In my stumblings around the Internet, I've come across a site called English Russia; quoting it's header, "Just because something cool happens daily on 1/6 the Earth's surface". While browsing through the pages, I found a story, told with picutres and videos (haven't checked the videos yet...) about a T-34 which has recently been recovered from the bottom of a lake. It appears to have been captured by German forces, marked with German markings, then somehow abandoned by driving it into the bottom of a lake. It was found in 7 meters of water, below 3 meters of peat.
The pictures are truly amazing, and it will be interesting to learn more about this tank. And (of course!), I thought I should post it here so you can take a look at it and check it out, too!
"Well, I've been to one World's Fair, a picnic, and a rodeo, and that's the stupidest thing I ever heard come over a set of earphones. You sure you got today's codes?"
Came out of the mud in the bottom of a lake in Estonia a few years ago, if I'm not mistaken.
Was in perfect running order when it went it. It was in the hands of a German unit (note the added cupola and the German cross on the side), and was driven into the lake to avoid capture when the Germans retreated in 1944. A farm boy saw the track marks going in to the lake, and in about 2001 (again IIRC) at 70+ years of age worked with the recovery team to find it and bring it back out.
It was about 2 meters down in the black mud at the bottom. Pretty much an oxygen-free environment. Almost perfectly preserved.
Or so I believe. Looks like the tank in question. Might have it wrong.
-Mark 1 Difficile est, saturam non scribere. "It is hard NOT to write satire." - Decimus Iunius Juvenalis, 1st Century AD
Im looking at those pics and trying to decipher the color underneath the mud. Seems a bit on the grey side of green! Very good match would be Humbrol 86?! My fav color for Russian armor.
[on edit]Oops, I finally checked out the link tstock provided. Nice telling of the full story. Guess I don't need to keep posting up my scattered and incomplete memories of the way I heard it back when... Nevermind...
Also from the picsI can see I was mistaken in my earlier statement that the cupola marked it as a captured tank. That is not a German-installed cupola, but the Soviet model installed on a subset of the late 1943 production runs of the T-34.
But it was still in German service. Just that they didn't put their own cupola on it.
-Mark 1 Difficile est, saturam non scribere. "It is hard NOT to write satire." - Decimus Iunius Juvenalis, 1st Century AD
When looking at the pictures of the Moscow Highway it is surprising that after 60+ years the roads are STILL in that condition, not to mention people trying to drive it!
As for the T34, the Museum of Armor and Cavalry at Ft.Knox have a Stug, that was recovered from a lake. When asked how did they know it was there our guide said it was known by local legend, plus the muzzle stuck out. When it was pulled out the wheels still turned.
Finally, at Ft.Dix N.J. a loooonnnggg lost M5 Stuart was discovered in the impact area. Shot full of holes and rusted out but still with turret and main gun. Heard it was going to be restored and put on display.
Kind of makes you wonder about what other "hidden treasures" are out there.
I was never stationed in Germany but several friends who were.... have told me over the years that there are lots and lots of places in hill sides etc...that have military items buried hidden bunkers etc...
Ar
PS field trip anyone?
kgpanzer@aol.com
Sniper motto's ....A sniper...."While Hidden, I See and Destroy"..."One shot one kill"....
One can almost imagine 60plus years ago the nighmare this caused the Panzers!!
Troy
....and it's not even raining or snowing!
Tom, this is great timing as I can check out the Panorama Museum in Volgograd to see what has been found in the area over the decades. There are fairly regular reports of mines and other ordnance being found and to this day, killing people, especially the kids who don't know what they're messing with.
I just watched the video clips. THE TRACKS AND ROAD WHEELS WERE TURNING WHILE THE TANK WAS BEING PULLED OUT!!!! I find that truely amazing after 60 years in the drink! I hope they have enough money to properly restore it, because it would really be a shame to let a find like that go to waste.
I watched a video earlier this week where they had the engine running. From reading on other forums I gather that it's already a runner. Being buried under 2m of peat left it very well preserved, and considering that it was undamaged when pushed into the lake it didn't really need much in the way of restoration. I believe that the only thing preventing it from being on public display is a dispute over ownership between the hobbyist group that salvaged it and the (Estonian?) government. So for now it sits in a shed out of the public eye.
