WW2 Tank found after 62 years
WW II Russian tank with German markings uncovered after 62 years. WW II Buffs will find this interesting. Even after 62 years (and a little tinkering), they were able to fire up the Diesel engine!
A Komatsu D375A-2 bulldozer pulled the abandoned tank from its tomb under the boggy bank of a lake near Johvi , Estonia The Soviet-built T34/76A tank had been resting at the bottom of the lake for 56 years. According to its specifications, it's a 27-ton machine with a top speed of 53km/hr
From February to September 1944, heavy battles were fought in the narrow, Narva Front in the northeastern part of Estonia . Over 100,000 men were killed and 300,000 men were wounded there. During battles in the summer of 1944, the tank was captured from the Soviet army and used by the German army (This is the reason that there are German markings painted on the tank's exterior. On 19 September, 1944, German troops began an organized retreat along the Narval.
It is suspected that the tank was then purposefully driven into the lake to conceal it when its captors left the area. At that time, a local boy walking by the lake, Kurtna Matasjarv, noticed tank tracks leading into the lake but not coming out anywhere. For two months he saw air bubbles emerging From the lake. This gave him reason to believe that there must be an armored vehicle at the Lake's bottom. A few years ago, he told the story to the leader of the local war history club 'Otsing'. Together with other club members, Mr. Igor Shedunov initiated diving expeditions to the bottom of the lake about a year ago. At the depth of 7 metres they discovered the tank Resting under a 3 metre layer of peat
Enthusiasts from the club, under Mr. Shedunov's leadership, decided to pull the tank outRoman','serif']In September of 2000 they turned to Mr. Aleksander Borovkovthe, manager of the Narva Open Pit Company AS Eesti Polevkivi, to rent the company's Komatsu D375A-2 bulldozer, currently used at the pit. The Komatsu dozer was manufactured in 1995 and has recorded 19,000 operating hours without major repairs.

The pulling operation began at 09:00 and was concluded at 15:00, with several technical breaks. The weight of the tank, combined with the travel incline, made for a pulling operation that required significant muscle. The D375A-2
force required to retrieve it was similar. A main requirement for the 68-ton dozer was to have enough weight to After the tank surfaced, it turned out to be a 'trophy tank' that had been captured by the German Army in the course of the battle at Sinimaed (Blue Hills) about six weeks before it was sunk in the lake. Altogether, 116 shells were found on board.
Remarkably, the tank was in good condition, with NO RUST, and all systems (except the engine) in working condition. This is a very rare machine, especially considering that it fought both on the Russian and the German sides. Plans are underway to fully restore the tank. It will be displayed at a war history museum
in the Gorodenko village on the left bank of the River Narv. Incredibly, after a few minor repairs, they were able to start its diesel engine.
The battle that this tank was in can be found described on this site.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tannenberg_Line

 

Cool pictures. The swamp is likely in the cold region and if so the vehicle should be well preserved.

My guess is they parked it in winter and it sank during the thaw.


Is there a story to go with this set of pictures?

Roadster with a stick

 

Interesteing story- just know this was 10 years ago.

 

Maybe not as historic, but there's a 40 year old Chevy Impala buried somewhere on our 4 acres by the previous owner's kids.
Anybody building a street rod? It has a perfectly good 300 hp 350 cu.in. V8, with a turbo 350 tranny.
Don't ya just love "buried treasure"?

 

Technologies back then were very basic. It was, after all Russian. Virtually zero electronics on the vehicle.
The only thing that would have stopped the simple design diesel engine when it was driven into the lake would have been water entering the intake. Hence the minor tikering required to start it.

Nice find 180.

roadser with a stick

 

I don't know which TV show, but this was on TV about 10 yrs ago...show them towing it up with the dozer...same show had an old steam shovel that was at the bottom of a an stone quarry brought up and salvaged as well...one of a kind....

 

If you want to preserve your Crossfire for ages, drive it into a peaty bog and bury it. The chemical composition is better than undercoating. The lack of oxygen prevents oxidation and pickles every thing thats soaks up the juice. They have even found ancient people pickled in bogs.
I saw the age of the original posting but what the hell this isn't NBC.
These tanks were superior to the allied tanks and a worthy opponent for the German tanks of the day, notice the sloped armor to deflect shells, this was quite revolutionary. Simple and effective as indeed were most Russian armaments then and to date, nothing to sniff at. Having equipment that can run around the clock with minimal maintenance is like having two to three times as many finicky machines fitted with all the doodads and gizmo's.

 

Agreed 180. I wasn't dishin' the Ruskies design but applauding it. Simple works best.
Easier to produce. Easier to maintan and easier to train people to operate and repair.
When the high tech fails, you can count on the congress to elect a committee and find someone to blame. Small comfort to the guys in the field

When the war effort turns to grunt on grunt, simple and reliable can be depended on to do the job.

NASA spent three million dollars to create a pen that writes in space. The Russians used a pencil.


roadster with a stick

 

that may be the same one that was on Tank Overhaul on the Military Channel. it's frequently replayed, i'll have to see when it's on again.

 

I don't get the military channel, but I did see this on TV...maybe Discovery Channel.....I thought the steam shovel was just as impressive....that made it move by compressed air, once it was out of the water...

 

I'll come find it

 

Dude, where's my.... tank?

I swear I parked it right here!

 

I'll supply the metal detector, if you bring the back-hoe.