Photos from Budapest (part 2)

[tunixx]

This march I went to Budapest to compare the battlefield to the FB maps. Here are some photos from my trip.

The next batch of pictures are taken around the Southern railway station. The old station itsself has been replaced by a modern construction. Also some of the stone buildings in TT16 have disappeared and the road in SS16 is more like a path / service road nowadays. The railway station plays an important role in FB16 "crossing the bloody meadow"



view from TT17.



View out of the window of my appartment in UU19 across the train tracks.



View of the Field of blood ("bloody meadow") from QQ11. Today the meadow is no longer open ground, it's more like an orchard. The meadow was crucial for the axis as it was the only way to fly in supply with gliders.



View from SS10, the field of blood is to the left.

More to come.

 

[Bill Cirillo]

Southern Railway Station from approximately Level 10 of hex NN14 looking south. The engine roundhouse in the upper left is in hexes XX13-YY14.

 

[Bill Cirillo]

Hex NN14 on a bad day.

 

[Bill Cirillo]

Vermezo back in the day.

 

[Bill Cirillo]

The view all the way across the Vermezo from approximately hex SS9 (SE Map section) toward Z12 (NE map section)
.

 

[TJ Fachko]

well done! a really neat way to look at the maps...

 

[Tuomo]

Hex NN14 on a bad day.

Those guys might wanna get out from under that ladder. Something bad might happen.

 

[Joe Moro]

Amazing !! thank you. It really brings the map to life

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Excellent photos!

I posted a blog entry a couple years ago here: http://thetacticalwargamer.blogspot.ca/2016/02/festung-budapest-through-hitlers-eyes.html

In a similar vein, I was interested to find out that some of the locations portrayed in Festung Budapest were discussed in Hitler's daily military reports. Some other neat discussion about other places around the city.

 

[Philippe D.]

I find it surprising how many of the buildings are still there, more than 70 years later. I would have guessed places where there was heavy fighting would have seen more buildings destroyed and replaced by newer ones - plus, large cities tend to have some amount of redevelopment going on in a 70 year period.

But yes, it's an interesting series of photos. I'm not sure I want to have a very realistic view of my cardboard (or electronic, for that matter) battlefields, though - I'm happy with the stylized vews.

 

[Tuomo]

I find it surprising how many of the buildings are still there, more than 70 years later. I would have guessed places where there was heavy fighting would have seen more buildings destroyed and replaced by newer ones ...

Yeah, that's an interesting question. If building ownership can even be determined after the war, what would people choose to do? I can imagine a good number of them saying, "Screw you, we're putting it back the way it was before you showed up. We're still here and you're gone."

Now that I think of it, I think many of big government buildings in Manila were rebuilt like the originals, I imagine partly out of pragmatism and partly as a statement to say "the government is still here".

 

[Bill Cirillo]

Philippe,

Remnants of the Southern Railway Station and surrounding area after the battle. The station was pretty much destroyed. I have a book at home that was published about a year after the battle was concluded that provides all of the statistics on the damage to the city's structures. I'll try and dig up that information.

 

[Bill Cirillo]

 

[Tom Morin]

Looks like are broom and dustpan might be needed...........


Nice pics!

 

[BigAl737]

Love the history! Thx for posting.