A little truth about the Second World War

According to the survey (on our Russian page) was clear: Readers majority determined that in the Second World War won the Soviet Union.
So who won the war? In the wording of this question is a small catch: I meant the Second World War, not the Great Patriotic war. Many people were confusing with this question. As we know, the Second World War began September 1, 1939 when Germany attacked Poland and ended with the capitulation of Japan after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 2 September 1945. And, of course, won the countries of anti-Hitler coalition.

But I would like to focus on the Great Patriotic war (GPW). (because not for nothing many of you have decided that won the USSR). After all, Soviet Russia got the most important, the most powerful and devastating blow from Nazi Germany. And this fact is now is ignored by Western historians and foreign media.

Let's take some facts:
- The enemy lost on the Soviet-front 607 divisions, and against the Western Allies - 176, ie 3,5 times less.
- In the battles with the Soviet Union Germany lost ¾ aviation, most of the artillery (75% of), almost 80% of the tanks and assault guns.
- Of the 13.6 million people killed, wounded and captured Nazi Germany lost on the Soviet-front of 10 million people!

Any stats reveal that the Soviet armed forces led to the collapse of Hitler's military and the state machine.
Soviet Union suffered the greatest losses in World War II. 30 million lives - the price of Victory! This can not be forgotten or underestimated. It is our pain and memory!

Of course, the Soviet ideological propaganda of a few, shall we say, reinforced this historic significance. Clearly, that Soviet propaganda went too far in condemning the West, did not mince the utterances. Like, a second front was opened only when the Red Army had liberated and its territory and half in Europe.
But the Western version of the history of WWII went even further.

Take in the hands a fat book "The Second World War" authorship of English historian Liddle Hart. Almost 900 pages, but the war between Germany and the USSR devoted ...only 58 of them! What can I say ... Perhaps the author was not interested. God is with him.

According to this historic publication, "the largest tank battle" was ... at El Alamein. There met ... 60 tanks! From both sides! Bernard Montgomery, recall, defeated Field Marshal Erwin Rommel ...

My friends! But what about the Battle of Kursk?? On the field participated Prokhorovsky 1500 tanks! We do not know? " We can be deceived??

We read about the Battle of Kursk in this book. We learn that the USSR won in this battle, because ... the Anglo-Americans landed in Sicily ... so…open any encyclopedia, read: Sicilian operation began on July 10, 1943, and the Battle of Kursk - July 5, the same year, ie five days earlier.

Who Should Read This, say the least, careless historical inaccuracy? For those maybe who believe in the word, not bothering to search for truth. On the eastern front, Germany has always (I repeat - always!) lost two-thirds of its troops.

This is just a single example of historical shifts in emphasis, but it clearly illustrates the whole picture - the Western vision of the Second World War is one-sided. Turn on the TV channel "History" - check.

They detail talking there about the landing of troops in Normandy, but not about that Russia still (!!!) to pay her debts under Lend-Lease. Passed 65 years, and we who have lost the most in the war still calculated for it ... "For Whom the war, and for whom - his mother is native."

The younger generation is not much interested in this period of history. Learn about the war of books and movies (most movies only). It is not enough, in my opinion. We must not forget that "if mankind forgets its past, it will be doomed to live it again”.

The main thing to remember that:
In World War II involved 61 states, 55 millions dead. A terrible and senseless war in which people are destroying people.
The fighting took place in Europe, and Africa, and in the Pacific Ocean. The aggressive and obsessed by death military regimes in Germany, Italy and Japan were defeated.
Mankind defeated fascism only united, creating a coalition.
History does not tolerate not only the subjunctive, but also rewriting some of its pages. We are all living today must take the past as it actually happened in reality.

Let expressed in this article is only my personal opinion, we, the Belarusians have lost every third citizen in this war, must remain thankful, knowledgeable and wise, remembering the heroism of our people!

Dmitry Rubanik

A little truth about the Second World War

«Only vodka from Russia is genuine Russian vodka»

Purely Men's article.
But I recommend read and women.

