OTDAEABT 2-Maly Modelarz Monitor Zeleznia 1981

[redhorse]

Wow, this is going to be interesting. I like river monitors a lot.

[CharlieC]

I wondered if the difficulty finding out about this river monitor was an issue about translating a Russian name to Polish. A small amount of digging proved this was so - in Russian the name of the ship is "Железняков" (got the Russian from a naughty place) which transliterates to English as "Zheleznyakov".

Anatolyi Zheleznyakov was a Civil War hero so it's sounding more likely as a ship name. Bit more searching....

??????? "??????????" gives me a "tada" or "micro$oft" moment.

Here's the translation....

They had six monitors - "river cruiser, named after the deceased seamen - the heroes of the civil war. Defending home screens "Pearl," "Martin", "Rostovtsev, Flyagin and Levachev" heroic killed on the Dnieper and its tributaries in violent fights with the enemy in the first months of WWII. The fate of "Zheleznyakova was a ...


On the day of Nazi Germany treacherous attack on our country "Zheleznyakov" was in high alert in the composition of the Danube military fleets. In 4 hours and 15 minutes on 22 June he fired the first salvo in gun Nazis shelled the ship. In the first brutal battle, which lasted almost the whole day, the monitor was destroyed by artillery fire, one of the batteries and shot down enemy aircraft.

Dozens of hot encounters with enemy tanks, aircraft and artillery passed the ship, on the Danube, and from all came out the winner. When the enemy occupied the left bank of the river and entered an order fleets to battle erupt in Odessa, "Zheleznyakov" along with other ships left Izmayil and through the curtain of fire towards the Black Sea, down the accumulation of enemy forces.

Built specifically for the action on the shallow rivers, the monitor is often made deeper incursions by enemy tylam and powerful artillery strikes destroyed the crossing, firing points, and the concentrations of troops and military equipment the enemy. And this is true. In what would be hot fights neither ship was involved, he always returned with a victory.

After fighting in the Dnieper-Bug estuary boat moved in the Sea of Azov, which was included in a separate group of Don Azov military fleets. During the summer of 1942 in the Lower Don and Kuban again progremela of military glory "Zheleznyakova.

In Ahtanizovskom estuary "Zheleznyakov" under the command of Senior Lieutenant AE Harchenko heroic fought with fascist artillery and mortar batteries, tanks, infantry and aviation, defense, one of the most important bases of the Azov flotilla Temryuk. After fierce fighting, the latest from the Kuban to Kerch Strait breaks Monitor Zheleznyakov and trawler boat, number 581. No enemy fire guns, or air raids, or sand bar and shoals, storm or were unable to prevent the entry of seamen in the open sea.

When the storm threw the ship to shore, its crew for three days zadelal holes, removing damaged and continued its trip.

Prior to September 1944 to repair a monitor prostoyal in Poti. Then again, he headed to the mouth of the Danube, where he waited for the new fighting. Prior to the victory in May 1945 "Zheleznyakov" engaged in hostilities in the composition of the Danube flotilla restored, providing fire support to troops of Red Army in the great international mission, the liberation of the peoples of the Danubian countries.
More than forty thousand kilometers along the banks of the monitor passed the Danube, the Dnieper, Southern Bug, Don, Kuban, the Black and Azov Seas in the years of war. Thirteen of artillery and mortar batteries, two warehouses with ammunition, four infantry battalions of the enemy were destroyed by artillery.


At the present time "Zheleznyakov", mounted on a pedestal in the Dnieper (in Kiev - Charlie) bears honorable service as a ship-monuments and museums. At the glorious traditions of the ship brought up our young people.

(translation from Google)

All that to prove to myself that my brain still works (occasionally)

Regards,

Charlie

ps. Anyone notice the designer of this model is Janusz Oles - the present publisher of Modelik models?

[Papercut]

WOW. Thanks for the info. I was not able to find that much info at all. Guess I just didn't know where to look. Have to admit, I tend to stay away from the naughty places. Can you provide a location to go to besides the naughty place:o to research this subject. Also does the designer of this ship mean it should be a good build:D! You are way ahead of me about this stuff. Again thanks. Rick

[CharlieC]

I only got the ship name in Russian from a site with old MM models. Google returns lots of hits for the Zheleznyakov but most, if not all, are in Russian. I guess there isn't much awareness in Western countries of the river flotillas in WW2.

Regards,

Charlie

[Don Boose]

Last night I found an article on the Rumanian Navy in WWII in an older issue of Warship. It contains a brief account of a battle between Rumanian and Soviet Danube River forces, including monitors on both sides, early in the war. As I was reading the article, it occured to me that it might be relevant, but I couldn't remember the name of your monitor and wasn't where I could access the Forum. No time to crosswalk the article and this thread this morning and I am tied up at the office all day today and have a commitment tonight, but as soon as I can, I will provide a quotation from the book describing the battle and the participants. Perhaps your monitor or a sister ship was involved.

