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Forums - Research / Post-WW2 |
This Post WW2 forum is intended for asking and discussing reference or historical related issues pertaining to any time after WW2 (1945+) subjects. |
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| Subject: | Re: Bulgaria T 34-85 Ground Turrets info needed |  |
| Date: | Sep 30, 2006 |
| From: | Alex Borsboom | |
Hi Ian,
I'm not sure about the Bulgarians, but the common Soviet practice was to strip the tank completely, inside (engine, suspension, fuel tanks, etc.) and outside (wheels, tracks, fenders, etc.), weld everything shut, then dig a hole and embed the complete hull in concrete. This 'recycling' is cheaper than scrapping the vehicle and building a new 'mount'for the turret, and economy is a deciding factor when maintaining an army as big as the Soviets did. (Sometimes they didn't even care to strip the vehicle and buried it as it was!)
As the WP army's were more or less 'integrated' in the Red Army I think most would have copied this method.
I know for sure that the Chinese and East German army turned obsolete tanks in fixed defences in this way, so big chance the Bulgarians did too.
(As a note, in the 1950's the Dutch army did the same with a number of Firefly's, also driven by a very tight post war budget.)
I must stress again that regarding the Bulgarians this is an educated guess.
Cheers,
Alex |
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