| tuscaloosa | 08 Dec 2014 2:36 p.m. PST |
The U.S. tanks, as well as T-34s, aren't surprising. But some other types, like the Italian tankettes, really surprised me. YouTube link |
| Streitax | 08 Dec 2014 3:09 p.m. PST |
Just walk away and leave it. It'll be there 50 years from now. |
| Garand | 08 Dec 2014 3:29 p.m. PST |
I remember seeing photos of German conversions of the Loraine schlepper, wondering how the heck did Iraq get these??? Damon. |
 Doms Decals  | 08 Dec 2014 4:18 p.m. PST |
Supposition is that post-WWII Iraq bought a mixed bag of armour from Egypt, so probably part of that – 21st Panzer had a bunch of them in North Africa, so any survivors could well have ended up in Egyptian hands. |
| Doms Decals | 08 Dec 2014 4:19 p.m. PST |
Just walk away and leave it.
…the locals'll have it broken up for scrap in a year or two…. I suspect this stuff was at least stored by the Iraqis until the invasion, and then probably put out as decoys. No way it was just lying around for 50+ years – it simply wouldn't still be there. [As indeed seems to be the case now, unfortunately – seems like the Lorraine Schlepper was one of many vehicles torn up for scrap in the last few years…. :-( ] |
| Jakar Nilson | 08 Dec 2014 4:30 p.m. PST |
Most are post-WWII purchases, except for the Italian tankettes. That WAS all the tanks that took part of the Anglo-Iraqi war of 1941, and they were used by the Iraqi. However, most of the armour used by both sides were armoured cars. |
| spontoon | 08 Dec 2014 5:16 p.m. PST |
Considering al the irreplaceable and important antiquities that have gone missing or been destroyed in Iraq since the U.S. invasion, a few WWII tanks is not a lot to mourn! Still, I'd be surprised if a few of these weren't " liberated" as trophies. |
| Doms Decals | 08 Dec 2014 6:13 p.m. PST |
You're right of course, but what wargamer wouldn't love to see an Alfred Becker original…? ;-) |
| Who asked this joker | 08 Dec 2014 8:07 p.m. PST |
A "Church Hill" tank!  Spelling aside, pretty interesting stuff. I've seen the tankette picture before. I did now know about the others. Thanks for posting. |
 Legion 4   | 11 Dec 2014 5:05 p.m. PST |
Hope somebody collected all those up and sent them to be refurbished and put in a museum ? |
's commission from one of our own.
