Thankfully the Houffalize Panther has been tidied up,and now returned to the town. A fitting memorial to the liberation of the town in 1944 and to the soldiers both Allied and German who fell in the last winter of WW2.
Three more tanks are standing a little further away in Celles (Panther), Grandmenil (Panther) and La Gleize (Tiger II)
Has it been returned ????
Yes it has HistoryMan, back to where it was originally in Houffalize.
Nice one !!! I am hoping to be back in the Ardennes over Christmas !!! Have to call in again ! its been 6 years !!!
It great that this tank has had some conservation, and put back where it belongs.
It will look even better when it snows, hopefully some one will be able to take a picture of it.
I've got a thing about tanks in snow...
Having had the luxury (and privilege) of spending a week holidaying in Houffalize just a few yards from the restored Panther I was able to photograph it (many times ! ) as the sun and shdows moved around. So here are some shots of this remarkable survivor of the 116th Panzer Divisions' Bulge attack and eventual rearguard action. The tank is now safely under cover from the elements and still enables unrestricted viewing. I reckon the guys at Bastogne Barracks have done a superb job and it's nice to see previously missing details ( eg the spare roadwheel, tracklinks, engine covers etc ) sensitively replaced and the correct number of tracklinks now give a correct-looking 'sag' to the tracks.
It's a fantastic 'Bulge' relic and all involved are to be congratulated !
( I'm quite sad to be back at home with no real Panther to look at every day..... )
I'm not sure how I feel about the fact it stands in a quarry, the large rocks would not be easy for a tank to negotiate (perhaps it is a small reminder of where it ended up after coming off the bridge into the river). A great restoration for sure and will be there for many years to come now I'm sure. Great pictures Martin.
I am so glad that they all escaped the liquid wrench-AKA the torch. thanks for posting.
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