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Last call for any Photo requests from Stalingrad

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Nestor Makhno

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Feb 25, 2006
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Penryn, Cornwall
#1
As I mentioned some time ago, I am off to Volgograd soon. (4th August) As I will be visiting my Mother-in-Law, I intend to spend as much time out of the flat as possible. :D (JK - she's fine)

During my time there I will be photographing the following:

1 - Grain elevator
2 - Orlovka
3 - Univermag (and Square of Fallen Heroes)
4 - The exhibits in the Panorama museum
5 - The Old Mill
6 - The area at the top of Mamayev Kurgan
7 - General terrain pics around the Northern end of the city (Spartanovka, Vodootstoy, Barrikady and especially the Balki)
8 - Skybox pics

I also intend to visit the new museum, dedicated to the battle, located near Univermag (I've heard it's just opened) and to raid some of the local university, municipal archives and bookshops for documents, maps etc.

If anyone has any specific requests for photos of particular areas, let me know in this thread. Please, no requests for photos of Pavlov's house - there are about three bricks left standing and they look pretty much like any other bricks.

I will post links to the cream of the photo crop when I return.

 
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#5
Thanks -

BTW Commissar - you remember I was tellling you about the balki - well I found a German aerial photo taken before the battle which gives a really good idea of what I'm talking about.

Look at the top right hand end of this photo - that's what it's like. I'm thinking the best way to deal with this kind of terrain is to get an original contour map, scan it and shade in the various contours using different greyscales in photoshop - then import the resultant image as a heightmap.

The Ferry crossing is pretty different now AFAIK - pretty much the entire riverfront about 2-3 km either side of the centre has been cemented over (i.e. around the River Station). Perhaps some of the landing points futher North would be quite similar to how they were - round the back of the tractor works etc.

Not sure how accessible these would be - some of those areas aren't really the kind of places to go round looking foreign and waving an expensive digital camera. If the local lads don't get you, the Militsiya will (from my own experience of being mugged by the Militsiya about 7 years ago).

There is also the fact of one of the world's largest hydro-electric stations being built about 2 km upstream since the battle to contend with. :) Kind of interferes with the actualite of a lot of the riverbank. :D
 
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#9
*7GA* Nestor Makhno said:
Thanks -

BTW Commissar - you remember I was tellling you about the balki - well I found a German aerial photo taken before the battle which gives a really good idea of what I'm talking about.

Look at the top right hand end of this photo - that's what it's like. I'm thinking the best way to deal with this kind of terrain is to get an original contour map, scan it and shade in the various contours using different greyscales in photoshop - then import the resultant image as a heightmap.

The Ferry crossing is pretty different now AFAIK - pretty much the entire riverfront about 2-3 km either side of the centre has been cemented over (i.e. around the River Station). Perhaps some of the landing points futher North would be quite similar to how they were - round the back of the tractor works etc.

Not sure how accessible these would be - some of those areas aren't really the kind of places to go round looking foreign and waving an expensive digital camera. If the local lads don't get you, the Militsiya will (from my own experience of being mugged by the Militsiya about 7 years ago).

There is also the fact of one of the world's largest hydro-electric stations being built about 2 km upstream since the battle to contend with. :) Kind of interferes with the actualite of a lot of the riverbank. :D
Click to expand...
That is a nice aerial. I didn't realize that the crevaces jutting out from the main riverbed were so pronounced.

As for the heightmap that sounds like it could work, though I'll have to ensure my somewhat limited Photoshop skills are up to the task :p.

*7GA* Nestor Makhno said:
Other good pics of balki here http://www.privates-antiquariat.de/st_kampf109.jpg and here http://www.privates-antiquariat.de/st_kampf086.jpg
Click to expand...
Well, I never imagined it would be such a take the hill type scenario.

That is a good site - quite alot of useful material even for one that doesn't speak German.
 
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#10
Wilson - I will be snapping away like a coachload of Japanese tourists on benzedrine the second I get into that museum - don't you worry about that mate, it's all been squared.:D

I am more excited to find out about what this new museum is and whether it has anything of the same value to a mapper as the excellent diorama in the Panorama museum.