It will ...
About VODKA
(before use vodka - do not read!)

Be proud! Our land Principality of Polotsk, is a "precursor" Russian vodka!
It would seem, ask any man on the street: "What do you know about the vodka?", The answer will be a long, emotional and exhaustive. No! In fact, no simple matter. The most common answer to this question - why talk about it, drink it should be! When asked about the origins of vodka, at best, know Mr Mendeleev. quite unexpectedly I found some information about Williams Pokhlebkin, which I previously knew as heraldry and knew of his culinary passions. I opened the secret!
The first surprise. It turns out that the word "vodka" is a form of the word "water". So Pokhlebkin argues in his book "History of Vodka. Originally a Russian word! I trust him unconditionally. And its impossible not to believe him. It was him who returned the Soviet Union the right to use this global brand. And everything than reported in this book was proved by international courts!
And what about the Arabs, who, as everyone knows, the first news of the world to the opening of alcohol (from Arabic. Al-kuhl)? The process of distillation was known to them even in the VI century. But getting the product, which, as we know, must be 40 degrees, not fixed. And the Arabs were ethyl alcohol. A Russian vodka, as is known, obtained from cereal (its name is grain wine). By the way, even in the works of Aristotle (384-320 gg. BC) provides an indication of how to evaporate the water by heating and condense formed a pair by cooling. And it was the ancient way.
The second surprise. Traditionally, the Russian vodka was invented by the monks of the Kremlin in 1503... but! Pokhlebkin considers this date to 25-55 years earlier! He argues that the "bread wine was created in Moscow in one of its monasteries, in the Kremlin, and that distillation was developed in the period from 1448 to 1478.
The third. Strangely, but the modern vodka actually was invented by Mendeleyev, and accurately calculated the ratio the weight of alcohol and water so that the alcohol was completely chemically linked (for professionals: when 1 molecule of alcohol produces 3 molecules of water, there is the greatest strength, maximum compressibility). That is the weight, not volume ratio of alcohol and water, give a precise 40 °. "This sort of Mendeleev vodka was patented in 1894 by the Government of Russia as Russian national vodka -" Moscow Special "(originally called" Moscow special "). Therefore, and write the vodka label 40 °, not 40%. So carefully study the vodka label!
The fourth. Mendeleev did not drink vodka, preferring a good grape wine. This is very strange. What he has is opened in the vodka, which is not reported?
Another surprise. Vodka "Smirnoff" is bad vodka, compared with any vodka, for example, our Vitebsk distillery. Yes! Besides information on the labels of Smirnoff vodka does not correspond to reality. The firm "Smirnov" in Russia was founded in 1862, not 1818, as adopted. The quality of them were rated as low "in all tests for all time from 1892 to 1991!"
The last surprise. William Pokhlebkin argues that "vodka is well suited as a gastronomic addition to the Russian national desk" and the promotion of “light alcohol” - incompetent! Else. From the perspective of cultural consumption of alcoholic beverages should drink alcohol only after the person ate tightly. And, finally, 75 grams of vodka a day - this is normal. All that is over - is harmful and is dangerous!
It is our land, or rather the principality of Polotsk, was a "forerunner" of Russian vodka.
Afterword. "In 1982 the International Court of Arbitration made the decision that USSR was assigned to the indisputable priority of creating an original Russian vodka as a drink and an exclusive right to its advertising slogan in the world market: «Only vodka from Russia is genuine Russian vodka»

Dmitry Rubanik

«Only vodka from Russia is genuine Russian vodka»

Vitebsk autumn! Victory Avenue .. ))

Vitebsk autumn! Victory Avenue .. ))

Nobel laureate

Inventions of Academician Jaures Ivanovich Alferov is used daily by almost every inhabitant of the planet. Every mobile phone, every CD-player, each cash register in supermarkets - all equipped with his invention. And we remember Jaures Alferov was born in Vitebsk!

