German police raid turns up WWII heavy weapons

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Greetings from Germany,

apparently, all of the equipment has been de-milled, but the owner of all the stuff failed to complete the paperwork (said his lawyer). Why they took it away from him now is a complete mystery to me because the authoritites knew he had all this for 10 years - and the even admitted it back then he had de-milled the tank, the 8.8 and the V1.
The German authorities have a problem with war weaponry and their collectors because of our history - which is sort of a moot point when the stuff is clearly not working anymore (I can't see how the guy would manage to get the tank out of his house when even the Bundeswehr took 2 days to get it out without too much damage, and I doubt there's still enough ammunition for that tank that is working properly).

Tom
 
Clustafarian said:
Greetings from Germany,

apparently, all of the equipment has been de-milled, but the owner of all the stuff failed to complete the paperwork (said his lawyer). Why they took it away from him now is a complete mystery to me because the authoritites knew he had all this for 10 years - and the even admitted it back then he had de-milled the tank, the 8.8 and the V1.
The German authorities have a problem with war weaponry and their collectors because of our history - which is sort of a moot point when the stuff is clearly not working anymore (I can't see how the guy would manage to get the tank out of his house when even the Bundeswehr took 2 days to get it out without too much damage, and I doubt there's still enough ammunition for that tank that is working properly).

Tom
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Thanks, paperwork issues was one of my conjectures. Do you know how and where he acquired these items? If they were already in Germany before he bought them, I'm sure they'd have already been de-milled, so the error would more likely be in the ownership transfer paperwork.
 
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More photos:

BRIEFS-master675.jpg


85


germany_nazi_tank-1.jpg
 
Winston said:
Earlier this decade (EDIT: oops, meant earlier this century) I was very seriously considering buying one of these as a second, drive around town to inspire rubber necking, vehicle:

P1070507


They weren't that expensive at the time $5 to 7.5k for ones that hadn't been fully restored. Also, I thought about buying one of these when they were very plentiful around the same time, $9 - 15k depending upon mileage and condition. Now, long after the Swiss started getting rid of them in large numbers, they're much more expensive, too expensive IMO:

https://www.pinzgauer.com/vehiclelist.php?cat=1

shfull.php
Click to expand...

You need those just to carry your rocket motors! They would also provide you a get away capability if the authorities came after you in their black SUV's. With the Pinzgauer you could rig up a 24 volt launch system right from the comfort of your own cab.

I wanted a Pinzgauer back in '01 as well, but the wife would not have been pleased with a baby on the way. Now the kids are almost grown and I am lucky just to do a rocket now and then.


One of these would be the ultimate rubber necking vehicle at the launch!

feuerleitp01.jpg
 
Winston said:
Do you know how and where he acquired these items? If they were already in Germany before he bought them, I'm sure they'd have already been de-milled, so the error would more likely be in the ownership transfer paperwork.
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He said he bought the tank and the 8.8 in England well after the war and they had already been de-milled. Funny Thing is that almost all the village knew he had it, he had been helping with it during the 1978 snow storm in Schleswig-Holstein, and in 2005, the town council of Ploen (a village nearby) issued a paper stating all of the Equipment had been orderly de-milled and was therefore legal to possess...maybe there's an election coming up and the Mayor needed some PR? Honi soit qui mal y pense...:horse:
 
Daddyisabar said:
You need those just to carry your rocket motors! They would also provide you a get away capability if the authorities came after you in their black SUV's.
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My motors fit in a small tool box and those SUVs are now white. :) Besides, the M37's horsepower to weight ratio and the narrow wheelbase on the Pinz make them both less than ideal for car chases. For those, I have this:

maxresdefault.jpg


EDIT: Oops, just remembered - you can never outrun a radio. That speed limit of light thing.
 
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Well, I guess I will have to fly the big motors and escape cross country where the authorities can't follow in their unmarked white sedans and SUVs. If you have the right toys you can be like the Duke Boys: Some day the mountain might get them but the law never will!
 
Clustafarian said:
He said he bought the tank and the 8.8 in England well after the war and they had already been de-milled. Funny Thing is that almost all the village knew he had it, he had been helping with it during the 1978 snow storm in Schleswig-Holstein, and in 2005, the town council of Ploen (a village nearby) issued a paper stating all of the Equipment had been orderly de-milled and was therefore legal to possess...maybe there's an election coming up and the Mayor needed some PR? Honi soit qui mal y pense...:horse:
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That would be sad if it turned out to be an official witch hunt. Such a farce would just enhance the stereotype many Americans have that European politicians and officials tend to be overly corrupt, even worse than our own. What matters is that in the end all that good stuff is saved and returned to the rightful owners.

Hopefully the fallen Garter will stay on the King's leg, the Princess will not be humiliated and chivalry will reign supreme.:horse:
 
I hope he gets his stuff back. And I hope he donates his stuff to a museum eventually. There can't be too many Panthers out there and I'd hate to see it fall into disrepair. They have an 88 at the Museum of the United States Air Force. It is tucked into a corner and you can't really get a good look at most of it.
 
A teenager I know came up with a flawless plan. Buy a tank on credit. When the bank comes to collect....you have a tank!
 
Daddyisabar said:
Well, I guess I will have to fly the big motors and escape cross country where the authorities can't follow in their unmarked white sedans and SUVs.
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If they really want to blend in, they'd buy white or silver SUVs, #1 and #2 most common:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_colour_popularity

From Forbes: “White especially has been a constant top runner since really 1998,” says Nancy Lockhart, DuPont color marketing manager. “Silver had its reign from 2001 to 2006 as being the leading color and now black has come up as being the leading color in certain segments, especially luxury.”
 
Daddyisabar said:
Well, I guess I will have to fly the big motors and escape cross country where the authorities can't follow in their unmarked white sedans and SUVs.
Click to expand...
If they really want to blend in, they'd buy white or silver SUVs, #1 and #2 most common:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_colour_popularity

Of course, that's worldwide. Black, silver, gray and red round are the top five in the US although I don't think red wouldn't be good choice.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewdepaula/2012/12/21/top-10-most-popular-car-colors/
 
Daddyisabar said:
That would be sad if it turned out to be an official witch hunt. Such a farce would just enhance the stereotype many Americans have that European politicians and officials tend to be overly corrupt, even worse than our own. What matters is that in the end all that good stuff is saved and returned to the rightful owners.
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I'm with you on that...there was quite an uproar in the Collector's Scene over here, because technically (although intimidating to the faint of heart) the stuff was legal to have. Even his neighbours who knew he had all this stuff didn't care too much about it. The authorities are now thinking of a clever way of giving the stuff back without losing their face, they might Keep the Nazi memorabilia crap - which is ok since that stuff is illegal to possess here.
The Argument about that stuff being weapons is somewhat invalid - I doubt someone would use an 8.8 to go on a shooting spree :eyeroll: ;)
 
John

You think you feel old ?? I remember when stationed in Alaska the first M 880 aka the dodge power wagon was issued to my commo group. It only had 3 miles on the odometer !!
 

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