"Kharkovchanka" - The Colossal Soviet Antarctic Cruisers

[@CalumRaasay]

Thanks for watching everyone! Russian & Ukrainian speakers I am so sorry for my terrible pronunciation! I titled this ‘Russia’s’ cruisers rather than the ‘Soviets’ since they’re still in use by the Russian Federation but it's important to note "The Kharkovchanka" was produced in Kharkiv, a major city in what was the Ukrainian Soviet Socialistic Republic (not Ukraine) and originally operated by USSR. I had a lot of fun researching & making this. List of sources & references in the description. You can also find the link to my 'kharkovchanka' artwork here - www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/51163489?asc=u

[@louisimisson9065]

Calum Thanks a lot buddy, great researching - really enjoyed watching the Soviet approach after seeing what the Americans did with mega vehicles in Antarctica! Cheers from North Yorkshire 👍

[@ldSt3345]

Saying "Ukrainian SSR" as "not Ukraine" is kinda like saying "Imperial Japan (Not Japan)" or "British India (not India)"

[@jayess2119]

aside from geographical names - and maybe this is what you meant by pronunciation - why do you pronounce the word as ''Charkiv'' (and applied to "Kharkovchanka") when it's obviously [phonetically] ''Harkiv'' - in both Slavic and English languages - ''Kh'' is a hard H; a flaw in an otherwise well-produced presentation.

[@maksymo9917]

Pronounced as Harkivchanka 🙄

[@сергейзайцев-е9г]

@@ldSt3345 Considering what is happening today, I can say that the Ukrainian SSR is not Ukraine, and the RSFSR is not Russia) 2 pieces of shit existing on the bones of the Soviet Union.

[@maxdebayser3856]

Wow, I miss the time when Discovery Channel had quality content like this.

[@ohypno2]

@Diamond W202 bruh what

[@chelarestelar]

@Diamond W202 uhm...... if drank responsibly, whatever you take can be ok. Regarding the cars, though... AFAIK, over their whole service life, they end up being better for the environment. That doesnt eliminate the issues with tuning, personalizing and repairability. As much as i like those cars, i fear the path they seem to be going to (everything, really. stuff as a service and not as a product you buy). And sucrose is just another name for sugar And youtube seems to be turning into simple entertainment for the masses, everything being dumbed down, fake enthusiasm everywhere... sigh....

[@chelarestelar]

@@ohypno2 he was just agreeing with the point max made

[@Serhio_Alvarez]

Russia almost lost all the technologies in 90' thanks to USA ((( But luckily all of them was rebuild and restored.

[@Legrascestlavie88]

Amen

[@IAT1964]

In general, Soviet and Russian technology is frowned upon by the west. However the "rules of engagement" in Russia are totally different to most other places. Their focus is on simple-robust-practical, and not focusing solely on high-tech. You can see this in many areas of manufacturing such as aviation, cars, and also heavy industry. In many cases they come up with brilliant designs.

[@giggling_boatswain]

Of course, I can be expected, but in extreme conditions, perhaps people will give preference to simplicity and reliability instead of high technology. This is not a total law of course, but it seems to me that this statement is true in 80% of cases. In everyday, everyday conditions, where there are almost no critical situations, high technologies are quite suitable. Simplicity = Reliability. But in other spheres of human activity, simple solutions sometimes cannot achieve the set goal, high technologies are needed and you have to trust them (sometimes own life - space, aviation, etc.)

[@KandiKlover]

Plus in communism/socialism everyone gets paid the same low wages so you can basically have slave workers without overtime do whatever you want. Also it hasn't been frowned upon for decades, I have a Soviet hasselblad knock off and 1100mm super telephoto lens. Can't even tell it's that old, works great :3

[@CWB342]

Perhaps a better word would be "overlooked" or "dismissed." At least in the U.S. the millions of Sergei Mosin/AK platform fans + the obsessive cult following for Vostok watches would suggest there's a lot of appreciation for the simplicity and easy operation of Soviet tech. Perhaps not as much as there should be. Personally, when I was told that the prescription for a jammed Mosin Nagant was to lay it down and kick the bolt.. Well I was hooked.

[@corkcamden9878]

True. When the Soviets went to space, they didn't develop a pen which would write upside down. They just used a pencil.

[@Whiterabbit124]

Another take I heard and it stuck with me: For the USA, "Great design" means "high tech" solution which takes a lot into account and does a lot of things. For USSR, "Great design" means "easily repaired". It doesn't matter if it doesn't do everything in the world as long as it does what it needs and can be fixed easily in case of malfunction.

[@GoodBoyTheOne]

If anyone interested, it's pronaunced "Harkovchanka" with sound "H" in the beginning like in Hollywood

[@NikPinski]

Same with the city that built it - it's pronounced Harkyov

[@TurtleAsshole]

Thanks for telling us how an H works.

[@megaotstoy]

@@TurtleAsshole definitely not like "ch"

[@peppigue]

Chollywood

[@zepter00]

@@megaotstoy in Polish CH sounds exacly the same like H. We use both.

[@sneakyskunk1]

You know a vehicle is very well designed when it has been in service for fifty years. This was absolutely fascinating to watch. It almost sounds like science fiction, to think that a vehicle like this exists.

[@jstates1]

Almost everything is built to be more disposable and from cheaper materials today. Human greed over pride in one's work. If you sell people a car with a lifespan longer than theirs, or boots that will last for a couple generations, you probably won't sell many.

[@murphy7801]

​@@jstates1 I mean that's more capitalism, it's a system that rewards minimum input for maximum profit. As someone who lives in Europe all the interesting projects are government.

[@heyhoe168]

@@murphy7801 classical unrestricted capitalism is a system, designed to work somehow with stupid in rule or even without the management at all. But it is not most efficient possible, that is why we see wasteful and disposable designs.

[@lordbendtner7021]

It's amazing that a gas station pretending to be a country could make it.

[@darchandarchan7036]

@@jstates1 because people chose chasing mirages in capitalism, instead of joining together and working at their best. USSR failed because socialism isn’t supposed to be waging wars. Yet it was forced to, because capitalists wouldn’t gave up on their wealth

[@shenghan9385]

It's amazing how an individual can produce such a high quality little documentary film.

[@chukwow5738]

Agreed! Any commercial tv channel would take this content to make 10 episodes times 30 minutes , and fill out the time with rubbish . I’m so grateful to (the few) youtubers that just hammers with facts in a stylish way, no BS, just beautifully put together

[@AmrothPalantir]

@@chukwow5738 agree, and 50% of the filling would just be to repeat what they said or what they will say... Like NatGeo, urgh... I like to watch NatGeo... muted. 😂😂

[@Bruno-hd9qo]

Kudos

[@christastic100]

This is how all documentaries should be . Non repeating and absolutely better than big TV efforts by a moon trip .

[@bradlemmond]

Agreed. I didn't think I would watch the whole thing, but I did.

[@mikaelmrup3196]

Falling down a youtube rabbithole, i stumbled over this documentary. Void of all political and propaganda bullshit, just based on the admiration of engineering and design, this is one fine topnotch documentary. One of the best i have seen in a long time. Thank you for taking (probably a lot ) the time to make this.

[@mrfixitusa6165]

Yep ....and KZbin had to ruin it with more bullcrap political scams, divisive, antagonistic, manipulative, agenda driven filth and mental bile in the form of "political advertisements". Funny how they cram one of those ads in EVERY video from ONE party, and the other party that also paid for add, is almost never seen and when they are shown, KZbin cuts it so it only plays the few first seconds required to avoid a breach of contract and still keep the money. KZbin is becoming another cesspool of scams, lies & manipulation ....all because of the filth of crooked politics.

[@JWhiteley]

Yeah, I’m glad I found this video in my recommended.

[@encyclopediaamericana7234]

Omg it's so nice! May I suggest a channel called Rummy's Corner? Rummy is an amazing boxing historian and narrator

[@supremebeme]

Any suggestions for channels with similar content?

