Central Armed Forces Museum, Moscow, Russia – 29 July 2012

Many of the most important relics of the Armed Forces of Russia are on display Moscow.  These items include clothing from Joseph Stalin, the down US U-2 flowed by Frances Gary Powers, the Nazi Eagle from the top of the Reichstag when the Soviets captured Berlin, and many other interesting displays.

Located in northern Moscow about 30 minutes from Red Square with an recognizable front.  Below is a map show the museum’s site of the museum and a picture of the entrance.

Map to Central Armed Forces Museum. Moscow, Russia
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The Central Armed Forces Museum is easily recognized by the T-34 tank and Howitzer in front.

My buddy Chuck was really itching to get even with the Nazis so we got him lined up to take a shot.  So we got a picture of he and the howitzer just prior to launching a devastating shelling of the Nazi positions.

Chuck is just about ready to fire this howitzer

I was trying to find the T-34 tank, but no one told me that all I needed to do was to look up and back over my shoulder

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I could just never find to T-34 tank to take a shot at the Nazis

A major portion of the museum is filled with WW II mementos and relics from the fights with the Nazis.  Below are some of the displays from WW II.

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Model of a German WW II attack plane
Russian partisans played a major part in the fight with the Nazis. Above is a hypothetical picture of a camp used by them.

One of the most memorable items in collection for me was the Nazi Eagle that sat in the top front of the Reichstag in Berlin.  When the Russians captured Berlin the troops took it down, and it is on display in the museum.  A display of the fallen Nazi Eagle can be seen below.

The fallen Nazi Eagle that used to sit atop to Reichstag in Berlin on display in the Central Armed Forces Museum, Moscow, Russia.

There are also displays honoring the efforts of the Allies, USA and Great Britain as shown in the photos below.

Honoring the participation of the USA and Great Britain in the defeat of the Nazis at the Central Armed Forces Museum, Moscow, Russia
A US Jeep from WW II on display at the Central Armed Forces Museum, Moscow, Russia. Note the pole sticking up in front of the bumper used to cut piano wire strung by the Nazis across roads to decapitate the driver.

The above picture had a very special interest for me.  My friends Paul and Larry’s father escaped from the Nazis prior to WW II, and then went back to serve with the Army with Europe.  One night he told me about riding in jeeps near the front lines, and how one had to be careful not to be decapitated by piano wire strung across roads by the Germans.  Piano wire is so thing that you cannot see it when driving.  Anyway, my friend’s dad told me how their were poles put in front of the jeeps to cut / break the unseen piano wire.  This jeep was the first of many I had seen in museums that had the pole in from to protect against the piano wire boo-bi traps.

One of the other displays that really impressed me was the US U-2 spy plane shot down by the Russians in 1960.  As a child I can remember this incident very clearly.

 

The  US U-2 spy plane flown by Francis Gary Powers shot down by a Russian anti aircraft missile in 1960 on display in the Central Armed Forces Museum, Moscow Russia

Outside the museum are many different armored vehicles and aircraft that have played an important part in Russian military history.

If you are a military history buff, I think that visiting the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow should be one of the top things on your list to see.

Photos that I took at the Central Armed Forces Museum can be seen at the link below:

http://www.memorypoint.net/popeblog/gallery/central-army-museum-moscow-russia-29-july-2012-2/

Official web site of the Central Armed Forces Museum:

http://www.cmaf.ru/

Other information sources on the Central Armed Forces Museum:

Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Armed_Forces_Museum

More photos from the Central Armed Forces Museum:

https://www.google.com/search?q=central+armed+forces+museum&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=S8B&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=jVLGUJf_NJC20AH0woGIAg&ved=0CFgQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=946

Tripadvisor on the Central Armed Forces Museum:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g298484-d549927-Reviews-Central_Armed_Forces_Museum-Moscow_Central_Russia.html

 

 

 

 

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