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Man Turns in Soviet Tank During Weapons Amnesty Program
War History Online ^ | May 5, 2021 | Craig Bowman

Posted on 05/09/2021 3:01:41 PM PDT by nickcarraway

A pink tank quickly became the star of the Czech weapons amnesty program. (Photo Credit: PolicieCZ / Twitter) When police in the Czech Republic used a tank in their ad to promote weapons amnesty, they didn’t realize someone would take it so seriously.

The Czech weapons amnesty program is designed to help people who own weapons but not the required paperwork to bring those weapons in and have the police help them obtain the proper documentation so they can keep those weapons legally. Weapons that are known to have been used in a crime are not eligible for the program.

The Czech weapons amnesty brings in some unexpected items An unnamed man brought in a Soviet-era T-34 medium tank, painted pink, and an SD-100 self-propelled artillery platform.

The man believed that he had obtained the weapons legally but was unsure whether they had been properly deactivated.

Police inspected both weapons and found that they had been rendered harmless, but the methods used to deactivate them were not entirely in keeping with current law. The owner was allowed time to fix those issues so that he could keep the weapons.

No explanation was given as to why this particular tank had been painted pink.

These tanks were once very popular The Soviet T-34 is an iconic weapon from World War II. It had a key part in turning back the Nazi invasion of Russia. The German’s nicknamed it the “wunderwaffe” or “wonder weapon,” due to its armor and firepower. There were 35,647 built.

When the Soviets unveiled the T-34 in 1941, they caught the German army off guard. The Germans were becoming overconfident as they moved further into Russia. The T-34’s wide treads made it more maneuverable in the snow and mud. The sloped, thick armor, speed, efficient gun, reliability, and ease of maintenance made them superior on the battlefield. It influenced the development of future main battle tanks.

The T-34/85 brought in to the police is a more recent, upgraded version of the original T-34. It featured an improved gun which was necessary as the Germans adapted their tanks to counter the T-34.

Increased armor on the enemy tanks meant that the Red Army needed a more powerful gun on their own tanks. In total, 22,559 of them were produced. It proved itself to be an improvement over the older models.

Finished t-34 tank leaving the factory in the Urals, 1944. Finished t-34 tank leaving the factory in the Urals, 1944. (Photo Credit: Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The Soviets continued producing the T-34/85 after the war. When newer, improved tanks began to arrive, the older T-34/85s were sent to Soviet allies and satellite countries. Many emerging countries purchased the tanks for their own armies.

Between 1952 and 1958, 3,185 of the tanks were built in Czechoslovakia. Some of these are still in use in countries in Africa.

More from us: False Alarm In German Forest As Adult Toy Mistaken For WWII Grenade

The SD-100 is the Czech-produced version of the Soviet SU-100 self-propelled artillery platform. The Czech Republic was licensed to produce these weapons by the Soviets in the 1950s. The SD-100 features a 100mm gun.

The Czechs produced 771 of the SD-100s between 1953 and 1957. As they phased out the guns after the 1960s, they sold them to other countries. Egypt and Syria used them in the Suez, Six Day, and Yom Kippur Wars.

The Czech weapons amnesty program began in January and is scheduled to last until the end of July.


TOPICS: History; Military/Veterans; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: czechrepublic; sd100; sovietunion; t34; tank
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1 posted on 05/09/2021 3:01:41 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: All

No way. I’m hanging on to my pink Soviet tank.


2 posted on 05/09/2021 3:06:58 PM PDT by BipolarBob (This is my chainsaw. There are many like it but this one is mine.)
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To: BipolarBob

Now we know why Putin was so against Pussy Riot.


3 posted on 05/09/2021 3:11:39 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not Averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: nickcarraway

So, the local gun stores stock ammo for his toys?


4 posted on 05/09/2021 3:13:49 PM PDT by doorgunner69 ("Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.." -Joseph Stalin)
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To: BipolarBob

It’s funny. Let’s look at our constitution for a moment..

First of all it’s not a document that tells us what we can or cannot do. It states what the government can or cannot do, and how it still do those things.

“Regulated” means “kept in good working condition”. It doesn’t mean the government tells us what we’re going to do with those things.

Ever see an antique clock that says “regulated” or “regulator”? Yeah. It’s about keeping things working.

Put constitution states that we are to have arms, kept in working order, by our government.