[@DJGodaryD86]

This video is a mix of maybe 10 other videos I've seen on this topic thoughout the years. Still great video and channel. Which is hard to find considering most of the things YT suggests me is toxic trash that have zero relation to me or my needs most things shouldn't be even on YT to beggin with or any platform on that matter and the people behind it should be locked up or something...

[@Oceansta]

60 yrs on and still functional! It's a testament to the engineering and quality of materials used. Truly, a formidable achievement by the CCCP.

[@mungo7136]

It is not such a surprise. Those vehicles were built upon fairly primitive technology, thus parts do not face such a attrition and if you have spare parts you can keep them running almost endlessly. It is sort of tradeoff between maintenance and its difficulty. Old cars required some repeated repairs over the time but they were not that difficult. Modern cars can run few hundred thousands kilometers upon very basic maintenance, but once something brakes it is usually quite difficult and costly to repair it.

[@Oceansta]

@@mungo7136 makes sense 👍🏻

[@help4TI]

noone wants to drive it anywhere

[@heyhoe168]

@@mungo7136 well, but the fact nothing new is not really needed say that engineers made it right. It is not the first antarctica cruiser. All of them had more or less same tech base, but not all of them survived a test of practice.

[@KandiKlover]

Yeah I'm amazed how sturdy soviet stuff is. They're soyuz rockets were still taking people to the international space station long after the fall of the union. I have a Soviet hasselblad knock off and 1100mm super telephoto lens. Can't even tell it's that old, works great :3

[@MrKnoxguy101]

Can you imagine having to go through the maintenance checklist on this machine…. in Antarctica? I would absolutely love to see one of these in person. The Soviets were really showing out when they built these things. Very impressive.

[@WhohateAmerica]

Soviets didn't have those fancy capitalistic mindful things called "Maintenance checlists". They would simply run the equipment till it dies and then damn everything and everyone around them, trying to find someone to blame and then punish, being honestly surprised by the malfunction.

[@Kado1609]

soviets even build the best rocket engines wich were used all the way to 2004-2006 and no other nation ever came close to that, even american used their engines...

[@evgeniylitvin8077]

This vehicle big and complex enough to have mechanical engineer in the crew constantly like a ship

[@boingkster]

"Vasili, do we have oil?" "Da." "And fuel?" "Da, of course." "And vodka?" "Plenty!" "Then we are good to go!"

[@OneBiasedOpinion]

What I love most about this is that, when removed from the politics and nonsense engulfing "civilized" society, all the different nationalities were just happy to hang out with each other in the middle of a god-forsaken frozen wasteland. The Americans weren't even upset to see the Russians suddenly pop outta nowhere and approach their base. They were like "hey! You made it! That's so cool!" I love to hear stories like that.

[@briananthony4044]

It's not the people, it's the politicians that cause friction between nations. The internet has been great for those ordinary people to communicate with each other and share their lives. Russian You Tube videos are interesting as any other, seeing the comments from people from east and west greeting each other is great.

[@mashamylaramu]

were they upset when the hatch on Apollo spaceship opened and guys from Soyuz: "hello!"?

[@VladK-1]

I cannot say it better. Greetings from Russia! By the way, in my 30s I'm ashamed to hear about the Kharkovchanka project for the first time in my life. I read and watched a lot of stuff about the icebreakers and brave pilots flying across the Arctic since my childhood but somehow missed the epic history of such amazing snow cruisers. Thankfully there are people like Calum all around the world, interested in history, working together, and scraping from forgotten pieces such amazing stories-well researched, completely sincere, and unbiased.

[@tebo2770]

@@briananthony4044 Your comment is totally on point. We worked with Russian officer cadets in the early 90's when I was in the US Army. These were some of the nicest people you could hope to meet. Governments and their politics are the problem and always have been and it's sad.

[@ArrowBast]

2 tribes that like pork and booze can usually reconcile differences.

[@Swallabat]

Bloody good narration. Really enjoying this. Reminds me of when T.V. was actually informative... Good work.

[@joelpaprocki85]

Agreed! And adding all the graphics perfectly timed is quite refreshing and highly education. Bravo Calum!

[@prakashgoday5087]

W0rp

[@AleksandrStrizhevskiy]

Fantastic documentary! I'm originally from Ukraine, now living in the US, and loved listening to this little history. So much of the Cold War period is focused on the tensions and politics of the time, it's nice to hear something about the peaceful scientific and engineering accomplishments of the time.

[@CalumRaasay]

So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching 👍

[@fbiagentmiyakohoshino8223]

good timing too because invasion go brrrr

[@MrMor94ok]

my mother in Soviet times worked at a factory that produced electric shavers. They also did something to launch into space. only after this plant was gone did I find out that parts for s300 air defense systems were produced there

[@danielkorladis7869]

yeah, also just love taking a tank chassis and turning it into an epic long distance snow tractor/mothership.

[@georgesbv1]

@@MrMor94ok every one else knew

[@mirrorslul]

My ears bled for every time that you've pronounced Harkovchanka as Charkovchanka but other than that this is a very well-written and entertaining documentary. Thank you for your time on researching and providing this information

[@johnr797]

Lol thank you I was gonna comment the same as the first part. But yes, great in-depth documentary

[@yanikkunitsin1466]

Да, этот Чарковчанка, а другой, с видео которого я пришёл, ещё лучше - Шарковчанка. Шаркает по снегу Шар-ков-чан-ка Подарочки полярникам везёт

[@yevhenkulieshov8070]

I'm from Ukraine. and to be honest, it doesn't matter the pronunciation of one or two words. people who are interested will find the correct pronunciation. thanks for the interesting material.

[@gilsons.bezerrajunior9538]

Exactly. I never understood this nonsense with pronunciation. People like a "mimimis", as we say in Brazil.

[@petersampson4635]

When it comes to snow and ice, Ukraine/ Russia are at the "Top of the icicle." (So to speak) Brilliant engineering as usual. 👍

[@OliK1998]

@@petersampson4635 please, dont speak about it as if the ukraine had anything to do with it.

[@ofsinope]

Well it's a pretty strange decision to say a foreign word 1000 times in a video without checking how it's pronounced.

[@AlexV6]

@@OliK1998 Yeah, and I'm actually more surprised that you are not angry with him mentioning Russia. That shitty country was never capable to make anything itself and just exploited other peoples of the USSR.

[@MrSvinkoyaschMrSvinkoyasch]

I was born in Soviet Union and I've lived my whole life in Russia. I just want to thank you for your efforts to promote our polar heritage and for your devotion to this remarkable theme!

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you! Both Soviet Antarctic and general worldwide Geographical achievements are vast and deserve recognising!

[@boogaloobender3462]

Soviet technology is great, too bad it came at a great cost to the citizens living under the people who built it.

[@АлександрИванович-з7ы]

@@ВолгоградскийВолгоград неправда. Есть и современные военные разработки, например надувные десантируемые храмы.

[@АлексейМакаров-д9ф]

@@ВолгоградскийВолгоград Мы рады что вы так думаете , думайте так дальше . Это России только в пользу . Только не удивляйтесь потом , что вдруг вы окажетесь в отстающих . Как случалось ранее когда вдруг над землёй появился наш искусственный спутник.

[@badtouch3263]

@@АлексейМакаров-д9ф Вы мне кажетесь добрым человеком, но я с вами все же склонен не согласиться. Сейчас у нас разрабатывают технику чтобы получше упекать людей за решетку, бить их на мирных митингах, чтобы цензуру еще больше сделать чем есть, чтобы свободы у человека было еще меньше. Очень много сил уходит именно на поддержание текущего режима в стране. И пока Рогозин делает смешные картинки в фотошопе, уже многие не идут к нам когда нужно что-то на орбиту отправить, потому что капитализм на западе родил способные к прогрессу частные компании, а у нас (хоть они и есть, таковые существуют и с нашей стороны, но пока не настолько развитые) все это пока не произошло.

[@stevesimpson5994]

3 months of engineering, 30+ years of service. Amazing!

[@30oooo33]

Made in USSR!

[@telcobilly]

Never thought of it that way. Makes this achievement that much more amazing.. Great video production. Subscribed!

