From: Steve Grammont (islander@midmaine.com)
Date: Tue Nov 30 2004 - 20:52:20 PST
Jon,
>How long was it buried there?
>
> Looks like it has some German markings on it.
Yes, these are typical markings applied by the Germans to captured Soviet
vehicles. The Germans used literally tens of thousands of captured AFVs,
soft skinned vehicles, and large equipment.
The island this was found on, Hiumma (Hiiumaa), was retaken by the
Soviets in early October 1944 after a landing on the 3rd by the Soviet's
Leningrad Front. The mixed German/Estonian garrison there was tasked
with keeping the island to help protect the flank of the remains of Army
Group North. Prior to its loss the Germans and Estonians evacuated many
tens of thousands of troops, civilians, and prisoners through the island
and later to German ports. By the time the island was lost, Army Group
North was already doomed and therefore its loss was not as important as
it would have been a month earlier.
An obscure, though interesting, part of the history of the Eastern Front.
Steve
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