The WWII Fight for Kyiv

[jone]

Perhaps few people know this, but the largest encirclement and capture of prisoners in history was in Kyiv, in WWII.  The Germans captured 650,000 Red Army soldiers after Stalin refused to let them retreat.

Here is a summation article with imagery that I happened to read today.  I thought it might be of interest to the rest of the forum.

http://smithjan.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/L1006374-Edit.jpg

It shows a pictoral history and also describes the Kyiv Motherland Statue and the surrounding museum.

[krimster2]

some debate over losses of course, some say higher
regardless, it was devastating

I have done a lot of what I call "bunker diving" around Kyiv as well as Crimea
google "Serpent's Wall" and you'll see what bunker diving outside of Kyiv is like
for real, if you live in Ukraine a metal detector is a must, I had a White's
I only kept the coins I found, was a box full, and I had to smuggle them out
they now rest in my "Treasure Chest" for future grandchildren

[msmob]

When the Kremlin and .E.Ukrainian 'rebels' were pushing the 'Nazi're Kyiv - it was really ignorant given what Ukraine endured under Nazi occupation ....