[@legaliseme]

Would never be achieved today, 3 months is ridiculously short

[@michaelanderson-l5u]

I'm currently working in Antarctica at the American McMurdo Station, and we here also still use very old equipment. I drive a Korean war era forklift on a daily basis. Keeping these machines running though takes a team of mechanics that work long hours. A Terra Cat challenger 2 is used to traverse to the south pole so some upgrades have been made over the years for the more risky operations.

[@keenlybee7669]

In a sense, the technology is frozen in time, haha! What an amazing opportunity though- are you a scientist, or part of the maintenance team? If it’s the latter, you have my admiration- my car struggles when temperatures drop mildly below freezing, so I can’t imagine the challenge of maintaining those mechanical fossils in such extreme temperatures!

[@hammertime1]

I use to work for Raytheon polar services down in Antarctica back in 2008. I ended up banging 16 different women and even my boss. There was a huge chick fight during the mid year swap. That’s when you swap who ever your fucking for some new gash.

[@lopo8000]

did u saw the ice wall?

[@michaelanderson-l5u]

@@lopo8000 I don’t know what ice wall you’re referring to, but at the South Pole station the ice is 2 miles thick.

[@impguardwarhamer]

I love how those Kharkov 2's still have big bold CCCP lettering and soviet flags painted on them. Imagine being lost in Antarctica and seeing that drive towards you out of the snow, like some long lost soviet base still surviving iron sky style

[@wyndhamcoffman8961]

Yes, yes, yes! Iron sky 3: soviets on mars.

[@mnk9073]

See comrade, the Russian Federation is more like a temporary rebranding, it's way to early to already repaint everything...

[@hlynkacg9529]

@@wyndhamcoffman8961 Iron sky 3: The Red Army Strikes Back

[@johnpauljones6229]

Iron Sky wasn't true?

[@wyndhamcoffman8961]

@@johnpauljones6229 you don't believe Gilligan's Island was real?

[@felix_wiseman]

7:09 This altitude is about 2/3 of the altitude at which the Canadian Aviation Rules would require all occupants of a visual flight rule (VFR) aircraft to have oxygen supplies, and they were in a fucking tank with a truck cabin

[@CalumRaasay]

Félix-Antoine Chénier that’s exactly the sorts of comparisons I should have used to highlight just how insane some of these conditions are. Great comment 👍

[@charlesaanonson3954]

The Canadian Aviation Rules regarding pressurization and oxygen are mostly for pussies. Mostly designed to protect the passengers. Mountain climbers go to the top of Mt Everest without extra oxygen. Of course, some of them do not make it back home again either.

[@RS-ls7mm]

Meh, in the US there are millions of cabins at this altitude. You get used to it.

[@Vox_Unius]

Vostok station is located 3488m above sea level. The atmospheric pressure is twice smaller than normal. It is possible to get used to it if the climb is gradual. Those who travel by trucks do have time for that. However, other crew, who arrive by air, spend a number of days in beds getting used to lower oxygen levels.

[@CalumRaasay]

jujitsuman68 I personally choke myself with a belt when I go out hiking just so I can be a true badass and live at a high altitude.

[@cyphicle]

Your list of references and sources shows how carefully you work. Yes, you are not used with slavic languages but, apart from this point, your documentary effort is valuable.

[@CalumRaasay]

What a lovely comment. Thank you!

[@kdmellor]

These days, any idiot with a camera can produce a video clip about anything. However, amongst the all clutter on KZbin, one can still find some incredibly well produced content. You do such a fine job. Your research effort is so impressive and your production values are professional and polished. All of this shines through in the finished product. People like you, Calum, play a vital role in documenting the history of mankind. Keep up the fine work!

[@MrMikedejeuner]

20:34 that guy playing accordion is a legend

[@carelesslad9931]

The called him Vostok Vlad. Standard operating body temperature -42 c. Pure vodka in veins, voice of an angel.

[@iam4heriam4her]

I agree, holy fuck.

[@hugejohnson5011]

They flew him in from Detroit, Michigan. Worked at Chrysler, and they picked him up playing at a bowling alley gig!

[@MrMikedejeuner]

@@hugejohnson5011 really ?

[@hugejohnson5011]

@@MrMikedejeuner Sorry, I was just being an ass! Sounded like a good story, so I ran with It. In my Detroit experience though, in the Hamtramck section, there are quite a few Ukrainian/Polish fellows that worked at the car plants, and many played the accordion very well!

[@astro-blaster4190]

I’m almost 50 and just hearing about this. As an American we are educated as if we are the one and only conquerors of everything. Obviously this isn’t the case. Great job Soviets!! Awesome engineering and discovery.

[@IAT1964]

Each region are good at something. I got to say, the USA is pretty much a leader when it comes to computer electronics. French are world leaders in nuclear power (by a margin), Germans are the best at making mechanical stuff (including cars), the Japanese are masters at designing and building precision quality equipment and the Russians, well they are great at making stuff work in extreme conditions.

[@mikhailkouyantsev6743]

Thank You, man!

[@HK_808]

@@IAT1964 the venera probes definitely prove that they went to one of the most inhospitable places in the solar system (venus)

[@indiomoustafa2047]

Well, it failed miserably. Soviets had some good designs for various means but this was not one of them. This thing sucked lol I would love to take one on a road trip and live in it for a few months though. 😂

[@ursa_margo]

@Astro-Blaster you wouldn't believe how many Soviet people were raised under the idea that the USSR was the only one to do everything in the world, basically.

[@SirFloIII]

20:37 that guy with the accordion is my hero.

[@ZGryphon]

I had to go back and make sure I really had seen that. :)

[@SkywalkerExpress]

he's not playing music but pumping fuel into engine.

[@egrafix2006]

Thanks for pointing that out! Loved it, but had totally missed it.

[@HartmutWSager]

@@SkywalkerExpress Yes, that's how they implemented the turbo-charger design - manually operated accordion. :)

[@antipoti]

It is absolutely amazing that these machines were designed AND manufactured in 3 month and kept working for decades in the hashest of environments. Almost unbelivable. Nothing of significants (in engineering) can be created in 3 months in my experience, this is hard stuff.

[@starfilmsanimation]

It’s amazing how similar the exploration of the antarctic and space are.

[@CalumRaasay]

Isn't it just? Something I wanted to talk about but ran out of time on. Someone once compared these snow cruisers to the rovers in Kim Stanley Robinson's _Mars_ series and I can't stop thinking about it that way!

[@keelhauling]

Calum that was exactly the first thought I had when I first read up on these! I cant imagine KSR and the people thinking about those rovers haven’t spent a lot of time looking at these. Thanks for the wonderful video!

[@ThomasBaxter]

Also deep sea. All a very similar feel.

[@timothycook4782]

The soviets liked to use the same kinds of names for both "Mirny" "Progress" etc.

[@Vox_Unius]

Antarctica is similar to space indeed. The crew lives away from the rest of the world, if anything goes wrong, no one would be able to help them. Submarine conditions also fall into this category. It is a small piece of human civilisation in the middle of nowhere.

[@Rx7man]

I think the American Snow cruiser was designed by someone in Florida, I don't see how they could ever think that would work in snow!! I guess they've never seen snow. It's still a testament to russian ingenuity that a machine that was designed in 3 months worked as well as it did, and is still used today

[@sc1338]

Just the tires were bad, everything else was pretty good

[@CalumRaasay]

It was designed by Thomas Poulter and built in Chicago, I’ve a video on it here 👍🏻 kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIOTfmqBn9N9iqc

[@alexorehowski3387]

@@sc1338 Weight distribution was wrong too so they had to travel in reverse. No access to engine from inside for maintenance and so on. Try getting outside in -97F. I guess you never watched the previous video.

[@redwood_shores]

To those who concerned: “Kharkovchanka” means, literally speaking, “female resident of Harcov city”. Like New Yorker but gender-specific.

[@ZacLowing]

I bet it's more slang than that... buncha guys working on a machine that will keep you warm in the freaking antarctica. “female resident of Harcov city” could also be "That ho from Harcov"

[@redwood_shores]

@@ZacLowing Nope. I would say this wording is totally formal. Soviet offices never tolerated slang.

