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JimWeb

- Michel_Krauss

yes I know, but calling it an military aid program looks better in the press then saying "here is an pile of scrape tanks, have fun with it"

On the website of the Austrian army they are calling it an "military aid program"

Michel

Michel_Krauss

yes I know, but calling it an military aid program looks better in the press then saying "here is an pile of scrape tanks, have fun with it" Laughing

On the website of the Austrian army they are calling it an "military aid program"

Michel

JimWeb

The 'aid program' was actually stuff left behind by the soviets when they withdrew. Most of it was being used by the few paramilitary units the soviets had formed while they occupied eastern Austria.

Probably the best book on this area & period is Austria, Germany, and the Cold War: from the Anschluss to the State Treaty 1938-1955 by Rolf Steininger

Michel_Krauss

- JimWeb

The austrians 'inherited' 37 T34/85

correct me if I'm wrong, however the Austrians did not realy "inherited" the T34/85
The Austrian army recieved them through an Russian military aid program in 1955

The last one was removed from it's defence position in 2007

Michel

JimWeb

The difference between the austrian & czech ones appears to be mainly that headlight. The austrian ones used a more barrel shaped headlight usually fitted with slotted mask - very similar (if not the same item) to the one seen on Tigers etc (Bosch?)

The austrians 'inherited' 37 T34/85 which they fitted with that headlight & Notek light. When they started to replace them 19 were stripped of external fittings and used for fortifications, the remainder were modernised with an american radio & sideplates amongst other items and then placed in reserve. The sideplates were shallow and suspended from a round rail. The area around the turret antennae was 'modified'.

The info comes from an old intelligence report and you can read the rest of it on JED. The images with it are totally unreadable.

Massimo_Foti

A T-34/85 seen in Lesany back in 1998. See the Notek:

Massimo

JimWeb

Much better views of it - and its not ex-austrian (the headlight is the wrong shape, no rail to hang sideplates on) its ex-czechoslovakian mocked up a little.

Michel_Krauss

I don not have one with an S/N visible, at the time of the picture (2007) I wasn't realy following that

However I do have some picture's of the front and side's

To picture the rear of the vehicle is an problem, because this vehicle is part of an private collection and is parked on private property
So the only photo's possible are the one's from the public road, unless you got permission to walk around Neutral

Picture of the front

To keep the page size down in size just some links to:
picture right side
i1015.photobucket.com/...den_16.jpg

picture's left side, front part
i1015.photobucket.com/...den_05.jpg

middle part
i1015.photobucket.com/...den_06.jpg

Michel

Koluchiy · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: May 19, 2009 Posts: 178

The S/N is not visible.

L.Delsing · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 960

Since it was not possible to get closer, I tried to picture the serial. But maybe you can use this picture

Koluchiy · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: May 19, 2009 Posts: 178

Front and rear view of the hull.
The best case - photo of the nose where S/N should be located.

L.Delsing · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 960

@ Jim; is it possible to see it is former Austrian?

@ Koluchiy; what type of photo do you need? Maybe I have some from a couple of years ago.

Koluchiy · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: May 19, 2009 Posts: 178

Maybe, some other photos?

JimWeb

That looks like an ex-austrian army one rather than ex-wehrmacht...

Massimo_Foti

- Michel_Krauss

That is an NOTEK black-out headlight, standard used on al German WW2 military vehicle's

You can also see Noteks on soviet tanks used by czechoslovakian Army after WW II. I have a few pictures from Lesany that show it.

Massimo

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