WWII Buffalo LVT recovered after 74 years underground

[adt70hk]

Just found this on the BBC.....it looks in remarkably good nick all things considered......

ATB.

Andrew

Crowland WWII Buffalo LVT dug up after 74 years underground

The craft is in "fantastic" condition despite its subterranean stay says the man behind the dig.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Jakko]

More photos here:

Volunteers spend five days digging out WW2 amphibious vehicle

The 26ft-long Buffalo military tank was excavated by a team of volunteers who spent five days digging the lands beneath the Cambridgeshire Fens.

www.dailymail.co.uk

It’s a fairly (but not very) early LVT (4), without a bow machine gun but with the hatches in the roof staggered instead of both being equally far forward. It also has the mounting for the 20 mm Polsten gun still on the roof.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Reading the report it sounds like there are three others around there somewhere?

 

[adt70hk]

Reading the report it sounds like there are three others around there somewhere?

Indeed.

 

[JR]

Thanks Andrew, nice to see the photos, esp the recovery vehicles.One looked to be ex army .

 

[adt70hk]

Thanks Andrew, nice to see the photos, esp the recovery vehicles.One looked to be ex army .

John,

No problem at all.

Couldn't believe how good a condition it came out in and no obvious large amounts of rust.

Can only assume that being buried reduced the amount of oxygen it was exposed to and so reduced the amount of rust.

ATB.

Andrew

 

[Jakko]

On another forum where I posted a link to this story, someone found a clip that shows why these LVTs are there:

They were apparently used to repair a dyke that had broken, by being put into the gap and covered over.

 

[adt70hk]

On another forum where I posted a link to this story, someone found a clip that shows why these LVTs are there:

They were apparently used to repair a dyke that had broken, by being put into the gap and covered over.

Thanks Jakko. Read it was to do it with flood defences but hadn't seen this. Thanks for posting.

 

[GerryW]

Just had this on the local news - think the family were a bit peeved that I knew what it was all about!