Why didn't the Germany build soviet style train tracks near the USSR?

Thanks! Will look it up! Though my frugal mind can’t help but ask is it available on Youtube?

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So how does one move factories? It is just the equipment or the infrastructure (including the bricks that make up the factory) or both?

And what about the lend lease? Couldn’t the soviets take oil from America because Japan in no way is going to attack ships heading towards the soviet union which might provoke Stalin into declaring war on the Japanese

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Moving the factories was a metric shit ton of freight cars and a lot of planning. I don’t think it’s the bricks they move but all the machinery. Whoever pulled it off was a planning genius!

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The soviets did get oil from the United States although I think the demand was more for refined fuel especially aviation gas. I’ll try too see how much they got.

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From the USembassy.gov website

  • 400,000 jeeps & trucks
  • 14,000 airplanes
  • 8,000 tractors
  • 13,000 tanks
  • 1.5 million blankets
  • 15 million pairs of army boots
  • 107,000 tons of cotton
  • 2.7 million tons of petrol products
  • 4.5 million tons of food

Didn’t see a breakdown of what kind of petrol products.

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Wait there were fuels of different kinds? I just assumed they put petrol/diesel in everything and made it run.

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That’s a lot! And then getting this from Vladivostok to the front lines is another logistical challenge. I don’t know how the soviet union pulled it off.

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Think of what you make from Oil. Diesel fuel, gas for all those Jeep’s and trucks, aviation fuel for all the airplanes. And notably all the greases and lubricants to keep everything running.

I would assume more of the products were the refined products because Russia produced oil but I am not sure they had enough refinery capacity.

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A lot came Through Iran I believe. Not sure of the percentages. But the Vladivostok rail line was a double tracked line but I think all that freight would have worn it out fast.

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Apart from Diesel and regular gas. Aviation fuel came in different octanes. Kind of hard to explain but in general the higher octane the better the fuel for performance. Obviously these fuels are more expensive.

Also you cannot just put low octane fuel in high octane engine as it would result in detonation (basically damaging/destroying the engine). The latter sucks when you are in the air. Fuel is also sabotageable which presumably happened.

The technical side is a bit difficult but the important thing is, don’t put the wrong fuel in and nowadays before every flight the colour/pollution needs to be checked.

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so did all the countries stick to one aviation fuel type (i assume it is low octane because it is cheap) or did they have different types of fuel?

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I’m not sure I am smart enough to answer this one adequately. What I found was that the major airplane fuel used was 100 octane so that would make it a high octane fuel for better performance.

I remember seeing that the Germans had a hard time with fuel quality for their airplanes but I have no sources to document it.

For all your airplane questions I would recommend a YouTube channel named Greg’s airplanes and automobiles. It goes into incredible depths on how airplanes differed.

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Excellent question, you pose very good questions. not sure about which fuel types were used, probably lots of them,
1 The higher the Octane the more the fuel can be “squezed/compressed” before igniting. The sound these ignitions makes is the Vroom in a car or a propellor plane.

2 The more the fuel is squeezed e.g 100 Octnave versus 91 Octane => A little bigger ignition(mini explosion) the more force ends up on the propellor or wheels (via a crankshaft)

3 There is a catch, The "squeezing/compressing " is done by the Engine. So in order for the 100 Octane to deliver more power the engine itself should compress more.

4 100 Octane can also be used in 91 Octane engines but there is no extra performance as the the engines just keeps compressing at 91.

5 Using 91 octane in a 100 Octane engine can lead to detonation (explosions which destroy engines).

In my country car fuel pumps have 95 en more pricey 98 Octane. The higher Octane by itself doesn’t do anything as far as I know. (maybe there ar some additives, so feel free to tell me otherwise.

I put a link to the Pilots Handbook. The octane fuels are in chapter 7-27. It is quite a big read to understand how engines work so maybe it is totally not worth it. It took me a long time to figure it out myself. It works best to have a mechanic show it I think. Like Dan said Greggs Planes and automobiles is fantastic but fairly difficult to follow for newbies.

Hoping this makes sense. Warp drives are so much simpler to use :wink:

PHAK Chapter 7 (faa.gov)

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In this video it is explained how fuel quality had a huge influence on the engines it was possible to build and run. So the octane issue was actually extremly important

https://youtu.be/ImEpk1s-Vk0

Dont know how this issue endend up in a topic about russian railways, but thats the beauty in this Forum :joy:

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Warp engines are only simpler because you haven’t had to read those technical manuals!

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No no - nothing - repeat nothing - beats a screaming Merlin in a P51D

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Well I am a little partial to the sound of the F15’s. But I understand your point.

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Step 1 find a Hollywood basement :wink:

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I loved the good old Merlin when I took a flying lesson in a Spit from Biggin Hill.

But the weirdest sound was the De Havilland Vampire Whistle. I took a flight with it from Conventry, it has Spitfirelike controls but entered service in September 1945. The T-11 2 seater was great for aerobatics. Now it is owned by an Australian and parked in the hangar with a bunch of other early jets, Venoms, Provosts etc.

This is the same plane I flew in, Migflug stopped offering flights in it sadly. The engine is a Goblin which was also used in the P-80 at some point I was told.

Vampire Rips up runway at Halfpenny Green - YouTube

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WOW - really amazing video. All flying experience I have is an hour in a Harvard out of Orlando. Now I am waiting to go for a trip in Crazy Horse, the 2 seated P51D. Got a trip as a gift to my wedding

image

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