# Kursk **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2014, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018 "2014-10-21T12:39:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/1 "2014-10-21T12:39:32Z")
What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word Kursk, absent any context to give you further info? The city, the submarine or the battle? Inspired by possible submarine shenanigans going on between the Russians and Swedes that reminded me of the K-141 _Kursk_, itself named after the battle. Being obsessed with WWII I’d think of the battle in 1943. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/2 "2014-10-21T12:54:25Z")
The submarine incident reinforced memories of the battle which I knew referred to a city. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/3 "2014-10-21T13:25:57Z")
I’m aware of the city, the battle, and the sub, but the sub was the first thing that came to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/4 "2014-10-21T13:47:36Z")
The sub, but only because it’s referenced in the voiceover in the credits for _Homeland._ ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/5 "2014-10-21T14:01:56Z")
All three. I knew about the tank battle first, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/6 "2014-10-21T14:05:59Z")
Battle, then city, then sub. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/7 "2014-10-21T14:47:56Z")
The sub disaster is the first thing that comes to mind. Probably due to the latest media reports of possible Russian activity around Sweden? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/8 "2014-10-21T15:07:44Z")
The battle. The other stuff didn’t enter my mind until I read further. I didn’t even remember the sub. I was tanker in another life so that might have something to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/9 "2014-10-21T15:31:40Z")
Battle first. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/10 "2014-10-21T15:53:41Z")
Sub. I was vaguely aware that it was a city, but I think I only knew that it was a city because of a sub. While I’m decently knowledgeable about WWII history, but battle names from any war just fly out of my head, so the battle didn’t come to mind at all. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/11 "2014-10-21T16:28:51Z")
Depends how recently I’ve played Call of Duty. Right now, sub. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/12 "2014-10-21T17:34:01Z")
Battle then sub. I didn’t realize it was a large city too ([415,000](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kursk)). It helped that I (Dork Alert) had the Avalon Hill bookcase game of the battle at one time. God, that thing had a gigantic amount of tiny cardboard pieces. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/13 "2014-10-21T18:50:17Z")
I think of Russia and Risk. Not sure if it is a Risk territory but it sounds like it is. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/14 "2014-10-21T20:29:19Z")
Battle. Can’t say that I was aware that it was specifically a big tank battle, but I was aware that it was one of the major battles on the Eastern Front in WWII. I’d forgotten about the sub disaster. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/15 "2014-10-22T01:02:39Z")
Battle. Mention the sub and I think of the battle. Mention the town and I think of the battle. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/16 "2014-10-22T01:16:39Z")
Huh – didn’t even know the submarine was named after something. But then I guess it makes sense it was named after something. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/17 "2014-10-22T01:21:57Z")
Sub, battle, city. That order, but not much distance between them. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/18 "2014-10-22T01:51:34Z")
Sub. I was nearly 24 when that submarine was making the news and followed the coverage avidly while it was thought that there might be survivors. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/19 "2014-10-22T02:14:17Z")
Submarine. First time I heard the name. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018/20 "2014-10-22T03:13:17Z")
No love for the [Kursk Magnetic Anomaly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kursk_Magnetic_Anomaly)? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kursk/702018.md?page=2)