A unique tank excavated from the Warta River

The mushroom season is over, but like mushrooms after the rain, information about other interesting underwater finds appears. This time, we are dealing with a real rarity on a global scale! Polish prospectors have managed to dig out of the riverbed a tank that has been lying there for 67 years!

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The group, led by Jacek Kopczyński, excavated the Valentine MK IX tank. The British unit, in the service of the Red Army, had probably sunk while crossing the ice during the Soviet offensive on Berlin. Fortunately, the crew managed to abandon the vehicle before it disappeared into the river.

The excavated machine is in sensational condition and its excavation has already been hailed as a sensation. There are about 12 such vehicles in the world, and 3 of them are running. According to forecasts, the example from Warta could be brought back to working condition within 3 years. Valentine will now undergo initial conservation, and a draft will be prepared for its documentation.

The entire excavation began on Wednesday, but due to mounting difficulties, the work was not completed until the night of Thursday to Friday. As the tank was stuck in the mud, some of the water had to be pumped out. What surprised everyone was that the tracks and wheels were in fantastic condition and turning!

The project Valentine MK IX was created in 1940. The tank which was supposed to be an infantry support, lived to see 8000 copies which left the production line. A fourth of this group was transferred by Britain to the USSR. Equipped with a 6-pounder gun, the Valentine MK IX weighed 17 tons and could develop a speed of 24km/h. This is the only copy of this machine in Poland and the only one in the world that took part in hostilities!

Source: wiadomosci.gazeta.pl