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Nazi tanks dug out of Bulgarian field
Nazi tanks that have lain neglected in Bulgarian fields for decades are to be put up for auction - and one can be yours for as little as £77,000 (€100,000).
The Second World War relics have provided a rudimentary first line of defence against a Nato invasion of the former Eastern Bloc country since the 1950s.
Dug into the ground along the Turkish border, the Panzer tanks, Jagdpanzer tank destroyers and Sturmgeschuetz assault guns have been largely forgotten since the end of the Cold War
But after audacious thieves made away with one of rarest pieces last year, the Bulgarian government decided to launch a recovery programme to save the remaining machines.
Many of the tanks have already been stripped bare by looters, but 22 tanks and guns are to be put up for sale, the Bulgarian defence ministry has announced.
The €100,000 tag is just a starting price, according to Trud, the Bulgarian newspaper. It reports that the best preserved pieces will be offered to museums first before going on general sale.
Around 200 tanks and heavy artillery pieces were given by the Nazis to the Bulgarian regime during the Second World War. After Bulgaria changed sides in 1944 the guns were turned back on the Nazis, helping chase the Germans out of southeastern Europe.
After the war most of the Nazi tanks in Bulgaria were smelted down, but around 40 were buried along the border with Turkey.
In December 2007, Bulgarian authorities arrested two German nationals and a Bulgarian army officer who allegedly stole one of the tanks and attempted to steal a second near the town of Jambul.
Collectors were apparently willing to pay millions of euros for the stolen tank, which was reportedly a personal present from Adolf Hitler to the former Bulgarian queen.
Most of the other pieces that have been dug up are thought to be less valuable, having suffered at the hands of looters.
Nazi tanks that have lain neglected in Bulgarian fields for decades are to be put up for auction - and one can be yours for as little as £77,000 (€100,000).
The Second World War relics have provided a rudimentary first line of defence against a Nato invasion of the former Eastern Bloc country since the 1950s.
Dug into the ground along the Turkish border, the Panzer tanks, Jagdpanzer tank destroyers and Sturmgeschuetz assault guns have been largely forgotten since the end of the Cold War
But after audacious thieves made away with one of rarest pieces last year, the Bulgarian government decided to launch a recovery programme to save the remaining machines.
Many of the tanks have already been stripped bare by looters, but 22 tanks and guns are to be put up for sale, the Bulgarian defence ministry has announced.
The €100,000 tag is just a starting price, according to Trud, the Bulgarian newspaper. It reports that the best preserved pieces will be offered to museums first before going on general sale.
Around 200 tanks and heavy artillery pieces were given by the Nazis to the Bulgarian regime during the Second World War. After Bulgaria changed sides in 1944 the guns were turned back on the Nazis, helping chase the Germans out of southeastern Europe.
After the war most of the Nazi tanks in Bulgaria were smelted down, but around 40 were buried along the border with Turkey.
In December 2007, Bulgarian authorities arrested two German nationals and a Bulgarian army officer who allegedly stole one of the tanks and attempted to steal a second near the town of Jambul.
Collectors were apparently willing to pay millions of euros for the stolen tank, which was reportedly a personal present from Adolf Hitler to the former Bulgarian queen.
Most of the other pieces that have been dug up are thought to be less valuable, having suffered at the hands of looters.