In fact, the name of the chief invention of Alferov nothing to say for us if we are not the experts in the field of physics. Heterostructure semiconductors. If you say that aloud, it sounds even a little ... with erotic overtones. But, in fact, this laser.
At the cash register is a bar code reader device. And, when once again you go to the store, and paying for purchased goods, you hear the familiar message "pip" - remember our countryman! That he invented ... in 60 years of the last century!
Really, then who would have thought that the research of young scientists of the sixties would find an application only at the turn of the millennium. The infrared port is in every mobile phone. It is the work of Alferov. Fiber-optic communication - again Alferov. Insert CD-ROM into your computer or player - it reads the laser beam, the development Alferov. Now nobody will be surprised laser-pointer, is now producing such trinkets, but this is the invention of Jaures Alferov.

Its no sense to retell his story. This information is known and available. We must remember that the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2000, Academician Jaures Ivanovich Alferov, born in Vitebsk, and, once again, covered with the glory of our ancient city. We are proud of our countryman, an academician, one of the greatest physicists of our time!

Dmitry Rubanik

Nobel laureate

Resting his head in the sky

This is not a montage, in front of you the tallest man ever lived on earth. 2 meters 85 centimeters! Fedor Makhno, a native of the unpreserved village Kostyuki, Vitebsk region. Man had conquered the world. Pope, the Chancellor of Germany and the U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt considered for the honor the opportunity to talk to the giant.

We do not know the height and weight at birth of Fedor. However, he was born (June 18, 1878) is so great that his mother died in childbirth. Grow uncontrollably Fyodor began about 8 years old. And for four years, he grew up to two meters. Boys, peers, of course, teased tall man, but he just took off their hats and left on the roof of the house.

The world is so would not have learned about Vitebsk Gulliver, if the case is not brought him - 14-year-old boy, a German, Otto Billinderom, director of the circus. And the meeting took place on a summer morning in 1892 in Polotsk market, which in Vitebsk.
German circus toured in Vitebsk, Billinder went to the market to purchase provisions. Fedor Makhno had arrived with his father in the town to sell flour. German, like all visitors to the market, was stunned by the impressionable growth of Fedor. And then he offered a good bargain - he picks up Fedor to Germany and teaches him the art of circus. Consent was obtained and, after a while, Makhnov goes to the circus in Europe.
It must be said that a German circus businessman treated carefully and respectfully with young giant. During the eight years that Fedor played in a circus, Otto Billinderom paid him a a lot of money. With this money the giant lived comfortably the rest of his life. He bought manor houses, land and a mill in his native village. And even traveled to Europe and America.

Fedor Makhnov died at age 34 from lung disease. He was buried at home, there was a notice about his unique growth on the monument. True, made a mistake, pointing youthful growth of Mahnov - 3 feet 9 inches, which corresponds to 254 centimeters. The real Fedor’s growth was recorded by Austrian anthropologist Felix Lushan, which was confirmed by many researchers during the life of a giant.
The monument still stands in the place of burial. However, the skeleton was sold by relatives to the Minsk Medical Institute to 5 000 rubles and removed from the graves in the 30 years of the last century.

Dmitry Rubanik

Resting his head in the sky

The conflict of Chagall and Malevich

Events, which wants to tell, contributes absolutely occurred 90 years ago. In the autumn of 1919. In Vitebsk. One artist has not converged in the views on art with other. So what? It’s absolutely usual thing among artists. A trifle, it would seem. Only the names of artists are famous worldwide: Chagall and Malevich.



Such so strange birthday ...
In this story we know everything. Every nuance revised and re-scanned. On this subject, written books and theses are protected. We can only repeat what others, just like the hundredth time, telling a familiar story line, making only some of their own conclusions and placing different emphases.

