I was just kind of surfing around on YouTube recently and saw this video about a bunch of abandoned WWII era tanks in Iraq found during the invasion. Some of the tanks shown are, afaik, quite rare and very collectable (I guess). Was just wondering if anyone here knows the story behind them. My WAG is that Saddam was a collector, though it doesn’t look like anyone has bothered to maintain or restore any of the ones in the video. I did a quick Google search, but basically just found the video again. Anyone know how they got there or any of the stories behind them…or what eventually happened to them?
They’re probably WW2 surplus that the Iraqi Army bought in the 1940s and 1950, used until the 1980s, and when they finally all broke down they left them to rot.
Or more likely, Tanks which got taken out of whichever yard they were rusting and rushed into service during the 80’s wars, when the supply situation got problematic, and they later found that it was cheaper just to leave them in place.
As I remember, y’all did a fine job with your old Shermans into the 80’s, your own selves.