Russia
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An Introductory Overview of the Mongols
Please note that this is not meant to be a biography of any one person but a brief overview of the dynasty to show the impact that the Mongols had for many centuries. More in depth posts will follow going into more detail of specific people and events. It all started in unassuming grasslands on the high plateau of Mongolia east of the Altai Mountains. Various Turkic and Mongol-Tungusic tribes roamed these steppes- herding animals such as sheep, goats, horses, yaks, oxen and camels; trading and raiding their more sedentary neighbors. The had no permanent cities as their primary shelter was a circular felt covered dwelling called the “ger” or…
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Princess Olga of Kiev
When you think of a saint, most people think of a gentle, Godly person with great patience and faith. Princess Olga of Kiev proves that a saint can be a woman of God, but not take any crap either. No one is exactly sure of when Olga was born. Sources put it any where between 879 and 890. According to the Primary Chronicle, she was born in Pskov, a city northwest of Russia, to a family of Varyag origin. Varyag was the name given to Vikings or Norsemen who came to the area in the 8th and 9th centuries. Other sources say Olga was the daughter of Oleg Vershchy, the founder…
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THE FIRST USE OF BIOLOGICAL WARFARE AND THE SIEGE OF KAFFA
It is recorded that by 1331 The Black Death was ravaging its way through central Asia. It was for a long time a mystery as to how exactly this plague managed to make its way to the shores of Europe but by reading ancient texts historians and biologists think they have traced its advancement to the city of Kaffa in Crimea and the first ever recorded use of biological warfare. As the plague killed half the population of China and made its way through India and Persia somehow trade managed to continue. It’s of no surprise then that plague infested rats climbed aboard trading vessels and found their way into…
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The Night Witches
It was 1941 and the Third Reich seemed unstoppable in its roll across Europe. Hitler and Stalin had a non-aggression pact, but Hitler threw that in the trash and turned his eyes east and invaded the Soviet Union. By November, the German Army was 19 miles from Moscow and the city of Leningrad was under siege. Three million Russians had been taken prisoner and the Soviet Air Force was grounded. Things looked bleak. In desperation, record breaking aviatrix Marina Raskova created an all female regiment to run harassment bombing runs on the Germans. Harassment bombing targets encampments, supply depots and rear base areas. Their constant raids made rest for the…
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The White Death and the Winter War
Simo Hayha was born in 1905 in Rautjarvi, Finland, close to the border with Russia. In a time and place where hunting for food was still a necessity, Simo learned how to hunt and handle weapons from an early age. As a result he was an excellent shot and a very capable trapper, knowing his territory well. From his background in farming, he did his military service in 1925 at the age of 20, serving with the Suojeluskunta, the Finnish “White Guard” who were renowned for their success in the Finnish civil war of 1918. Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, Finland had gained independence. When the Socialist party government,…