[@alexalexin9491]

oh god. can't you just say "a woman from Kharkov"?

[@YaR0MyR]

@@alexalexin9491 Yes we can, and no, because we just don't need. The meaning lies in the very fundamental linguistic difference. All verbs in synthetic languages (of which Russian is) has gender dependence (a.e.: in Russian, knife is "he", fork is "she" and bucket is "it"), so a.e. "New Yorker" in Russian has different word's end part, depending on if a male or a female is mentioned. So, replying to your "oh God, can't you...", I must disappoint your arrogance, as there's dissadvantage of English, as well as English speaking limited thinking. Yes, we can say "a woman from Kharkov" (женщина из Харькова), but it wouldn't be the true meaning of the word "Kharkovchanka", just because it mean Kharkover, whith embeded information that this civic of Kharkov is female, not specifying if she is a woman or a girl.

[@MrWomax]

@@YaR0MyR Don't bother. He won't get it.

[@tickettothecircus]

In the army in 1961. Served in Polar Research. Was sent to Greenland. We had vehicles similar to these. Shape was similar but two sections. Was joined in middle with a hydraulic system used for steering. Was made to haul troops. Front section held 10 or 12. Rear close to 20. We used them to mainly haul supplies. The motor was really underpowered and had to be replaced. Think it was a Cummins motor. New motor was great. It was purely a experimental vehicle. Only had two vehicles. Everyone seemed to like them. Was something to drive, and they looked great. Was unbelievable the amount of money that was wasted. Base camp was Camp Tuto about 10 miles from Thule Air Base

[@Melody_Raventress]

Hey man, your comment deserves more attention! Camp TUTO (ThUle Take Off) was a support base for Camp Century, originally intended for Project ICEWORM a buried Second Nuclear Strike base under the ice. This proved impossible but many science projects were completed regardless. I'd be interested in anything else you have to say about your time in Greenland, Thank You!

[@tickettothecircus]

@@Melody_Raventress Attention for what, been posting info for over 25 years. Always told its lies and info is taken down. Ice Worm was a one shot trip, before it was over they realized how stupid it was. Fire a rocket, with a flame coming out, wouldn’t it melt the ice. Think they discovered it was a bad idea. The Ice Tunnel at edge of ice cap near Tuto was built in 61, closed in spring of 62. Huge pit was dug in it, 55 gallon drums of fuel were dumped in it. Nobody new how many or why. Spent 4 months at Century, reactor was off line the entire time. And they were not even trying to get it online. Topside at Century was the container the core came in. Message on it from Danish government said if core was ever removed it must stay in container at that site for 100 years. Was written in English and danish. Was painted international orange. The amount of money wasted at Tuto, Century, was unbelievable. If you didn’t use money given for that year it was reduced the next year. Perfectly good equipment was sunk in Lake Tuto So they would get increase the next year. The few men that tried to work on reactor wore badges to detect any radiation leaks. What about the rest of us. We’re we immune to radiation. Had cancer in 97. No one cared or gave a shit. Just one huge waste

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Yes, definitely an untold story there…

[@blackjesus4414]

u can't compare greenlad with the south pole, there is a difference of 3260000 degrees celsius. In greenland you can have a swim in a random ice lake. Antarctica is like Mars or Venus, u get out u die

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

@@blackjesus4414- And yet somehow Amundsen and Scott walked/sledged all the way to the South Pole.

[@AdamBorseti]

I watched this on my TV at 11:30 last night and though I was stoned, I still remembered that I wanted to come by and leave a comment! This was incredibly well researched and masterfully presented! I had no idea these vehicles existed, and was very impressed with their design and history. I watched your doc about the snow cruiser a while back - which also blew my mind, that being such an ambitious design for 1939 - and I enjoyed this one even more! Great work, Calum!

[@zachdurocher1166]

Wow That's pretty much equivalent to going into space - nobody there to help you - vast freezing emptyness that kills unprotected humans - If things break, you either fix them or die - Russians did it first

[@joshuarosen6242]

It's no joke being out there. You probably couldn't walk more than a kilometre before dying outside and it doesn't look like the sort of place you could land a plane. Crossing Antarctica is a proper adventure.

[@joshuajaydevenport29]

Actual pro's to Mars versus Antarctica - stable ground (don't have to worry about breaking ice, human height-deep powder, etc), storms aren't as horrible with a thinner atmosphere, less gravity means less physical exertion, commie Soviets haven't infected it

[@ErikAdalbertvanNagel]

and germans started it.

[@kajmak64bit76]

@@joshuajaydevenport29 commie china will be there xD

[@berryreading4809]

@Blue .Barrymore shhhhh just let him enjoy counting his poorly placed likes 😂

[@chinocracy]

What worked for me here: 1. Tracks instead of wheels 2. No unnecessary overhang 3. vodka

[@juergenp.2788]

Yes, a working brain makes all the difference.

[@robertgantry2118]

Yes. Vodka. How could anyone survive in a place like that without vodka.

[@g00gleminus96]

4. Vodka 5. Vodka 6. More vodka. *some vodka may occur. See vodka for details.

[@CieplinskiPawel]

Nah, I don't think so. Vodka is just 40%. I'm pretty sure it was good old Ukrainian самогон (moonshine)!!!

[@cnutsack]

@@juergenp.2788 The M2 bradley is another example of shitty US government design.

[@fusomann]

I was born and raised in city of Kharkov, my dad was working in same factory where this arctic vehicles were made, might be a good possibility that he even worked on them, I would never know as he passed away in August 2021, in California at age 69, Very interesting topic, thank you soo much!!

[@megeteu]

Why exactly at August 2021?

[@fusomann]

@@megeteu because that how God decided

[@ПетроБушманов]

Привет от харьковчанина

[@georgesbv1]

@@train9071 if Putin had died at 69, the world would have been a much nicer place.

[@chunkynugget]

Classic Russian answer to everything: just build a tank!

[@КурсыиностранныхязыковвМоскве]

It works

[@NikopolAU]

classic Russian joke: A journalist conducts a research about the car brand preferences in different countries. He asks a German: - what car do you use for your daily shopping? - "my BMW" - what car do you use to travel abroad? - "I prefer Mercedes" Then he asks a French: - what car do you use for your daily shopping? - "my Ranault" - what car do you use to travel abroad? - "I prefer Peugeot" And finally, he asks a Russian: - what car do you use for your daily shopping? - "uh.. I just take a bus or a tram" - what car do you use to travel abroad? - "We don't travel abroad" - what if you really need to? - "there is nothing interesting there" - what if it's a really-really-urgent-end-of-the-world emergency? - "well, if it's a really-really-urgent-end-of-the-world emergency, we just use tanks"

[@chunkynugget]

@@КурсыиностранныхязыковвМоскве Ну да

[@scoots8519]

Yes the Soviets were very good at building things BIG! No matter whether they worked or not.

[@accckiy]

@@NikopolAU Хахахахахахахахахааааа!

[@njm3211]

Soviet "can do" engineering spirit always amazes me. What they could accomplish with smaller budgets and a more limited industrial base than the West is incredible. Things were dependable, simple to manufacture and bulletproof for the most part and got the job done. To this day they are using the Soyuz spacecraft designed in the 1960's with updates over the decades. It just works and is economical. Vehicles of this type will be need on the moon and Mars for starters. Very informative video.

[@northernchaotic7196]

Aaannnd,,, how do you suggest we get 70 Ton vehicle to the moon??? Dont tell me youd let the Russians "solve" that one. Lol

[@halvars90]

@@northernchaotic7196 More rockets solves everything lol

[@mishacol]

The answer is planned economy. Soviet government was capable to mobilize huge resources, while governments with liberal economy had much less influence over industries. But the biggest disadvantage of planning was ignoring civil needs. Kharkovchanka, Soyuz, Buran etc. were cool, but folks had no damn jeans and sport shoes to wear lol))

[@josephstalin4592]

@@mishacol Ну да, без джинсов-то не прожили бы) зато теперь смотрим как наши ракеты падают, машины все из иностранной комплектухи, лекарств своих нет почти, а электроники своей - единицы процентов. Зато джинсы есть. Все заебись.)

