Anybody else here a Ruskie?

[Dunenewt]

And it was copied by the Germans to make their Panther tanks.

[Anathema]

The Panther was not a copy of the T34 (though it was heavily influenced by it). Panther had a range of well over 2,000 metres, and it was heavier and larger then the T34. The origininal T34 with their 76mm cannons could not even dent their armour so the Russians outfitted their tanks with 85mm cannons wich made them a match for Panthers again, though Panthers still had the advantage of longer range.

I'd say the Panther is the best German tank of WWII (the Tiger had better armour, but cost twice as much as a Panther, and were mechanicly unreliable). The best Allied tank is indeed the T34-85.

[Inoculator9]

Well, I'm a Russian for what it's worth :P I'm also Scottish, Ethnic Jewish, and Czech though ;)

[Imperial Sardaukar]

Unbreakable Union of freeborn Republics,

Great Russia has welded forever to stand.

Created in struggle by will of the people,

United and mighty, our Soviet land!

Sing to the Motherland, home of the free,

Bulwark of peoples in brotherhood strong.

O Party of Lenin, the strength of the people,

To Communism's triumph lead us on!

Through tempests the sunrays of freedom have cheered us,

Along the new path where great Lenin did lead.

To a righteous cause he raised up the peoples,

Inspired them to labor and valorous deed.

Sing to the Motherland, home of the free,

Bulwark of peoples in brotherhood strong.

O Party of Lenin, the strength of the people,

To Communism's triumph lead us on!

In the vict'ry of Communism's deathless ideal,

We see the future of our dear land.

And to her fluttering scarlet banner,

Selflessly true we always shall stand!

[lowzeewee]

And while the song is being sung in the background, a child collapses and dies of starvation. :O

[exatreide]

hahaha, you forgot the dictator putin to  ;)

[Jack Leaf]

home of the free

Well, perhaps the two generations of idiots created by U.S.S.R were free.  ;D

[Caid Ivik]

Actually it could be better translated as "our free fatherland", as "oтeчeнcтвo нaшe cлoбoднoe".

[Edric O]

And while the song is being sung in the background, a child collapses and dies of starvation. :O

Actually, that could have never happened, because:

1. No one died of starvation in the Soviet Union after 1932.

2. The song was written in 1944.

You've got to love historical facts that ruin a joke. ;)

[Edric O]

home of the free

Well, perhaps the two generations of idiots created by U.S.S.R were free.  ;D

I wanted to make a similar joke regarding the other "home of the free", but changed my mind. ;)

[Caid Ivik]

Why not "home of the plenty", as it surely was, right EdricO...

[Edric O]

Certainly not, but "the home of more than we had before" would be a good description.

[Imperial Sardaukar]

Home? What home? You mean that cardboard box down there? Hell yeah! 8)

Wether or not the people had little money in the USSR, the poor were much better off with the USSR than with the Tsar. Later in the USSR, people recieved free health-care, and a free education. (and if you lived in Moscow, you could get one of the best educations in the world, the Moscow University being extremely great and famous)

[exatreide]

sure it is  ;)

[Jack Leaf]

I must... resist... *cough* to reply *cough* something negative about *cough* U.S.S.R *cough*...

[Jack Leaf]

Actually, that could have never happened, because:

1. No one died of starvation in the Soviet Union after 1932.

2. The song was written in 1944.

You've got to love historical facts that ruin a joke. ;)

Ever heard of Leningrad AND the weapon factories there?

[Caid Ivik]

Why only factories? Ok, let we accept it, there is no official death reported from Siberian camps...

[exatreide]

course not they lived long healthy lives and ate many hot dogs.

[lowzeewee]

course not they lived long healthy lives and ate many hot dogs.

Well you can't beat the healthy boiled cabbage that the factory workers ate every morning as their meal! ;D

[Imperial Sardaukar]

actually they usually ate porridge. cheap and filling.

[Anathema]

Just a question Imperial Sardaukar, do you consider yourself a communist?

[Jack Leaf]

Advocates of U.S.S.R should be considered as soviet communists, not communists...

[nemafakei]

Or Stalinists or Leninists, depending.

[MrFlibble]

Advocates of U.S.S.R should be considered as soviet communists, not communists...

Why 'advocates'? You don't really think Soviet Union was an Empire of Eternal Evil, do you?!

I've been born in USSR. I don't see anything wrong with it (except my Motherland does not exist anymore...). People who lived in USSR and now live in post-Soviet Russia aren't any mutants, aliens or whatsoever (and neither they are 'idiots', as someone suggested above) - they are the same people that live in any other country of the world.

True, there have been many dark pages in our history - but which country boasts having only good things in its past?

P.S. My Internet provider SUCKS!!! I HATE THEM!!!

[Anathema]

Well the USSR did play a vital part in ridding the world of Nazi influence and did contribute greatly to science (just think of the space race, for example), but that's not the point, the black pages are: sending innocent farmers to gulags, executing politcal opposition, forcing pro Soviet governments upon other nations, etc.