Sat Jul 31, 2021, 10:14 AM
A Guy Hid a Real WWII Panther Tank in His Basement. Now, There Are Consequences.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a37147381/ww2-panther-tank-hidden-in-basement/
A court in Germany is determining the best way to dispose of one of the rarest pieces of military history in the world. German authorities seized the Panther medium tank in 2015 from a pensioner who bought the vehicle as scrap and hid it in his basement. The tank, one of just 12 left in the world, is almost certainly worth millions of dollars. Now, authorities are trying to untangle what is actually a fairly complex legal case, according to the BBC. At some point in the past, the unnamed German citizen allegedly purchased the 45-ton tank, along with a towed 88-millimeter anti-tank/anti-aircraft gun and a torpedo, and stored it away. The German Army Panzerkampfwagen V “Panther” medium tank was one of the most technologically advanced tanks of World War II. The Panther was armed with one 75-millimeter Kw.K.42 L/70 main gun and two 7.92-millimeter machine guns. The tank used sloped steel armor, which gave it a sleek appearance, and interleaved road wheels. While the Panther was a fantastic tank on technical grounds, in reality, its performance was severely hampered by engine breakdowns, mechanical issues, and low-quality steel armor in wartime.
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24 replies, 2398 views
 24 replies |
Author | Time | Post |
 A Guy Hid a Real WWII Panther Tank in His Basement. Now, There Are Consequences. (Original post) |
Dial H For Hero | Jul 2021 | OP |
| eleny | Jul 2021 | #1 | |
| CrispyQ | Jul 2021 | #3 | |
| marie999 | Jul 2021 | #10 | |
| CrispyQ | Jul 2021 | #20 | |
| chowder66 | Jul 2021 | #19 | |
| captain queeg | Jul 2021 | #2 | |
| Dirty Socialist | Jul 2021 | #13 | |
| mitch96 | Jul 2021 | #21 | |
| hlthe2b | Jul 2021 | #17 | |
| ananda | Jul 2021 | #4 | |
| marie999 | Jul 2021 | #11 | |
| A HERETIC I AM | Jul 2021 | #12 | |
| lastlib | Jul 2021 | #14 | |
| lpbk2713 | Jul 2021 | #16 | |
| Historic NY | Jul 2021 | #5 | |
| flying_wahini | Jul 2021 | #6 | |
| Sneederbunk | Jul 2021 | #7 | |
| Historic NY | Jul 2021 | #8 | |
| OnDoutside | Jul 2021 | #15 | |
| DFW | Jul 2021 | #18 | |
| marble falls | Jul 2021 | #9 | |
| eleny | Jul 2021 | #23 | |
| LastLiberal in PalmSprings | Jul 2021 | #22 | |
| Skittles | Jul 2021 | #24 |
Response to Dial H For Hero (Original post)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 10:22 AM
eleny (46,156 posts)
1. I was hoping they could tell us how the owner got it into his basement! nt
Response to eleny (Reply #1)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 10:28 AM
CrispyQ (35,012 posts)
3. We watched a couple of seasons of NCIS, where Gibbs builds a boat in his basement.
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The only entrance ever shown to the basement was a steep staircase going up to a regular sized door. I always wondered how he was going to get the boat out after he finished it.
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Response to marie999 (Reply #10)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 02:08 PM
CrispyQ (35,012 posts)
20. I never got that far in the series.
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I'd forgotten that he didn't use power tools.
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Response to eleny (Reply #1)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 01:42 PM
chowder66 (8,577 posts)
19. Looks like he lived in a villa that had a subterranean bunker.
Response to Dial H For Hero (Original post)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 10:25 AM
captain queeg (9,463 posts)
2. Wow, what a find. I'm sure some museums would love to get it.
Response to captain queeg (Reply #2)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 11:13 AM
13. An unnamed American museum is getting it
Response to Dirty Socialist (Reply #13)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 02:15 PM
21. I'm curious for how much?$ and who gets the money? Are the guns operational?
Response to captain queeg (Reply #2)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 12:26 PM
hlthe2b (98,775 posts)
17. It sure is. Without any around, Hollywood had to get very creative for movies like Kelly's Heroes...
Response to Dial H For Hero (Original post)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 10:30 AM
ananda (28,248 posts)
4. How does somebody get a tank in their basement???
Response to ananda (Reply #4)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 11:07 AM
A HERETIC I AM (23,995 posts)
12. Build the basement around it?
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Response to ananda (Reply #4)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 11:33 AM
lastlib (21,540 posts)
14. Like Johnny Cash said--"One Piece At A Time"......
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Response to ananda (Reply #4)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 11:55 AM
lpbk2713 (42,330 posts)
16. Take a left at the V-2 rocket.
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Response to Dial H For Hero (Original post)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 10:44 AM
Historic NY (37,060 posts)
5. If it was demilled, then what claims does the government have on it..
Response to Dial H For Hero (Original post)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 10:45 AM
flying_wahini (5,807 posts)
6. Guessing he built his basement around it.
Response to Dial H For Hero (Original post)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 10:45 AM
7. Did they check to see what he had in his attic?
Response to Dial H For Hero (Original post)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 10:52 AM
Historic NY (37,060 posts)
8. more on it
Response to Historic NY (Reply #8)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 11:48 AM
OnDoutside (19,797 posts)
15. "who had earlier searched the home for stolen Nazi art" I think there's
Response to OnDoutside (Reply #15)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 12:48 PM
DFW (52,333 posts)
18. If the home was searched for Nazi-stolen art, but a tank and anti-aircraft rocket were overlooked
Response to Dial H For Hero (Original post)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 10:59 AM
marble falls (52,824 posts)
9. That WWII tecnology is obsolete. They make tankless water heaters now.
Response to Dial H For Hero (Original post)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 02:26 PM
LastLiberal in PalmSprings (12,422 posts)
22. In 1995 a San Diego man stole a tank from the Army armory. This is the result:
Response to Dial H For Hero (Original post)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 02:27 PM
Skittles (151,359 posts)
24. WHEN will they be doing that pay-per-article thing
