Belarus
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It finally arrived from the Gomel region of Belarus.
This may be the oldest thing I have held in my hands at 4.2 billion years old.
It is the result of the violent destruction of what would otherwise have been a planet during the formation of our solar system. It comes from the boundary between the silica rich mantle and the iron-nickel core of a now extinct planet, torn away by a catastrophic impact with another planet or asteroid. A mix of solid stone forming olivine crystals (37% by weight) in suspension in liquid metal (iron-nickel) was flung into space to cool over millions of years in a vacuum and zero gravity, forming this beautiful mixture (which could not be created on Earth).
This is a 3 kg end piece (cut and polished) of the Brahin meteorite fall that was first discovered in 1807 by farmers and sent to the local university scientists. During World War II, German soldiers stole samples in Kiev, and others disappeared in Minsk.
The landing site was contaminated in 1986 by the Chernobyl disaster and falls now in the Periodic Control Zone. Coordinates: 52°30'N, 30°20'E
Back to the early days, here is a timeline of billions of years ago (bya):
4.6 bya Birth of our Sun
4.5 bya Planets agglomerate from the gas disk
4.4 bya The first crust forms on a very hot Earth. It probably looked like the ocean crust, and took another billion years to stabilize into continental crust.
4.2 bya Gases from volcanos formed the Earth's early atmosphere and vapor condensed into oceans.
4.2 bya This proto-planet exploded and soon afterward,
4.1 bya the lunar cataclysm of meteorite bombardment began on the Moon and Earth.
There has been quite a bit of academic analysis of this meterorite:
• Uranium and Plutonium isotope analysis and fission track aging (like carbon dating) establishes the date of its last violent event and expulsion as 4.26 – 4.20 billion years ago: Solar System Research, 2001.
• Transmission Electron Microscopy (which I have some experience with) shows that it cooled very slowly (5 degrees per million years) and the pallasite originated deep from within the source planet: Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, October 1997.
• But a bit of a unique mystery remains here, as it was superheated in two separate events during its formation (using Electron Backscatter Diffraction): American Geophysical Union, December 2009.
• Mantle-core composition (chemical, oxygen isotope and instrumental neutron activation analysis): Lunar and Planetary Science, March 1996.
• Or, from simple visual analysis: “Only 1% of all meteorites are pallasites - the most dazzling of all meteorites.” (I.M. Chait Gallery, 2011)
Perhaps this extinguished planet should be called Alderaan. =)
diesel passenger locomotive TEP70BS (ТЭП70БС-018) headed the train Gomel, Belarus - Saint Petersburg, arrived on historical The Vitebsk Railway Terminal
TEP70BS (ТЭП70БС) - improved version of the Soviet TEP70 diesel passenger locomotive built by Kolomna Locomotive Works, Russia in seria from 2006 y. Today 356 ones were produced. Previous version, TEP70 were built from 1973 till 2006 in quantity of 576. Primary driver - 4000 hp (2942 kW) 4-stroke diesel 16ЧН26/26 (diesel-generator 2А-5Д49).
Name of new series - BS refers to Boris Konstantinovich Salambekov (December 25, 1907 - July 1, 1978), legendary chief of October railway division of Soviet Railways (it includes St Petersburg, all area of Leningrad region and main route St Petersburg - Moscow). In 1942 during WW2 and Siege of Leningrad by German and Finnish Nazi, B.K. Salambekov distinguished himself at the construction of new railway lines to the improvised ports at Ladoga Lake on "Big Land" (East coast of the lake under Soviet control) and from the Ladoga coast to the besieged Leningrad inside the encirclement ring. When in January 1943 the blockade of Leningrad was broken and a new railroad line was hastily laid along the narrow corridor south of Lake Ladoga, Boris Salambekov personally organized the movement of trains along it. This road has no example in the world history - for almost 20 kilometers the tracks were laid along the swamps parallel to the front line, within the reach of the enemy's field artillery, not to mention the long-range guns and aircraft. Thanks to the skilful leadership of Salambekov and the heroism of workers of the railroad the enemy was not able to put the October railroad out of operation even for a day. In 1943 Salambekov was given a special personal rank of "General-director of traction of the II rank", and in 1949 "General-director of traction of the I rank". Later after WW2 he ruled the Siberian divisions of the Soviet Railways.
Location: Berlin - 1190km from home.
Gomel is definitely a rarer code for me. Even nicer to spot in January when you can't expect too much.
3 = Gomel
Ferdinand Vocke
Date of birth
14.01.1915
Place of birth
Haselünne
Death/missing date
19.08.1941
Death/missing place
Waldgelände b.Marjino
Service rank
Unteroffizier
According to the information available, his grave is currently in the following place: Marino / Gomel - Belarus
www.volksbund.de/en/erinnern-gedenken/gravesearch-online/...
