Russian Tank Turret Dug Up in Rostock, Germany

[Geoff Walden]

This is supposed to be a T34-85, but the mantlet doesn't look right to me. But I'm not expert on Soviet armor.

http://www.thelocal.de/society/20111118-38941.html

(there are links to photos in the article)

Bullets – and bones – found in Soviet tank
Published: 18 Nov 11 06:00 CET

Construction workers near Rostock made an unusual discovery Thursday, when they unearthed half of a Soviet World War II-era tank with skeletal remains inside. Experts believe the other half of the tank is buried across the street.

Authorities at the German War Graves Commission will now attempt to figure out whether the remains are German or Russian, or if they belong to more than one person. They will likely eventually be buried in a city war cemetery.

The T-34 tank, a type developed specifically for World War II, was discovered during routine construction work near the Schleusen Bridge. Startled labourers immediately called authorities.

Inside the rusted tank, a bomb disposal team identified shells, hand grenades and rifle ammunition, said Fred Tribanek, a team member. Tribanek said the ammo was live but would not be dangerous if it remained within the tank.

The tank is thought to have come under attack during the Soviet invasion of Rostock in May 1945.

"Despite the area’s fraught history, we’ve never found anything like this before,” said Tribanek. “Large World War II bombs certainly, but never a whole tank.”

The rusted tank's remains were loaded onto a truck on Thursday and stored at a depot, where they will undergo careful examination. Eventually authorities hope to find the other half of the tank.

DAPD/The Local/jcw

[Xavier]

a german WWII vet who lives nearby ( a strange happening here, in mexico) was a ammo handler on a 88 pak on the north-east zone of germany during the last year of the war, and once told me they used to aim for the space between the turret and the hull, a hit there would make the turret jump a couple dozen meters in the air and would finnish the russian tanks for good... this seems a good example of their handy work.. complete with human remains on the turret ... no doubt a battle casualty...!
Xavier
Der Autodidakt

[Alejandro_]

and once told me they used to aim for the space between the turret and the hull

This is the turret ring, a weak spot in every tank.

[AVV]

Hello!

was a ammo handler on a 88 pak on the north-east zone of germany during the last year of the war, and once told me they used to aim for the space between the turret and the hull, a hit there would make the turret jump a couple dozen meters in the air and would finnish the russian tanks for good...

Well, 88 mm. German gun (both Flak and Pak) would destroy almost any tank regardless of the place it hit the vehicle.

Best regards, Aleks

[Xavier]

a small piece of info I forgot to write, he mentioned to aim for the space betwwen the hull and the turret and hull at extreme ranges, at a very safe range from the tanks own guns..
Xavier
Der Autodidakt

[Marcus]

Two posts from WAF about the tank:

Andrey Karpov from http://niemirow41.narod.ru/ managed to find what seems to be archive reference to this tank and its crew:
In this report of officer losses from 3rd Guards Tank Brigade (http://shot.photo.qip.ru/101qAuo.jpg ) under #7 on this page (http://shot.photo.qip.ru/301qAup.jpg) is listed Guards Lieutenant Vasily Kriventsev, tank platoon commander from 2nd Tank battalion - killed on May 1, 1945 by the explosion of naval mine on highway bridge over Varnov river, 400 meters east from Rostok.
Posthumous award document (http://shot.photo.qip.ru/101qAxe.jpg ) provide more details of the event: After managing to capture military supply train arriving on station Cassedom (?) 1500 m west from Rostok, and taking village Cassedom, Kriventsov’s tank was first to break into Rostok suburbs, destroying enemy personell and vehicles on the way, and was exploded by naval mine on the bridge. Kriventsov was killed by the blast (as, probably, whole crew of the tank – there is nothing about it in the document). Place of explosion is pointed as burial place in the documents.
This story is matching newspaper story of first tank that entered by city and was destroyed by local policemen – probably policemen was responsible for operating IED control, and Soviets listed explosion too powerful to be resulted by regular landmine to be caused by hidden naval mine.

Meanwhile Andrey continued the study and found award document for tank MG/radio operator
http://shot.photo.qip.ru/101qCoh.jpg
http://shot.photo.qip.ru/201qCoi.jpg

And then all other crew members, for some reason they were all in private\NCO losses report of 9th Rifle division, marked red:
http://shot.photo.qip.ru/201qCoB.jpg

http://shot.photo.qip.ru/301qCoA.jpg

http://shot.photo.qip.ru/101qCoz.jpg

So now we know all five crew members:

Vasily Kriventsev, 31, platoon commander
Vasily Kleshov,21, driver
Panteley Lipeev, 21, radio operator
Nikolai Martynenko, 20, gunner
Andrey Gusev, 23, loader

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... 966&page=2

/Marcus

[Currahee]

a german WWII vet who lives nearby ( a strange happening here, in mexico) was a ammo handler on a 88 pak on the north-east zone of germany during the last year of the war, and once told me they used to aim for the space between the turret and the hull, a hit there would make the turret jump a couple dozen meters in the air and would finnish the russian tanks for good... this seems a good example of their handy work.. complete with human remains on the turret ... no doubt a battle casualty...!
Xavier
Der Autodidakt

How could some kg shell throw turret which weighs a couple of tons? Only ammo detonation...

[Helmut0815]

Here's a video showing the excavation of the tank turret: http://video.ostsee-zeitung.de/?bcpid=4 ... 1381922001

The narrator says the tank was destroyed on 1st May 45 when the Mühlendamm bridge over the Warnow river was blasted.
The turret will be put in a museum as a memorial against war.

regards


Helmut