Chances are, your town or local area has some sort of war memorial and that war memorial may have an old piece of iron at it. Maybe it is some sort of a gun, maybe it is even a tank or a personnel carrier, right? Every gearhead in their right mind has looked at that memorial (or their local version) and wondered if the display item was capable of actually starting up and running. Logic always led us to believe that the dream was an impossibility. As history has shown us, nothing is impossible in Russia, especially when it comes to the bizarre and this video is even further proof. Although this happened years ago, we still think that it rules. What’s the story?
Well the basic gist of the thing is that two Russian mechanics were checking out this old relic and saw that it still had an engine. They then apparently figured out how to fire up the auxiliary starter engine engine, supply some fuel, and with some handy mechanic’n all the pieces were in place to actually attempt to start the thing. Note that at no point did anyone stop them, question them, or otherwise try to dissuade them from doing what they did. We’re guessing that the figured the two guys were dumb and there was no point in yelling at them anyway. Their opinions may have changed when the tank started up!
Built around 1945 and placed on the pedestal about 20 years ago, this thing is officially a “living memorial”! The engine is a 600hp V12 diesel and as you can see, it smokes like a tire fire when it is running (or semi-running as it sounds like the starter is still working). Pretty wild!
There is another report on this story that the video was taken during the 1994 was that the country was in and what we are actually seeing is people bringing this tank to life for one side to use against the other. If that is the case and they actually reanimated this thing, drove it off the pedestal and into some hostilities, that is even more amazing. No matter the circumstances, this is pretty neat to watch.
“Comrade…are tank is smoking badly and we’ve had too much to drink so…let’s park this thing on that concrete pad and….Get the F out of here!!!
That thing smokes like a 72 Chevy Nova I had with a 307 V8 !
What really happened was that the famed Russian Reggae band Boris Marleovic and the Wailers were having a relaxing smoke in the tank when one of the stoned out idiots accidentally hit the starter.
Those sure ain’t exhaust fumes – tovarich!
At the Veteran’s home in my town is an M60 tank that the National Guard drove off the trailer and onto the display pad and then pulled the batteries and welded the hatches shut. I’m sure they torched the breach block too but I’ve seen a Sherman in Nevada at a VFW hall that had an intact breach block so these things do get missed.
Patton Park in Hamilton Mass had (still has ?) a Shermon as a monument. Into the 1970’s the Army would still show up with batteries and turn the engine over and run it once in a while ..
Eventually the bottom access/escape hatch was welded shut and it ran no more.
Seafoam
Stuff is magic.
This is a propaganda video put up by the Russian backed separatists that are fighting in eastern Ukraine. That being said it’s not worth any comments as that would only feed Russian trolls.