Recently the famous Polish satirist Jerzy Skoczylas was there. The grand old man of humor in Poland wanted to fulfill a lifelong dream. Driving a tank once! Of course he was right with Roman the tank mechanic and his boys: in the Museum of Military Technology (Muzeum Techniki Wojskowej) in Zabrze you can find everything that human ingenuity has thought up for wars and battles. Roman, a small man with a broad grin, enthusiastically leads the way through the garages and across the open spaces, which are filled with tanks, armored personnel carriers, airplanes and rockets.
A place for Boys
Every boy's heart opens here, even if such mountains of war material always have a touch of oppression these days. Roman, who has oil-smeared hands and is wearing work trousers, can quickly dispel all prejudices with his passion. He has a story for every machine, every plane and every motorcycle. He is particularly proud of the "Korfanty" armored car, which he and his fellow hobbyists painstakingly rebuilt. They have a good sense of humor here and describe their museum as “run by women”, because, Roman said: "Our girls are the chiefs of us".
More than 100 years ago, a platoon of Polish sailors had pieced together the improvised tank from a truck to fight in the Third Silesian Uprising against the Germans. Later the strange vehicle was destroyed. But now it's back: 100 years after it was developed by Marine Lieutenant Robert Oszek, the "Korfanty" is running again, although, as Roman reveals with a laugh, it only has plastic plates, not heavy metal plates.
Driving with all of them
They're building everywhere here, but mostly it's repairs that need to be made, as Roman says. Many of the military vehicles that were decommissioned in the Polish and Czech, East German and Russian armies, but also in West Germany and Denmark, were bought as ruins somewhere or given to them by patrons. But the goal is to be able to drive with everyone again - guests like the joker Skoczylas like to take advantage of the offer to drive around in the adjacent open-air area in a T 34 or climb on a German Leopard and kick up dust as if they were going into battle.
Roman's enthusiasm for all the technology is obvious. This is not a tank cemetery, but a place where the military past lives. These machines can still roar, even if they can no longer fire due to international regulations on military technology.
At family celebrations in the museum, known for short as "MilAm", many children come with their fathers, their mothers in tow, to marvel at the monsters in olive green.
Monsters in olive green
They are all waiting for the public here, more of them than in some museums that are run with state funds: the T-55, the T-72 and the Leopard. Behind it are IFV, the mighty WZT, BRDM and even BTR. If you don't know the abbreviations, everything is explained in detail and with a smile.
Although the private museum of military hobbyists can hardly advertise itself because there is no money for it, guests come from far away places and even from abroad. On weekends, Roman's colleague Piotr organizes competitions for tanks to cross the training area on time to complete tasks such as parking precisely in a specific location.
Undoubtedly, all the enthusiasts who dedicate every free minute to the restoration of these vehicles are not militarists who glorify war. It's all a lot of work, says Roman, and financing it is also difficult because just one round of tank driving uses as much diesel as a car ride to the North Pole.
Expensive Passion
And then there are the many little things that men have to take care of, without young people rushing to join in. “If you haven't been in the military yourself, you have no connection to it,” believes Roman. The countless rifles, artillery pieces, uniforms and equipment that the men's group has collected must be cared for, repaired and kept in good condition.
“But we all have fun,” says Roman. Only here can you see what incredibly large and deadly machines these tanks are, which are identical in construction and are still in use in Ukraine today.
And it also shows how terrible the conditions must be that young soldiers endure in action: There is hardly room for five people in the back of an armored personnel carrier, but as Roman says, eight have to sit here in an emergency. With their equipment, i.e. huge backpacks and bulky weapons.
Nobody wants that, especially after they've seen it all. “In the film it all seems cool and great,” says Roman, “but out in the field it’s terrible.” The only thing worse are the rockets that they set up between a circle of party tents. “They come out of nowhere and hit you before you realize you’re dead.” Roman wipes his oily fingers on an old rag. He doesn't laugh anymore.
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