[@Technokosak]

@@josephstalin4592 Впадение в крайности не является чем-то рациональным.

[@mrben6573]

These antarctic landships are fascinating because one imagines them to be like spaceships. Operating without support off in the middle of nowhere and making great discoveries. Think Star Trek but with a thousand horsepower tracked overland ship trundling off into the great white unknown. I guess the problem is it seems this didn't really happen. Star Trek On Ice turned out to be mostly just overland resupply convoys. Your video states that the main workhorse for the Russians now is the Pistenbully 300, which is just a big snowtractor. It's definitely not the Antarctic Starship Enterprise that the Snowcruiser and Kharkovchanka promised to be.

[@pickleparty247]

You'll more commonly find Pistenbully tractors at alpine ski resorts!

[@jawa5669]

Needed the water cooled grow lights to grow food onboard

[@jawa5669]

One more like shredders ship in tmnt

[@jawa5669]

This comment i added has more brilliance than i had first intended like most great ideas usualy have unlying extra bennifits,like growing on a train or boat something that has the power going to waste anyway can also involve heat pumps and extra warm water storage my original plan would be to have growing lettuce on a travel structure more like a penquin ship goes skidding across ice or can submerge so in reality could travel the worl unseen un powered just using currents to power everything imagine the possiblibly of a summersable ice scater ship with flexibilty of a seal or some ocean going mammal maybe a whale or sea lion attached to a lead or being driven from inside a vehivle that woupd be almoat like hardwireing a larrge whale to live inside that would have no fuel use totaly insulated and running of the currents truely magical

[@volvo245]

Bolotohod DT-30 Takes a giant diesel soot shit on Pistenbully toys.

[@thomasmoser7382]

"never change a running system" a quote that many of the people with this "but it's old and doesn't have high tech technology" mentality should seriously think about. i love those work horses, aspecialy the 2. gen of the kharkovchanka. it may look rough but it just works :)

[@tedbarsalou]

We understand Cold; the Russians understand Cold AF.

[@thisaccountnameiscompletel8949]

Evidently not as well as the Finns though.

[@chiroquacker2580]

Great documentary! The Soviets / Russians are second to none when it comes to building hardware that is simple, rugged, and reliable. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that their homeland has a cold and unforgiving climate.

[@kaunomedis7926]

Russians are not Ukrainians.

[@bengrimm622]

@@kaunomedis7926 Nope...but the Ukrainians will be Russians soon.

[@europeancritical]

Driving a Lada Niva I can confirm this. Sovjet Tech. seems weird but after understanding their way of engineering it's very logical. Gratings from Germany

[@n8zog584]

@Carson Walker the ruggedness of soviet engineering has been somewhat overstated. This is not to say they aren't a cut above the rest and didnt accomplish great things. But look at the AK-47, one of the acclaimed "most reliable weapons". For anyone who actually owns one will tell you, it is very possible for them to jam. And getting mud and crap in them IS NOT something you can just wipe off a little and go back to shooting...well, I mean you can but you risk losing that AK47 and a part of your body with it. But all that being said I think they are much more reliable than most automatic weapons of their era. And they are cheap. Also don't make blanket statements. Russians are people. People dont just do things perfectly. They accomplished great things, while also failing miserably at others. The difference is that soviet propoganda was nuanced enough, and had enough seemingly unbiased testimonies that what they said would mostly seem believable.

[@ValkRover]

Soviets is not Russians. USSR had 15 states with different cultures and languages. Some kind like USA, but under communist rules.

[@rotaryhead4533]

I wouldn't be surprised if some of these engineering marvels are still operating at various Russian bases in Antarctica. During my last 'summer' tour in Antarctica (2010) they still were. I wish I could post some pics. Also, my eye briefly caught sight in your video of what I believe are 'Gorky's", light tracked personnel carriers. The Russians used them at Novolazarefskaya and Progress. One beautifully kept T404 in olive livery was used in Vostok and I had it pull our Turbo DC3 out of a tight spot. Research base Novolazarefskaya actually has a 'wrecking yard' where a number of skeletal remains are stored including the older T404 with hundreds of parts lying around. In December 2009 A Kharkovchanka was under repair in Progress with what appeared to be a broken drive sprocket. Everything about this vehicle was BIG!

[@beachbum4691]

Thank you for posting, everything adds to understanding :)

[@KingPOF]

May I ask how you come to be in Antartica? What were you doing there

[@sjakierulez]

@@KingPOF Someone had to be the first to make love to a penguin

[@hansblitz7770]

They have those huge half tracks with the skis up front, that is just for getting to the landing strips. They do have full ambulance kit on them.

[@northernzeus768]

20:30… the man playing a accordion while outside and hanging off a moving vehicle in sub Zero temps… is a OG, OP…legend.

[@bittech1]

Ah would you look at that, youtube finally allows me to watch something fascinating! Despite having a search history full of documentaries and exploration/engineering videos, it refuses to suggest anything of value. Thanks for the video, now to binge through the other ones on your channel!

[@KandiKlover]

You have to click "not interested" button on all the junk you don't like. I did that years ago and now never see any of the fad garbage. It's all similar documentaries and photography videos, often from the same channels I already watch. Pretty great.

[@SummonerArthur]

@@KandiKlover somehow, I found out that pressing "not interested" is more effective on PC than on mobile. On mobile, just give it a day and it will reappear. About what someone said about google being more effective, that seems to be the truth. I ended up looking at some toyota previa pictures on google just to test and long and behold, first thing on youtube is a motorweek review video. Now I'll have to "not interested" those too.

[@QueenDaenerysTargaryen]

IKR

[@mtl-ss1538]

@@SummonerArthur New Zealand has 150 ton trucks. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3q7oI2wm6d9gZI&ab_channel=trucksatwork v=VrE877Ut0nI&t=122s&ab_channel=WillBishopTrucksNewZealand kzbin.info/www/bejne/inq8dYmahJWnebM . Cattle Trucks -kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKa4k5Kvorxmhrc&ab_channel=WoodleysNZ kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJ25pIqhatWEZs0 New Zealand- Classic Chip Trucking with 8V92TA-13sp.@ 40t kzbin.info/www/bejne/nV6ln6qvd7Bofs0 NZ farmers trees been logged,@57ton gross. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJLOaKOOa9Z2n7c kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKvUlXqPoK1seZo&ab_channel=MahoeSawmills kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZune6imrdVmrdE&ab_channel=PetersonSawmills Largest Sawmill in NZ .>kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5bEZH-nh5hqnZY&ab_channel=RuralDelivery

[@Pauly421]

@@KandiKlover I've been trying to clear my feed of all the clickbait bottom feeding bullshit but that's 99% of youtube now so it keeps coming back.

[@yoshitokuro7952]

Even a Russian couldn't make this movie better, man. Best regards and greetings from Siberia.

[@CondensedMilk-tr4ck]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmWnYoefgJydeK8

[@code_Nirvana]

We're here the russian? This is Ukraine invented machine. The russian is about vodka, and GULAG.

[@yoshitokuro7952]

​@@code_Nirvana During the times of the Soviet Union, a huge number of different ethnic groups lived in different republics. People often changed their place of residence in view of the rapidly developing industry. There are still many Russian people in Ukraine. And in general, this is our fraternal people. Your sarcasm is completely out of place

[@ZIGZAG12345]

@@code_Nirvana With stuff like this and all the Anotonov aircraft which are impressive in many different ways from the sheer endurance of the AN2 biplane to the size and power of the AN225 transport, both of which are still in use to this day, Ukraine does seem to have been in possession of a lot of talented engineers.

[@olegsebastian99]

@@code_Nirvana aja, i guess the khokhos are more about gorilka and gopak than about smth ore advanced.)

[@dankgankster4100]

Soviet engineering can be so wonderful. Such impressive endurance machines

[@Melody_Raventress]

Soviet engineering was defined by the talents coming from it's constituent states. The Ukrainian engineering is remarkable, yes.

