M5 Stuart recovered from French Soil

[Johan Willaert]

Don't know if this has been mentioned before, so here it goes:

 

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/stor...5012895,00.html

[Andrei]

 

Ce char américain léger M5 Stuart a été découvert au sud de la ville et à quelques kilomètres de sa célèbre cathédrale, par des ouvriers municipaux à l'occasion de travaux de voierie.

 

Le M5 Stuart avait été le premier des chars alliés à pénétrer dans Chartres à la libération. Il appartenait au major Leslie Lohse du «31st tank battalion» et avait été mis hors de combat lors d'une reconnaissance isolée le soir même.

 

«C'est très émouvant pour moi de le revoir resurgir plus de cinquante ans après», a raconté Jean Dis, qui avait 17 ans en 1944.

 

Selon d'autres témoignages, ce char serait tombé en panne d'essence ou aurait connu un problème de chenilles et aurait été abandonné par ses occupants. À l'arrivée des autres alliés, le char aurait été poussé dans un trou provoqué par les bombardements afin de dégager la chaussée.

 

«À quelques centimètres près, nous ne serions jamais tombés sur cette découverte «, a estimé le conducteur de la pelleteuse qui l'a découvert.

 

Le char va être confié à une association de collectionneurs et devrait terminer sa vie au futur musée des anciens combattants de Chartres.

 

Sorry guys but I am very bad at translating...

[Andrei]

[Andrei]

[Andrei]

[Bugme]

Sorry guys but I am very bad at translating...

 

This is the translation of Andrei's post from Dictionary.com Translator. As you'll notice, it doesn't do a perfect job of translating but, you still get the idea:

 

This American tank light M5 Stuart was discovered in the south of the city and from its famous cathedral, by municipal workmen at the time of work of voiery.

 

M5 Stuart had been the first of the tanks combined to penetrate in Chartres with the release. It belonged to major Leslie Lohse of the “31st tank battalion” and had been put out of combat at the time of an isolated recognition the evening even.

 

“It is very moving for me to re-examine it to re-appear more than fifty years after”, told Jean Dis, who was 17 years old in 1944.

 

According to other testimonys, this tank would have broken down from gasoline or would have known a problem of caterpillars and would have been given up by its occupants. On arrival of the others allied, the tank would have been thorough in a hole caused by the bombardments in order to release the roadway.

 

“With a margin of a few centimetres, we would never have fallen on this discovery “, estimated the driver of the excavator which discovered it.

 

The tank will be entrusted to an association of collectors and should finish its life with the future museum of the war veterans of Chartres.

[Andrei]

Thanks Bugme, thats sound pretty close to the original.

[The Meatcan]

very cool reminds me of those relatively recent russkie warhorses that have been pulled out of marshes, rivers, and peat bogs.

[bphealey]

Would love to see what kind of condition it's in after they get all that dirt off

[gwb123]

Leave it to the Army Corps of Engineers to fill a shell crater with a tank!

[wingman68]

I had a friend just recently show me some photos he took of old Wartime vehicles lying around the country towns here on farms etc there were some Stuarts among them, tanks were popular with the farmers in some areas to clear scrub two old tanks with a chain slung between them, wasnt much left on the ground after they had been through, if they werent so darned heavy and difficult to transport I would nearly think about having a go at getting one home