November: A time for remembrance - w(ar)t

During my backpacking adventures in Moscow, I visited the Museum of the Great Patriotic War.   The scale of this building - like just about everything else is Russia - is colossal.  Its rooms are so massive that it's impossible to completely fix-frame anything within your field of view.   If you want to see the grandeur of it all, then you will need to stand still and pivot your neck - left, right and up - as far as you can.   Simply phenomenal, but as a photographer, it drove me crazy trying to perform wide-angle photography here.        

The museum is located on Poklonnaya Hill, and one of my favourite rooms (if I can call it that) was the "Hall of Glory" (featured here).  The size of this hall was so expansive that my 16mm camera lens could only capture a quarter of its dimensions.  The picture you see here was taken by me literally lying flat against the floor - on my back doing a crunchy - desperately trying to squeeze in as much real estate as I could.   Oh, the things us photographers do to get the shot.   Yet, even with all the acrobatics involved, this was the best I could do.  If I ever have the chance to visit again, I'll be sure to bring my 11mm camera lens to give myself a fighting chance at trying to capture it all without a panorama technique.   

At the top of the frame is the "Order of Victory" star (surrounded by a ring wreath) - it was the highest military award offered for WWII service in the Soviet Union.  In the middle stands a massive "Soldier of Victory" in bronze cast, which was sculpted by VI Znoba.   Etched on the circular, white marble wall of the room is the names of 11,800 Russian soldiers.   These select few among the millions who died are regarded as "Heroes of the Soviet Union" for holding, and then pushing back, the Nazi advance.   

During WWII, it is wildly recognized that the Soviet Union experienced the greatest number of war causalities - both in terms of military personnel and civilians.    While pinpointing the exact number is difficult, it is estimated that the Soviet Union suffered no less than 8.6 million military deaths.   When you also consider the additional impacts of famine and disease that ravaged the Union during this timeframe, the numbers of military and civilian deaths combined swelled to no less than 26.6 million people.  Just staggering.   During WWII, no nation state paid a higher price in terms of human life than the Soviet Union.   In contrast, Germany ultimately lost the war (against almost everyone) with no more than 5.3 million military deaths.         

Not to be outdone, "The Hall of Commanders" and the "Hall of Sorrow" also located in the Museum of the Great Patriotic War were equally grand, so I'll be sure to profile them in a future blog.   

More than any other city I have seen to date, Moscow is by far the most copious when it comes to the display of war art, war statues and military vehicles and hardware displayed everywhere throughout its city, but especially so at this museum.