> A well known collector here who advertises in W&T bought a complete,
> undamaged, operational Panther from a Russian museum, reputedly some 1/4
> million UKP changed hands. En route through Poland the authorities
> noticed and impounded the vehicle whilst they had a long think, as
> authorities do.
>
> The vehicle was "stored" in a field, it is still there, except the
> engine has now gone together with the turret. Allegedly.
We got some of our contacts to check this out - the story is indeed true
[as I suspected] but some of the facts have become slightly changed..
The Panther was stopped at the russian border along with a
Citroen-Kegress gun tower and was kept in a field, as stated, until the
authorities made their mind up. The remains of the Panther and the CkGT
have now been removed to the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow.
Panther is now only missing its engine as the turret may have been
recovered.
Interestingly enough the russians stopped a group of americans and
searched their vehicles and also recovered the turrets of a PzI & PzIII
as well as a MS-1 [soviet copy of renault FT-18] Fate of the smugglers
is unknown but they probably have had their vehicles confiscated......
TTFN
Jim
Honorary Secretary
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http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/simonides
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