Incidentally, according to the lengthy article, the Rumanian Navy was the only combatant navy of WWII that never lost a single fleet warship in spite of being heavily engaged (several auxiliaries were lost, but no commissioned warships).

Don

[Papercut]

boosed, I look forward to your input. This is amazing at the interest and I have not posted the first photo yet. The more I learn the more I am glad I went with this one and not the HMS Rodney! Don't know if I could have built that one in the time frame. Oh yea, the Rodney is dated 1970. When I do, and will build, that one will go thru Corel Photo Shop and be scanned/printed. But hey thats another story!:D Rick

[treadhead1952]

Wow! Quite the heroic little ship you have chosen there Rick. It always is interesting to learn about the history of the things we model.

Jay Massey
treadhead1952
Las Vegas, NV

[Don Boose]

Here is another mention of Zheleznyakov in action in 1941, some time prior to the heroic events Charlie described:
“The mouth of the Danube had also to be defended, for it was where the Romanian river monitor fleet faced its Soviet counterpart. The Romanian Danube Flotilla’s main units were the seven monitors: Ion C Bratianu, Lascar Catargiu, Alexandru Lahovari, Mihail Kogalniceanu [680 tons, launched in 1907-08, main armament: 3-120mm]; Basarabia, Bucovina [550 tons, 1915, 2-120mm]; Ardeal [450 tons, 1904, 2-120mm]. Between 23 June and 8 July the Soviet monitors Rostovtsev and Zhemchuzhin (385 tons, 1932, 2-130mm) accompanied by Zheleznakov (263 tons, 1936, 2-102mm) together with four BKA armoured motor gunboats, held up attempts by Romanian monitors to advance down the Danube across the Pruth estuary. The Soviet monitors Udarny and Martynov (385 tons, 1932, 2-130mm) with twelve BKAs supported small landings of infantry troops on the southern bank of the Kilia arm. Nevertheless, the Soviet river flotilla of the Danube was trapped on the front line and found itself in a difficult situation. It had to be supported by destroyers Kharkov, Smyshleny and Besposhchadny, coming from Sevastopol, between 23 and 25 June. No action took place between the major Romanian and Soviet combat ships, but in addition to supporting several landing operations, they also shelled enemy positions and laid and swept mines. Finally, the Soviet Danube flotilla was obliged to evacuate the river and, on 18 July, having forced the passage between the Romanian coastal defence batteries of Periprava and Vilkovo, the five monitors and sixteen BKA armoured motors gunboats retreated to Odessa, under the protection of the light cruiser Komintern, the destroyers Kharkov, Bodry, Shaumyan, 2 gunboats, 10 motor torpedo boats and 6 armed motor boats [with the loss of several armoured gunboats and small craft].” [Anthony Preston, ed., Warship 2001-2002, London: Conway Maritime Press, 2001, pp. 71-72.]
Don

[B-Manic]

It is really interesting to hear about this particular monitor. I have this kit and have often wondered what led to it being selected for a model design. I have been a destroyer man for my entire career but have always been interested in brown water warfare. Great discussion thanks!

[Papercut]

Well, enough talk, it is time to build this puppy. The kit was printed in 1981 and as noted on another thread for the OTDAEABT 2, the paper is like a thick newspaper, will split if folded, turned a nice parchment color except for the printed areas, color is good, but in some places spotted as if the color did not print. The kit is not like the others I am use too in that it is not a book to say, but like a really big folded card (ie: Get Well Card) folded into fours. However the printing and overall color is good, parts are off register very little and from looking her over, should build into what she is supposed to be. As allowed I have scanned the parts and did so w/o taking the original apart, so I will still have f/my collection unbuilt:D. When you get ahold of one of these, you appreciate what you get in today's kits. I will post some photos for you to see what I have, and I have to admit I fill bad for the guys that have the really bad ones to work with, but hey where's the challenge. I will start laminating after post this thread. Oh yea, she is a full hull not a water line. The Monitor is armed w/two twin gun turrets, two heavy cal. main guns in the upper works, two AA mounts, and several heavy MG's to include two in small turrets as well. This baby was armed to the teeth and on many occasions as shown by the help of those who found the info for me, (thanks again Charlie, boosed) one bad weapon that fought many battles, won and would go on to be a monument to her trade. As Jackie Gleason would say, "Away We Go". The photos show the scanned sheets. The two that are the same is the original on the left, the copy on the right.