German WWII assault gun stolen near Moscow
October 20th, 2011 - 2:57 am ICT by IANSMoscow, Oct 20 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A rare German-made self-propelled assault gun has disappeared from a memorial site near Moscow after being replaced with a copy during restoration, according to prosecutors.
One of the few remaining Sturmgeschutz III Ausf D assault guns was dug up from a marsh in the 1980s and set up as a memorial near the village of Strokovo - the site of fierce battles during the German push on Moscow in 1941.
The vehicle was recently dismantled for restoration work, but when it was put back on a pedestal in July 2011, it turned out to be a similar-looking copy made with the use of modern technology, prosecutors said in a statement.
According to the investigation, local authorities contracted a firm that had no license to carry out reconstruction works, but rather traded in furniture and home appliances.
A criminal case has been opened over the disappearance, it was reported Oct 3.
Stug III Ausf D is a slight modification of the original Stug III assault gun. A total of 150 vehicles were manufactured from May to September 1941.
Another remaining Stug III Ausf D is on display at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
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Tags: assault gun, assault guns, criminal case, disappearance, german wwii, great patriotic war, home appliances, local authorities, marsh, modern technology, moscow, pedestal, prosecutor general, prosecutors, reconstruction works, restoration work, ria novosti, snb, stug iii, sturmgeschutz iii