[@jballaviator]

@@Melody_Raventress As was the Space program under Korolev (also Ukranian).

[@madmit2007]

Such a shame: i was born in the USSR and never heard about those machines. Thanks for the explanation

[@JohnSmith-eo5sp]

So many people born in the USSR don't know all that went there

[@christianfreedom-seeker934]

There is A LOT that the USSR never made public! Ditto with the USA. Both the US Govt and the Soviet Government were obsessed with secrecy and technological progress.

[@rostislavsvoboda7013]

Like a fairy tail about a guy so great at constructing marvels, inventing things and such. Yeah... ... like about somebody who died of starvation, doing who knows what, instead of making sure he has enough to eat.

[@JohnSmith-eo5sp]

@@christianfreedom-seeker934 But the Soviet Union was a cover-up society, and the Internet went public after the Fall of the USSR

[@peterfireflylund]

Look up the Ekranoplan and the N1!

[@SilverLakeKingdom]

"Harkovchanka" more like it, beginning with "h" as in "horror". I also wanted to thank you for putting your time and mind in to making this video. It turned out to be an interesting documentary.

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you! I must have missed your comment the first time around. Been a pleasure researching this!

[@SilverLakeKingdom]

@@CalumRaasayNow, after seeing how many people told you how to pronounce it correctly. I want you to take it as a positive thing instead of negative. It is in all of us to help the other when we see someone that needs help. It's like when you walk on a street and a person in front of you drops his wallet. First Instinct would be to pick it up and quickly pass it back to the owner. Same here, when people that grow up back in USSR/Russia see how you pronounce it they just jump in to help.

[@Xeno426]

@@CalumRaasay "Kh" is transliteration of the Russian letter "Х". This makes a sort of "h" sound, but with roughness in the back of the throat. Kind of like how the "ch" in "loch" is pronounced, or the "ch" in "Bach". Incidentally, "zh" is the transliteration of the Russian letter "Ж", which makes the odd sound of the letter "s" in the word "pleasure".

[@DJGodaryD86]

@@Xeno426 Always found it hilarious how English say they don't have Ж yet their word pleasure and the letter S is being read by how you would read Ж hahahahha makes me laugh every time. The thing is English have lots of old Serbian words in their roots and they don't even know it (nor want to). Politics....

[@Rignis]

@@DJGodaryD86 PLЭ́ЖЭ - there could be five letters instead of eight

[@Floyd-Uhta]

Thank you, great video, I live in Komi, a region in the North of Russia, we have all-terrain vehicles based on ATT still on the move.

[@brandonellis8060]

I'm just here to see how he pronounces it. Oh that physically hurt me

[@HegelsOwl]

World-class production values, man. You sure paid attention to the audio -- restricting background music to Silence is Golden. Whoever wrote the script should get an academy award. That was a ton of work from so much to possibly say. Thanks so much.

[@VladK-1]

Greetings from Russia! Your pronunciation is all right and exactly as I would expect. Please be merciful about my pronunciation too if you ever get a chance to hear me speaking English, ha-ha! By the way, in my 30s I'm ashamed to hear about the Kharkovchanka project for the first time in my life. I read and watched a lot of stuff about the icebreakers and brave pilots flying across the Arctic since my childhood but somehow missed the epic history of such amazing snow cruisers. Thankfully there are people like you, Calum, all around the world, interested in history, working together, and scraping from forgotten pieces such amazing stories-well researched, completely sincere, and unbiased. You got a subscriber!

[@supertramp6011]

Vladimir Kozlov nice comment comrade!🤣

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you very much Vladimir, I must have missed your comment originally! So glad to have had the chance to share this interesting niche part of Soviet & Antarctic history, hopefully I'll be able to do more soon!

[@70stunes71]

Vladimir Kozlov yes, impressive vehicles and technologies. I live in north America not far from Canada, and while we have had some fierce winters, nothing here in Michigan compared with Siberia or arctic conditions. Ice fishing coming soon !!!

[@decam5329]

One of the most fascinating Covid KZbin binge videos I've come across. Loved every minute of this - well done.

[@gonun69]

There should be a movie about them called Mad Ivan: Icy road

[@dukecity7688]

Seriously - It's a great story.

[@romazzz93]

Actually there is a soviet film about this. And you can see shots from it in this video

[@weldonwin]

Crazy Ivan: Cyka Road

[@frankfedison5203]

@@weldonwin Crazy Ivan 2: The Blyatening

[@LordAlacorn]

@@frankfedison5203 sounds like Monday in Russia

[@mike_van_in]

Very interesting video - well done! In pronouncing kharkovchanka (Russian харьковчанка), you Calum - and any Scot - already have a head start. Russian does not have an "h" sound. The closest is the "kh" (Russian "Х"), and is pronounced exactly the same way as the "ch" in the Scottish word "Loch" - a hiss in the back of the throat, a softly guttural "hh". However, the Russian "upsidedown h; Ч" *is* pronounced like the English "ch" in "chips". So the word sounds something like; hhar-kuhv-chunk-uh. (unemphasised "o"s are diminished to an "uh", just like our "o" in "mother", "brother", or "other")

[@andreykruglov9578]

Спасибо за хорошую работу и интерес. Время великих процессов и увлечённых людей.

[@KandiKlover]

Shebapo!

[@Ndlanding]

That's easy for YOU to say.

[@devindalton4688]

Man, why are you people randomly being rude? This person literally just said thanks for the video.

[@alphonsbretagne8468]

@Soldat Kaiyodo and you're a red scarer ?

[@Ndlanding]

@@devindalton4688 He didn't say thank you. He said "Спасибо за хорошую работу и интерес. Время великих процессов и увлечённых людей." and there's no point in doing that on an English-speaking channel. God, it's hard enough to know what the yanks are saying!

[@DanyloProkopiv]

Man, I am so impressed with the quality of your documentary; the minor mispronunciations is just nothing compared to a fabulous and fact full story you placed together. it is a great video you created in just 3 weeks :) similar to the 3-month project of Kharkovchanka! well done, definitely subscribed!

[@ThunderAppeal]

Youre obsessed because you are a sad person with no life.

[@DanyloProkopiv]

@@ThunderAppeal why do you think so?

[@GJones462-2W1]

@@ThunderAppeal Let them give you a ride......

[@KandiKlover]

Pronunciation is trivial. Long as you know how to spell it then it doesn't matter.

[@RockDocNeal]

Big congrats for a superbly researched and produced documentary. The part relating that the Americans at the geographic south pole welcomed the Soviets "with open arms" when they reached the base and gave them a your of the facility confirmed what I have witnessed in other circumstances....take away all the hyperbolic BS rhetoric from politicians which instills fear and resentment in their citizens toward the people in the opposing country and you come to realize that the average citizens in both countries are just normal humans trying to earn a living, protect their families and live their lives the best way they can.

[@andreychernov3270]

If you take away all the nonsense, then what will the politicians do? 😁

[@Стриж-КТМ]

the motto of the country of the Soviets is the proletarians of all countries, unite!

[@kerrryschultz2904]

@@andreychernov3270 Use them for target practice?

[@chrishayes8197]

19:25 slight emotional moment hearing about that the two teams considered each others peers instead of enemies. Thank you for that inclusion.

[@Nine-Signs]

Russian engineering is generally robust, well thought out, efficient, clever, and modular. Everything Hollywood has always tried to portray it as not being so.

[@kickboxing6958]

US is at war with Russia. Always was and always will be

[@giggling_boatswain]

I drew my attention to this too. If you carefully study Russian military equipment, you are always amazed at the thoughtfulness even in small things.

[@luchadorito]

sometimes yes sometimes no. A Lada Niva is a marvelously dumb piece of machinery that just doesnt know how to stop working and gets shit done. My dad's Aleko is the biggest pile of shit I have ever seen.

[@imrekalman9044]

@@luchadorito I might steal this too dumb to stop working bit. 😁

[@nikolayskvotsov3868]

@@kickboxing6958 we are not enemies. Our judish governments make us enemies. For me russian government is much worse enemy then USA.