So, Chagall. This name is inextricably linked to Vitebsk. Almost from Mayakovsky: We say - Vitebsk, mean - Chagall.
The fact that Mark Zakharych was back in his native city after the revolution, there is nothing surprising. With Lunacharsky they were familiar with in Paris. There lived the whole world the creative vanguard. Writers, artists, poets. Youth, talent and audacity!
Revolution. Vitebsk. Chagall.
All walls are painted by green goats and flying people. It is believed that such perfomensa which Mark gave no one ever, anywhere to create not try and duplicate can not. It was a grand installation! The whole city was brightly painted, like one big picture. Chagall, of course, painting.
Formed an art school. Chagall is responsible for everything and everyone: for the colors produces, and teaches the kids, and to address the economic. Teachers are invited to attend. Most, of course, advanced. Among them - Malevich. The main Russian avant-garde. It suffices to know that Malevich could draw squares of different colors, giving it like a true art. And what is the strangest thing he was believed.

The new system had to destroy the old, as is known, to the ground. And then ... !
All artists "forgot" about the "bourgeois" realism. Was thrown completely the primacy of the sensual beauty. Natural proportions are not consistent with the aspirations of world revolution. Abstract was dominated.
Chagall, between us, too went in the footsteps of his teacher, the painter Yehuda Pen. Giving of Chagall require some form of expression. And this shape, as time showed, was found.

In his book, «Ma vie» Mark Z. complains that he was droved out from Vitebsk. But it seems that he dissembled a little. He really missed but, apparently, the artist knew that the euphoria of the victory of the proletariat would soon pass. He had anticipated the offensive of terrible times. And although the “red chopper" was just initiate movement Shagall did not want to stay in this country.
And just mixed all the circumstances.
Cubist Malevich began to insist on the need to multiply the squares and other colored geometric shapes. Everything: the walls, facades, trams and even trains – was painted in the squares. All this painting was attached great aesthetic value.

Well, tell me where among this "cosmic art" Mark can snuggle with his goats and violinists? It was the conflict of ideologies. And then the war had reached. Minsk had already captured by the Poles. And Chagall left.


If Chagall stayed in Vitebsk, I think, would not he so great master, which enthusiastically said world. Socio-economic activities of the Vitebsk period took much time and energy. And the images were waiting for the incarnation.
And now time has passed and society don’t need the squares and stuff, which was once called the art.
Due to the fact that he left Chagall saved himself and his art, famous provincial Belarusian city of Vitebsk.

Dmitry Rubanik

The conflict of Chagall and Malevich

First of all - airplanes

Today, a resurgent Russia aviation industry is betting on the latest domestic development - the liner Superjet-100 ", developed by Sukhoi. The basis of the air forces of Russia, like many other countries, are unique aircraft of the Su-27 ". It is the strength and pride of aviation!
This is our pride. Because a man who laid the foundations of Russia's aviation, Pavel Sukhoi - our countryman, a native of Vitebsk land.

Pavel Sukhoi was born in the village Glubokoje (now - the town of Vitebsk region), July 10, 1895. His birth surprisingly coincided with the birth of aviation. Around that time, Alexander Mozhajskij designed the first aeronautic apparatus heavier than air. However, this fact has not received any publicity, and the aircraft has not been heard.
In 1900 the family of Sukhoj moved to the Gomel. Pavlik, the only boy in a large family, was just five years. The head of the family, Osip A., was a Director of a school for the railroad, directed the musical circle. Their home often hear the music. There was an impressive library. There are special folio - a collection of poems Yakub Kolas, presented by the author. In this atmosphere was growing future genius of aviation.
Then Pavlik goes to school in August 1905. The famous brothers Rait had already successfully fly their planes, but this fact is still hidden from the public. The invention is kept one's own counsel. And 10-year-old boys have other joys: the first phonograph, the first car and just opened an illusion-cinema.

