When Czech police featured a tank in their advertisement promoting a weapons amnesty, they never expected anyone to take the message quite so literally. The program was intended to give people who possessed weapons without the proper permits a chance to turn them in, complete the necessary paperwork, and retain them legally. The initiative proved highly successful, with officials receiving thousands of weapons during the amnesty period.
Czech police didn’t expect the amnesty program to produce a tank
The Czech weapons amnesty program in question occurred in 2021, at which time the man from Hradec Králové decided it was the perfect opportunity to bring in not only a Soviet-era T-34-85 tank, but an SD-100 tank destroyer. The tank was rather unique in that it had been painted pink. No explanation was ever given as to the paint job.
When asked about how he came to possess the armored vehicles, the man explained they’d came into his possession in the 1990s and that he believed he’d obtained them legally. However, he was unsure if they’d been properly deactivated.
Czech police inspected both and found they’d been rendered harmless, but that the methods used weren’t entirely in keeping with current laws. As such, the owner was allowed time to fix any outstanding issues, so he could keep them in his possession.
T-34s were a popular tank during the Soviet era
The T-34 tank was an iconic armored vehicle that dates back to the Second World War. It played a key role in pushing back the German invasion of Russia, thanks to its armor and firepower.
Unveiled in 1941, the tank immediately caught the German forces off guard. Its wide treads made it more maneuverable in both the snow and mud, and its sloped armor, speed, efficient gun, reliability and ease of maintenance made it a superior battlefield weapon. In fact, it was so effective that it influenced the development of future main battle tanks (MBTs).
Outside of World War II, the T-34 and its variants saw use in a number of conflicts, including the Korean, Soviet-Afghan, Six-Day and Vietnam wars.
Which T-34 variant did the man present to Czech police?
The T-34-85 presented to Czech police as part of the 2021 weapons amnesty program was a more recent, upgraded version of the original tank. It featured an improved 85 mm gun, a necessary upgrade toward the end of WWII, given the Germans had adapted their own tanks to counter the Soviet armored vehicle; the increased armor on enemy tanks meant the Red Army needed a more powerful gun on their own.
In total, over 22,500 were produced, with the variant proving itself to be an improvement over older models.
The USSR continued manufacturing the T-34-85 after the conflict. When newer, improved tanks came off the production line, the older models were given to Soviet allies and satellite countries.
SU-100 tank destroyer
The SD-100 was Czechoslovakia’s variant of the Soviet SU-100 tank destroyer. Originally developed late in World War II, the SU-100 made a powerful debut thanks to its D-10S 100 mm anti-tank gun—a weapon that would later be adapted as the main armament of the Soviet T-55, where it was designated the D-10T.
Although the vehicle was gradually withdrawn from service during the 1960s, it continued to be exported to Soviet-aligned nations and members of the Warsaw Pact. In this role, it saw extensive combat use, appearing in conflicts such as the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, and the Suez Crisis, where it faced Israeli-operated M4 Sherman tanks.