Mon, Mar 15 2010

FORGOTTEN NAZI-ERA TANKS ON BULGARIA'S BORDER TO BE REMOVED

Mon, Aug 20 2007 14:51 CET 1441 Views

Around 40 German World War II tanks are still situated on Bulgarian-Turkish border, but will be scrapped in the autumn of 2007.

Instead of scrapping the German tanks after World War II, the communist regime in Bulgaria used them to guard the southern border of the Warsaw Pact against the neighbouring NATO member, according to Deutsche Welle.

The tanks continued their patrol until the regime collapsed in 1989. After that, the tank positions, in towns like Sharkovo and Voden, were forgotten.

In 2004, Bulgaria itself joined NATO.

Petko Iotov, director the Museum of Military History in Sofia said that "now we have no enemy to the south."

Though Iotov expressed hope that his museum might acquire the tanks, he expects stiff competition and high prices, possibly up to 50 000 euros for one tank.

The tanks are filled with spider webs and rust, though the serial number, eagle stamp and swastikas are still visible.

The moveable parts of the tanks have long since been taken by collectors and scrap-metal dealers.

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