And now is a world sensation! It is 1906. French aviator Santos Dumont in an airplane of its own design rises into the air and flies entire ... 220 meters! The whole world in a joyous stupor. Immediately coming the next record - another Frenchman flies 770 meters in a straight line. All newspapers are trumpeting a new era - aviation. In Paris, there are the brothers Rait, and raise the bar records. These improved apparatus are raised to a height of more than a hundred meters and fly ... 50 miles! More than two hours in the air! Era Aviation occurs finally and irreversibly.
Comes Aviation madness. Airplanes overfly the Eiffel Tower, fly through the English Channel.But in Russia there is no air "boom" yet. While.
But now comes the year 1910. Illustrative airline flights are taking place in Russia. One of them - in Gomel. Paul is 15 years. He was among the spectators demonstration flight of Sergei Utochkin. This shocking act. Like thousands of young men of that time, Paul fascinated reading about updates to aeronautics. He got the article of Zhukovsky that changed his world outlook. Only now he wants himself to design airplanes and believe - is his calling.
In 1914, after graduating college, he decided to go to the professor Mozhayskiy in Moscow for implementing his plans. But in August the war begins. Pavel Osipovich sent to the front. Next will be the following events: forced to escape from the front, the teaching in Lunenez and Gomel, meeting with his future wife, Sophia, and, finally, studies in Moscow. He becomes an air constructor.

In times of USSR fully blooming talent of Pavel Sukhoi. Under the leadership of the famous Tupolev, Pavel Osipovich constructs his first aircraft. Everything is, in general, safely. Sukhoj involved in many projects of the Soviet design bureau. But he dreams about the creative independence. And the fate gives a chance!
June 18, 1937 world shaking news - Russian pilots have made flights of the USSR - the United States over the North Pole! Flight headed by the famous Valery Chkalov, set a new distance record. All talk enthusiastically about Chkalov, few people know about Sukhoj who designed this aircraft. And Paul does not like attention to his person.
But the record of Chkalov a month later was breaked! And again on the Sukhoi aircraft design. Gromov's crew covered a distance of 11 thousand kilometers! America crazy about Russian pilots. Such boom and did not dream modern "stars". Fallen glove of Gromov, for example, instantly break into souvenirs. This is a deserved triumph for Russian aviation.
There will be a famous ultra-long flight of female crew of Valentina Grizodubova. And this is a new incredible success of the Soviet aircraft industry and Sukhoy in particular. But there will be failures as well. And these failures have had historic significance.
Developed in the mid of 1930 Su-1 and Su-3 are superior to all the best characteristics of the aircraft that existed before the Second World. But these models did not begin to be produced. Because of the one flaw detail – turbo compressor. Nobody knows how to change a military developments, whether the Red Army had these planes ...
During the The Second World War was released a few hundred well-known Su-2. This apparatus are particularly "survivability" and reliability. Often used to burning, bullet-riddled like a colander, Su-2 successfully returned to the military airfield. Surprisingly, even if the gas-tank of plane was damaged the plane did not explode. By the way, Paul Osipovich personally visited the squadron, asking the pilots about his own planes. Proposals of pilots to modernize the design immediately introduced into the production.
However, such machines were not enough, so there were incidents. For example the famous Pokryshkin attacked our Su-2 taking it for a German novelty.

After the war, the Sukhoi produces a huge number of military orders. In total, more than 50 original designs, of which 30 were built and tested. Peculiarities of its aircraft knew every boy of the postwar era. The famous cosmonauts Titov and Beregovoj were flying by aircraft marks "Su". But for a long time the name of the general design of these planes has remained classified.
Pavel Osipovich, wise man, whose ideas are ahead of his time, having all sorts of awards and titles, until his death remained a simple and humane. He was impatient to unprofessionalism and bragging. Was precise and penetrating. Do not reckon with the titles and regalia, often simple engineer who sowed the idea advanced in the project, caused by Pavel Sukhoi more attention than bureaucratic meetings.
Pavel Osipovich died in 1975 at the age of eighty. Ideas, worked on them for life, and now urgent and promising.
The enormous capacity for work, patriotism, and dedication - that is the true portrait of our illustrious countryman. Let us "declassify" name genius aircraft with special pride will bring to future generations.


P.S. Medal number 1 Andrei Tupolev, which was established by the Academy of Sciences and is awarded every four years for outstanding achievements in the field of aeronautical science and technology, was posthumously awarded the general designer of aircraft Osipovich Pavel Sukhoi.