We don’t have that. They do. That’s sad.


5 posted on 05/09/2021 3:14:57 PM PDT by Celerity
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To: nickcarraway
and an SD-100 self-propelled artillery platform.


6 posted on 05/09/2021 3:27:52 PM PDT by MAAG (Surely the Lord God does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.)
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To: nickcarraway

How could you resist posting this one?

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/news/munitions-clearance-false-alarm.html

“Upon inspection, the team was relieved to discover that the suspect item was not an abandoned grenade dating from the Second World War, but a far more recent product of a burgeoning adult toy industry. Corroboration came in the discovery of condoms and specialist lubricant also found in the bag.

In a statement, Passau police said that “an internet search confirmed the suspicion (that) there are actually sex toys in the form of hand grenades,” and that the “hand-grenade” was, in fact, made of rubber.”


7 posted on 05/09/2021 3:39:56 PM PDT by dynachrome ("I will not be reconstructed, and I do not give a damn.")
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To: nickcarraway
The Czech weapons amnesty brings in some unexpected items An unnamed man brought in a Soviet-era T-34 medium tank, painted pink, and an SD-100 self-propelled artillery platform.

The man believed that he had obtained the weapons legally but was unsure whether they had been properly deactivated.

Police inspected both weapons and found that they had been rendered harmless, but the methods used to deactivate them were not entirely in keeping with current law. The owner was allowed time to fix those issues so that he could keep the weapons.

It is astounding that the former Soviet Block is freeer than the US with regards to keeping and bearing arms.

8 posted on 05/09/2021 3:48:58 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change with out notice.)
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To: MAAG
“Regulated” means “kept in good working condition”

No, "regulated" means subject to regulation. A recognized fighting force must have rules.

A regulated clock is subject to a time-keeping standard. It has nothing to do with whether it is cleaned.

9 posted on 05/09/2021 3:49:53 PM PDT by Fido969 ( Sc)
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To: MAAG

A well kept SU-100 there. And a mighty purty T-34/85 to the side!


10 posted on 05/09/2021 3:51:56 PM PDT by 17th Miss Regt
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To: nickcarraway

I would have kept it.


11 posted on 05/09/2021 4:04:45 PM PDT by rfreedom4u ("You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas")
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To: grey_whiskers
It is astounding that the former Soviet Block is freeer than the US with regards to keeping and bearing arms.

Did you miss the part about all weapons having to be "documented", i.e. registered?

12 posted on 05/09/2021 4:09:54 PM PDT by SeeSharp
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To: nickcarraway

Primer like the sub in Operation Petticoat?


13 posted on 05/09/2021 4:15:08 PM PDT by kalee
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To: doorgunner69

No, you have to go to a gun show. Loopholes and all, you know!


14 posted on 05/09/2021 4:21:38 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Freedom is NOT a loophole!)
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To: nickcarraway

Well, Czech this out


15 posted on 05/09/2021 4:25:12 PM PDT by chajin ("There is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12)
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To: BipolarBob
I’m hanging on to my pink Soviet tank

It's a tankless job, but someone has to do it.

16 posted on 05/09/2021 4:27:08 PM PDT by chajin ("There is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12)
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To: SeeSharp

Do you think the Friggin’ Bunch of Incompetents, would let someone who tried to turn in a tank and an artillery piece, keep them?


17 posted on 05/09/2021 5:04:00 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change with out notice.)
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To: BipolarBob

“No way. I’m hanging on to my pink Soviet tank.”
I’m with you my FRiend! I’m keeping mine too.


18 posted on 05/09/2021 5:07:21 PM PDT by wjcsux (RIP Rush Limbaugh 12 Jan 1951- 17 Feb 2021. We really miss you. 😢)
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To: wjcsux; BipolarBob

Clearly I missed the Oprah episode where ‘You get a free pink tank, and you get a free pink tank, and...’


19 posted on 05/09/2021 5:19:17 PM PDT by posterchild
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To: nickcarraway
The Czech weapons amnesty program is designed to help people who own weapons but not the required paperwork to bring those weapons in and have the police help them obtain the proper documentation so they can keep those weapons legally. Weapons that are known to have been used in a crime are not eligible for the program. what a concept!!!
20 posted on 05/09/2021 5:25:36 PM PDT by Chode (there is no fall back position, there is no rally point, there is no LZ... we're on our own. P144:1)
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