Create fortification monument of World War II, Ukraine

[Shipmaster]

Colleagues carried out preliminary work (remove the remaining debris and stones) and started digging.


This photo is visible blue car. This is my car "Moskvich 408" in 1974, the year of manufacture. He is very dear to me - it still drove my father. By the nature of my interests, I often have to travel very bad roads or even off the road (in the Ukraine, from the point of view of a resident of Western Europe and America, there are no roads). With this in mind - this is what you need. On this vehicle, can I travel to where ever the owners will drive modern cars, even SUVs. Unfortunately, there is a problem of spare parts and car mechanics are not taken for the repair of such equipment. We have to carry out repairs and maintenance on their own. I even independently carried out the replacement engine. I can and it is, although my specialty radio engineer (I'm the chief engineer of the branch of a telecommunications company, a provider of Internet and cable television). But it's the lyrics ...



While colleagues worked out, Andrew and I continued to dig inside the building.





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[Shipmaster]

Meanwhile, colleagues unearthed the left recess vantage point. But before entering the facility got.




Andrew and I are discussing what to do with the top of the reinforced concrete dome, as it repaired. Obviously, it will be necessary to pull the iron mesh, and it is to lay concrete. Not an easy task ...

Today we did a good job, but again, we were few. The fact that it's summer - the holidays. But what do you need to continue to work ...


Currently, the latest opinion of the loopholes ...

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Best regards.
Konstantyn Abramenko

[Viewfinder]

Wonderful! I respect you so much for the work you are doing! Thank you.

Jerry

[Shipmaster]

Hi!

July 30, no one from our team failed to work at the facility. And Andrew and I were not planning to go there. However, life has brought about changes - we still went there. Of course, brought with them and the fox terrier Bassey - where do without it? Decided to remain seized of the most difficult - Excavations entrance.









Without Andrew would not have happened - he did not allow me to relax ... dig, dig, dig ... I have started having dreams in which I have something to dig ...


Bassey entertains us in leisure ...

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[Shipmaster]

Andrew kept looking with hope to the gallery entrance ... But the miracle did not happen - the land itself does not disappear. We just need a miracle - we're all tired ...







There are positive aspects - after unearthed another recess, began to actively enter into the fresh air ... so it is easier to work yet.





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[Shipmaster]

Today, we are tired, but did not so much ... Still, fatigue tends to accumulate. I forgot to say that the city utility company kept its word - on Wednesday they have taken out all the debris that has accumulated around the plant.











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Best regards.
Konstantyn Abramenko

[Arthur Kullmer]

Great job guys keep up the good work, very interesting history project & look forward to seeing the future posts.

[Shipmaster]

Hi!

During the week, several things happened. City government has allocated us excavator, who performed some earthworks and leveled prior to the construction site. The other news is not very pleasant - I emerged back problems. Apparently affected the increased exercise. In this July 7, my wife is released to work with a great scandal. Even more than that, she went with me - to control, so I did not raise serious. Nothing to do, had to agree to such an option.


My wife Irina took a good position - she can see everything, I'm under control ...

I must say that I do today is not doing anything heavy - clean walls of mud inside the building, made measurements of geometrical parameters, etc. And on this day we Michael Naydenko found three cases from the MG-34 ...



At this time, Sergei Kukochka continues to "storm" the entrance to the building.







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[Shipmaster]

And then, finally, we broke through the hole in the gallery entrance



I must say that now in Ukraine (eastern Ukraine) is very, very hot. The sun, no clouds, no rain ... Comfortable or just early in the morning or late at night. Happy to work very hard. Certainly this is slowing the work, but can not be helped ...



I kept glancing at the roof structure (or rather, that was left of it) and I understand that it will have trouble. It is good that the leaders of municipal government promised to help - to draw concrete and specialist builders to repair the roof. Not only promise to assist in the repair and brick base (wall up to the hole). I'd like to hope that this will not be an empty promise, and the real deal.

At the end of the day, my condition worsened, I could barely razvezti the houses of our team members - could not sit behind the wheel ...

Continuing further ...

Best regards.
Konstantyn Abramenko

[Shipmaster]

Hi!

During the past week, members of our initiative group were working at the site. Everyone could not get together, each working independently. When it was possible to allocate free time. I took a course of treatment, problems with the spine did not give me a chance to work effectively. I was at the site on July 13, cleaned of grime and mildew wall near the embrasures. This work is not physically hard - monotonous and dirty ...

Today, my father asked to be taken to the site. He was constantly interested in how the work, but scolds me for what I did not take care of your health. My father, Abramenka Igor was born in 1938. During the occupation by German troops Kramatorskaya (October 1941 - September 1943), he was a little boy, but very well remember those times. He often tells me about the time and always morally support my hobbies and search. It's nice and pleasant. In addition, he is a very experienced engineer and I wanted to discuss with him some of the technical issues of reconstruction.











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[Shipmaster]

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[Shipmaster]

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[Shipmaster]

We all worked very well, thank you all! We can assume that the first phase is completed - clearing and excavation construction is almost complete. Were nuances and questions - how many yards you need to dig out the room down. It will still be discussed and resolved.

