Some Chicken | 03 Jul 2015 9:07 a.m. PST |
As far as I can see from a quick look, no one else has posted this yet so here you go: link |
svsavory | 03 Jul 2015 9:11 a.m. PST |
Remarkable. He must have a huge cellar. |
old tommie | 03 Jul 2015 9:22 a.m. PST |
I would love to meet him and see the full collection.Good luck to him. |
79thPA | 03 Jul 2015 9:23 a.m. PST |
It was mentioned a day or two ago, but there were not an pics of the contents yet. I was expecting a 20mm AA gun, not an 88! |
Dave Jackson | 03 Jul 2015 9:31 a.m. PST |
There was a post about it the other day, can't find it now tho. German text, Suddeutsche Zeitung, only showed a pic of the bergleopard! |
tuscaloosa | 03 Jul 2015 9:40 a.m. PST |
Someday. When all have forgotten. He was going to single-handedly start the Fourth Reich! |
Barenakedleadies | 03 Jul 2015 10:58 a.m. PST |
If those are his "toys" I can't wait to see his game table! |
Mobius | 03 Jul 2015 11:19 a.m. PST |
He ought to start a movie prop business. |
Mako11 | 03 Jul 2015 11:39 a.m. PST |
That is a neat collection. Seems like the prosecutors are on a misguided witch hunt. |
Fred Cartwright | 03 Jul 2015 1:45 p.m. PST |
Both the Panther and 88 look in pretty good shape. Be good if they can get them restored and maybe the Panther running again. |
goragrad | 03 Jul 2015 2:02 p.m. PST |
Interesting. Hope the fellow doesn't get railroaded. Particularly if the guns are non-functional. Reminds of the discussion on the Fez where one of the members from the Balkans noted that his village had a 7.5cm artillery piece squirreled away in a cave nearby 'just in case…' |
wrgmr1 | 03 Jul 2015 2:40 p.m. PST |
The article says that the old guy was driving the Panther around town in 1978, so it must still be fairly decent running condition. The 88 is in excellent shape. |
christot | 03 Jul 2015 3:20 p.m. PST |
Wonder if the panther has an original paint job? Looked like it might have. |
Navy Fower Wun Seven | 03 Jul 2015 3:27 p.m. PST |
A sad indictment of modern society when a chap can't keep a couple of AFVs in his cellar… Seriously though, what will these snooping busy bodies do when all their snitches have run out of harmless old age pensioners to bully? Will they have to go out and tackle real hardened criminals, or will they have to catch up all the paperwork? Another proud day for EU law enforcement. |
Fatman | 03 Jul 2015 3:29 p.m. PST |
Come the Zombie Apocalypse lets meet at that guys house. Fatman |
BeneathALeadMountain | 03 Jul 2015 3:44 p.m. PST |
Poor chap, hope no-one finds the Bismarck stashed in my shed. |
dantheman | 03 Jul 2015 6:41 p.m. PST |
I hope the authorities don't destroy it. What is there, maybe two operating Panthers left in the world? |
sjpatejak | 03 Jul 2015 6:50 p.m. PST |
My guess is they still belongs to the German government, which has only reclaimed them. |
mkenny | 03 Jul 2015 7:36 p.m. PST |
Best not go too far out on a limb for him. It is a rather large multi-Nation bust to do with WW2 Nazi relics being sold on the black market. The Panther owner (it is claimed)was involved in trying to sell 2 large bronze horses for several million dollars. I suspect they are going to check how he got all his vehicles. |
Mako11 | 03 Jul 2015 7:54 p.m. PST |
If I were him, and/or his lawyer, I'd say I'm creating a neighbor watch/civil defense program to defend against those uppity Russians. Given the steep reduction in military firepower by most EU governments, that just might work with a sympathetic jury, especially if their ancestors had unpleasant dealings with their former foes (I've read most did). |
Mark 1 | 03 Jul 2015 9:01 p.m. PST |
The article says that the old guy was driving the Panther around town in 1978, so it must still be fairly decent running condition. Hard to resist a story (and a pic) …
I have a friend outside Louisville Kentucky who does restorations and re-enactments. He used to do volunteer (and occasionally paid) work for the old Patton Museum at Ft. Knox on some of their restoration projects (before the collection was moved to Ft. Benning). He has several US Army WW2 mil vehicles, including an M5 Stuart. One day we climbed in and went for a drive around his neighborhood. (I'm in the TC's hatch in the pic. The fellow in question, Tim, is driving, of course.) So we went roaring up one of the neighborhood streets. All the kids were agog. At the end of the street we did a 3 point turn (kind of tricky!) and came on back down the street. As we were driving down (second time on this particular road) a man came out and stood on his front lawn to watch. We waved. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted something. Well, in truth, it's kind of noisy when you're driving around in a tank. So we stopped and I tapped my ears (to indicate I hadn't heard him). He cupped his hands and shouted again. Still couldn't hear him. So Tim shut down the motors and we tried again. He cupped his hands again, and shouted … "Just making sure your one of OURS!" -Mark (aka: Mk 1) |
ArmymenRGreat | 04 Jul 2015 2:59 a.m. PST |
He's probably got the 5th largest army in Europe. |
Martin Rapier | 04 Jul 2015 3:12 a.m. PST |
"My guess is they still belongs to the German government, which has only reclaimed them." I think you'll find the particular German government they belonged to ceased to exist in May 1945. As noted above, the main interest is in the market for Nazi memorabilia, plus a slight concern that the Panther might still have operational armament. |
14th Brooklyn | 04 Jul 2015 8:43 a.m. PST |
Articles in the press here in Germany have been a bit confusing about this. Judging by the photos and film I have seen, everything taken from the underground garage (not cellar as was falsely reported) seems to be in mint condition. So I would be expecting the Panther to be in running condition. The reason why they caught him was the two bronze horses that police seized from his place a few weeks ago. Those were actually the ones that were on the stairs of Hitlers Reichschanceolry. Those were seized by the Soviets in 1955 and supposed to be returned to the German government during reunification, when they were stolen. When police found them a few weeks ago, they saw the tanks. In Germany you are not allowed to own military grade weapons or vehicles, unless made the weapons are rendered useless. it seems he has documentation proofing that the arms are not working, but it seems they are still. Which his collection was seized. Under German law, they would become government property, if the weapons are working. Usually these kinds of items are scrapped, once the court case is through, but I sincerely hope, they get donated to a museum, in cause he is found guild. If you look at the rear deck and exhausts on the Panther, this seems to be a very late model and operational or not, it would be a shame to see that one scrapped! |
john lacour | 04 Jul 2015 9:57 p.m. PST |
surely the powers that be would'nt scrap those relics… did the geezer say how he came by the panther? |
tuscaloosa | 05 Jul 2015 10:59 a.m. PST |
"So I would be expecting the Panther to be in running condition." The media did not the Panther was minus tracks, which matches the current pictures of the Bundeswehr pulling the tank off his property. |
14Bore | 06 Jul 2015 4:04 p.m. PST |
Picked up this story elsewhere and had to check if it was posted here. It would be criminal if these are not preserved but I wouldn't hold my breath about it. |