Buried Military Tank

[sle]

What does a military tank buried more or less 8 ft deep indicate?

The area where the buried tank is located was settled/occupied by the family of the landowner right after the WWII. Since their settlement in the area, there had not been any earth moving /filling in the area.

Anybody knows what's this all about? Please tell me.

 

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[RON (PA)]

I don't know why anyone would want to bury a tank. That would be one big hole to have to dig and fill in. Not to mention a lot of dirt that would be left.
Maybe the tank was stolen by the enemy, to see how it worked (for possible new designs), and then they buried it when they were done. Just a guess. Hope it helps.

 

[Monty]

May have been buried to keep the enemy from getting it period. If forced to retreat the gun could be spiked but completely destroying a tank with nothing other than a bulldozer could prove impossible. My Dad was in the artillery in Germany during WWII and told me that if about to be captured or having to leave a gun it would be destroyed to keep the enemy from turning it on them. Monty

 

[Nick in NEPA]

Well, maybe Patton rode in it. Or, they put the bodies from Roswell in it. Just kidding... obviously. Sounds like a weird situation. Why would you bury something that big? I mean, that's a lot of cash in scrap, right?

SCRAP!!!!!!!!!!!?That's easily worth...well, a lot, to a museum or one of the, say, more affluent private collectors.

 

[sle]

Forgot to mention the location. The area where the tank is located is in the Philippines.

 

[Skrimpy]

Forgot to mention the location. The area where the tank is located is in the Philippines.

That makes sense. Is it an american tank or a japanese tank? Good luck getting it home.

 

[Nick in NEPA]

Forgot to mention the location. The area where the tank is located is in the Philippines.

That makes sense. Is it an american tank or a japanese tank? Good luck getting it home.

Rent a Uhaul. Shipping rates for that would cost some serious shekels.

 

[sle]

Likely a japanese tank. American soldiers didn't reached this area during that time. The area is in the south of Mindanao, Philippines. Just a neighbor of Davao province.

 

[Siegfried Schlagrule]

For those who are too stupid to mark rocks a buried tank could be used as a pointer to a major cache. It could also be the final marker in a string of marked rocks. Keep looking in the direction the barrel is pointing. good luck and exanimo, siegfried schlagrule

 

[welfred]

Well, they are World War II garbage. I know one such area in Burauen, Leyte, Philippines where they burried a dozen tanks and trucks (either destroyed by the enemies or too old to bring back to their homeland after the war). Very good source of scrap iron, he..he.. he.. it now cost 6 to 7 pesos a kilo... as is... where is... you are very lucky if you are near a seaport, it can be exported to China.

 

[EDDE]

Forgot to mention the location. The area where the tank is located is in the Philippines.

so how much you want to find it

 

[agentx73]

Could be a buried tank like this one:

http://www.mil.hiiumaa.ee/2000_09_14_kurtna_T-34-36/

After the tank surfaced, it turned out to be a 'trophy' tank, that had been captured by the German army in the course of the battle at Sinimaed (Blue Hills) about six weeks before it was sunk in the lake. Altogether, 116 shells were found on board. Remarkably, the tank was in good condition, with no rust, and all systems (except the engine) in working condition. This is a very rare machine, especially considering that it fought both on the Russian and the German sides.

I would say if it is in good enough shape, it would be worth a decent chunk of change.

 

[sle]

I dont know if this could be anything beyond the scrap value of the tank or more likely tankette, or if this could be worth the try digging considering the likelihood of having a bomb, poison or anything on it. But, if i will try digging it, is there a way of knowing what's inside before touching it or opening it? Could a portable x-ray be used to "see" what's inside? well, just a wishful thinking and if somebody who has one will "lend" it to us.

I still cant figure out the cost of digging it, but considering the deepness and location of the area, it's not really expensive. Time? Well maybe a couple of months. Digging is easy but the preparation may take some time.

 

[buscadero]

I know on many South Pacific Islands, the Allies left things pretty much as they were. Vehicles, Planes, Buildings, etc. It wasn't worth the cost of bringing them back to CONUS!
Joe

 

[Scribe]

Be careful of old munitions. The military loved to just bulldoze dirt over ordinance as a way of cheap disposal (a practice that is still done today in war zones). It doesn't matter how long the stuff sits there it is still dangerous.
Another thing to consider is if there is ordinance under there who has to pay to clean it up? I don't know much about the laws of the Philippines, but I do know that in the US more then one poor soul has gotten stuck paying the bill for someone else's mess because either they owned the property or they were the lucky finders so with possession being 9/10ths the law it became their mess by default.

