simon king Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 In " The Landships from Lincoln" there is reference to a Mk IV being used to demolish a house in (IIRC) Worcester in the 1920s. It fell through into the cellars and as there was no way of extracting it, it was just left there and entombed. Also heard a rumour about a buried Comet at Ranby prison. Ranby used to be the base for one of the Tank Transporter Companies and the Comet had been a gate guardian. sk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver99 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I have just heard the rumour of kubelwagons and hanomags buried on Salisbury Plain? Any others heard this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I found sections of German half track tracks on the Plain in more than one size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnwardle Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 About 15 years ago I was in Shanleys scrapyard in Trowbridge after they had been clearing Salisbury plain, anong the shot up Stalwarts & Saracens was the remains, sadly unidenifiable of some WW2 German Half Track, the overlapping road wheels being the give away. Dave Oliver of the Isle Of Wight Military History Museum found a section of Tiger track on the plain, but only a couple of links. The rumour goes that after the war an entire German armoured divisions vehicles were put on the plain and blasted to destruction. So in all probability there will be some German vehicles buried on the plain, but it is a VERY big & very dangerous area to wander about with your metal detector Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 i often wonder how many old boys out there know the whereabouts of all the stuff we're looking for, if only we knew who to ask we'd be digging up tanks every other week. as an example, yesterday i was prepping the ground at my house for a concrete slab for the churchill to go on when i got chatting to an old boy who was walking past, once i mentioned ww2 vehicles he told me of a story of a crashed halifax on the moors near glossop that he helped recover the wreckage from when he was at a farm nearby. as a reward to the farmer for his efforts the raf gave him the parachutes for his wife and 6 chairs from the bomber for his dinning room, he also mentioned that only 1 engine was recovered and that the other 3 are still up there in the peat bog, i didn't get his details but when he next passes i'll tackle him for a bit more info :cool2: it just goes to show how much kit is still out there to be found. anyone got a magnetometer ! eddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver99 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Funny mentioning the Halifax. Just saw info about a Halifax in a lake in Germany which is 'known' to be there. But not touched as it has full bomb load and two of the crew still in situ. Although have feelings that they should be repatriated (sorry for the American terminology). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Dave Oliver of the Isle Of Wight Military History Museum found a section of Tiger track on the plain, but only a couple of links. That was me, not Dave Arnold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzkpfw-e Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 That was me, not Dave Arnold. The last (apart from the mortar) remains of the Sturmtiger that came Bov's way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I doubt it, they had been welded on to something in the past so could have been a bit of added armour on anything, though it's certainly possible they fell off a Tiger. There was a lot of German armour on Lulworth and Pirbrite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbharcourt Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 A story to whet your appetite! My father in-law was the chief environmental officer for one of the home counties and when he started the job in the early 60's he was taken on a tour of the area by the retiring chief who pointed at a local field and recounted a story. After the war the American army had to dispose of un-wanted stores that they didn't want to repatriat, so they approached the local council for a suitable site to bury it all. After a long consultation this field had been chosen and the US army turned up with bulldozers and excavated the site dumped the stores and re-covered them with tons of soil. Buried too deep for metal detactors to find the site's contents have been forgotten about other than the brief conversation with my father-inlaw who is now in his seventies and retired himself. All he can remember is that he was told about dozens of crated up new Sherman tank engines that went into the hole, who knows what else! I know the location of the field but you would need one of those electo-magnetic surveys to confirm the location and then get permision from the owner to totaly destroy his lovely horsey paddock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 i bagsy the crated engines. :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rog8811 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 totaly destroy his lovely horsey paddock! ...Grass grows again:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnwardle Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Sorry Adrian, Dave told me that Tiger track links had been found on the plain, and I assumed that it was him that found them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbharcourt Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I suppose if you got time team involved they could make a TV program about it, while Tony Robinson waffles about bits of clay pot fragments! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 you know what we need on this forum is someone with access to a magnetometer, i've been looking to buy one for a while but they are not cheap. anyone got any ideas. eddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garys39 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 At the bottom of my garden, is a short length of Churchill track, it was recovered from Hythe ranges about 12 years ago, when the area was being cleaned up. A very good friend of mine was tasked with collecting the scrap from this job and they collected many tons of this track, which was buried and laid in lengths when found. I received a phone call from him asking if I'd like a piece of tank track, as they were taking it from site direct to be melted down, little did I know how big a piece it was or what it was from. It shows sign of damage from some form of ordanance (they had cut me a piece from a full length, that to quote "looked liked it had seen some action"). I also remember being told by him, that in previous years, the 1970's early 80's, that he had been offered complete range tanks, but due to where they were sited, they were not economical then to recover and scrap and also the quality/type of metal they were constructed from had a very low value (non magnetic steel possibly ?) and was not worth the gas to cut them up. Anyway pictures attached of my piece of track. Regards Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 The track is Churchill light track (relative term still very heavy) A view of the underside would confirm whether it is steel or manganese steel. It does look well coroded, it is probably steel rather than manganese as there is less demand for manganese steel for smelting. It sounds like the track was laid as a causeway/road on unstable ground -possibly the reason it is so badly coroded. garys39.....also remember being told by him, that in previous years, the 1970's early 80's, that he had been offered complete range tanks, but due to where they were sited, they were not economical then to recover and scrap and also the quality/type of metal they were constructed from had a very low value (non magnetic steel possibly ?) Shame you have photos of the tanks as I only think the tanks were concrete filled - which makes scrapping difficult -and time consuming- I assume non-magnetic armour is a joke;):cool2::-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 I know the location of the field but you would need one of those electo-magnetic surveys to confirm the location and then get permision from the owner to totaly destroy his lovely horsey paddock! ground penetrating radar towed behind on a skid or trailer would be the best approach and gives definitive results i.e. should be able to recognise larger parts. They uses these to inspect bridges by several NDT companies. Not sure if DCVG might work, but I'll ask around as DCVG is used to detect coating breakdown in underground piping and my guess anything buried since wwii most likely has coating loss :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted May 14, 2011 Author Share Posted May 14, 2011 gary it's a shame your scrap friend didn't save any more track as i could do with a bit myself, :embarrassed: eddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrettkitt Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 gary it's a shame your scrap friend didn't save any more track as i could do with a bit myself, :embarrassed: eddy Some of it would still look good on the front of you're Churchill if it was blasted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David I Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 Hi Eddy, If you need to look for stuff by magnetometer, why not speak to any local aviation Archaeoligists. They are not like time team guys. They just look for aircraft crash sites (like my mate in carnwath). Most are interested in metal detecting, and usually someone in the group possesses a magnetometer. Most are connected to aifcraft museums etc and work on goodwill, as do people in this hobby hopefully. Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nptimber Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 if anyone knows where there are any buried or abanonded tanks, armour, vehicles , etc and they want to retreive them i have heavy winching vehicles and access to low loaders which would handle most heavy armour . i would not be interested in a recovery operation unless full permission by the owner ,land owner ,and local authorities, is granted . If you have a recovery project but dont have access to the recovery equipment please PM me with the details . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted May 14, 2011 Author Share Posted May 14, 2011 THAT'S THE SPIRIT !!! if we're ever going to save any of these old vehicles, (our armoured heritage) then we need to set up a network of people willing to help out, whether that be physically or through the passing on of information it doesn't matter. all i know is unless you're a millionaire you're gonna need a little help to save them. as i'm finding out moving tanks around especially dead ones is not a cheap operation, to move my 18 ton churchill hull 96 miles from shrewsbury to manchester with a crane both ends is going to cost me around £1600 :wow: so as you can see the costs soon mount up. well done nptimber eddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted May 15, 2011 Author Share Posted May 15, 2011 here's 4 or 5 crusader wrecks in the usa on an old range that is now a national park, you can read more on it here http://www.com-central.net/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=9139 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbharcourt Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 Maybe a non-profite salvage team, of people with the equipment to investigate and recover this sort of thing. Could be funded by grants and donations from relevent museums? I think there are a lot of people out there that would voluteer time and effort just to be involved in recovering these sites. It could be called the 'American lend lease recovery team' :cool2: I am happy to reveal the site I know of, but first I think I should talk to the owner before a tank recovery team turn up on his doorstep! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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