[@muisverriet]

I got this randomly in my reccommendations and i'm verg happy about it. Super interesting video of something i've never heard of before!

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you! This is part of whats become a bit of an 'antarctic vehicle' series, so check out the channel for the others!

[@KamenKunchev]

It's amazing how military tech can be used for research and humanitarian purposes. We should all probably focus on that instead of making peaceful tech work as killing machines. Great video! Thanks for sharing!

[@digitalnomad9985]

In the Biblical phrases "Beating swords to plowshares and spears to pruning hooks" and vice versa, it has to work both ways. All to often, those who refuse to beat their plowshares to swords and their spears to pruning hooks find themselves tending their former fields for their newfound landlord/son-in-law, if they're lucky.

[@KarryKarryKarry]

90% of humanity wholeheartedly agrees.

[@tristamsculthorpe4609]

Awesome job - one of the most informative and professionally done videos on KZbin. I would expect such a product from a full production team. Good onya mate!!!!!

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you!

[@ptyzix]

I really enjoyed this video. I knew about the first generation ones but not the second one. You did butcher the pronunciation of Kharkovchanka a bit but this didn't take away from the video. The russian letter "х" which transliterated is "kh" is pronounced the same way as "ch" in Loch Ness.

[@CalumRaasay]

Well I can tell you this whole project has made me desperate to learn Russian, that way I can finally nail some pronunciations! Thank you for watching!

[@ptyzix]

@@CalumRaasay just don't think that all letters that look like english ones sound like them.

[@Biverix]

​@@CalumRaasay Go for it, at least to a Scottish bloke - the r's and kh's (as well as most vowels) should prove easily pronounceable, much more so than to speakers of most non-Scottish English dialects

[@richardburmeister5776]

@@CalumRaasay yes. Busy learning Russian. Beautiful language. Slow going for me at 62 but loving it

[@darkcheaker]

@@richardburmeister5776 not so hard to learn it, but the hardest to learn how to swear. Just don't wander into slang and street talk.

[@DionDriven1]

Thank you for putting so much effort into this documentary and then being kind enough to share it with the rest of us mere mortals. 🙏

[@CalumRaasay]

Wow, thank you!

[@Kohdok]

"We need a vehicle capable of navigating a snow-torn icy hellscape with temperatures near zero kelvin!" Soviet Engineer: "So like Kiev in summertime?"

[@danielwolf9336]

😂

[@koko_5662]

That’s clueless bro, at least say Siberia.

[@alphonsbretagne8468]

@@koko_5662 so you're one of those didn't get the joke?

[@TS-xj5mt]

alphons bretagne he did get the joke but he knows his basic geography enough that Kiev is in the Ukraine and in the south of Europe so much so that it's at the same latitude as Maine in the USA, I chose USA reference because your likely American for three reasons: cause you were condescending in your comment, cause you have no clue where Kiev is and cause your dumb, so koko 56 choose Siberia because that's actually in Russia and it's actually cold there in the northern areas even in the summer.

[@alphonsbretagne8468]

@@TS-xj5mt nö, bin ich nich :P Kiev is the joke itself as it's referencing the fail of the US with their "snow cruiser" which was designed to last in "low" temp's like in mainland US or Kiev.

[@VladBoyko]

Thank you very much for this project. My dad use to work on some of components of Kharkovchanka.

[@CalumRaasay]

Oh wow! What an amazing connection. His hard work paid off!

[@sapemi08]

WOW!!!! No wonder why you got 1M views. What an incredible journey, the development of this amazing vehicle. I would love to live in one of them. These video also made me clear that we humans can only live-progress by exploring this creation, this universe. Thank you for this wonderful story and keep it up. Cheers from Mexico City.

[@musamor75]

You are a very learned and well informed young gentleman. It's so nice to see and hear interesting and informative facts about the Soviet Union, instead of hateful and ignorant rubbish. These were absolutely amazing machines. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@Cancun771]

So is this basically the closest the human race has ever gotten to building a Jawa Sandcrawler?

[@jlucasound]

I guess they didn't watch the movie? :-)

[@SabbaticusRex]

HOO-TINI !@!

[@gehtdichnixan3200]

the russian ice crawler ....

[@whirving]

I think the sand crawler was inspired by a mobile tracked rock crusher that was produced in the 1930s for mining. They look similar, or at least the only one I've seen looks just like a sand crawler.

[@Pixel-Days]

@@jlucasound it didnt exist yet

[@shmooozle]

A most interesting, informative, very well produced & presented documentary (without the ridiculous repetition & sensationalism which blights so many modern mainstream productions). Well done Calum! Next up: "The Mini-Trac"...

[@mickfind]

What a magnificent and robust machine, made in a time with only limited technology available and built for such an extreme environment. My most profound respect to all the Ukrainians building the very first version in only three months! What an incredible and almost unbelievable achievement. Thanks for making this great video, the old Kharkovchanka deserved that :-)

[@FishFind3000]

6:06 they didn’t swap the engine they just flipped the “front” to the back. Notice where the drive sprocket is. The tank is just rotated 180°

[@ewill3435]

You can also see parts of the suspension are just mirrored between the two, it's like an antarctic archer!

[@noobplayer_23]

@@ewill3435 lmao

[@Stakan79]

It was based on a heavy artillery tractor AT-T. Which does have an engine and a drive sprocket up front.

[@jackt6112]

@@Stakan79 Disregard the negativity. They did it, and it worked better than anything else at least for hauling heavy loads overland at the time while providing a survivable environment. The Ukrainians did a good job on the An-225 too.

[@Stakan79]

@@jackt6112 , soviets, not just ukrainians.

[@furionese]

This is one of the greatest documentaries I've ever seen on KZbin! I thoroughly enjoyed watching this, thank you for your effort of putting this together. This deserves a million view. edit: Actually did reach 1M views congratulations!

[@sergeysheglov9570]

Хорошее видео, с удовольствием посмотрел. Были времена когда в моей стране было много прогрессивных и храбрых людей, делавших хорошую, красивую технику и применявших её во благо человека!

[@ЮрийМиллер-п3ф]

Отлично сказоно.глубокая грусть.....

[@teoparnell5712]

А потом пришли неблагодарные счастливые советские люди и развалили совок

[@SanovichSit]

@@teoparnell5712 его развалили не советские счастливые люди, а проникшие в ряды руководителей стяжвтели пожелавшие прибрать к рукам собственность и ресурсы Советского Союза.

[@teoparnell5712]

@@SanovichSit да да да, как обычно великий народ снимает с себя ответственность. Типичное рабское поведение. Это не мы, это руководители. 117 млн. человек проголосовали за сохранение РСФСР, но при этом позволили кучке каких-то руководителей развалить страну. Убожества!

[@VladislavDoroshuk]

@@teoparnell5712 так, а вы в это время чем занимались?

[@neilfromcork]

Every now and then I come across some content that makes me happy for days. This is one such video.

[@Phiyedough]

It is good to hear that the Russian convoy was accepted on friendly terms by the people on the American base but then again they were scientists, not politicians! Very interesting video, thanks for posting.

[@cisco95021]

It's good to see actual footage, better is how I can view it at the highest quality I have ever seen. The quality of information regarding all aspects of the exploration is the most detailed that I have ever heard. Thanks man!

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you very much!

[@cisco95021]

@@CalumRaasay you are welcome.

[@sjukfan]

19:08 I like how how there were no politics yet in Antarctic, just scientists doing science things.

[@farmerboy916]

On the other hand, I suspect that being basically alone with a handful of people for months on end at least a thousand miles from anyone else would make you happy if anyone showed up regardless of who.

[@alanlight7740]

People in Antarctica still cooperate without regard to politics.

[@peterdarr383]

"KharkovchankaKharkovchankaKharkovchanka" The sound it makes coming down the street !!

[@B_M_A]

I really love how you added yourself talking at the end of the video. For videos like this it's very intriguing hearing the extra bit of info on the process for a video such as this and your passion for it.

[@CalumRaasay]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@AlexRudick]

🔥🔥🔥 Great video, I really liked it ... Thank you for preserving the history of the USSR))) "Kharkovchanka" - Kharkiv woman - a woman living in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine

[@dogdooish]

Best Doco I've seen for years! Thank you! The thing that totally stalls my brain is the treadless tires in the snow!

