T-34 (German takover) TANK pulled from Soviet lake in great shape

[Craig 930 RS]

Very, very cool:
http://www.mil.hiiumaa.ee/2000_09_14_kurtna_T-34-36/

What it is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-34

[Craig 930 RS]

Inside:


Items found inside:

[Craig 930 RS]

[Craig 930 RS]

Middle of page - AWESOME video of the event:
http://www.englishrussia.com/?p=299

[rouxroux]

WOW!!! What a find...almost like "Glacier Girl"...a true time capsule there!

[Doug E]

Great link ... thanks.

Wonder what happened to it once it surfaced ????

[Craig 930 RS]

Museum - according to links off the main page

[slakjaw]

Very cool

[on2wheels52]

I wonder why the Germans left the Toarev in it.

"much of the following is taken from an article "From China With Love" by Gary Paul Johnston found in the February 1995 issue of _Modern Gun_.

In 1930, while working at the Soviet Tula Arsenal, Russian arms designer Fedor V. Tokarev, conceived the pistol which bears his name. The gun was chambered for the Soviet version of the 7.63mm Mauser (7.62x25mm) cartridge. The Tokarev pistol was officially adapted in 1933 as the Tula Tokarev pistol Model of 1933 (TTM1933....also called TT33) and served the USSR faithfully for over 40 years in both active and reserve military service.

The Tokarev resembles the old Colt Model 1902 Military or 1903 Pocket Model in .32ACP/.38ACP, but the similarity is only external. Firing a much more powerful round, the Tokarev is not a simple blowback operation; it uses the conventional Browning short recoil system where the barrel and are locked together during the first fraction of an inch of travel, when high pressures are present. The recoil spring, its guide and bushing are similar to those of the Colt Model 1911. Field strip of TT33 is very much like Colt M1911.

It is interesting to note that there is no manual safety on the TT33 except for a safety notch on the hammer....ideal for condition one carry... not!!"

Jim

[m21sniper]

I saw this Tank on another board a while back. IIRC the thing fired up almost right away after they changed the oil and primed the fuel system. Gotta love the T-34, a true masterpiece of mechanized warfare design. It wasn't much more than cannon fodder for Tigers and Panthers though.

[cashflyer]

Originally posted by m21sniper
I saw this Tank on another board a while back.

Or maybe you saw it here.
German Tank anyone?

[HardDrive]

Very cool.

[Paul K]

Great story. Watching the video, I was surprised at the speed they pulled it out of the lake. I remember back in '85 they pulled a bomber out of Loch Ness that had been under water since 1940.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by m21sniper
I saw this Tank on another board a while back. IIRC the thing fired up almost right away after they changed the oil and primed the fuel system. Gotta love the T-34, a true masterpiece of mechanized warfare design. It wasn't much more than cannon fodder for Tigers and Panthers though.

There were so few of the late Tigers and Panthers, they weren't particularly relevant to the outcome on the eastern front. The Tiger was very high maintenance.

[m325ix]

it's the first time I hear that Germans used captured Russian T34s. I remember my grandad (who was int eh Russian army) telling me how they used German rifles, trucks, motorcycles and other machinery but I never heard or saw Russian made tank with German marks, interesting !

[tabs]

The Germans used alot of captured equipment.

The T-34/85 wasn't cannon foder for the German Tiger or Panthers. The German Tanks could move and fire at the same time, the T-34 had to stop and then fire. The amour, gun of the later T-34s, width of Tracks, ease of assembly and maintence was a match for the German Tanks. T-34 just wasn't as sophisticated. Also take a look at the length of service.

The American Sherman was cannon foder for the Tiger and Panters. One shot one burning kill. The German Tank Ace Wittman and six Tigers destroyed over 40 British Shermans one afternoon in Normandy. B-17 carpet bombing did Wittman in a short time later.

Both the Americans and Russians built in mass quanity, the Germans on quality..The Germans should have simplified their designs and built more quanity.

[Craig 930 RS]

Hmm........kinda like the cars the countries' automobiles

[Super_Dave_D]

Germany used so many captured T-34’s that they actually had a designation for it. The T34(r). They even had them refit to German standards by adding a radio, storage boxes, Notek light and a commander copula from a Panzer III or IV. The Russian example didn’t have a copula. That’s what makes this find even more special.