[CaptBeefheart]

Would like to do some diving in the Solomons some time, although the good wrecks there are below recreational levels (I think just a few AKs are divable). I did a five-day live-aboard dive trip to Truk in 1998 (hence the photo under my name). I can highly recommend that to divers on this forum.

Cheers,
CC

[Justus2]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Well if you get to go to Rick's Cafe, I get to go to Luftstalag 13.

Can't help with that one, but I did get to tour Luftstalag III while I was in Poland (training exercise near Zagan). That is the camp that the movie The Great Escape was based on. (Great movie, based on a true escape attempt). There is a museum there now, and a recreation of a section of tunnel, also the foundations of several buildings are still there (although much of it is overgrown or built upon). There is even a memorial path showing the actual length of the tunnel, with the names of those who were killed in the attempt, and the 3 successful escapees. And a few storyboards with pictures from the film. Also some displays on the march of the surviving POWs when the Germans evacuated in front of the advancing Russians. Worth seeing, if you are in western Poland.

[Justus2]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Well if you get to go to Rick's Cafe, I get to go to Luftstalag 13.

Can't help with that one, but I did get to tour Luftstalag III while I was in Poland (training exercise near Zagan). That is the camp that the movie The Great Escape was based on. (Great movie, based on a true escape attempt). There is a museum there now, and a recreation of a section of tunnel, also the foundations of several buildings are still there (although much of it is overgrown or built upon). There is even a memorial path showing the actual length of the tunnel, with the names of those who were killed in the attempt, and the 3 successful escapees. And a few storyboards with pictures from the film. Also some displays on the march of the surviving POWs when the Germans evacuated in front of the advancing Russians. Worth seeing, if you are in western Poland.

[Eambar]

ORIGINAL: Jim Stevens

Does anybody know if the Russians still offer a tour of WWII sites in their homeland?

You may be able to find some tour guides on the net, some may advertise battlefield tours as part of a wider range of other tours available, however there is certainly nothing "official" that I know of. I lived in Moscow for three years and visited every major and most minor battlegrounds from Volgograd northwards, and down into the Ukraine.

Most of the battlefields, monuments and museums are very accessible (however, see below).

Moscow and St.Petersburg are relatively easy to get to. Smolensk and Kursk are overnight train rides from Moscow and Volgograd is a plane (or lengthy) train ride. From Smolensk, Kursk and Volgograd you can hire a car and driver to get out into the countryside and follow the course of the battles. Particularly around Kursk, there are a lot of monuments (and a few museums) identifying the major points of the battle.

Most sites in the Ukraine can be visited from Kiev (itself the site of a large monument & museum.)

You will need a Russian speaking guide, either someone from Moscow who can help all the way around or someone local in each area.

However, if you are an AFV fan (and let's face it, who is not an Eastern Front Fanboy without loving their AFV) this is the place to try and get to:

Tank Museum Kubinka - you'll need to look it up, I did have the link posted but I'm not allowed to post links yet, apparently.

Very restricted, but worth it if you can get there. I was fortunate to get there as a colleague was an ex-Soviet Armoured Colonel, still had connections on base so he got me in. I was stunned at what they had.

Cheers

[bigred]

ORIGINAL: Doggie3

ORIGINAL: Jim Stevens

Does anybody know if the Russians still offer a tour of WWII sites in their homeland?

You may be able to find some tour guides on the net, some may advertise battlefield tours as part of a wider range of other tours available, however there is certainly nothing "official" that I know of. I lived in Moscow for three years and visited every major and most minor battlegrounds from Volgograd northwards, and down into the Ukraine.

Most of the battlefields, monuments and museums are very accessible (however, see below).

Moscow and St.Petersburg are relatively easy to get to. Smolensk and Kursk are overnight train rides from Moscow and Volgograd is a plane (or lengthy) train ride. From Smolensk, Kursk and Volgograd you can hire a car and driver to get out into the countryside and follow the course of the battles. Particularly around Kursk, there are a lot of monuments (and a few museums) identifying the major points of the battle.

Most sites in the Ukraine can be visited from Kiev (itself the site of a large monument & museum.)

You will need a Russian speaking guide, either someone from Moscow who can help all the way around or someone local in each area.

However, if you are an AFV fan (and let's face it, who is not an Eastern Front Fanboy without loving their AFV) this is the place to try and get to:

Tank Museum Kubinka - you'll need to look it up, I did have the link posted but I'm not allowed to post links yet, apparently.

Very restricted, but worth it if you can get there. I was fortunate to get there as a colleague was an ex-Soviet Armoured Colonel, still had connections on base so he got me in. I was stunned at what they had.

Cheers

Tank Museum Kubinka

http://www.tankmuseum.ru/

[Justus2]

I would love to visit some of the Russian battlefields. I did a bilateral exercise several years ago with some Russian officers, and had a great discussion on their history during the Great Patriotic War. The one officer talked about the 'great turning point' of 7-8 DEC 41 (the exercise was during December), they saw Zhukov's counterattack at Moscow combined with Pearl Harbor (assuring our entrance into the war, and confirmation of Japan's focus south) as the beginning of the turn.

We also discussed battlefields, and monuments, and one of our Soldiers mentioned Arlington. The Russian officer said "We have a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow too. But the real tomb of the unknown, is when you are on field manuevers in Russia, and you dig a foxhole, and find helmets and skulls. THEY are the Unknown Soldiers." I've always remembered that discussion.

[rockmedic109]

Missouri was very moving. Arizona Memorial even more.

Touring the USS Constitution would probably be my dream vacation. I actually won a drawing to join the trip around the bay a couple years back but I could not justify the money and I could not miss July 4 with my new daughter {I live on the west coast and we were leaving for Tennessee four days later}.

[oaltinyay]

I have seen Gallipoli, Caen, Normandy, Waterloo, Kursk ( I am not really sure about this one, it just was a rolling hill country and it really looked like well no place special ), Salamis Bay and Crete. On my list is Sinaai to Palestine trip if things ever calm down there.


I'd like to see a Tobruk/Alamein tour and a Guadalcanal tour also with a swimming chance in Rabaul and Munda.

[Lonewolf]

Don't forget USS Bowfin at Pearl Harbor. IMO Bowfin is the most interesting of all when I was there a dozen of years ago. The bookstore beside it was well stocked as well.

[mike scholl 1]

For military historians, it's hard to beat a couple weeks in Holland, Belgium, and Northern France. The area is literally "littered" with sites of military interest. Vauban fortresses (Lille has an outstanding example), the Normandy Beaches, the road to Arnheim, Waterloo, The Bulge, Museums galore. Every day another dream come true...

[oldman45]

I would love to go to all the Royal Military museums. Bucket list material.