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you!

[@SCUBASQUISH79]

This randonly popped up on my feed, and I absolutely enjoyed this video.

[@bradleymosman8325]

Whoever designed the American version probably never visited outside Arizona.

[@CalumRaasay]

Well Thomas Poulter, the designer, had worked in Antarctica for many years. It was more a series of miscalculations and rushed designs on his own part.

[@quasicroissant]

@@CalumRaasay The decision to put wheels on it instead of tracks is just baffling. What on earth were they thinking?

[@ursa_margo]

@@CalumRaasay What a mild way to put it.

[@ursa_margo]

@@quasicroissant Well, actually, wheels are alright. I have waaaaaaaaaaaay more questions regarding it's miniscule clearance and that maaaaaassive front overhang

[@GettinJiggyWithGenghis]

This comment has a very strong Arizona attitude, did the desert hurt you too?

[@kanebehne3604]

Came across the Fort Drum video tonight. So far this is my 3rd documentary I’ve watch from your channel, great work and amazing detail you go into about these marvels.

[@kebman]

In the army, drivers used to light fires under the diesel trucks to get them going in really cold weather. We're talking below -40 Celsius here. Well over Antarctic temperatures, but still break off piss cold.

[@CalumRaasay]

It's truly insane- I've never probably experienced temperatures below -15C at the lowest! I can't even fathom these sorts of temperatures.

[@kebman]

@@CalumRaasay Well it was the only time I experienced it myself. I had to take a piss, but the only thing that came out was icicles! xD jk! But honestly, I did fill a cup full o hot water. I made sure it was wet around the rim on the outside. It took about two seconds to freeze the cup taut to a metal pole, and the whole thing was frozen solid in about 5-10 minutes. Another fun thing was to throw hot water in the air, and watch it come down as snow.

[@ajfurnari2448]

"Canadian Block Heater"

[@apaijmans]

It can get colder then -40 Celcius in the interior of Antarctica

[@mmdirtyworkz]

My folks on the countryside did that to start the tractor.

[@MrJames_1]

That was great. Sharing now. To me I think the American snow cruiser was doomed when they decided to put four bulbous tyres on it instead of tracks.

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you! Yeah the original cruiser never really stood much of a chance I think. FUn piece of history though.

[@sparky6086]

If a picture of The American Snow Cruiser isn't in the dictionary next to the word "boondoggle", it should be. It was the quintessential boondoggle! A lesson in the least, of how a high profile project has an "Everyone wants to get into the act" dynamic, where people pushing their individual agendas work at cross purposes tugging the project in every different direction, pulling it apart from the inside. It's probable, that people on the American Snow Cruiser Project knew, even before it left the factory, that it would fail, but because of the hype, they had to send it on anyway. It was too big to haul overland, so it had to try and make it to port under it's own power and got stuck on the way in a temperate part of the US and had to be pulled out, so it had to make people wonder, how it would perform in Antarctica?

[@sparky6086]

Seems like I remember, that the tire manufacturer's name was featured prominently on each of the American Snow Cruiser's tires, so I wonder if the choice of tires rather than tracks was influenced more by sponsorship, either direct or indirect through lobbying from the tire company, rather than sound engineering, and the rational for tires was thought up after the fact?

[@wilfbentley6738]

@@CalumRaasay Bombardier made a snow bus in the late 40s and early 50s called the B7 and B12. They were half-tracks with ski steering and a 4 person enclosure. Pictures are readily available through google and there are some indications that they were used in Antarctica. That's Canadian innovation for ya.

[@ArrowBast]

The soviets were good at hovercrafts too , i wonder why that could not be used on ice ?

[@marting3928]

This is one of the best videos on KZbin. I love this kind of niche history, it seems like you did a fantastic job, I for one am intrigued to dive deeper, going to take a look at both of those books! Thank you!

[@you-dont-know-me]

Appreciate the effort and references to one of my favourite books, by Sanin, great real adventure books. Noone blames you for wrong pronounciation, it doesn't matter at all, it's not your first language and its completely fine. Really nice of you to do a proper thorough research of the subject.

[@TranslatePlease]

Greetings from Ukraine. Thoroughly enjoyed your video. Thank you. Yes, the city is Kharkov (currently Kharkiv as per Ukrainian pronunciation and spelling). The city used to have an alternative spelling of Charkiv, which read same way as Kharkiv. it's 'Kh' at the beginning (the Slavik H sound, which is so hard it sounds like it's h+k pronounced together, more like the Spanish J (jota) sound). Not a big deal that you mispronounced it. You've put together a great film, with lots of research and old material, and the facts appear to be quite accurate. Thank you.

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you so much for watching! I appreciate your kind words :)

[@yuryzhuravlev2312]

Я бы записал как Harkovchanka я знаю что это не чень верно но с другой стороны даже не все нейтив спикеры в америке знают когда kh читается как х.

[@CoolGobyFish]

Kh instead of H is a left over from French transliteration (H is silent in French). Nothing to do with "hard slavic sounds". French used to be the language of elites when lots Russian names were transcribed into Latin alphabet. That's why K was added.

[@CoolGobyFish]

@@yuryzhuravlev2312это мараз который остался еще с царский времен из за францукого стандарта

[@TranslatePlease]

@@CoolGobyFish My French is quite rudimental, but I'm afraid c'est des conneries (as a friend of mine often says, if i got it right), or absurdité would be a more recognizible word. I don't really know who invented this approach, to be honest, or if it involves any French linquist (could be so), but it's just one of the several existing systems of transliterating the sound in a variety of languages and this approach is commonly used in libraries in all English speaking countries. The Arabic language has a very similar sound (especially in the way they say sheikh (sheikhon), but sometimes sounds even deeper), and the most common way to transliterate the Arabic sound in the Anglo-Saxon system is also by using "kh". Anyway, the approach is quite international, it is used for a great variety of languages all over the globe, and it is doubful the reason for this has to do with the time French enjoyed popularity among the Russian nobility.

[@PhilUys]

Having spent a winter in Antarctica in the mid 80's we still used standard D4 Caterpillar bulldozers that travelled at 5km per hour. Great fun. My base was the South African base.

[@alanlight7740]

South Pole / summer of 2007-08 McMurdo / winter 2009 Pleased to meet you.

[@finnurjuliusson9635]

@Michael Brideau Pictures don't happen. Pictures are taken.

[@rogerpearson9081]

What an amazing bit of engineering. I love seeing examples of better than western tech that have been passed over for propaganda reasons. It keeps a more balanced view of the world. Credit where it is due for the speed that it was developed too. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.

[@PhamVans]

Amazing how they were able to film portions of the expedition.

[@lesezeichen7203]

you are like a more chill curious droid, i like that

[@CalumRaasay]

Now that is high praise!

[@matthewschoen9827]

More entertaining to listen to as well, I've always found curious droids delivery kind of dry.

[@Alexfromforset]

All my respect for such a major video production. Glad that it is reaching over 1m views!

[@adamarmstrong5780]

I love for documentaries like this. You are extremely talented. Thanks for this.

[@zhirafique]

Such an amazing material! Thank you so much for your work of putting it all together, loved watching that!

[@CalumRaasay]

Thank you for watching- it means a lot!

[@jeffstrongman7889]

Honestly, I can't understand how you don't have more subscribers. I find your content to be some of the most interesting and well put together out there. You seem to be exceptionally talented and deserving of great success. Well done Sir

[@oadka]

Wow such amazing production quality! And the fact that you have done such great research and reading actual first hand accounts from books is simply amazing! Edit: You finished this in 3 weeks? Man you must be a productive workhorse!

[@mentalitydesignvideo]

My hometown made me proud once again! Next episode: ХАДИ dragsters. The one after that: navigation modules for MIR and ISS.

[@clarkecorvo2692]

the fact that it took only 3 months from design to roll-out is mindboggling

[@FLUNTER]

I don’t remember how I started watching this, but it’s all be fucking fascinating