So, Comrade, you would like a T-34?

[Tony Smith]

The Sunday papers have just come out and have this little column filler:

"SOVIET TANKS FOR SALE
Moscow
Russia is selling thousands of World War II tanks, machine guns and cannons to raise funds and to remind the world of it's key role in defeating Hitler.
The Kremlin hopes the items will be bought by museums and enthusiasts as interest in vintage weaponry peaks during the 60th anniversary of the end of the war.
Russia's state arms dealer has sold a few vintage weapons piecemeal since the late 1990's but has now launched a serious sales campaign."

Has anyone else heard of this and know what is available? I wonder if it is only Russian made equipment or also includes Lend-Lease stuff, too. I always imagined that the thousands of L-L trucks would have spent the rest of their days being worked into the ground on some state owned co-operative farm, but perhaps there still thousands in wharehouses! We have seen lots of nice ex-NATO reserve vehicles come out of France, Norway and other places recently, but much of that was US built. Could this be the golden opportunity to find a C60X, C8AX, Valentine, Sherman, Studebaker US6 (with Katyushka rockets), Bren Carrier or any other of the multitude of relatively rare Lend lease stuff that went to USSR? And spares too? I wouldn't mind a GPA amphib in the crate!

[Keith Webb]

Although I'd be more inclined to believe it when photographic proof is presented!
I wonder if, like the French they stored their right-hand drive CMPs because they didn't fit in with the scheme of things.

[Tony Smith]

I had heard all sorts of stories of suspicious middlemen (even Russian Mafia links) ripping off buyers of relic aircraft and armoured vehicles from Eastern Front battlefields. For every recovered restoration project there was something like 10 incidents of false rumours, swindles or extortion attempts. This time it appears to be the Russian Government selling off stocks, not not war trophies in swamps. That said, I'd also like to see pics of what's on offer, perhaps someone knows of the officaial Russian Gov auction or disposals site?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Tony Smith
I always imagined that the thousands of L-L trucks would have spent the rest of their days being worked into the ground on some state owned co-operative farm, but perhaps there still thousands in wharehouses!

You bet they were worked into the ground. Don't forget the Soviet Union was in shambles after WW2 and each and every machine was needed to reconstruct the country. Even Sherman tanks were turned into tractors:

When the war was over on the Far East, some lend-lease Shermans M4A2 (76)W HVSS were rebuilt to evacuation tractors. Their turrets were removed, the opening was covered by steel plates on which the original Sherman commander's cupola was mounted.
The tractors were equipped with motorised winch. Most of those tractors were distributed to the repairing rail trains of the Northern Caucasus and Ukraine where they did use till the end 60th. Some vehicles could be found in Ukraine even in 80th, while Morozovskaya rail station (Northern Caucasus) possessed one Sherman used until 1996!
According to some sources, in the Russian Federation there is a pair of Sherman tractors still remains in running condition. In 1989, one of them were added to the museum of the Northern Air Forces. It was presented by one of the "Stavropol" rail station of the Northern Caucasus Railway, on which it was used before. By the way, the "Stavropol" had another three Sherman tractors. The last was removed from service in 1995.
Source: M4A2 "General Sherman" in USSR

T34 tanks being sold since the fall of the Iron Curtain are all late model, post-war built examples.

Hope this helps,
Hanno

P.S.: day-dreaming on weekends is free, isn't it?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Tony Smith
Russia's state arms dealer has sold a few vintage weapons piecemeal since the late 1990's but has now launched a serious sales campaign.

This is Rosvoorouzhenie, the "State Corporation for Export and Import of Armament and Military Equipment": http://www.rosvoorouzhenie.ru/

[Richard Farrant]

Hanno and Tony,

I have just read an article on the Telegraph online website where they said that the sale could include Lend Lease and captured equipment, as well as T34, Maxim machine guns, etc. The newly formed Russian state arms dealer, Rosoboronexport, is compiling an inventory of what could be available and more details will be available later. Checking their website their is nothing on there at present.

Check out this webpage from The Moscow Times as well; http://www.themoscowtimes.com/storie...01/20/002.html

Richard

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Tony Smith
I wouldn't mind a GPA amphib in the crate!

Mind you, there´s still stuff to be found out there, although in general it´s been driven into the ground. Recently "new from the crate" Harley-Davidson motorcycles were offered for sale, but I was told these actually were restored bikes with many reproduction parts.
The GPAs shown below came from someplace in the former Soviet Union and were recently offered for sale on MilWeb.

Originally posted by Richard Farrant
The newly formed Russian state arms dealer, Rosoboronexport, is compiling an inventory of what could be available and more details will be available later.

Well, here's hoping they find warehouses full of crated Commonwealth trucks!
If they do I'm sure "These (...) will not go at dumping prices".

H.

[Neil Ashley]

Those of you who have an interest in Small Arms will already know that the Russian released large quantities WW2 weapons on to the market last year.

This included Russian Maxims, Pistols, Rifles, Thomson SMG's, K98's, MG34's and tripods. All were in either in rebuilt condition or unissued. The prices were also much cheaper than featured in this article. The story is that the Russian have a vast depot in a Salt Mine out-side Moscow where these weapons are coming from. Check out the Ryton Arms web site for the main UK importer of this material.

It makes sense for the Russians to sells any surplus vehicles they may have in storage, but the only war-time vehicles they are likely to have in any quanity is the T34/85.

[Snowtractor]

The GPAs shown below came from someplace in the former Soviet Union and were recently offered for sale on MilWeb.

They look like GAZ46's , a Russian copy of the jeep GPA, with Russian engine and running gear. ONly slightly used too.
Sean:

[thp]

Would there be any way of getting these into Canada?

[Larry Hayward]

While all of you seem to want L-L Canadian & US made trucks wouldn't it be nice to see a GAZ-AA or AAA or a Zis-5 or '6 at a military vehicle show? I bet there are still some around waiting to be restored in Russia. Recently I saw a documentry on TV set in Russia which included shots of a Zis-5 but I have no idea in which country it is kept.

At UK shows the Russian re-enactors always look out of place as they seem to have nothing to show except their uniforms and don't make much of a force to match the Hetzers, Sd Kfz 250's & Sd Kfz 251's that you see at shows like Military Odessy in the UK.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

At missing-lynx.com Steve Zaloga wrote:

Several years back, I got a catalog from one of the Ukrainian arms export agencies at an international arms show, trying to sell off a lot of WW2 surplus small arms, including Lend-Lease stuff. The old Soviet Army used to keep a lot of stuff in war reserve. Rosobroneksport is trying to clear out their warehouses in much the same way. I seriously doubt there's any German AFVs in the lot unless they're selling off Kubinka stuff. More likely, it is small arms and maybe artillery. Remember that they provided the North Vietnamese with German stuff back in the 1960s (88mm, 20mm AA guns) so they may have some of that sort of thing on hand.

I'm sure they will try to sell off old Soviet AFVs (T-34-85, etc), but everybody and their brother is trying to sell that stuff off. I remember visiting a Polish facility a few years back, and they had a field full of T-34-85 and other stuff for sale. At the time, T-34-85s were selling for about $5,000 (shipping not included!)

BTW, a few years ago, the Israelis were trying to sell off a lot of old AFV stuff including Shermans, etc. They had specs sheets at one of the international arms shows (Eurosatory if I remember right). When I asked them why anybody would buy it, one of the reps said they hoped to sell off the better stuff to collectors and the rest as either scrap or for range targets.