 

[Zobex]

What does a military tank buried more or less 8 ft deep indicate?

The area where the buried tank is located was settled/occupied by the family of the landowner right after the WWII. Since their settlement in the area, there had not been any earth moving /filling in the area.

Anybody knows what's this all about? Please tell me.

In the Philippines the Japs would more often than you think, bury a tank up to the canon bbl.. Since they were in a tactical delay mode of defeat, tanks were throw aways. They were buried and used as an armored turret gun emplacement. When Americans came in, if the Japs would not surrender from the gun emplacement or tunnel or tank etc. American armored tractors would just cover it over with dirt and bury the Japs alive. My Father was in such a USG Military unit and did exactly that on Luzon several times. Quick and simple. I know of two such tanks found in Pasig - Metro Manila. The only thing found inside was dead Japs and some very unstable ammo. This same tactic was used in Iraq by the Americans in 1991. Many thousand Iraq military were buried alive in South West Iraq down towards Kuwait by American mechanized units. After the initial invasion, news agencies were barred from filming in the area to document many such activities by the USG.

Zobex

 

[Zobex]

Could be a buried tank like this one:

http://www.mil.hiiumaa.ee/2000_09_14_kurtna_T-34-36/

After the tank surfaced, it turned out to be a 'trophy' tank, that had been captured by the German army in the course of the battle at Sinimaed (Blue Hills) about six weeks before it was sunk in the lake. Altogether, 116 shells were found on board. Remarkably, the tank was in good condition, with no rust, and all systems (except the engine) in working condition. This is a very rare machine, especially considering that it fought both on the Russian and the German sides.

I would say if it is in good enough shape, it would be worth a decent chunk of change.

The tank that was recovered in Estonia was a gasoline powered tank. As you say it was a trophy captured by the Germans but when the war went bad the Germans had to retreat. Since the German tanks were diesel powered, precious gasoline supplies for German trucks was wasted on the Russian tank. There was no mechanical support or supplies for it, it squandered German gasoline and was an inferior tank to German tanks. So rather that screw with it, it was driven into the peat bog. If left behind the Russians would have used it again and if just blown up the Russians could have used it for scrap. So into the water it went.

Fantastic find !!!


Zobex

 

[joe]

Hello Zobex,

what would be the meaning for this one found near seaside at 1m depth with 2pcs glass bomb with neck tide with rusted wire and was on top of this tank cover lucklly no one hit it by shovel.........

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Hello Zobex,

what would be the meaning for this one found near seaside at 1m depth with 2pcs glass bomb with neck tide with
small nylon cord on top of this tank cover lucklly no one hit it by shovel.........

We used to have similar glass "bombs" at a factory I worked at. About 6" in diameter. As I remember they held a carbon tetrachloride solution to put out flames on wood/paper fires. Also esphixiate anyone nearby so they were pulled.

 

[Zobex]

Hello Zobex,

what would be the meaning for this one found near seaside at 1m depth with 2pcs glass bomb with neck tide with
small nylon cord on top of this tank cover lucklly no one hit it by shovel.........

Sorry, I am confused in the question. You say the glass ball was found near sea side at 1 meter depth and with two pieces of military bomb and this was above a WW2 "tank" that is pictured in your post ? Is this in the Philippines? Is it the same tank mentioned in in the other post as being in Mindanao near Davao??

First, the glass ball does look similar to what is listed in the 1946 USG manual on Japanese booby traps and weapons. I got that then classified book from a retired US Navy man that worked on Mindanao. This type of glass bottle was used to carry every thing from flamable liquid such as a Molotov bomb, also acid, cyanide bomb and even biological weapon bottle. These bottles are found in China containing chemical weapon material, Japan built there chemical and biological weapon sites in occupied China so as not to contaminate their own land.

Japan did not to my knowledge have nylon let alone nylon cord. Nylon cord was used on American parachutes.

Do you have more details on this ??

I see you have a US nickel next to the bottle. That is a very small bottle. The only bottles for drink that we have found in the Philippines are flat bottom. If you are in Philippines why you use a US Nickel. Over there they are only good for making a washer out of. I can barely give them away and no money changer wants them!!!


Zobex