Soviet-built T34/76A tank found in Estonia lake bed

Re: Soviet-built T34/76A tank found in Estonia lake bed

feeds@yuku.com (EricOKC) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:33:02 GMT

These bogs are great for preserving military artifacts, due to low oxygen content, as someone else mentioned.

A few decades back, an American bomber, a B-24 I believe, was pulled from some bogs in Europe, and with a field stripping the machine guns were made to work with the ammo on board.

Fuel was still volatile too.

Re: Soviet-built T34/76A tank found in Estonia lake bed

feeds@yuku.com (high speed cruise) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:57:29 GMT

Albert Speer's autobiography states that Hitler's desire to outproduce Stalin caused a total lack of spare part production. That is why their tanks could not be repaired once something broke.

hsc

Re: Soviet-built T34/76A tank found in Estonia lake bed

feeds@yuku.com (eagle7) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:03:44 GMT

The US Army would repair M4 Shermans on the battlefield. When I was a young man I had a good friend that was a WWII tank mechanic who worked at battalion level. He said that his team would roll up to a battle damaged Sherman, and repair it on site. They got so good at it they could swap out engines in less than an hour. Their vehicle was a Sherman that had the turret replaced with a boom that ran off a power takeoff. The object was to recover , repair, and re-crew battle damaged tanks as fast...

Re: Soviet-built T34/76A tank found in Estonia lake bed

feeds@yuku.com (dangson) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:35:12 GMT

The suspension system for the Russian tank was designed by an American, I think hi name was Walter Christy, a race car designer. The US government didn't like it . I think his tank design could run up to 45mph with the tacks on and up to 60 or 70 with the tracks off. It could run either way. One our employees wives is Estonian. I am going to send this to him.

Re: Soviet-built T34/76A tank found in Estonia lake bed

feeds@yuku.com (7GREEN) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:00:04 GMT

The Germans had little in the way of forward repair and maintenance facilities, their tanks often had to be shipped back to the Reich for repairs that in Uncle Sam's Army would have been handled at battalion or at best division level.
Also IIRC the Germans did not have the bauxite need to make aluminum, (or Goering wouldn't let them have it) their tanks had steel engine blocks, the Soviets could mass produce aluminum, their tanks had aluminum engine blocks, the
weight saved...

Re: Soviet-built T34/76A tank found in Estonia lake bed

feeds@yuku.com (RattInnaCage) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:15:19 GMT

One of the articles stated that the tank was found under 3 feet of peat. The peat moss will create an anaerobic (without oxygin) environment. It also increases the acidity of the water. Between the two, metal won't rust, and those wee little beasties that would of otherwise have eaten away just about everything can't survive.

Iron age Britons and Northern Europeons used to sacrifice people during the winter and then sink their bodies in the bogs. The acidity literally...

Re: Soviet-built T34/76A tank found in Estonia lake bed

feeds@yuku.com (FLAPJACKHAPPY) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:25:23 GMT

I can't believe how good the condition of the tank is in you would think it would be nothing but a rusted hull in the water/swamp for that long .... I dont think you can put a value on it !!!If it were ever to sell on the o[pen market. AMAZING...

Re: Soviet-built T34/76A tank found in Estonia lake bed

feeds@yuku.com (RattInnaCage) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:30:15 GMT

FYI -- there are three youtube videos at the end of the first link I posted.

Re: Soviet-built T34/76A tank found in Estonia lake bed

feeds@yuku.com (eagle7) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:27:33 GMT

The T-34 was "better" in a strategic sense because it was built at a much quicker rate than the German tanks. The M4 Sherman also had the advantage of massive assembly line production. Evidently Stalin's industrial 5 year plans in the 1920s and 1930s had a positive effect on war production. The German tanks were usually tactically superior to the M4s and T-34s, unless you consider the oversized Elefant tanks that were introduced at Kursk.

The T-34 (and the Sherman)...

Re: Soviet-built T34/76A tank found in Estonia lake bed

feeds@yuku.com (gpschmidt) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:06:13 GMT

If you check on you tube you'll find video of them pulling the tank out. I think they found it in 2000.

Greg

Re: Soviet-built T34/76A tank found in Estonia lake bed

feeds@yuku.com (high speed cruise) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:12:02 GMT

That was cool! Thanks man.

A history prof and I once disagreed over which was the best tank: T-34 or Tiger. I now admit I was wrong....the T-34 was much better. Although in a battle between the two, I'd STILL want to be in the Tiger!

If you had the land, a T-34 would be a lot of fun. A BMP would be more practical though.

hsc

Soviet-built T34/76A tank found in Estonia lake bed

feeds@yuku.com (RattInnaCage) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:57:11 GMT

A friend of mine found out about this and sent me an e-mail about it. After a little tinkering, they even were able to crank over the diesel engine. Anyway, here are some web pages that I found about it..

http://www.englishrussia.com/?p=299