Something about the traces of war.

In this post I want to tell of some remnants from the World War II that lie on the territory of modern Moscow. Not many of them remain, and only a small number of people know about them.
  In October 1941, the forces of the German army group "Center" managed to break through the defense of Soviet troops and surrounded four Soviet armies near the town of Vyazma in the Smolensk region. More than 380,000 people were killed or wounded, and more than 600,000 people were captured. Total irretrievable losses amounted to more than one million people. The road to Moscow was open for the Germans to advance. The Soviet command took emergency measures to strengthen the Mozhaisk line of defense and restore the disturbed front, throwing, against the German tank divisions, poorly armed militias, and cadets from military schools. At the same time, the Moscow Defense Zone was created in the capital. It was an operative compound of troops and fortifications created for the defense of both the city of Moscow and its suburbs, and they prepared for a street battle. The Moscow Defense Zone consisted of three defensive lines. The first (the Hlebnikovo defensive line) was situated between 20 and25 kilometers from the modern border of Moscow. The second (the main defensive line) was situated in the suburbs, 15 to 20 kilometers from the Kremlin. The third and last (the city defensive line) was located right in the city center and nearby. For protection from Germans on the Hlebnikovo and city lines the Russians created about 680 km. of anti-tank ditches, 445 km of escarps and counter escarps, more than 410 km. of dragon's teeth, more than 30,000 pillboxes of different types, more than 1,300 km. of barbed wire lines, and more than 22,000 Czech hedgehogs. The barbed wire of the Hlebnikovo line was also electrified in certain places. Many of these fortifications never saw combat actions, because the Germans ultimately were pushed out. On the 15th of October, the Moscow Defense zone was abolished and almost all of its fortifications were destroyed during the post-war years. Surviving trenches and pillboxes remained mainly in parks and another unpopulated areas. In this post, I'll show you photos of the pillboxes that I found in Moscow, describing their exact locations. It's unlikely that any of you will ever visit those places, if you should want to see exact location you just need to copy the coordinates that I list into the search field of an online map.

  1) The first fortification I want to tell you about is a pillbox in Shukino district, near the bank of the Moscow River.

  It's situated two kilometers from the nearest Metro station. 

  Here it is. The fence of the Kurchatovsky Institute is located behind the pillbox. The coordinates are [55.795052, 37.447855]

   It was built for a 76.2 millimeter divisional gun.

  It’s made as log house, but bars of reinforced concrete were used instead of logs. The quality of bars is excellent, as even now they look new.

  Not long ago, the pillbox was designated an official historical item. It was painted in grey and cleaned of trash. The fence behind it was painted with a patriotic design.

  There’s also one more fortification within a hundred meters from the pillbox.

  Here near the stadium.

  This is a ZhbOT, a concrete machine gun cap, or covered firing point, which is almost submerged into the ground now.

  2)  The second place connected with the Moscow Defense Zone that I visited in Moscow was Fili Park, at coordinates [55.747309, 37.477306]). There, remain ruins of several pillboxes and trenches.

  This is the first ZhbOT that I found there.

  Most of the pillboxes were built on the top of the high slope in front of Moscow river. 

  Because of erosion of the slope, almost all pillboxes have been destroyed.

  Unlike the pillbox I mentioned earlier that looked like a  log house, this one looks like a  house made of bricks, as it was constructed with reinforced concrete "bricks".

  With all the respect paid by Russians to places connected with Great Patriotic War, it's strange that there is no tone mention of these fortifications on the information billboards of the park.

  

  Most of the surviving ZhbOTs are situated right near the bank of Moscow River, and for some unknown reason, all of them are turned over.

  Here as well.

  And here.

   This one was being used as the canopy for charcoal grill.

  3)  This pillbox near the Yasenevo Metro station was transformed to a monument. Its coordinates are [55.603637, 37.545470]

  4) Here is the pillbox near the Kaluzhskaya Metro station. It once protected Kaluzhskaya road, and it, too, was turned into a monument. Its coordinates are [55.656772, 37.533281].

   5) Here are the fortifications in Tyopli Stan Park, coordinates [55.636713, 37.495948]. The pillbox there has very strange color. There are also some ZhbOTs and trenches in the forest nearby. One unique steel ZhbOT from that area was taken to the Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill several years ago.

  6) This is a unique pillbox in Sokolniki Park, at coordinates [55.796365, 37.678058]. I hadn't seen this type of construction before. It’s made of steel, and is two meters in diameter. According to a 1942 map, there were six other pillboxes of this same type in the area. Between 1950 and the 1970s, the pillbox below was used as a pedestal for a sculpture of deer.

  7)  Here is the pillbox near Moscow Ring Road, not far from the Tropariovo Metro station.  I don't know what happened to it, but it rather ruined. It’s located at coordinates [55.650334, 37.486647].

  8) And the last one for today is a ZhbOT behind the flea market in Izmailovo, at coordinates [55.795120, 37.749003]. Someone moved it from nearby Izmailovo Park.

  In conclusion, I’d like to point out that there are many other remnants from the old Moscow Defense Zone, but the ones above are all the ones that I had a chance to visit and photograph. I never use photos taken by other people, so I can’t show you photos of any of other surviving remnants until I have a chance to visit them myself.  If the subject is of special interest to you, I hope you will have a chance to visit some of them yourself. 

Thank you Gary Mcmaster for editing of this text.