Tank cemeteries are unique places that exist on different corners of the planet. It is difficult to believe, but even today, anyone can find themselves at the training ground, where tens and hundreds of military vehicles rest, they turned out to be abandoned and useless to anyone. In this article we will talk about several such places.
Otterburn ridges
One of the most famous tank cemeteries is located in the north of England. Otterburn is a small town located 50 kilometers from Newcastle.
Here is a huge national park, known as Northumberland. 23% of its territory is owned by the Ministry of Defense. A large-scale training ground is located here, as well as the last resting place of tanks, some of which are still used for training personnel.
It is amazing that in this tank cemetery several military vehicles look as if completely untouched. Only their bodies, tracks and bearings begin to cover the rust. Others are very badly damaged, almost all of them remained from them.
Cars are located in a picturesque place, photos of the cemetery of tanks against the background of the vast English expanses are amazing and fascinating.
Kabul
In the 20th century, Afghanistan became the site of a large-scale war in which Soviet soldiers fulfilled their international duty. After the units of the USSR army were withdrawn from the territory of this republic in 1989, many equipment and machinery remained abandoned. They became one more victims of this merciless civil war in which there were no winners.
Dozens of tanks rusting under the scorching Asian sun, built in the 1960-1970s, can be seen today in the vicinity of the Afghan capital of Kabul.
True, some of them that are best preserved are given a second life. They are trying to repair, re-launch, to use in the war against the Taliban, which until recently was actively led by government troops.
Fort knox
Fort Knox in the US state of Kentucky is a city in whose territory one of the most famous American military bases is located. It is currently operated by the US Army. Until 2010, it was used as a tank school.
It was at Fort Knox that the American military was trained for several decades. When the training center was moved from here, there were many abandoned tanks that were used as targets for a long time.
Plain of Kuvshinov
One of the most amazing and unconventional tank cemeteries is located in the Asian country of Laos. It has a romantic and unusual name - Kuvshinov Plain.
There are several abandoned Russian tanks. There are not so many of them here as in other places, but this place attracts tourists from all over the world.
The Kuvshinov Plain, also known as the Plain of Jars, remains one of the unsolved great secrets. This is an amazing field in Laos, completely strewn with giant stone jugs of unknown origin. Some of them are relatively small, in others an adult would have been able to hide. It is still unclear who built them and when. Only all possible versions are put forward.
According to one of the most common theories of the origin of these ancient jugs, they were used to make wine. Other scientists believe that they collected rainwater or buried tribesmen.
The Kuvshinov Plain is the site of the large-scale hostilities that unfolded here during the Vietnam War. More than 2 million tons of bombs were dropped on these fields by the U.S. Air Force. It is estimated that there are still about 80 million unexploded ordnance and small ammunition. Amazing stone jugs survived almost miraculously.
Kharkiv
The tank cemetery in Kharkov is one of the largest in the territory of the former USSR. It is located on the territory of the plant, which repaired these military vehicles. Today there are about 500 tanks that were produced by the Malyshev plant from 1946 to 1991 for their own needs and for export. There are several hundred tons of tracks, engines, gearboxes and trucks. Hundreds of completely useless tanks today are without visible defects, damage and just rust. Some of them have been actively disassembled in recent years.
The scale of this tank cemetery is amazing. To get around the accumulation of military vehicles around the perimeter, it will take about an hour and a half. Here are not only tanks, but also armored personnel carriers.
Kursk Bulge
The largest tank cemetery in Russia is located on Kursk. This is the memory of one of the largest battles of the Great Patriotic War. In the summer of 1943, the main events of the Battle of Kursk unfolded here. For example, the legendary battle near Prokhorovka, which became the largest tank battle in world history. About one and a half thousand tanks of the Red Army and the Wehrmacht took part in it. Hundreds of combat vehicles remained lined up and immobilized.
An important part of this battle was the battle for the village of Rzhavets, on which the Nazi forces attacked with the forces of an entire tank corps, but failed. As you know, the Battle of Kursk ended in the triumph of the Soviet troops, becoming one of the turning points of the Great Patriotic War.
Today, the tank cemetery on the Kursk Bulge mainly rests in the floodplain of the Seversky Donets River. The exact number of combat vehicles that still remain under silt is not known for certain.
In recent years, large-scale excavations have been conducted in these places. Search engines leave no hope of raising at least one tank to the surface. In 2016, they managed to extract from the 2-meter depth the skeleton of the 7-ton T-34.
As a result of the inspection, it was found that ammunition exploded inside the combat vehicle. The tank itself was badly damaged. Historians suggest that it belonged to the 11th mechanized brigade, led by Colonel Grishchenko. In this place, this military unit just lost four tanks that drowned.
Attempts to raise the remaining armored vehicles from the bottom of the river continue.
Eritrean War of Independence
For almost three decades, the war continued for the independence of the small African state of Eritrea from Ethiopia. Today, rusty tanks that remained near the capital of Asmara remain a reminder of those times.
This armed conflict lasted from 1961 to 1991. Ethiopian government forces took part in it, which opposed the separatists from Eritrea.
Like the civil war, the battle ended after fleeing the country of Mengistu Haile Mariam, who served as president. In Ethiopia, the power of the interim government was established, which held a referendum in Eritrea. Two days after the announcement of its official results, the independence of the new country was announced.
In total, about 230 thousand people became victims of the war. The tank cemetery today serves as a sad reminder of this tragedy.
Flamenco Beach
In the middle of the 20th century, the American Flamenco Beach in Puerto Rico began to be used to develop methods of bombing and military exercises.
Perhaps the most affected island is Vikues. As a result, in the 1970s it was even proposed to relocate all the inhabitants from it, since it was recognized as the most dangerous landfill in the world.
This decision provoked massive protests from local residents. As a result, President Nixon ordered the liquidation of the military base, taking all the equipment.
But two tanks on the beach still remained. They serve as a reminder of these times today.