As for the books etc. I am a bit concerned about the export formalities. The original intent of the Russian outbound customs check was to prevent icons etc. being taken out of the country.

But they may/may not decide to enforce those for WW2 material as well - I have a mate who works for customs clearance dept. in the Coca Cola plant in Volzhskiy. I'll ask him what the situation is these days. If it looks like it will be tricky I'll just copy everything whilst I'm there.

All told I am pretty hyped about this trip as some of you may be able to detect.:D
 
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#13
TRACTOR WORKS ADMIN OFFICE!!!!!!!!

I would love some exact photos of the entire building as it was in 1941, if possible. The axis of it's main entry...North/South or East/West??? I wanted to think it was E/W but from recent satellite images I think it is now N/S... so hard to say. ANY images of the full facade would be a major bonus. I have lots of partials and none say/show orientation.

THANKS in advance if you can. Anything else would be a bonus of the factory. This doesn't mean that is my next project.... hahaaha Fine. :)
 
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#14
The main entrance to Traktorniy Zavod is roughly aligned along Prospekt Lenina, which runs NNE/SSW at that point.

As regard photos of the admin building as it was pre-1941, I'll try but I am not incredibly hopeful about that one. I think a lot of inspiration can still be gained from the site http://www.privates-antiquariat.de/ ; I found a couple of interior shots of the Tractor works there.

http://www.privates-antiquariat.de/st_v_d_krieg046.jpg for example. Unfortunately two others are dead links. :(

Unt.Ofzr.G - as you asked so nicely how could I refuse? ;) AFAIK the grain elevator building is still in use so I may not be able to swing getting in there. If I do you had better beware as I will be casting a very critical eye over any map based on it.

For anyone interested, the area covered in most detail in the pre-war archives of the site above is Roten Platz (Red Square) which is nowadays known as the Square of Fallen Heroes, right next to TsUM, which was Univermag - the scene of some fairly hardcore fighting at the beginning of the campaign (hardcore even by Stalingrad standards) and, eventually, of Von Paulus' surrender.
 
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#15
*7GA* Nestor Makhno said:
Unt.Ofzr.G - as you asked so nicely how could I refuse? ;) AFAIK the grain elevator building is still in use so I may not be able to swing getting in there. If I do you had better beware as I will be casting a very critical eye over any map based on it.
Click to expand...

give them some euros or dollars. works like a charm ;) . otherwise talk as long as you can with them. until they get bored or anoyed so that they let you inside! :D

Thanx mate! :)
 
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#17
*7GA* Nestor Makhno said:
BTW Commissar - you remember I was tellling you about the balki - well I found a German aerial photo taken before the battle which gives a really good idea of what I'm talking about.

Look at the top right hand end of this photo - that's what it's like. I'm thinking the best way to deal with this kind of terrain is to get an original contour map, scan it and shade in the various contours using different greyscales in photoshop - then import the resultant image as a heightmap.
Click to expand...

You might be able to get some topographic maps and work with them digitally. http://www.nga.mil/portal/site/nga01/ might be a start
Google Earth, Whirlwind, and some others mapy already have the data inside.
 
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#19
This is some material I gathered in preparation. I had the entire complex mapped out in Radiant to within 1 or 2 meters of actual scale and was just waiting for the CoD2 toolset...HA! So that was shelved quickly. Time to start over! Just looking for FULL photos of the admin building, a focal point of early fighting. It is proper scale, but how many windows, etc. and then the orientation to N-S etc. as you noted. Thanks!

twaerial.jpg

This is a shot from 'Close Combat' that is based on the above image:
twfull640.jpg

Then there is this shot of the Administration building:
twoffice.jpg

And this is one of the latest renders in game:
shot0144.jpg

A look at the width of the main entry/wing:
shot0145.jpg

An overhead of the admin building and some roof experiments:
shot0146.jpg

[/quote]
Further pictures of work etc:
kvtw.jpg

mainhall1.jpg

twwrecked.jpg
Click to expand...
 
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