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US Army's last tanks depart from Germany
Stars & Stripes ^ | April 4, 2013 | John Vandiver

Posted on 04/04/2013 11:58:49 AM PDT by Timber Rattler

STUTTGART, Germany — The U.S. Army’s 69-year history of basing main battle tanks on German soil quietly ended last month when 22 Abrams tanks, a main feature of armored combat units throughout the Cold War, embarked for the U.S.

The departure of the last M-1 Abrams tanks coincides with the inactivation of two of the Army’s Germany-based heavy brigades. Last year, the 170th Infantry out of Baumholder disbanded. And the 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade at Grafenwöhr is in the process of doing the same.

On March 18, the remaining tanks were loaded up at the 21st Theater Sustainment Command’s railhead in Kaiserslautern where they then made the journey to the shipping port in Bremerhaven, Germany. There they boarded a ship bound for South Carolina.

(Excerpt) Read more at stripes.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Foreign Affairs; Germany; Government
KEYWORDS: coldwar; europeanunion; germany; tanks; usarmy
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Great! Now get everything else out of the Balkans, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Korea and bring 'em home to the Mexican border!


1 posted on 04/04/2013 11:58:49 AM PDT by Timber Rattler
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To: Timber Rattler

I remember the M-1s in K-town across the river where I was stationed. I remember the 73 Israeli war. We tried to ship a bunch of them on freighters out to Israel from Bremerhaven...the effing NAZI germans wouldn’t allow them to leave.


2 posted on 04/04/2013 12:01:08 PM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Timber Rattler

Does this mean that WWII is finally over?
Did we ever find Hitler?


3 posted on 04/04/2013 12:02:21 PM PDT by sickoflibs (To GOP : Any path to US citizenship IS putting them ahead in line. Stop lying about your position.)
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To: Timber Rattler

70 tons....with rubber road treads for the autobahn....I remember driving alongside them.


4 posted on 04/04/2013 12:02:43 PM PDT by Gaffer
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To: sickoflibs

Don’t mention the war.


5 posted on 04/04/2013 12:03:12 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Timber Rattler

The closing of an era.

Thank you to all who kept a watchful eye on the Fulda Gap during those years, and kept western Europe free.


6 posted on 04/04/2013 12:03:21 PM PDT by DemforBush (Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia!)
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To: dfwgator
RE :”Don’t mention the war.”

???? is it a secret?

7 posted on 04/04/2013 12:05:43 PM PDT by sickoflibs (To GOP : Any path to US citizenship IS putting them ahead in line. Stop lying about your position.)
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To: sickoflibs

8 posted on 04/04/2013 12:06:51 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Timber Rattler
So it only takes a ‘sequestration’ cut.

Congress should have let sequestration happen a long time ago.

/sarc mode = off

9 posted on 04/04/2013 12:07:29 PM PDT by Sir Napsalot (Pravda + Useful Idiots = CCCP; JournOList + Useful Idiots = DopeyChangey!)
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To: Timber Rattler

I love tanks, but I think their day has passed. The only thing they’re good for now is running over unarmed civilians, and we don’t do that. Tanks will continue to be used by many regimes who do like running down civilians.

A $10,000 drone can take out a $10,000,000 tank.

Expect the same thing with piloted attack aircraft. Eventually all devices will be remote or robotic.

The real pisser is that the colonization of space will be done by remote/robotic control! How’s that for crazy?


10 posted on 04/04/2013 12:07:39 PM PDT by Born to Conserve
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To: Timber Rattler

You think we need to remove our fighting capabilities and store them all in Texas and Arizona and New Mexico?


11 posted on 04/04/2013 12:07:43 PM PDT by ansel12 (The lefts most effective quote-I'm libertarian on social issues, but conservative on economics.)
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To: Gaffer

They weren’t M-1’s in 73 Friend


12 posted on 04/04/2013 12:10:46 PM PDT by STD ( Intellectual marxism, a wrecking crew, dismantling civilization)
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To: Gaffer

Had a buddy in Germany in the 80s. Said he was driving on the a-baun at about 60mph (in a jeep) and got passed by a M-1.

Then they put the governors on them. :(


13 posted on 04/04/2013 12:11:14 PM PDT by Conan the Librarian (The Best in Life is to crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and the Dewey Decimal System)
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To: Timber Rattler

The guy on the right is having a hard time lifting that tank with a rope but the guys underneath are doing a great job of helping.


14 posted on 04/04/2013 12:14:24 PM PDT by count-your-change (you don't have to be brilliant, not being stupid is enough)
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To: STD

Weren’t they M-60’s then?


15 posted on 04/04/2013 12:15:48 PM PDT by laplata (The Answer To 1984 Is 1776)
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To: Gaffer
I remember the M-1s in K-town across the river where I was stationed. I remember the 73 Israeli war. We tried to ship a bunch of them on freighters out to Israel from Bremerhaven...the effing NAZI germans wouldn’t allow them to leave.

Maybe you are thinking of the M60? The M1 didn't enter service till around 80'.

16 posted on 04/04/2013 12:15:52 PM PDT by Longbow1969
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To: dfwgator
Elder Herr: "Will you stop talking about the war?"
Basil: "Me?! You started it!"
Elder Herr: "We did not start it!"
Basil: "Yes you did, you invaded Poland!"

17 posted on 04/04/2013 12:16:22 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: count-your-change

I think we need to closde down the German and Japanese bases,
bring the troops home.


18 posted on 04/04/2013 12:16:25 PM PDT by Mmogamer (I refudiate the lamestream media, leftists and their prevaricutions.)
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To: DemforBush

Where in the hell are our Cold War medals, congress?


19 posted on 04/04/2013 12:16:42 PM PDT by Ax
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To: Timber Rattler
cold war tanks photo: tanks in germany cold war coldwartanks.jpg

Whole lot of years since tanks went nose to nose in Berlin...

20 posted on 04/04/2013 12:17:54 PM PDT by Snickering Hound
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