Absolutely insane that something that was under the water looks as good as it does.
[A href="http://www.englishrussia.com/?p=299"]http://www.englishrussia.com/?p=299[/A]
WW-II Trophy tank
14 September 2000, a Komatsu D375A-2 pulled an abandoned tank from its archival tomb under the bottom 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-tonne machine with a top speed of 53km/h.
From February to September 1944, heavy battles were fought in the narrow, 50 km-wide, 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 organised retreat along the Narva front. It is suspected that the tank was then purposefully driven into the lake, abandoning it when its captors left the area.
[A id=more-299][/A]
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 armoured 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 out. In September 2000 they turned to Mr Aleksander Borovkovthe, manager of the Narva open pit of the stock 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 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 a pulling operation that required significant muscle. The D375A-2 handled the operation with power and style. The weight of the fully armed tank was around 30 tons, so the tractive force required to retrieve it was similar. A main requirement for the 68-tonne dozer was to have enough weight to prevent shoe-slip while moving up the hill.
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 under way to fully restore the tank. It will be displayed at a war history museum, that will be founded at the Gorodenko village on the left bank of the River Narva.
Looking at the two tracked machines, the modern yellow Komatsu dozer is a reminder of how machine technologies have advanced, and the region's prospects of peace and prosperity have brightened.
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/1.jpg"]
Preparing to pull it out.
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp 2" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/2.jpg"]
People from the nearby village come to look how it would be done.
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp 3" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/3.jpg"]
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp 4" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/4.jpg"]
Komatsu D375A-2 is ready to go.
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp 5" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/5.jpg"]
Here it comes...
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp 6" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/6.jpg"]
Through muddy shore of the lake...
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp 7" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/7.jpg"]
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp 8" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/8.jpg"]
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp 9" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/9.jpg"]
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp 10" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/10.jpg"]
What a mint condition.
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp 11" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/11.jpg"]
As it has been mentioned it was captured by Germans and that's why there are Nazi symbol on it.
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp 12" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/12.jpg"]
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp 13" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/13.jpg"]
As far it has been known, after a small repair and service they were able to start it's diesel engine.
[img alt="Russian tank t-34 from Estonian swamp 14" src="http://englishrussia.com/images/russian_tank_t34/14.jpg"]
Here is the video footage of the event:
[EMBED src=http://www.youtube.com/v/FtJkyd3JJWE width=600 height=350 type=application/x-shockwave-flash][/EMBED]
Part 1
[EMBED src=http://www.youtube.com/v/2ZHVgMzfD38 width=600 height=350 type=application/x-shockwave-flash][/EMBED]
Part 2
[EMBED src=http://www.youtube.com/v/HBK3Zs13p94 width=600 height=350 type=application/x-shockwave-flash][/EMBED]
Part 3
Photos: Me elis Mitt, Estonia
Some text: Komatsu Times, 2000
