World War II is without a doubt one of the most sad, fascinating and studied events in human history. It was supposed to be the war to end all wars. People couldn’t imagine why another war would ever need to be fought, or how one could ever lead to as much destruction as was seen from the years 1939-1945. Items from period of time are sought after collectors items for many, especially when it comes to the military equipment used. Well during a dive in the river Don in Russia, several years ago divers found a piece of history.
The tank is a model T-34-76. It was spotted by divers in the river Don.
It’s thought that the tank was produced at the Stalingrad Tractor Plant.
The theory is that the tank fell into the river while being transported over to the other side.
It was recovered using an armored recovery vehicle.
Not many of these types of tanks survived the war, so this is considered a significant find.
The plan is to try to restore the tank as much as possible.
The tank was so well-preserved, there are talks that it may even be able to run again one day.
The tank weights around 30 tons and was under about 23 feet of water. So getting it back to the surface was not an easy task.
The tank has been known about for a while.
It was not recovered right away though, because experts wanted to make sure it did not hold any soldiers remains.
Other sunken artifacts were found near the tank such as pontoons, transport vehicles, and small vessels.
This lends further support to the theory that the tank was lost while crossing a temporary bridge.
What and incredible piece of history!
This is an incredible artifact that should be preserved. Seeing something like this actually run again would be an incredible experience. The tank will be restored, then remain on display in the Patriot Park in the region of Moscow Oblast in Western Russia.