The German invasion of the Soviet Union started on 22 June 1941 and led to a German military occupation of Byelorussia until it was fully liberated in August 1944 as a result of Operation Bagration. The western parts of Byelorussia became part of the Reichskommissariat Ostland in 1941, and in 1943, the German authorities allowed local collaborators to set up a regional government, the Belarusian Central Rada, that lasted until the Soviets reestablished control over the region.
Good photographic resource for historians.
Explore May 13, 2008 #482
2nd try-
In my first tries the background was critizised so I tried another version now.
German Army Sturmgeschütz III (Assault-gun 3) Ausführung B (Execution B) of 3. Batterie, 'Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 192' (192nd Assault-gun Battalion), '2.Armee' (2nd Army) during Operation Barbarossa. (Gomel, Belarus, Soviet Union, Aug 1941).
Formed in February 1941, the unit first saw combat on the 22th of June with the beginning of Operation Barbarossa. Launching the offensive from Janow-Podalski, Poland together with 'Infanterie-Regiment 82.' of '131. Infanterie-Division' crossed the Bug river into the Soviet Union. The unit continued fighting towards the Belarus town of Gomel, taking the town by the 23rd of August supported by the 131. Infanterie-Division. Later in September 1941 the unit was transferred to support the '124. Infanterie-Division' near Tchernigov, Ukraine advancing to Kaluga, Soviet Union where it remained over winter. After heavy fighting 'Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 192' was withdrawn in early April of 1942 and sent back to Germany. The unit was merged with 'Sturmgeschütz-Batterie 640' to form 'Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung Großdeutschland' and returned to the front in May of 1942.
Developed as self-propelled artillery support weapon for infantry assaults, the 'Gepanzerte Selbstfahrlafette für Sturmgeschütz 7,5cm Kanone Ausführung B' (Armoured Self-driving-carriage for 7,5cm Cannon Version B) or better known as the 'Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. B' was based on the 'Panzerkampfwagen III Ausführung G' (Armoured-battle-car 3 Version G) chassis. The vehicle was intended to be used in infantry assaults against enemy strong points or bunker fortifications and were often under the command of the infantry unit they were supporting. The armoured casemate mounted the low-velocity Krupp 7,5cm 'Sturmkanone 37' (Assault-cannon 1937) 'L/24' (7.5 Calibre x 24 Lengths = 180cm barrel length) cannon capable of firing high-explosive/armour-piercing (HEAT) and smoke rounds with each vehicle carrying about 54 rounds. The assault guns were operated by the Army 'Sturmartillerie' artillery branch and the crews were referred to as 'Kanoniere' (Gunners) rather than 'Panzerschützen' (Tank gunners).
Despite the 'Totenkopf' (Skull) symbol 'Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 192' was a Wehrmacht 'Heer' (Army) unit and is often confused with SS-Totenkopf-Sturmgeschütz-Batterie of the SS-Totenkopf-Division. Every assault gun battalion had its own unique insignia and unit marking system. For Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 192, the colour of the 'Totenkopf' designated the gun battery: White - 1st battery, Red - 2nd battery and Yellow - 3rd battery. Each battery had three platoons of three guns each. The number '33' for example indicated which 'platoon' it belonged to and the 'gun' of that platoon. Each platoon was lead by an Sd.Kfz 253 'leichter Gepanzerter Beobachtungskraftwagen' (light Armoured Observation-vehicle) that provided fire control and usually supported by two Sd.Kfz 252 'leichte Gepanzerte Munitionskraftwagen' (light Armoured Munitions-vehicle) for rearmament.
The late 1941 batteries of Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 192 consisted of three platoons with vehicles numbered:
Geschützstaffel (Gun squadron)
1 = StuG III (Group leader)
* 1. Zug (1st Platoon)
11 = Sd.Kfz 253 Zugführer (Platoon leader)
12 = StuG III
13 = StuG III
14 = StuG III
15 = Sd.Kfz 252 (Munitions carrier)
16 = Sd.Kfz 252 (Munitions carrier)
* 2. Zug (2nd Platoon)
21 = Sd.Kfz 253
22 = StuG III
23 = StuG III
24 = StuG III
25 = Sd.Kfz 252
26 = Sd.Kfz 252
* 3. Zug (3rd Platoon)
31 = Sd.Kfz 253
32 = StuG III
33 = StuG III
34 = StuG III
35 = Sd.Kfz 252
36 = Sd.Kfz 252
An "S" was added to the front at some point to some vehicles with no certainty as to what it means. Possibly a 'rollbahn' letter?
[Note: the numbers are based on KStN research and photo evidence however this may not be completely accurate]
Original Image Source: (unkown)
Propaganda-Kompanie 689, Kriegsberichter Bruno Plenik.
Crop, repair, upscale, colorize: RyanN81
Information Source: External link (unit history)
Information Source: External link (unit history)
Information Source: External link (assault gun doctrine)
[The World War 2 colorized photos are apolitical, and are simply for historical interest and research purposes only. Any comments relating to politics, racism or other inappropriate/offensive subjects will be removed].