5/8/08

Fort Totleben; Visit #2

This weekend we had an opportunity to revisit Fort Totleben in Kerch and got a much better array of photos than the sleeting, windy day when we first made its acquaintance.  It was also a smaller group which included the HopeCenter's very own translator extraordinaire, Jenya.  This gave us the chance to get a more accurate historical narrative regarding the location.

As it turns out, the fort was actually designed (as the name suggests) by Edward Totleben, a Russian general of German heritage.  He constructed it for Czarist Russia in the 1860's using the lessons learned during his service in the Crimean War in the siege of Sevastopol.   It was revolutionary in that he redefined the concept of a fortress from being a walled, defensible enclosure to being a series of interconnected entrenched fighting positions (in this case completely underground) that confuse the attackers and make total victory hard to achieve and even harder to define.  The caretaker/tour guide pointed many of the ambush points that were carefully designed into the architectural designs.

That is pretty deep so let me explain it very simply.  Totleben was a complex of over 3000(now only about half that) partially or completely subterranean structures that served as barracks for soldiers, cannon/mortar/machine gun emplacements, ammunitions depots and anything else a military needs to maintain a fighting force.  It was able to go 6 months without resupply from outside and was impossible to spot from the sea.  Even with it predating the use of military aircraft by half a century, it is difficult to see from above.

As you watch this slideshow keep an eye out for the following interesting pictures:
-because the design kept soldiers isolated from each other, you will see inscriptions on the on the walls of dates and names.
-WWII was its only major action and you can see signs of the fierce struggle that the undermanned Soviets put up against the Nazis.  This includes bullet holes, walls broken by bombs/artillery/tanks and a big blob of ammunition that was burned and exploded.
-the highest point in the fort is also the highest point in Kerch, giving an amazing view of the surrounding area.

Feel free to ask me any questions in comments about any of the pictures as I have learned far more than you all could possibly want in this post.

7 comments:

  1. Thans fo sharing your experiences. I hope you will capture some of the torchlit parade up Mitridates and the 9th of May stuff...

    I am missing my days in Kerch, but happily moving forward here in sunny Santa Fe.

    Keep oon blogging! 8-)

    "Ginn"
    Virginia J. Pulver
    Read my Journals: www.pulverpages.com

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  2. This place looks amazing and beautiful. I agree with "Ginn" although I don't know her. May 9th is an amazing holiday to experience. I've only experienced it in Russia where I woke up to bands marching down the street and red carnations EVERYWHERE! Miss you guys!

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  3. Cool! As an martial science hobbiest, I appreciate practical and awesomely constructed fortifications. Observing this particular fortification, I would much rather be a defender than an assaulter. Earth and stone almost always beats gun powder and lead. Thanks for the tour Matt and Company!

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  4. Ginn,
    I'm actually sitting at some friend's place waiting to head over to Mitridates as we speak. I'll try to get some pictures but it'll be a bit too dark I think. In the interests of being chronologically correct, it will have to come after my posts about Yalta and a few others.

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  5. Thanks for the pics. I agree with Mark...I would much rather defend this then be a "navel" attacking this enemy's "toast".

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  6. Man Slicky, you are pulling some stuff for years ago.

    You know it has been almost 15 years since Carrick was talking about the Japanese "naval" in Clark's history class?

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  7. Seems like yesterday, "Pedro"! :) Senora Cacahuete...

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