In Latvia, many stories about equipment sunk in swamps and lakes have been preserved. Although there are many confirmed cases, there are also many cases where tanks are not found. There are 2,256 lakes in Latvia whose surface area exceeds 1 hectare. That is why many lakes or swamps in Latvia have a legend about a sunken plane, tank, or at least an army truck.
Table of Contents
Discovery of sunken tanks
If you have information about a sunken tank or plane in Latvian water bodies, report it to a specialist. You will probably benefit from an experienced historical researcher, a search team with hardware, and once the hardware has detected the presence of metal, an underwater diver will participate in the search operation, who may find the tank underwater. Our team diver has spent more than 300 hours and can work, both in summer and winter, up to 50 meters deep.
- If you have information about the tank in the lake, write to the diving club Facebook or WhatsApp 220-77-202.
- We will pass the information on to the specialist of the military museum, who will evaluate the information, send an underwater search team, and if the information is confirmed, you will receive compensation for providing the information!
- Eyewitness, if you know information about historical places, send information... If the information about the equipment - tank, plane, truck under water, is confirmed, the diving club "Divings" will give you diving training for the whole family (4 people) worth 1600Eur. WhatsApp 220-77-202.
What does it take to find a tank in a lake?
- Accurately collect information about the event, from at least 3 independent witnesses;
- Collect information about the owner and coordinate search operations with it, if necessary (this will be done by a museum representative);
- Underwater search equipment – computer programs, boat, sonar Humminbird, Garmin or Lowrance, underwater metal detector Minelab, Garret or Fisher and army magnetometer Vallon, Sensys or Magnex;
- Search works per day, for a professionally equipped team, cost around 200.00-300.00 Eur/day.
Tanks found in Latvian lakes
In the history of Latvia, it is associated with the Soviet tanks T-34 and IS-2 found in the swamp near Pienava in the summer of 1999. Enthusiasts pulled both tanks out of the swamp... Currently, both tanks have been restored and are on display at the Museum of Military Equipment in Svente.
Tanks found in Baltic lakes
A boy in Estonia, while walking with his parents along Lake Kurta in Estonia, noticed a strange void between the trees that formed a line. At first it looked like the wreckage of a military vehicle was being pulled out, but the discovery turned out to be even more remarkable. Shortly after, a fully preserved World War II tank was pulled from the lake. Specialists who have looked at the tank in more detail have concluded that it is originally a T34/76A type tank of the Red Army. German soldiers took this tank from the Red Army and painted their identification marks on the sides and front of the tank.
Why do tanks and planes end up in lakes and swamps?
Swamps and lakes cover more than 12% of the territory of Latvia. The war took place throughout Latvia, clashes and battles between the Red Army and German troops also took place in swampy areas. For many years after the end of the Second World War, the places of the fiercest battles were littered with equipment that had been shot down or exploded shortly after the war. Over the course of several years, it was gradually collected and brought to the metal melting furnaces of "Sarkanā Metalurga" in Liepāja.
The lost equipment of the army, which had got stuck in a swamp during the battle, the soldiers who had lost it did not hurry, often forgot about it or were unable to retrieve it. It is different about wartime planes, if they were shot down, the pilots tried to direct them to places with a safer landing, a "softer landing" as possible could save the life of the pilot and the crew, as well as the equipment, so the planes ended up in lakes and swamps, where they sank. The second most common version is the destruction of equipment and war materials by sinking them - so as not to leave them for the enemy.
In Latvia, the remains of airplanes are relatively often found, but from tanks - their parts, most often parts of tank chains, wheels and repair tools, but much less often, fragments of various armor. Relatively recently, a group of history and mechanics enthusiasts found a blown-up Tiger I heavy tank of the German army near Liepāja, which is being patiently restored.
The latest news about World War II tanks found in Latvian lakes
The heavy tank of the German army was discovered by a team of divers who carried out another survey of the Latvian lake. They stumbled upon the tank while exploring the lakebed and were surprised to find a well-preserved World War II German tank at the bottom of the lake.
The discovery of the World War II legacy has raised many questions, including how it ended up in the lake in the first place. Some experts believe that the tank may have been abandoned by the German army during their retreat from the area during the war. Others speculate that the tank may have been driven into the lake as part of a post-war clean-up operation.
Regardless of its origin, the discovery of the 30-tonne piece of machinery has sparked interest among history buffs and sparked debate over how best to preserve the tank. Some argue that the well-preserved tank should be lifted out of the lake and placed in a museum where it can be properly preserved and studied. Others believe the tank should be left in the lake as a tribute to the soldiers who fought and died during World War II and left only for divers to view.
While the discovery of the German army tank is exciting, it also serves as a reminder of the devastation and destruction caused by World War II. The tank is a symbol of the horrors of war and the sacrifices of soldiers on both sides of the conflict.
Potential tank sites are reported to be located in Latvian lakes or swamps
- In Dunika parish, one of the most surprising places is the Dunika moor, which is crossed by a 5.3 km long boardwalk built by the "Latvijas valsts mežu" with several rest areas. On the southern side of the swamp, there is a grove of Lukne hornbeams. This is the only place in Latvia where common hornbeam grows in a pure stand on an area of 11 ha. In Lukne, it has reached the extreme northwestern limit of its distribution. The Dunikas bog also has an important cultural and historical value: in 1936, a 9th century was found in the bog. deposit of Curse antiquities, which includes two shields of spruce boards. According to local residents, a tank also sank in the swamp during the war, but no one has yet managed to find it.
- Ciecere lake, Saldus district. There is a tank in Lake Ciecere, eyewitnesses report that it is the heavy tank "Tiger 1" of the German army. The witness says that it is impossible to pull out, as the lake has a double bottom, mud and deep. The eyewitness also states that theoretically there should be a couple of planes there, the lake is big and the battles were intense around the lake. During the war there was a wooden bridge across. The time of the airstrike was blown up and the equipment sank.
- Representatives of Sausnėja parish want to retrieve a Soviet warplane sunk in the Second World War from the swamp, informed Liena Kārkliņa, chairwoman of Sausnėja parish council. "We know that another Soviet warplane is stored at the bottom of the lake in the territory of our parish. The search group promised to tackle this object as well," said Kārkliņa. "All of us in the parish have known for a long time that the IL-2 strike plane with all the pilots, which fell here during the war, is located in the Plauži bog. The plane was shot down in 1944. It must be understood that over time the plane has sunk deeper and deeper. So it is not easy to access it," said Kārkliņa.
- Cepliši swamp. Purva, according to eyewitness accounts, 1944. , a tank has sunk in a place in Ceprlīši swamp. The eyewitness reports that enterprising young people had searched, but could not agree on a price for a digging permit with the City Council. Another eyewitness reports that an SZSA tank T34 or an American Sherman or a British Mark used by the "Red Army" also sank near Strautnieki. 8 years ago said the owner of this house.
- Niniera lake, Cēsi district. Eyewitnesses say that a tank sank in Lake Niniera during the Second World War. "The echo sounder is absolutely miles on the lake," says Valdis, a resident of Cēsis.
- Eyewitness, if you know information about historical places, send information... If the information about the equipment - tank, plane, truck under water, is confirmed, the diving club "Divings" will give you diving training for the whole family (4 people) worth 1600Eur. WhatsApp 220-77-202.
