Tank cemeteries are unique places that exist in different parts of the world. It's hard to believe, but even today anyone can find themselves at the training ground, where dozens and hundreds of combat vehicles lie, they turned out to be abandoned and useless. In this article, we will cover a few of these places.
Otterburn Ranges
One of the most famous tank graveyards is located in the north of England. Otterbourne is a small town located 50 kilometers from Newcastle.
Here is a huge national park known as "Northumberland". 23% of its territory is owned by the Ministry of Defense. It houses a massive training ground, as well as the final resting place of tanks, some of which are still used for training.
Surprisingly, in this tank graveyard, several combat vehicles appear to be completely untouched. Only their hulls, tracks and bearings begin to rust. Others are badly damaged, they are leftalmost one skeleton.
The cars are located in a picturesque place, the photo of the tank cemetery against the backdrop of the vast expanses of English turns out to be amazing and bewitching.
Kabul
Afghanistan in the 20th century became the site of a large-scale war, in which Soviet soldiers performed their international duty. After the units of the USSR army were withdrawn from the territory of this republic in 1989, a lot of equipment and equipment remained abandoned. They were the latest casu alties in this ruthless, unwinnable civil war.
Dozens of tanks built in the 1960s and 1970s, rusting under the scorching Asian sun, can still be seen today in the vicinity of the Afghan capital of Kabul.
True, some of them, which are best preserved, are given a second life. They are being repaired and restarted to be used in the war against the Taliban, which until recently was actively waged by government troops.
Fort Knox
Fort Knox in the US state of Kentucky is the city where one of the most famous American military bases is located. It is currently operated by the US Army. Until 2010, it was used as a school for tankers.
It was in Fort Knox that the American military was trained for several decades. When the training center was moved from here, many abandoned tanks remained, which were used as targets for a long time.
PlainPitchers
One of the most amazing and unconventional tank cemeteries is located in the Asian country of Laos. It has a romantic and unusual name - the plain of pitchers.
There are some abandoned Russian tanks here. There are not as many of them here as in other places, but this place attracts tourists from all over the world.
The Plain of Jars, also known as the Plain of Jars, remains one of the great mysteries unsolved. This is an amazing field in Laos, completely strewn with giant stone jugs of unknown origin. Some of them are relatively small in size, in others an adult could easily hide. It is still unclear who built them and when. Only all kinds of versions are put forward.
According to one of the most common theories of the origin of these ancient jugs, they were used to make wine. Other scholars believe that they collected rainwater or buried their fellow tribesmen.
The Plain of Jars is the site of large-scale fighting that unfolded here during the Vietnam War. More than 2 million tons of bombs were dropped on these fields by the US Air Force. It is believed that about 80 million unexploded shells and small ammunition still remain here. Amazing stone jugs survived almost by a miracle.
Kharkov
The cemetery of tanks in Kharkov is one of the largest in the territory of the former USSR. It is located on the territory of the factory,where these combat vehicles were repaired. Today, there are about 500 tanks here, which were produced by the Malyshev plant from 1946 to 1991 for their own needs and for export. There are also several hundred tons of tracks, engines, gearboxes and trucks. Hundreds of completely useless tanks today stand without visible defects, damage, and simply rust. Some of them have been actively dismantled in recent years.
The scale of this tank graveyard is amazing. It will take about an hour and a half to get around the cluster of military vehicles along the perimeter. There are not only tanks here, but also armored personnel carriers.
Kursk Bulge
The largest tank cemetery in Russia is located on the Kursk Bulge. This is the memory of one of the largest battles of the Great Patriotic War. In the summer of 1943, the main events of the Battle of Kursk unfolded here. For example, the legendary battle of Prokhorovka, which became the largest tank battle in world history. It was attended by about one and a half thousand tanks of the Red Army and the Wehrmacht. Hundreds of combat vehicles were left standing wrecked and immobilized.
An important part of this battle was the battle for the village of Rzhavets, on which the Nazi troops attacked with the forces of an entire tank corps, but failed. As you know, the Battle of Kursk ended with the triumph of the Soviet troops, becoming one of the turning points of the Great Patriotic War.
Today, the tank graveyard on the Kursk Bulge mainly rests in the floodplain of the Seversky Donets River. The exact number of combat vehicles that still remain under the silt is not known for certain.
BIn recent years, large-scale excavations have been carried out in these places. Search engines do not leave hope to raise at least one tank to the surface. In 2016, they managed to extract the skeleton of a 7-ton T-34 from a 2-meter depth.
As a result of the inspection, it was found that the ammunition exploded inside the combat vehicle. The tank itself was badly damaged. Historians suggest that it belonged to the 11th mechanized brigade, led by Colonel Grishchenko. At this point, this military unit just lost four tanks, which sank.
Attempts to raise the remaining armored vehicles from the bottom of the river continue.
Eritrean War of Independence
For almost three decades, the war for the independence of the small African state of Eritrea from Ethiopia continued. Today, rusty tanks remain near the capital, Asmara, as a reminder of those times.
This armed conflict lasted from 1961 to 1991. It was attended by Ethiopian government troops who opposed the separatists from Eritrea.
Like the civil war, the battle ended after Mengistu Haile Mariam, who served as president, fled the country. An interim government was established in Ethiopia, which held a referendum in Eritrea. Two days after the announcement of its official results, the independence of the new country was announced.
In total, about 230 thousand people became victims of the war. The tank cemetery serves today as sada reminder of this tragedy.
Flamenco Beach
Flamenco Beach in Puerto Rico in the middle of the 20th century began to be used by American troops for practicing bombing methods and military exercises.
Perhaps the island of Viques suffered the most. As a result, in the 1970s, it was even proposed to relocate all residents from it, as it was recognized as the most dangerous waste disposal site in the world.
This decision caused massive protests from local residents. As a result, President Nixon ordered the dismantling of the military base, taking all the equipment.
But two tanks still remained on the beach. They serve as a reminder of these times today.