In general, the decision on how this structure should look like - what we want is to be solved the whole concept of how the design will be resolved - we left for later. "In the later" - after the excavation and clearings where we will have at least some idea of the geometric and structural parameters. And this moment was an urgent need to make the decision. And we will take it. Personally, I favor a balanced approach, a balance between authenticity and needed new parts. For example - a drainage system to drain rainwater. This allows the construction of stand still 100 ... 200 years.

Continuing further ...

Best regards.
Konstantyn Abramenko

[Shipmaster]

Hi!

What we want to do on the basis of the German fortification? What are our goals? We want to restore it and create a monument to the fortification of the Second World War. This globally. In particular - a small museum dedicated to fighting for Kramatorskaya in September 1943. This fortification - the only one in town that is reminiscent of a time. This will be the first and only such museum, based at the fortification, in the East of Ukraine. This will be the first (and only to date) such a museum, based at the name of the German fortifications. The Red Army in our area did not build fortifications.

What are the problems of our project? I would set priorities in the following order:

1. We absolutely do not know how it originally looked fortification. We do not know its design parameters. We do not know what equipment, weapons, optical devices were equipped with this facility. We do not know, we do not have any information - it is difficult in these conditions to achieve authenticity.
2. We are not aware of the general concept of the German defense Kramatorskaya. We do not know how much and what kind of fortification was built by the German army, which types. We present a very weak which units participated in the battles for the city on the German side. In Soviet sources described all very vague, confusing and in general terms - without the numbers of units.
3. We have no access to archival documents of German and Soviet armies. There are big problems with access to military archives of the Russian Federation. Especially, for the citizens of another state. Military Archive of Germany is not available due to lack of funds for organizing the trip and work in the archive.
4. We are very dependent on the charity of the municipal authorities of the city. They promise to help in the construction work - concreting of the roof of this building, concreting and sealing the entrance hole in the ground. But it holds only one official interest in the project. If this interest is gone, we remain "one on one" with these tasks. And it will have to decide on their own. A resource is very small. The standard of living in Ukraine does not even want to talk about ...
5. Frankly speaking - we have almost nothing. There are only a great desire to bring this project to fruition. And have faith that we will succeed and we will do it.

We will be very grateful for information support. We will appreciate any information, any assumptions, any advice ... and hope that you share your experience in implementing similar projects. Thank you all in advance.

We will also be grateful for the financial support we are grateful for every Еuro. And for every Euro will report back. Financial resources in the first place, will be spent on:

1. Organizing a trip to Germany to work in the Military Archives BAMA.
2. Acquisition of working model of a machine gun MG-34 for use in fortifications.
3. Work on the installation of doors (grids) at the entrance to the construction and protection of the embrasures.
4. Other construction and repair work.
5. Production of information stands.

Below are the details:

Beneficiary: acc. 038-26255111765
NAME ABRAMENKO KONSTIANTYN IGOROVICH, INN 2533114239
ADRESS KRAMATORSK b-r MASHINOSTROITELEY 2-16
Bank of Beneficiary : Raiffeisen Bank AVAL
Donetsk, UKRAINE
SWIFT: AVAL UA UK DON
Correspondent bank : acc 9470329 10
SWIFT DEUTDEFF

CORRESPONDENT BANKS OF AVAL BANK OUTSIDE THE C.I.S.
(NOSTRO ACCOUNTS)
Bank Name and Citi: Deutsche Bank AG, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Account Number: 9470329 10
Currency: EUR
S.W.I.F.T. BIC: DEUTDEFF

Bank Name and Citi: Raiffeisen Zentralbank Oesterreich, Vienna, Avstria
Account Number: 55022305
Currency: EUR
S.W.I.F.T. BIC: RZBAATWW

ATTENTION!
Please, be advised that according to the current legislative acts of Ukraine, we cannot accept payment in favour of the beneficiary if this payment originates from entrepreneurial activity of any kind. So, please, refrain from usinh such definitions as «contract», «bill », «invoice» etc. In details of payment (field #70 or # 72).

Raiffeisen Bank AVAL
OFFICE: 46V, F. ZAITZEVA STR., 83086, DONETSK, UKRAINE
TEL: (062) 337-19-13, (062) 337-25-47 TELEX: 631032 AVAL UX
S.W.I.F.T.: AVAL UA UK DON


Best regards.
Konstantyn Abramenko

[Shipmaster]

July 22 we were working on the site again, part-time team. This is bad and good - we now know to whom you can rely and not illusions. We continue to work on this project - I do not see any obstacles that we can not overcome. I keep hoping for financial assistance ... But we have no right to rely on it - we are taking other steps ... My teammates say I'm a dreamer and a visionary - you can only hope for the forces. Perhaps they are right.

We decided it would be wrong if we do not show people all the loopholes of this fortification. Even though it requires extra effort and additional coordination with the traffic service. And such permission is obtained, while the oral, but still ... need to install a stationary guards and other protective measures.


I am afraid to give a strong stress on the spine. By this, I wear the earth in buckets, small portions


My brother Andrew is engaged in the excavations of the southern loopholes


Sergei Kukochka continues clearing the entrance


Michael Naydenko dug up the regular concrete floor gallery entrance. Gallery entrance height was 1.90 meters. This is more than a building Vf 3


This wall is almost ready for service. A little more can be cleaned and the hole to lay bricks

To be continued ...