Dmitry Rubanik

First of all - airplanes

Great Sanskrit scientist from Vitebsk!!!!

Sometimes it happens that monuments are erected to well-known people only for the fact that they were passing through these places. For others who were living and working in the Vitebsk region - complete oblivion.

The name of our great countryman Caetano A. Kossovich is hardly known to ordinary readers. Information about him is very poor. Nevertheless, it can be put in one row with Belinsky, Chernyshevsky, Dobroluboff.


Actually, they were friends - they were in the same club, led by Stankevich. In his university years, his friends were Tolstoy, Obolensky and Golitsyn. Once they saved Kossovich from departation to the Caucasus.
As for the organ-players - Bach, for mathematicians - Pythagoras, so for Sanskrit students an unquestioned authority is Kossovich, the first Sanskrit scientist of the St. Petersburg University.
Sanskrit, as it is known, refers to the dead, outdated language. But in Sanskrit there were written greatest examples of manuscripts of Aryan civilization, the holy Mahabharata, with its unparalleled Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas, Upanishads and the laws of Manu. Sanskrit is also the ancestor of all Slavic languages.

Just think! Exept of Sanskrit Caetano A. perfectly knew and mastered ancient Iran (zendskim) and Old Persian, Jewish, Greek and Latin, and the newest: German, French, Italian, English, Greek and Arabic, Polish and Czech. For the residents of the 21 st century it looks fantastic! Moreover, Kossovich issued "Sanskrit-Russian Dictionary", "Greek-Russian Dictionary", "Jewish grammar". He taught Greek (Belinsky called Kossovich passionate Hellenists "), he was the author of many translations.

But for all its miraculous ability for languages, he poorly understood ... numbers! Valentin Pikul in his "Historical Miniatures" says that the most difficult for Kossovich was the number "seven" - the basis of the Jewish Kabbalah. It was sometimes ridiculous - Caetano elementary could not pay in the shop for the food! he gave all cash on the counter and asked the seller to count off the desired amount.

But let's come back to the beginning of our narration. Cayetano A.was born in 1815 in a "poor Belarusian village" near Polotsk, which name has not been preserved for history, in a family of a poor priest. The first school was the Uniate School in Polotsk, where he studied until 1828. Then - Vitebsk. Because of the absence of a uniforms for students, Caetano entered a school for bazilyantsev. Later, when he bought the uniform for two bottles of Tsimlyanskii wine , Kossovich enetred Vitebsk school. Pikul describes in details the entire interior of poverty: a mattress on the floor and a chair ... Oh, yes! Also - the bookcase with books in old Jewish language. That is, indeed, a treasure for the young inquisitive mind!

Rumors that a poor self-taught Belarusian learned old Jewish Talmud, so well that the local city rabbi shaked his head helplessly, say about the superiority of Kossovich in the knowledge of languages. The Jewish community of St. Petersburg, during the life of the author, promised to put a monument to the professor, for the transfer of valuable texts from the ancient Hebrews. Where is he this monument? Hey!


Next will be career, translations, ranks and positions - all the things that made him famous and outstanding.
Studying foreign languages, A. Cayetano did not give offense to his native Belarussian language. Here are his words in the comments to his own article: "I will note that the Belarusian dialect is not Lithuanian, as claimed, wrongly, and not one that was used in writing in the XVI century. Because the Belarusian language is something other than the Polish language with the Russian form ... Also, it can not be considered and Russian ... "
Sparrow, who was born in the stable, can not be called a horse. Privy Counselor, Dr. comparative linguistics, academic, peer who was not in scientific circles throughout the world, Caetano A. Kossovich is a personality of the planetary scale. But on the whole planet there was no place for a memorial to the memory of this great person! On the monuments the following words could be written: "Knowing so many languages, who are you to the actual fact: Sanskrit scientist, Semitic, Hellenist ...?
- Alas, I am just ...a Belarusian, who adores his poor people. "

Dmitry Rubanik

Great Sanskrit scientist from Vitebsk!!!!

Belovezhskaya Pushcha

Belovezhskaya Pushcha