US tanks lost at sea in WWII restored

[Klondyke]

US tanks lost at sea in WWII restored for Victory Day parade in Russia (VIDEO)


An M4 (105) Sherman tank with spare track-links welded on its front for additional armor protection

Over 70 years after being lost at sea, on their way to join the fight against Nazi Germany, two US-made tanks have been restored just in time to feature in WWII victory celebrations alongside their Russian counterparts.


The M3 and M4 tanks were discovered off the Russian coast in the Barents Sea last July, before being pulled out by servicemen from Russia’s Northern fleet. Needless to say, after spending decades underwater, the once impressive machines were a little worse for wear.

The tanks were originally intended to be shipped through the Arctic to the northern city of Murmansk, as part of the US "lend-lease" program with the Soviet Union. The journey, however, was extremely perilous as Nazi ships and U-boats attacked and destroyed many of the convoys, killing around 3,000 allied sailors in the process.

The tanks were originally intended to be shipped through the Arctic to the northern city of Murmansk, as part of the US "lend-lease" program with the Soviet Union. The journey, however, was extremely perilous as Nazi ships and U-boats attacked and destroyed many of the convoys, killing around 3,000 allied sailors in the process.



Despite the extreme difficulty of the restoration, one can’t argue with the impressive results.


Thanks to their efforts, the two allied tanks were finally able to complete their over 70-year journey and join over 50 other historical and modern vehicles just in time for Victory Day celebrations in central Murmansk.


Victory Day is one of the largest and most important holidays in contemporary Russia. It’s celebrated in cities across the country and internationally. Despite stormy weather in Moscow, tens of thousands took part in this year's march honoring family members who gave their lives during the war.



https://on.rt.com/9u34

[baldrick]

what is the price on ebay ?

[Klondyke]

Weren't these types of tanks the ones designed specially for Day D? And almost all of them have sunk before they had reached the land?

[Troy]

^ M3 Sherman was first built in late 1940 and nearly a thousand sent over to Russia some time before D-day.

Apparently, according to wiki, Russia also has over 4000 of the M4s delivered...

[nidhogg]

Weren't these types of tanks the ones designed specially for Day D? And almost all of them have sunk before they had reached the land?

Think you are thinking of the duplex drive shermans.

[Pragmatic]

Think you are thinking of the duplex drive shermans.

[nidhogg]

^that is the dude. They were actually pretty sucessful. Omaha was the beach where they were launched incorrectly, and as a direct consequence that beach landing was a disaster. Other beaches where they were launched correctly did better.

[Klondyke]

Learning from wiki that they were designed for waves 1ft, however, the waves were up to 6ft.

It was known that the weather for D-Day will not be pleasant, however, Ike could not wait any longer, when he did not want to lose the race for Berlin trophy...

Omaha Beach
At Omaha Beach almost all of the tanks launched offshore were lost, their absence contributing to the high casualty rate and sluggish advance from that beach.

---

Until very recently it was believed that most of the DD Shermans of the 741st Tank Battalion were sunk almost immediately. Some stayed afloat for a matter of minutes; according to the crews one tank swam for 15 minutes, another: "We weren’t in the ocean [sic] 10 minutes when we had a problem".[20] Tanks at the other four beaches suffered no such problems.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DD_tank

[TizMe]