Timo takes us to the remote Finnish border town of Kuusamo. He paints a vivid picture of a childhood overshadowed by his grandparent’s memories of their home lost during World War II and their proximity to the Soviet Union. As a child, he was fascinated by the invisible line that marked the end of the world— the heavily guarded border with the USSR. Timo recounts a tense encounter with border guards while visiting his grandparents, and his meeting with a Soviet escaper. He travels to Moscow and Eastern Europe as a young man which further fuels his curiosity about life on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Timo recalls the austere streets of Prague to the bureaucratic maze in Budapest and a harrowing night at the Romanian border. Timo’s book “Tanks & Roaches” is only currently available in Finnish, Estonian and Slovak but can be purchased via our episode extras page here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode333/ The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, we welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Love history? Check out Into History at this link https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod 00:00 Intro 01:26 Timo's early life 04:41 Timo's grandparents' experiences of World War II 08:59 Incidents of people coming over the border 08:56 Estonian man's escape 28:32 Timo's trip to Moscow with his father in 1977 32:03 Finns remaining in areas handed over to the Soviet Union 39:34 Visits to Prague, Hungary and Romania 41:34 First Impressions of Prague 43:18 The challenges of Hungarian visitor registration 45:49 Trouble getting into Romania from Hungary 54:37 Polish smugglers on the train 59:04 Timo's fascination with Estonia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Leigh joined the RAAF in 1978 to train as a pilot but was scrubbed after a few months and transitioned to training as an Air Electronics Officer (AEO) at the RAAF School of Air Navigation. He flew on the P-3C Orion and was employed in operations across the Indo-Pacific region on maritime patrol surveillance operations in the region - which included both usual surface surveillance of the region and operations alongside the US against Soviet submarines transiting the area. He also had the opportunity to track Soviet SSBNs in the NE Pacific operating with the US Navy. He details many incidents during his career including an “archaeological” mission, accidentally causing a diplomatic incident, as well as monitoring the splash-down and recovery of re-entry vehicles used to test the heat tiles for the Soviet Buran space shuttle. I’m delighted to welcome Leigh Collins to our Cold War Conversation. Episode extras including book recommendations, videos and photos here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode332/ The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, we welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Love history? Check out Into History at this link https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod 00:00 Intro 01:49 Early interest in aviation and the military 02:47 Aspirations in the RAAF 04:08 Failure as a pilot 06:43 Length of Orion missions 09:05 Soviet naval activity around Australia in the 1980s 16:52 RAF 617 Squadron held their annual reunion in Australia 20:42 Use of GPS on the Orion 24:23 Use of astral navigation using a Sextant 27:59 Viewing the cockpit of the Vulcan 31:10 Monitoring a Russian diesel submarine 33:13 Soviet trawlers during exercises 34:23 Operation Silent Pearl 43:49 Soviet Buran Space shuttle test bed recoveries 52:52 Incident just out of Darwin where the crew ditched 56:50 Operation Gateway, Australia's long-standing anti-piracy operation 01:03:39 Threat of China during the cold war 01:07:53 September 1993 deployment as a submarine observer 01:12:23 Lee worked with Sue Boyd from episode 151 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this deeply personal episode, our guest, Norbert, vividly recounts his traumatic childhood journey from Cold War Poland to the United States. With vivid recollections, he describes the struggles of his parents amid food shortages and the poignant decision of the family to leave everything behind for an uncertain future in the United States. We also explore the cultural shock and the struggle to find identity in a new world, as Norbert navigates life as a Polish immigrant in 1980s America. From his first bewildering day at an American school to his father's relentless work ethic in pursuit of the American dream, we witness the sacrifices and choices that shape an immigrant's life. Norbert's narrative unfolds against the backdrop of the Cold War, where his family's German heritage in Poland subjected them to suspicion and prejudice. Our episode starts with his Grandfather’s story in World War 2. Photos and video extras here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode331/ The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, we welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Love history? Check out Into History at this link https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices