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Battle Relic: Third Reich weaponry left
behind in previously occupied
countries in the European Theatre of
Operations, World War
Two.
Introduction: After
World War Two had ended in Europe on
May 8th 1945, its former
battlefields were littered with the
weaponry that had been too heavy for
the German soldiers to carry back
into the Fatherland during their
retreat.
Often, German tanks, trucks and guns
had been salvaged for their scrap
metal value.
In many cases however, they
remained intact and were used by
local governments as landmarks in
local communities.
Often well preserved, the weapons of
destruction even today still serve
as monuments reminding us of the
senselessness of war.
This study of several battle relics
shows Third Reich weaponry to be found 'in
the wild'
within the boundaries of the European
Theater of Operations ("ETO") today.
It is not a complete list but rather
a work in progress.
We advise our viewers to keep
monitoring this page for more
featured battle relics.
Of course, any input or suggestions
of Third Reich weaponry left behind
publicly in the European Theatre of
Operations is welcome.
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-A
(15-1)
Location:
Wilhelmina Park
Breda, The Netherlands
GPS Location: 51°34'51.7"N
4°47'04.8"E.
Item Description:
Third Reich PzKpfw. V ("PanzerKampfwagen";
Armored Fighting Vehicle),
"Panther", Ausf. ("Ausführung";
Variety) D taken out of action
by the Polish 1st Armored Division
on the 29th of October 1944 when
this unit liberated the Dutch city
of Breda. The tank was donated to
the people of Breda and therefore it
is even today known locally as "The
Polish Tank".
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01AUG2011 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-B
(15-2)
Location:
Zandoerle, Municipality of
Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
GPS Location: 51°24'51.4"N
5°21'31.6"E.
Item Description:
German anti tank canon, type
Panzer Abwehr Kanone 40, 75
millimeter caliber.
The third photograph was taken
during a local folklore event when
the canon was used as a very
suitable climbing object for the
younger townspeople.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 03AUG2011 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-C
(15-3)
Location:
Nijmegen, The Netherlands
GPS Location: 51°50'51.5"N
5°52'21.4"E.
Item Description:
German 5 cm PAK (Panzer Abwehr
Kanone; Anti Tank Canon) 38. This
Battle Relic sits on the Waal river
bank, a bit neglected, overlooking
the Nijmegen road bridge, captured
by the Allies in September 1944 at a
high casualty rate. One of the tires of this canon
is
still intact and comes from
the German Continental Tire factory.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01OCT2011 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-D
(15-4)
Location:
Place de Roi Albert, Houffalize, Belgium
GPS Location: 50°07'44.3"N
5°47'26.9"E.
Item Description:
Third Reich PzKpfw. V ("PanzerKampfwagen";
Armored Fighting Vehicle),
"Panther", Ausf. G. This tank belonged
to the German 116th Armored 'Windhund'
(Whippet) Division. This tank could
do with a new paintjob. We
discovered that the front end
machine gun could still be moved.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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UPDATE 25DEC2023:
The Panther Ausführung G of
Houffalize had been away from the
town for restoration during five
years.
In 2023 it was returned and we took
these photos of it on 16DEC2023:
Note that it is forbidden to climb
on the vehicle now, as it sits in a
covered rocky nature scene, but we
managed to slap one
BattleDetective.com magnet on the
left side of it. |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-E
(15-5)
Location:
Rue d'Eglize,
La Gleize, BelgiumGPS
Location: 50°24'36.5"N 5°50'46.3"E.
Item Description:
Tiger II or "Königstiger" (King
Tiger). This tank is "parked" in
front of the
Historical Museum
December 1944 in La Gleize. What
strikes anyone examining this piece
of equipment up close, is the sheer
size of it.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-F
(15-6)
Location: Geneindsestraat, Valkenburg, The
Netherlands
GPS Location:
50°52'04.7"N 5°49'56.0"E.
Item Description:
German anti tank canon, type
Panzer Abwehr Kanone 40, 75
millimeter caliber.
This German canon is placed in a
beautiful park surrounding the
Municipal Hall of Valkenburg in the
Dutch Province of Limburg.
A sign
tells the story that this canon was
destroyed by elements of the US
Army's 30th "Old Hickory" Division
on September 17th 1944 when the
liberated Valkenburg. The barrel and
armor plate still show battle scars.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 25SEP2011 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-G
(15-7)
Location: Deventer, The
Netherlands
GPS Location: 52°14'58.5"N
6°09'30.2"E.
Item Description: Third
Reich 3,7 centimeter anti tank canon, type Panzer Abwehr Kanone
36.
This canon is located in a small
park under the Northern ramp of the
traffic bridge across the IJssel
river leading into the town of
Deventer. It was this bridge where
in 1976 the movie A Bridge Too Far
was filmed. Various other locations in
Deventer were used for scenes which
took place in Arnhem, Eindhoven and Leopoldsburg.
This canon is painted with the
patches of various units of the
British Second Army and the names of
the locations where they fought in
Europe.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01OCT2011 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-H
(15-8)
Location: Route d'Achêne, 5561
Houyet, (Celes), Belgium
GPS Location: 50°13'55.2"N
5°00'15.8"E.
Item Description:
German Panther Type "G" tank,
also known to the Germans as Panzer
V or by its ordnance inventory
designation Sd.Kfz. 171. This tank
was armed with a 75 millimeter main
gun and two MG34 7.92 millimeter
machineguns. This particular tank
belonged to the 2. (second) Panzer
Division of the German regular army
(Heer) and spearheaded the advance
of Kampfgruppe (battle group)
Cochenhausen during the Ardennes
Offensive; or "Von Rundstedt
Offensive" to the Belgians. It ran
on a mine in the early morning of
December 24th, 1945 disabling it.
Since the war it has been a
tourist attraction for the
nearby café named "Le Tank".
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 30OCT2011 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-I
(15-9) (CANCELLED)
Location: Groesbeek, The
Netherlands
GPS Location: 51°47'06.8"N
5°56'14.1"E.
Item Description:
German anti tank canon, type
Panzer Abwehr Kanone 40, 75
millimeter caliber. This particular
canon can be seen on the grounds of
the Liberation Museum in Groesbeek,
The Netherlands. However, it is
accessible to the public from the
main Wylerbaan road and one does not
have to pay an entrance fee to visit
this artillery piece or the British
M4 Sherman tank named "Robin Hood"
on the same lawn.
The canon has these texts
painted on the armor plate
(translated from the Dutch
language):
"This artillery wreaked havoc in
Nijmegen from September 1944 to
February 1945. Silenced on the 8th
of February 1945 by SGT. Mick
Savage, CPL L.S. Maso, CPL A.
Britton, RCA (Royal Canadian
Artillery)"
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 14NOV2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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This Relic CANCELLED due to
current display in the new
Freedom Museum (was: Liberation
Museum) which can only be accessed
after paying the entrance fee.:
(click to enlarge)
Photo taken on 4SEP2019 |
Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-J
(15-10)
Location: Raadhuisplein, Susteren, The
Netherlands
GPS Location: 51°03'56.9"N
5°51'15.1"E.
Item Description:
88 millimeter Panzer Abwehr
Kanone (PAK) antitank canon, type
43/41.
This canon, which is placed on a
brick pedestal on Raadhuisplein
(Town Hall Square) of Susteren is
part of a monument reminding of the
town being in the front line between
September 1944 and January 1945. The
villagers of Susteren had all been
evacuated to the nearby town of
Posterholt. On January 17th 1945 the
town was liberated by the British.
In 2000 this canon was restored with
the help of the local Kiwanis Club
and the construction company of Hans
Wagter. Note rubber tires from the
German city of
Fulda and a bicycle lock that
someone fixed to the armored shield
of the canon.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 28MRT2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-K
(15-11)
Location: CR 337, Troisvierges,
Luxembourg
GPS Location:
50°07'05.2"N 6°00'17.2"E.
Item Description:
88 millimeter Panzer Abwehr
Kanone (Anti Tank Gun) PAK 43. This
canon is located along Highway CR337
and stands next to a monument
dedicated to the liberation of
Troisvierges by the US 6th Armored
Division on January 23, 1945.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-L
(15-12)
Location: Boulaide, Luxemburg
GPS Location: 49°52'18.4"N
5°48'29.1"E.
Item Description:
155 millimeter Schwere Haubitze
(Heavy Howitzer). This canon, and
the 88 millimeter canon, featured in
our sub file 15-M, are
located on a wooded hilltop, locally
known as "Hochfels", outside the
village of Boulaide. Relatively new
rustic wooden signs explain the
characteristics of the gun but
the "exhibit" itself is in a
deplorable state. The solid rubber
tires are missing and the wet forest
takes its toll in the shape of
corrosion.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-M
(15-13)
Location: Boulaide, Luxemburg
GPS Location: 49°52'18.4"N
5°48'29.1"E.
Item Description:
88 millimeter Panzer Abwehr
Kanone, placed close to the Heavy
Field Howitzer featured in sub file
15-L. When we visited this
gun in May 2011, some clothes from
the users of the nearby log cabin in
the woods, lay strewn on the guns
pedestal.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-N
(15-14)
Location: Cherain, Belgium
GPS Location: 50°10'50.3"N
5°51'53.2"E.
Item Description:
FH 18 Schwere Haubitze (Heavy
Howitzer), This 15 centimeter canon
sits in a small park in between
three streets leading through the
small village of Cherain. In front
of the canon is a small stone marker
reminding of the 100th anniversary
of Belgium's independence in 1930.
This gun has extensive battle dame
caused by shrapnel.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub Files No.: 15-O
and 15-O Bis (15-15.1 and 15-15.2)
Location: Burdinne, Belgium
GPS Location: 50°35'01.2"N
5°04'21.0"E.
Item Description:
Two German 75 millimeter anti tank canons, type
Panzer Abwehr Kanone 40, flank
the World War One memorial monument
in Burdinne's town square.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-P
(15-16)
Location: Clerveaux, Luxemburg
GPS Location: 50°03'15.8"N
6°01'50.5"E.
Item Description: An
impressive
PAK 43
88 millimeter Panzer Abwehr
Kanone (88 millimeter Anti Tank Gun)
welcomes visitors entering the
Clerveaux Museum of the Ardennes
Battle together with an M4A3 Sherman
tank of the 9th Armored Division,
next to it. The museum is located in
an old castle on a hilltop. This
canon could also do with some
maintenance.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-Q
(15-17)
Location: Grandmenil, Belgium
GPS Location: 50°17'26.4"N
5°39'36.9"E.
Item Description:
Tank, Panther Type "G". This
tank belonged to the 12 SS "Hitler
Jugend" (Hitler Youth) Panzer
Division was left behind after the
battle and sits on a cross
roads in Grandmenil today. Perhaps
the broken right track has caused
its abandonment.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-R
(15-18)
Location: Heinerscheid,
Luxembourg
GPS Location: 50°05'37.6"N
6°05'12.5"E.
Item Description:
88 millimeter Panzer Abwehr
Kanone (88 millimeter Anti Tank
Gun). This canon is placed in a
small memorial park, next to a US
M2A1 Howitzer. The park is dedicated
to the US 6th Armored Division who
liberated Heinerscheid on January
28th, 1945.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-S
(15-19)
Location: Rue des Armées
Américaines, Manhay, Belgium
GPS Location: 50°17'28.2"N
5°40'30.6"E.
Item Description:
Barrel of an 88 millimeter
Panzer Abwehr Kanone (88 millimeter
Anti Tank Gun). This barrel was
discovered during construction work
in the Manhay area in 1996.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-T
(15-20)
Location: Corner of Martinusstraße
and Zum Alten Buche, Meyerode, Luxemburg
GPS Location: 50°19'41.9"N
6°11'18.9"E.
Item Description: Third
Reich 7,5 centimeter Panzer Abwehr Kanone
PAK 40
in front of the local school.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-U
(15-21)
Location: Route d'Arlon, Useldange, Luxembourg
GPS Location: 49°45'49.3"N
5°58'32.7"E.
Item Description: sK18,
Schwere Kanone (Heavy Canon), 10,5
centimeter canon.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-V
(15-22)
Location: Route de Noertrange, Wiltz, Luxembourg
GPS Location: 49°58'14.2"N
5°54'56.9"E.
Item Description:
Two German artillery pieces flank a
memorial dedicated to the musicians
of the US 28th Division Band who
helped defending the Luxembourg town
of Wiltz on December 18th, 1944.
Below is an 8,8 centimeter PAK 43
anti tank gun.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-W
(15-23)
Location: Route de Noertrange, Wiltz, Luxembourg
GPS Location: 49°58'13.2"N
5°54'57.4"E.
Item Description:
The other gun is an LeFH18/40
"Leichte Feldhaubitze" (light field
howitzer). Its caliber is 10,5
centimeter.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01MAY2012 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-X
(15-24)
Location: Dinant, Belgium
(Not open to the public outside
opening hours).
GPS Location: 50°15'41.9"N
4°54'43.2"E.
Item Description:
Inside an obscure passage in the
citadel of Dinant (birth place of
Adolphe Sax; inventor of the
saxophone) this German 20
millimeter(.79 inch) FLAK 38 (Flugabwehrkanone;
anti-aircraft gun) piece
overlooks the West bank of the Meuse
river. It typically had a crew of 7
and used 20 round magazines.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 27APR2013 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-Y
(15-25)
Location: Camp Elsenborn, Belgium
(Not open to the public without
previous appointment).
GPS Location: 50°27'51.6"N
6°11'04.9"E.
Item Description: German anti tank
gun, type
Panzer Abwehr Kanone 40, 7,5
centimeter caliber. This particular
artillery piece can be seen on the
grounds of the Camp Elsenborn
military facility of the Belgian
Army. It sits in front of a very
impressing museum about the history
of the museum, dating back to the
19th century when this part of
Belgium was German territory;
annexed due to the Treaty of
Versailles after World War 1.
Situated inside a military facility,
this Battle Relic is not actually
open to the general public, but due
to the welcome reception we
received during our visit, we wish
to add it to this publication.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 08MAY2013 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-Z
(15-26)
Location: Maastrichterlaan 45,
Beek (Limburg), The
Netherlands (Not open to the
public outside opening
hours).
GPS Location: 50°56'16.5"N
5°47'23.5"E.
Item Description: This
7,5 centimeter tank
gun, type
Panzer Abwehr Kanone, 40 is located
in the parking area of the brand new
EyeWitness Museum, in Beek in
the Dutch province of Limburg. This
excellent museum
opened May 3rd 2013 and
features over 140 life sized
mannequins explaining the major
events of World War Two in very
realistic dioramas. In compliance
with Dutch firearms legislation,
this canon's barrel was pierced and
cut open above the breech so it
can't be used for firing anymore. We
found the elevation and windage
adjustment wheels still in
working order. Again, an artillery
piece on property with limited
public access, but one in almost
mint condition.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 18MAY2013 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-AA
(15-27)
Location: Rue de Général de
Gaulle, Billy-Berclau,
departement Pas-de-Calais,
Nord-Pas-de-Calais region,
arrondissement of Bhétune (France)
GPS location:
50°31'11.2"N 2°52'07.8"E.
Item Description: In
the small French town of Billy-Berclau
we found this German 7,5 centimeter
PAK 40 anti-tank gun. It is placed
within the gates of the local
cemetery in front of seven British
Commonwealth War Graves. Five of
these soldiers gave their lives as
members of the Allied expeditionary
force which tried to stop the German
invasion of May 1940, and three died
during the liberation of the region
in September 1944. One soldier, who
was Killed in Action on the 25th of
May 1940, was never identified and
rests in the cemetery as "A Soldier
of the 1939-1945 War". The artillery
piece itself was captured on
September 2nd 1944 by four members
of the French Forces of the Interior
(FFI) named Charles Drelon, Philippe
Sai, Armand Drelon and René Frémaux.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 22NOV2013 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-BB
(15-28)
Location: Braine-l'Alleu,
near Waterloo, Province of
Waals-Brabant, Belgium,
GPS location:
50°41'11.05"N, 4°22'16.58"E.
Item Description: During
a trip to the 1815 combat scenes of
the Battle of Waterloo, we came
across this Third Reich LeFH18 (Leichte
Felt Haubitze 18, or light field
howitzer). This canon is placed in
the middle of a car park in Braine-l'Alleu
and is part of a World War I and II
memorial honoring the sons of this
down who died in these wars.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 08JAN2014 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-CC
(15-29)
Location: Le Dézert,
Basse-Normandie, France
GPS location: 49°20'40.98"N,
1°16'56.92"E.
Item Description:
This PanzerAbwehrKanone (PAK) 40
is located right in front of the
town hall of Le Dézert. When we
photographed this artillery piece in
late May, the city just had it
painted to be spick and span for the
70th commemoration of D-Day in 2014.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 29MAY2014 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-DD
(15-30)
Location: La Madeleine (Utah
Beach), Basse-Normandie, France
GPS location: 49°41'451.96"N,
1°17'51.41"E.
Item Description: In
the dunes of La Madeleine behind
Utah Beach this 5 centimeter
KampfwagenKanone 39 (KwK 39), or
‘fighting vehicle canon’ is still
aimed at the sea from its concrete
emplacement on top of the former
German Widerstandsnest (Wn) No. 5.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 30MAY2014 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-EE
(15-31)
Location: Benouville,
Basse-Normandie, France
GPS location: 49°24'20.99"N,
0°27'37.98"E.
Item Description: 5cm KwK 39
canon in concrete gun pit next to
"Pegasus Bridge" in Bénouville. The
Bridge was one of the D-Day
objectives of the British 6th
Airborne Division and was captured
in the early morning hours of June
6th 1944 by glider troops of the
Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire
Regiment. The gun has never been
removed after the war.
Here is a photograph of British
tourists playing with the gun in
1947.
EXHIBITS: Photos taken on
01JUN2014 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-FF
(15-32)
Location: Habloville,
Basse-Normandie, France
GPS location: 48°78'50.12"N,
0°.16'94.59"E.
Item Description: In the
small village of Habloville a 10.5
centimeter Leichte FeldHaubitze
(LeFH) or ‘light field howitzer’ is
placed next to the community’s war
memorial which is adorned by a
rooster; the French national symbol.
EXHIBITS: Photos taken on
01JUN2014 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-GG
(15-33)
Location: Vimoutiers,
Departement Orne, Basse-Normandie,
France
GPS location: 48°92'36.52"N,
0°21'49.08"E.
Item Description: This
Tiger I of the "E" type belonged to
the 503rd SS Panzer Abteilung. Its
crew managed to drive this Panzer
out of the ‘Falaise Pocket’ only to
get stranded with an empty fuel tank
near Vimoutiers. The tank bears the
scars of an attempt to scrap it, but
at a very late moment, the city
bought the tank and it is now on
display in a park-like rest area
along the D-979 highway.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 01JUN2014 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-HH
(15-34)
Location: Courseulles-sur-Mer,
Basse-Normandie, France
GPS location: 49°33'57.08"N,
0°45'82.69"E.
Item Description:
This 5cm KwK 39 canon is all
that is left of the German
Widerstandsnest (Resistance Nest, or
infantry strongpoint) Wn 29 at
Courseulles-sur-Mer behind Juno
Beach in the Canadian sector of the
Normandy landings of June 1944. This
canon is heavily damaged by
artillery fire.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 08JUN2014 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-II
(15-35)
Location: Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer,
Basse-Normandie, France
GPS location: 49°33'23.04"N,
0°39'40.93"E.
Item Description:
Part of Widerstandsnest 27 in
Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, this 5
centimeter KwK 39 gun is still
placed in its "Haube" concrete
casemate. The gun still shows the
damage from the Canadian AVRE tank
that took it out of action. This
artillery piece has so many post-war
coats of paint on it, that we had to
add extra magnets to
the famous magnetic Battle Detective
sticker to attach it on the gun. Click
here for a photo of the gun
shortly after its capture in June
1944.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 27FEB2017 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-JJ
(15-36)
Location: Grounds of the Arnhem
War Museum 40-45 on No. 780
Kemperbergerweg, Arnhem, Province of
Gelderland, The Netherlands (Artillery
piece accessible to the public
outside opening hours).
GPS location: 52°01'37.05"N,
5°52'19.05"E.
Item Description:
We have been debating intensely
whether or not to include this PanzerAbwehrKanone
(PAK) 40 in our list of Third Reich artillery in the European Theater of
Operations with public access. This
anti tank guns sits within the
grounds of the
Arnhem War Museum 40-45 on No.
780 Kemperbergerweg outside of
Arnhem. When we visited the museum
on 30NOV2013, the canon was placed
behind a fence and the owners warned
us of a vicious dog guarding its
perimeter. Because of the facts that
we were able to carefully attach a
magnetic Battledetective.com sticker
on one of its wheels and that the
gun can be seen from the nearby road
(and on
Google StreetView) we did add
the gun here.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 30NOV2013 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-KK
(15-37)
Location: Grounds of the Deelen
Air Base Museum on No. 10
Hoenderloseweg, Arnhem, Province of
Gelderland, the Netherlands (Artillery
piece accessible to the public
outside opening hours).
GPS location: 52°3'40.756''N, 5°53'
52.342''E.
Item Description:
Third Reich 75mm anti aircraft canon;
captured in 1940 from the French
(originally a Schneider 75mm gun)
which defended the Arnhem road
bridge during the Battle of Arnhem
in September 1944. After the battle
a German demolition team (‘Sprengkommando’)
blew the gun’s breech. In 1996 it
was dug up and put on display on the
lawn in front of the
Deelen Air Base Museum near Arnhem.
This gun was the #5 piece in a Nazi
labor unit (RAD, or ‘Reichs Arbeits
Dienst’) battery which designated it
"Emil" after the 5th letter in their
spelling alphabet.
Although it is a captured foreign
weapon (‘Beutewaffe’) and placed in
a museum lawn - albeit close to the
roadway; without a fence - we
decided to feature this artillery
piece here, because of it
significance in the Battle of Arnhem
and the elaborate explanation museum
staff gave us when we visited Deelen
on August 26th 2014.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 25AUG2014 |
(click to enlarge) |
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UPDATE 17FEB2024:
Schneider Beutewaffe "Emile" has
been restored since we photographed
it in 2018. When we visited Deelen
on 17FEB2024 we found it no longer
in the familiar Wehrmacht "Gelb-Grün-Rot"
(Yellow Green Red) camouflage scheme
but repainted in"Feldgrau Dunkel"
(Dark Field Gray). |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-LL
(15-38)
Location: Grounds of the Musée
Mémorial d'Omaha Beach on 23 Avenue
de la Libération in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer,
Normandy, France (Artillery piece
accessible to the public
outside opening hours).
GPS location: 49°22'00.77"N,
0°52'56.82"W.
Item Description:
Third Reich
5cm KwK 39 canon; originally
designed to serve in tanks but often
found in Normandy for coastal
defense purposes.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 06JUN2015 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-MM
(15-39)
Location: Grounds of the Musée
Mémorial d'Omaha Beach on 23 Avenue
de la Libération in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer,
Normandy, France (Artillery piece
accessible to the public
outside opening hours).
GPS location: 49°22'00.77''N, 0°52'56.82''W.
Item Description:
Third Reich Panzerabwehrkanone (PAK:
Anti-tank gun) 43, 88 millimeter
caliber.
No less than 2098 of these guns were
manufactured. It fired with a
semi-automatic horizontal sliding
block breech. The mobility of this
gun made it a formidable weapon. It
could fire off six to ten rounds per
minute and had an effective range of
almost ten miles.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 06JUN2015 |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-NN
(15-40)
Location: Grounds of the
Oorlogsmuseum (War Museum)
Ossendrecht
(Artillery piece accessible to the public
outside opening hours).
Driveway of Putseweg No. 60, 4641SL
Ossendrecht (N-Br.) The Netherlands
GPS location: 51°23'08.69''N, 4°22'03.02''E.
Item Description:
Third Reich Panzerabwehrkanone (PAK:
Anti-tank gun) 40.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 25JUL2015.
Although this artillery piece is
placed
behind a chain fence with an
"off limits" sign on it, we added it
anyway because we were allowed to
attach our magnetic stickers on it
by the museum's curator Jan M. De Jonge after a very pleasant personal
tour of the museum on 25JUL2015. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-OO
(15-41)
Location: Grounds of a
former textile plant on No. 6 Laan
van Hilbelink, 7101WG Winterswijk
(Gld.), The Netherlands.
The site is now in use for small
businesses and the depot of the
local museum whose staff was of
great help in getting us access to
this artillery piece. After the war,
it sat for decades as a telltale
sign in the front yard of the local
Westerdiep Garage in Winterswijk.
(Gun barrel accessible to the public
outside opening hours).
GPS location: 51°58'08.64''N, 6°43'24.41''E.
Item Description:
Barrel of a Soviet 152 millimeter
Model M1937 ML-20 Howitzer;
according to
the sign attached to the barrel,
it was captured by the Nazis in
Stalingrad and subsequently used
during the Battle of Arnhem and used
for fire missions on the German city
of Bocholt on March 30th 1945.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken om 30MRT2016.
We have encountered
complete M1937 ML-20 Howitzers on a
former Soviet monument in Berlin in
2014 and recognized this barrel
from these. Although this artillery
piece is only open to the public
during opening hours of the
businesses on the site (Roy’s Gym
and the Hertgers Trucking Co. to be
precisely) and it is also a Third
Reich
“Beutewaffe” (looted armament) we
still publish it here because of its
historical relevance and the effort
we took in driving to remote Winterswijk twice on 27 & 30MAR2016. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-PP
(15-42)
Location: Lot in front of
old dwelling and watermill housing
the
Regional Maaskant '44 War Museum
on Watermolenstraat 12, 6127AP
Grevenbicht (LB), The Netherlands.
(Vehicle accessible to the public
outside opening hours).
GPS location: 51°0’30.06”N,
5°46’07.44”E.
Item Description:
Lorraine 37 L Schlepper (f) tractor.
Originally of French origin, this
tractor was used by the Nazis as a "Beutewaffe"
(looted armament) after the
capitulation of France in June of
1940, when over 300 Lorraine 37
tractors were captured. At first the
Nazis used these vehicles in their
original role as ammunition and
personnel tractors but where later
transformed into weapon carriers by
installing turrets and artillery
pieces such as the 10,5 cm L.F.H. (Leichte
FeldHaubitze) or the 15 cm SIG33, (Schweres
InfanterieGeschutz) as its main gun.
Best known were the versions with a
7,62cm PAK (r) (a "Beutewaffe"
captured from the Soviets; hence the
letter 'r' for Russian) or 7,5cm PAK
40 (featured in this article in
Battle Relics 15-T, 15-AA,
15-JJ and 15-NN),
named "Marder I", one of the first
successful Third Reich tank destroyers. Due
to this particular vehicle’s number
(517) it is the owner's theory that
his tractor was built in the
unoccupied Vichy French area. The
Germans allowed Lorraine's 37/44 to
be built as tractors for
agricultural purposes and ordered
them together with armored
superstructures which were delivered
unassembled. Because these
relatively thin-armored fighting
vehicles were no match against late
war Soviet tanks, most Lorraine 37
based vehicles were redeployed ion
the Western front and the owner does
not rule out that vehicle 517 saw
action in the area of its current
location in the Netherlands in
September 1944.
EXHIBITS: Photos taken on
27MAR2016.
When we visited the museum on
Easter Sunday 2016 we found it
closed. The Lorraine 37 L Schlepper
(f) numbered 517 however was parked
at the roadside. Although partially
covered under a plastic tarp to keep
the elements out of the vehicle we
could get some good pictures of this
battle relic. Questions asked the
museum staff about actual opening
hours remain unanswered to this time
of publication, but perhaps we will
be given the opportunity to
photograph Lorraine 517 fully
uncovered in the near future. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-QQ
(15-43)
Location: Lot in front of
building
the
Bulge Relics Museum
on Route d'Ottré 41+, Joubieval, B-Vielsalm
(Province of Luxembourg), Belgium.
(Gun barrel accessible to the public
outside opening hours).
GPS location: 50°15’34.50”N,
5°50’54.09”E.
Item Description: Barrel
of a Third Reich Panzerabwehrkanone (PAK:
Anti-tank gun) 40. A museum staff
member explained to us that a local
farmer had used the gun barrel to
hold up a barn roof. When the barn
was refurbished recently, the barrel
had been donated to the museum. On
the museum's website we read that
the muzzle break had been cut in
order for the barrel to be used as
a support beam. After the barrel
was donated the missing piece was
welded back on the muzzle break. The
barrel shows some damage consistent
with artillery shell fragments
impacts. It also bears the stamped
letters "BRM" on the top of the
barrel. Unfortunately we couldn't
trace this back to a "Waffenamt"
manufacturer's code or other
designation.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 07AUG2016.
We visited the Bulge Relics
Museum on Sunday 07AUG2016 and took
these photos of the barrel: |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-RR
(15-44)
Location: Along national
Highway 3537 next to the exit of
Expressway 21/ E371 to Svidník near Kapišová,
Prešov region, Svidník district, Slovakia.
GPS location: 49°19’37.27”N,
21°35’34.22”E.
Item Description:
Panzerkampfwagen IV tank as part of
a monument commemorating the Dukla-Carpathian
Offensive in the Fall of 1944. It
shows a Soviet T34/85 tank crushing
a Third Reich tank in a scene that
reminds of ancient paintings
depicting wild animals fighting. We
visited this monument on 8SEP2016
and found the PzKpfw IV painted in
the yellow-green-red camouflage
scheme of the Wehrmacht, but we have
seen earlier images of the German
tank painted in the early war-time
dark gray ("Dunkelgrau No. 46" in
German).
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 09SEP2016. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-SS
(15-45)
Location: Permanent
open-air display in the public park
of the
Institute of Military History on
Bardejovská No. 14 in Svidník,
Prešov region, Svidník district, Slovakia.
GPS location: 49°18’31.20”N,
21°34’01.57”E.
Item Description: 15 cm
Schwere Feldhaubitze 18 or sFH 18,
nicknamed Immergrün ("Evergreen").
This gun was the World War 2 basic
Third Reich heavy howitzer, serving
alongside the smaller 10,5 cm leFH
18. It was based on the World War 1
design of the 15 cm sFH 13, and
was outdated compared to the weapons
it faced. It was the first artillery
weapon equipped with rocket-assisted
ammunition to increase range.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 09SEP2016. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-TT
(15-46)
Location: Permanent
open-air display in the public park
of the
Institute of Military History on
Bardejovská No. 14 in Svidník,
Prešov region, Svidník district, Slovakia.
GPS location: 49°18’31.20”N,
21°34’01.57”E.
Item Description: Sonderkraftfahrzeug Sd.Kfz. 251
Hanomag.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 09SEP2016. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-UU
(15-47)
Location: Permanent
open-air display in the public park
of the
Museum of Slovak National Uprising
on Kapitulská No. 23 in Banská
Bystrica, Slovakia.
GPS location: 48°44’07.99”N,
19°08’57.81”E.
Item Description: Leichte
Feldhaubitze LeFH-18/40, 10,5
centimeter canon.
EXHIBITS:
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(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-VV
(15-48)
Location: Permanent
open-air display in the public park
of the
Museum of Slovak National Uprising
on Kapitulská No. 23 in Banská
Bystrica, Slovakia.
GPS location: 48°44’07.99”N,
19°08’57.81”E.
Item Description:
Sturmgeschütz StuG-40, Ausführung G.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 11SEP2016. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-WW
(15-49)
Location: Permanent
open-air display in the public park
of the
Museum of Slovak National Uprising
on Kapitulská No. 23 in Banská
Bystrica, Slovakia.
GPS location: 48°44’07.99”N,
19°08’57.81”E.
Item Description:
Panzerkampfwagen IV.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 11SEP2016. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-XX
(15-50)
Location: Permanent
open-air display in the public park
of the
Museum of Slovak National Uprising
on Kapitulská No. 23 in Banská
Bystrica, Slovakia.
GPS location: 48°44’07.99”N,
19°08’57.81”E.
Item Description:
Sonderkraftfahrzeug Sd.Kfz 250.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 11SEP2016. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-YY
(15-51)
Location: Permanent
open-air display in the public park
of the
Museum of Slovak National Uprising
on Kapitulská No. 23 in Banská
Bystrica, Slovakia.
GPS location: 48°44’07.99”N,
19°08’57.81”E.
Item Description:
Sonderkraftfahrzeug Sd.Kfz. 251
Ausführung D.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 11SEP2016. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-ZZ
(15-52)
Location: Yard of the club
house of the "Ecuador" diving team
(unlimited public access) on No. 43
Willem Barentszkade in 8881 BD West
Terschelling, island of
Terschelling, Province of Friesland,
the Netherlands.
GPS location: 53°21’43.30”N,
5°13’04.17”E.
Item Description:
10.5 cm/45 (4.1") SK C/32 deck gun
from the Krupp Steel Co. originally
mounted on the 1940 Type
Kriegsmarine minesweeper ("Minensuchboot"
in German) M469.
This minesweeper was built by the
Van der Giessen & Zonen shipyard in
Krimpen a/d IJssel in the
Netherlands during the Nazi
occupation. It was launched on
9JUL1942, commissioned on 6JAN 1943
and served in the 469th
"Minensuchflottille". On
4JUL1944 minesweeper M469 was sunk
after being attacked by British
Royal Navy Motor Torpedo Boat MTB458
commanded by Lt. Cdr. Derek Wright
at 0250 hours, North West of the
Dutch island of Vlieland at position
53° 21" N 04° 57"E. On 8AUG1988 the
"Ecuador" diving team from the
island of Terschelling salvaged the
deck gun from the broken stern of
the M469. Today the gun is on
display on the lot of the diving
team in the harbor of Terschelling.
Also two German deck guns of the
First World War are on display
there.
The 10.5 cm/45 SK C/32 deck gun was
designed in 1932, weighs 3,494 lbs.
(1,585 kg) and has a rate of fire of
15 rounds per minute.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 02DEC2020. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-AAA
(15-53)
Location: Lauweplaats
public square in Lauwe, a borough of
the municipality of Menen, Province
of West-Flanders, Belgium.
GPS location: 50°47’42.20”N,
3°11’05.70”E.
Item Description:
This canon became the pride of the
Belgian village of Lauwe when it was
captured during the battle for a
bridge across the river Leie and
participated in the liberation of
Lauwe on 6SEP1944.The Allies
presented the canon to the citizens
of Lauwe in gratitude for their
resistance in securing the bridge
during the German retreat.
The canon of Lauwe is a mixture of a
French World War One (made in 1915)
Model 1897 75 millimeter canon,
built by the Schneider arms factory
and the German 7.5 centimeter
Panzerabwehrkanone 38 with the Third
Reich "Beutewaffe" nomenclature
Pak97/38.
From lack of sufficient canons of
their own manufacture for deployment
at the Russian front, the Third
Reich transformed captured canons
during World War Two.
The canon is therefore a mixture of
French and German parts: the gun
itself is French but the rest such
as the mount, shield, wheels, muzzle
flash hider, etcetera, are German.
After World War Two the gun has been
moved between the communities of
Lauwe and Rekkem to finally find its
current place on Lauweplaats in
2010.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 06NOV2016. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-BBB
(15-54)
Location: Lot in front of
the
Bastogne Ardennes '44 Museum on
No. 637 Bras (Highway N84 leading
from Bastogne into the Grand Duchy
of Luxembourg) in 6600 Bastogne,
Province of Luxembourg, Belgium.
GPS location: 49°56’47.41”N,
5°52’50.56”E.
Item Description: German
"Hetzer" self-propelled gun. The
museum owner explained to this
agency that this is a war-time
piece. The gun would be a PAK 40
gun; with the muzzle break missing.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on18DEC2016. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-CCC
(15-55)
Location: Lawn in between
the "Schumanns Eck" off-ramp of
national highway 15 ('Bastnichnerstroos')
leading North-East to local highway
218 ('Rue Grande-Duchesse
Charlotte') near the Luxembourg
National Liberation Monument, town
of Nothum, Grand Duchy of
Luxembourg.
GPS location: 49°56’42.20”N,
3°11’05.70”E.
Item Description: PAK
40 anti tank gun. No muzzle break.
Barrel shows signs of damage where
the muzzle break had apparently been removed by
force.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 18DEC2016. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-DDD
(15-56)
Location: Patio of the
Military Historical Museum on No. 6
Carrer General Gil Dolz, 46010
Valencia, Spain
GPS location: 39°28’18.63”N,
0°21’43.40”W.
Item Description: Third
Reich 88-56 dual purpose
(anti
aircraft/anti tank) canon purchased
from the Germans by General Franco's
Nationalist Army. This artillery
piece can be visited daily in the
patio of the museum. The entrance to
the museum is
free of charge.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 30DEC2016. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-EEE
(15-57)
Location: Hall 1 (Heavy
material) of the Military Historical
Museum on No. 6 Carrer General Gil
Dolz, 46010 Valencia, Spain
GPS location: 39°28’18,66”N,
0°21’43,93”E.
Item Description: PAK 40
anti tank gun. During World War Two
a German ship carrying equipment
destined for the Afrika Korps
harbored in Valencia to escape
destruction by an Allied ship. The
story has it that this PAK gun was
brought ashore and kept by the
Spanish.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 30DEC2016. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-FFF
(15-58)
Location: Place du 6 Juin
1944, Arromanches-les-Bains,
Normandy, France
GPS location: 49°20’24,45”N,
0°37’18,77”E.
Item Description:
88 millimeter dual purpose anti
tank/aircraft gun. This canon is
located in the parking lot of the
Musée du Débarquement in
Arromanches-les-Bains which
overlooks the Mulberry artificial
harbor out on the sea. This canon
shows damage from a direct hit at
the gun's breech in closed position
(from a sharp object on high
velocity incoming from the left)
caused it to be bend out of shape to
its right.
EXHIBITS: Photos taken on
26FEB2017. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-GGG
(15-59)
Location: 6 Avenue du 6
Juin, 14150 Ouistreham,
Normandy, France
GPS location: 49°17’14.40”N,
0°15’08.14”E.
Item Description: 88
millimeter dual purpose anti
tank/aircraft gun. This gun is
located in the yard of the
Grand Bunker Museum in Ouistreham
which is accessible to the public
24/7.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 27MAY2017. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-HHH
(15-60)
Location: Route de
Grandcamp, 14710 Vierville sur Mer,
Normandy, France
GPS location: 49°22’30.27”N,
0°54’29.62”E.
Item Description: 88 millimeter dual purpose anti
tank/aircraft gun. This gun is
located in the yard of the
D-Day Omaha Museum in Vierville
which is accessible to the public
24/7.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 27MAY2017. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-III
(15-61)
Location: Route de
Grandcamp, 14710 Vierville sur Mer,
Normandy, France
GPS location: 49°20’30.36”N,
0°54’30.36”E.
Item Description:
5cm KwK 39 canon on display in
the yard of the D-Day Omaha Museum
in Vierville, Normandy.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 27MAY2017. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-JJJ
(15-62)
Location: Route de
Grandcamp, 14710 Vierville sur Mer,
Normandy, France
GPS location: 49°22’30.56”N,
0°54’29.32”E.
Item Description: Canon
and armor plate of a Third Reich
"Panther" tank; officially known as
Panzerkampfwagen V or Zd.Kfz. 171.
The gun is a 7,5 cm kwK 42 and on
display in the yard of the D-Day
Omaha Museum in Vierville, Normandy.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 27MAY2017. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-KKK
(15-63)
Location: Molenstraat at
the corner of Zr. Marie
Adolphinestraat in Ossendrecht,
Municipality of Woensdrecht, The
Netherlands
GPS location: 51°23'36.4"N
4°19'47.6"E.
Item Description: French
155 millimeter C MLE Schneider canon
of 1917, used as a "Beutewaffe" by
the Nazis and put out of action by
Canadian troops on 6OCT1944 during
the liberation of Ossendrecht. A
sign near the canon not only states
that this artillery piece has been
restored in 1992 by staff of the
Queen Wilhelmina Barracks but also
that a German conscripted soldier
was KIA when the gun was silenced.
This canon weighs 3350 kilograms
(7826 lbs), fires 45 kilogram (100
lbs) shells at a range of 11000
meters (12030 yards) and was
typically drawn by 8 horses.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 27MAY2017. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-LLL
(15-64)
Location: On the grounds of
the "Zeeland Liberation Park", part
of the
Liberation Museum Zeeland on
Coudorp 41, in 4455AH Oudorp,
Province of Zeeland, the Netherlands
GPS location: 51°28'2.87"N
3°44'27.60"E.
Item Description: Third
Reich Pak 36 (Panzerabwehrkanone)
3.7 cm caliber anti-tank gun. The
Nazi invasion of France and the Low
Countries in May 1940 revealed this
gun's inadequate penetrating power
against French and British heavy
tanks but was, however, powerful
enough to defeat most of the Allied
armor in the campaign. From late
1940 onward the PAK 36 was replaced
by the 5 cm PAK 38 anti-tank gun and
from November 1941 by the 7.5 cm PAK
40.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 05FEB2018.
This gun is located in a park
adjacent to the museum which was
made up as a stretch of local
coastline with Atlantik Wall
defenses, a Bailey Bridge and a
Sherman tank. We found the gun accessible to the public
24/7; but a closed fence may be
installed after the planned
construction of a new exhibit
building is completed in 2019. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-MMM
(15-65)
Location: On the grounds of
the 501st Régiment de Chars de
Combat (Battle Tank Regiment) in the
Camp Mourmelon, near
Mourmelon-le-Grand, Arrondissement
Châlons-en-Champange, France.
GPS location: 49°7'37.37"N
4°22'54.29"E.
Item Description: Third
Reich Panther tank of the Ausführing
A type. On September 12th and 13th
1944 elements of the French 2nd
Armored Division, while advancing
through the region of Dompaire-Damas
in the Vosges mountains, came across
a defended German facility. 65
Panther tanks and Panzerkampfwagen
IV of the German 112th Panzer
Brigade were stored here. A fierce
battle broke out leading to the
destruction or capture of 59 of
these tanks. Considered one of the
best tanks in World War 2, this
Panther survived that battle.
From 1951 to 1952 the 4th squadron
of the French 503rd Battle Tank
Regiment was equipped with these
tanks as "Beutewaffe pur sang".
After that period this particular
vehicle was restored into its
original colors and given a
self-made Zimmerit coating at the
Tank Museum in Saumur, France.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 03MAR2018.This tank is located on a
fenced-off and guarded military
facility of the French Army. We were
given access to document this tank
and were escorted from the gate to
the tank and back. We were told,
however, that the 501st Regiment has
"open-gate" days regularly where the
general public can enter the
regimental area freely. We therefore
show this tank here. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-NNN
(15-66)
Location: On the grounds of
the Mémorial du Mont Faron museum on
Route du Faron in Toulon,
département de Var, France.
GPS location: 43°8'59.73"N
5°55'44.24"E.
Item Description: Third
Reich PaK 40 75 millimeter anti-tank
canon.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 16MAY2018.
This canon is located on the
grounds of the
Mémorial du Mont Faron museum
and overlooks the French naval city
of Toulon. In the past, this museum
was named Mémorial du débarquement
de Provence (museum of the invasion
of the Provence region in France)
but has been renewed and opened on
April 3rd, 2017. On a high hilltop,
accessed by winding mountain roads,
in the Toulon lighthouse ('faron' in
French) is an excellent museum about
Operation "Dragoon" which started on
August 15th, 1944 when Allied troops
liberated the Nice, Cannes, Monaco
and Toulon area. The cannon can only
be accessed by paying visitors
during museum opening hours;
although outside the museum, located
in the Mont Faron park a Sherman
tank and several Allied artillery
pieces are on display day and night.
We were given full and exclusive
access to the gun during the
museum's lunch break.
Again, an artillery piece on
property with limited public access,
but worth visiting and adding to
this list. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-OOO
(15-67)
Location: Portal of house
No 15 on Via Romana (Strada
Provinciale 137) in 53024 Torrenieri,
Siena province, Italy.
GPS location: 43°05'06.1"N
11°33'01.9"E.
Item Description: Part -
barrel with attached breech block
only - of a Third Reich SFh18 ("Schwere
Feldhaubitze" or Heavy Field
Howitzer 18) 15 centimeter canon.
From measuring its dimensions with a
length of 444 centimeters and a
barrel diameter of 15 centimeters,
it was established that this was
part of a SFh18.
Inside the portal and above the gun
barrel is a stone sign which does
not refer to the artillery piece but
describes how two brothers
from this house went to war and
didn't return.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 22JUL2018.
This gun barrel is placed
in the front portal of a building
which houses various families; we
where told by one of the residents.
The door to the portal is usually
open, but can be closed in winter
time when it freezes. This item is
therefore not entirely open to the
public but passers-by are free to
visit the gun. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-PPP
(15-68)
Location: Parking lot on
Via Trento in 52043 Castiglion Fiorentino,
Arezzo Province, Italy.
GPS location: 43°20'34.2"N
11°55'25.3"E
Item Description: Third
Reich StuG III "Ausführung G"" self-propelled gun
(SP).
This vehicle was left behind by he
Germans in July 1944 and was found
again in 1991. The restoration has
been done by the local "Italian Tank
Crewmen Association" and was
finished in 1993.
Is has not been rebuilt exactly and
many parts where newly created for
the project. We did find original
rubber tires on the bogey wheels,
but all from different German
factories. When the Germans
retreated from the area, the bridge
which this SP was crossing collapsed
under its weight and the StuG fell
into a river. It remained under the
ruins of the old bridge until 1991,
when construction work brought it
back to the surface.
It should be noted that the only
part of this StuG that is original
is the lower chassis and running
gear. Everything above that (engine
decking, fenders, crew compartment,
gun barrel) has all been fabricated
by the restoration crew.
Internally all that remains are the
torsion bars and some of the
sprocket drive train. From 1993 to
June 2015 the StuG was placed on the
Piazzale Giuseppe Garibaldi square.
It was then moved to its current
location on Via Trento.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 25JUL2018.
This canon is located on a
parking lot just outside the
historic center and the medieval city
walls of Castiglion Fiorentino in
Tuscany. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-QQQ
(15-69)
Location: Grounds of the
"Biber"-bunker complex on Zandweg
83, 3233ES Oostvoorne, Province of
South-Holland, the Netherlands
GPS location: 51°54'48.8"N
4°04'27.6"E
Item Description: Third
Reich 'Flugabwehrkanone FLAK 37mm
kaliber' anti-aircraft gun. On
European Bunker Day, Saturday
25MAY2019, this canon was presented
to the public for the first time on
the grounds of the German
Luftwaffe radar
analysis post ("Funkmeßgerätauswertungsstelle")
codenamed "Biber" in the dunes
behind the coast of the Dutch town
of Oostvoorne. On Bunker Day, many
of the concrete pillboxes, strong
points, sleeping quarters, fire
control stations, gun emplacements
etcetera of the former Nazi
Atlantikwall coastal defense system
which have been preserved since
1945, are open to the public. This
anti-aircraft gun was found under
the sand in the Rockanje dunes,
probably left behind in MAY 1945 due
to its massive weight; 6 tons. The
artillery is installed on its own
specifically engineered FLAK
bedding. The crew for the FLAK
consisted of 5 to 7 men. The gun
could fire 120 shots per minute and
its horizontal range was 6600 meters
and vertically 4500 meters.
EXHIBITS:
Photos taken on 25MAY2019.
This canon is located on the
grounds of the
"Biber" bunker complex. Although
it is a fenced off area open only to
the public on Bunker Day and during
regular guided tours during spring
and summer time, we
found it worth visiting and
adding to this list. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-RRR
(15-70)
Location: Batterie de
Longues-sur-Mer, 39 Rue de la Mer,
14400 Longues-sur-Mer, département
Calvados, Normandy region, France.
GPS location: 49°20'36.8"N
0°41'39.7"W
Item Description: Third
Reich 150mm TK C/36 battle ship gun.
Located near the Normandy town of
Longues-sur-Mer is a German coastal
artillery battery (in German:
Marineküstenbatterie (MKB)
Longues-sur-Mer code-named
Widerstandsnest (Wn)
48) consisting of an
observation bunker, four gun
emplacements in covered concrete
casemates together with various
other structures such as "Tobruk"
mortar and machine gun emplacements
and storage and crew accommodation
buildings.
The battery is situated in a
park-like area which is open to the
public all day and all year.
This agency has given the battery’s
gun casemates of regelbau
(standardized construction) type
M272, the numbers 1 to 4 counting up
from East to West; looking at their
business ends from the sea.
In them are still three relatively
intact 150mm TK C/36 battle ship
guns and the remains of one
destroyed gun consisting of parts of
its carriage but without the barrel
and breech.
These remnants are blocked from
public access by barbed wire / a
steel grating attached to the gun
opening of casemate number 1 and
will therefore not be featured here.
The tops of the gun barrels have "Heereswaffenamtfertigungskennzeichen"
(Third Reich Army Weapons Agency
manufacturer’s number) "bxb" stamped
in them, which stands for the
German-controlled
"Aktiengesellschaft vorm. Skodawerke,
Pilzen" in today’s Czech Republic.
The guns have a range of
approximately 20 kilometers (12
miles) and a rate of fire of six to
eight shots per minute. The
casemates had walls and ceilings
over 2 meters (6.6 feet) thick. The
guns were positioned on a central
pivot mount (Mittelpivotlafette -
MPL) TL C/36.
EXHIBITS:
The TKC C/36 in casemate number
2.
Photos taken on 05AUG2019. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-SSS
(15-71)
Location: Batterie de
Longues-sur-Mer, 39 Rue de la Mer,
14400 Longues-sur-Mer, département
Calvados, Normandy region, France.
GPS location: 49°20'36.5"N
0°41'43.4"W
Item Description: Third
Reich 150mm TK C/36 battle ship gun.
See also description of item 15-RRR
(15-70)
EXHIBITS:
The TKC C/36 gun in casemate
number 3.
Photos taken on 05AUG2019. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-TTT
(15-72)
Location: Batterie de
Longues-sur-Mer, 39 Rue de la Mer,
14400 Longues-sur-Mer, département
Calvados, Normandy region, France.
GPS location: 49°20'35.3"N
0°41'46.8"W
Item Description: Third
Reich 150mm TK C/36 battle ship gun.
See also description of item 15-RRR
(15-70)
EXHIBITS:
The TKC C/36 gun in casemate
number 4.
Photos taken on 05AUG2019. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-UUU
(15-73)
Location: Car park of Batterie de
Longues-sur-Mer, Rue du 7 juin 1944,
14400 Longues-sur-Mer, département
Calvados, Normandy region, France
GPS location: 49°20'34.8"N
0°41'29.5"W
Item Description: Soviet
Putilov canon, calibre 76,2 Model
1917, made in Saint Petersburg,
restored by "les Amis de la
Batterie" (Friends of the
Battery) in 2009.
This Soviet gun was used by the
German army to defend the Atlantic
Wall. On 7JUN1944 this gun, then
situated in the site of the
Longues-sur-Mer Battery, near the
edge of the cliff, was neutralized
by British forces. It is assumed
that it saw action in the days after
D-Day because empty shell casing
were found nearby.
This gun is located on a berm in
between the car park and the tourism
office at the Longues-sur-Mer
Battery.
EXHIBITS:
The Putilov canon on the car
park at the Battery of
Longues-sur-Mer.
Photos taken on 05AUG2019. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-VVV
(15-74)
Location: Car park of the
Overlord Museum, Lotissement Omaha
Center, 14710 Colleville-sur-Mer,
département Calvados, Normandy
region, France
GPS location: 49°20'53.3"N
0°51'28.2"W
Item Description: Third
Reich 88 millimeter (8,8 centimeter)
“Flugzeugabwehrkanone” 36 of Flak
36.
Dual purpose gun deployed in both
anti-tank and anti-aircraft roles in
WWII. A staggering 21.310 of these
guns were produced after being
secretly developed in the 1920’s by
Krupp, with Bofors of Sweden,
against the terms of the Treaty of
Versailles. The gun was deployed in
action during the Spanish Civil War
by the German Condor Legion,
fighting for General Franco and his
nationalist army.
This Flak 36 was built in 1939, has
a shortened barrel and is located on
the car park of the Overlord Museum
in Colleville-sur-Mer.
EXHIBITS:
The 88 millimeter Flak 36 gun in
the car park of the
Overlord Museum.
Photos taken on
05AUG2019. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-WWW
(15-75)
Location: Car park of the
Westwall Festungswerk Gerstfeldhöhe
Museum, In der Litzelbach 2, 66955
Pirmasens (town of Niedersimten)
Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
GPS location: 49°10'29.9"N
7°35'44.2"E
Item Description: Item
Description: Turret of a German
PzKpfw V ("Panzerkampfwagen V";
armored fighting vehicle number V)
"Panther" tank. It was planned to
install a total of 96 of these
turrets in the Westwall defensive
line in so-called "Panthertürme"
or Panther-towers. In the end only
20 of these turrets were mounted in
similar static defensive positions.
To our knowledge this is the only
Panther turret on a "Turm"-position
on display today.
The gun's breech is still inside the
turret.
This weapon is located on the
grounds of a museum which is only
open to the public on weekend days
from April to November. It is
surrounded with barbed wire but
(with some risk of wear and tear)
accessible from the dead end road
leading to the museum. We found it
on an early Thursday morning without
any signs prohibiting contacting
this item.
EXHIBITS:
The Pantherturm in the car park
of the
Westwall Museum Festungswerk
Gerstfeldhöhe. Photos taken on
20AUG2020. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-XXX
(15-76)
Location: Car park of the
Westwall Festungswerk Gerstfeldhöhe
Museum, In der Litzelbach 2, 66955
Pirmasens (town of Niedersimten)
Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
GPS location: 49°10'30.6"N
7°35'43.6"E
Item Description: A very
rusty Third Reich Flak 37 88 mm
anti-tank/ant-aircraft gun with its
barrel split open at the muzzle.
Like the "Pantherturm"
featured in sub-file 15-WWW (15-75)
this weapon is located on the
grounds of a museum with limited
opening hours. We found it also
surrounded with barbed wire but
accessible from the public roadway
and without any signs prohibiting
approaching this battle relic.
EXHIBITS:
The 88 millimeter canon in the
car park of the Westwall Museum
Festungswerk Gerstfeldhöhe. Photos
taken on 20AUG2020. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-YYY
(15-77)
Location: Waterfront promenade
on the Hook of Holland to Harwich
ferry line waterway on Noorderhoofd
(pier) in 3151 HG Hoek van Holland,
the Netherlands in front of the
Atlantikwall Museum.
GPS location: 51°58'53.1"N
4°06'36.6"E
Item Description: A Third
Reich Flak 37 88 mm
anti-tank/anti-aircraft gun with
many layers of Wehrmacht blue paint
on it, making it difficult to attach
this agency's magnets. The weapon
was manufactured in 1940 and is
located in front of a museum which
we found closed due to COVID19. It
is however easily accessible to the
public and many pedestrians strolled
by when we photographed it.
EXHIBITS:
The 88 millimeter canon on the
waterfront promenade.
Photos taken on 29NOV2020. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.: 15-ZZZ
(15-78)
Location: Place de l'Eglise,
4450 Slins, Municipality of Juprelle,
Province of Liége, Belgium
GPS location: 50°43'40.1"N
5°33'47.8"E
Item Description: A Third
Reich PAK 40 75 mm anti-tank gun is
placed within a fenced area next to
a monument commemorating the
soldiers from Slins killed in action
during both World Wars on the town
square across the church. A sign
next to the guns explains that
American troops captured this gun
after the Battle of Arnhem and took
it as war booty but left in in the
Slins town square. It has been
restored in 2003.
EXHIBITS:
The 75 millimeter canon on Place
de l'Eglise (church square) in Slins,
Belgium.
Photos taken on 08MAY2021. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.:
15-AAAA
(15-79)
Location: Car park on
Biesboschweg in 4926 SJ Lage
Zwaluwe, The Netherlands
GPS location: 51°43'05.7"N
4°41'38.4"E
Item Description: This is
a mysterious German World War Two
era 10,5 cm howitzer with 2
cylinders (presumably a recuperator
and a recoil buffer) in
juxtaposition positioned on top of
the barrel in a housing covering
both cylinders.
It is a mystery in the sense that
several details of this artillery
piece are known but to date we are
unable to determine a nomenclature
such as "Leichte Feldhaubitze"
(light field howitzer) as this
object does not match any known
German guns in literature.
We measured the barrel's diameter in
the past and it matches a 10,5
caliber.
On the rear end of the breech block
it is marked R495 in the
upper left corner and GX dxk
in the lower right corner. The
R-code most likely stands for "Rohr"
(barrel) and its serial number and
GX for a post-1942 code for the year
of manufacture which is not known to
this agency.
The code dxk stands for the "Fertigungskennzeichen"
or factory code of the German
company Menck & Hambrock G.m.b.H.,
Hamburg-Altona 1, Gr. Brunnenstr.
78.
The gun is coated in several layers
of paint causing our agency's
magnets to hold only faintly. It is
very likely that these paint layers
obscure the "small print" with the
gun's details usually found on the
upper right corner of the breech
block.
The gun was found in the water near
the Moerdijk bridges in 1989. At
that time it was still loaded with a
live shell and had to be deactivated
by Explosive Ordnance Disposal. On
5SEP2008, it has been placed as a
war monument in the swamp area at
the Schuddebeurs water pumping
station near Schuddebeursweg in Lage
Zwaluwe until it was moved to its
current location in 2021.
Remarkably, a sign was placed near
the gun describing it as an 80
millimeter gun first and later as a
105 millimeter caliber. Viewers are
encouraged to share their thoughts
and knowledge to identify the exact
model and type of this gun.
EXHIBITS: The gun on
the car park near the harbor area in
Lage Zwaluwe.
Photos taken on 16MAY2021. |
(click to enlarge) |
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Battle Relic Sub File No.:
15-BBBB (15-80)
Location: Corner of rural
roads Damweg and Uudsdale, Damme,
Province of West-Flanders, Belgium
GPS location: 51°15'08.1"N
3°20'56.3"E
Item Description:
German 88-millimeter gun barrel
section on the intersection of
Damweg and Uudsdale outside of Damme
in West-Flanders, Belgium. It is
placed as a monument for the Battle
of 't Molentje close to the location
where the Germans abandoned it in
September 1944.
This section of barrel comes from
one of the two 88mm guns that were
set up on mid-September, 1944 near
the Vergauwe farm on Damweg in
Moerkerke which caused severe damage
in the villages of Moerkerke,
Vivenkapelle and Sijsele. The 88mm
German flak gun was designed in the
early 1930s primarily as an
anti-aircraft gun and best known for
its lethal anti-tank capabilities.
In 1936 Krupp began production of
the Flak 36, a more economical
weapon with a barrel in three
sections rather than one. If a
section was worn down from firing,
it was possible to replace only that
section rather than the entire
barrel. This is one of those three
barrel-sections. This Battle Relic
is a bit too small for attachment of
our full-sized Battle Detective
Agency's magnetic stickers.
EXHIBITS: The 88mm Flak
gun barrel section on a pedestal on
the corner of Damweg and Uudsdale in
Damme, Belgium.
Photos taken on 02SEP2023 |
(click to enlarge) |
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