The Pensioner Who Hid A WWII Panther Tank In His Basement

[@vengeance1]

"You're not allowed to collect a tank, you need to sell it to another collector."

[@Oliver_Saer]

I thought the same thing, but I assume it's a foreign collector from a country which allows it.

[@nickcooper8995]

Sad but true

[@OverlordZephyros]

Museums are not technically collectors since they are open to public

[@jameshudson169]

@@OverlordZephyros technically museums collect things so they'd be collectors.

[@bavarianshooter]

typical german nonsense

[@axl0506]

According to reports, the pensioner used his Panther to clear snow from the road in winter. His neighbors liked him

[@claywatterson1195]

I'm surprised I haven't heard of a US citizen using a tank for snow removal.

[@Grisbane]

@@claywatterson1195 heh, i have. back in the blizzard of 93 the town 3 miles down the street from where i lived in PA had a de-weaponized sherman with a dozer blade on it sitting on display. it ran, they drove it there. well, they needed anything that could move snow, which it definitely could, and appropriated the sherman to do just that. was a one time thing and they got more snow equipment a year later. good, thing because then 96 happened. anyways, it is an extremely rare thing but not completely unheard of.

[@TheBigExclusive]

​@@claywatterson1195 - oh its been done before in the USA. You can look it up.

[@akumaking1]

@@Grisbaneis the tank still around?

[@qwertycoupe]

@@claywatterson1195or atleast a show and tell in school 😂

[@beanhavok2287]

The man's PROPERTY was not a secret. As late as the late 90s, he would occasionally bring the Panther Tank out, especially when local roads were snowed over. He was known to pull people stranded in the high snow out of their trap. Even after 1978. In the early 2000s he became to old, and the upkeep just became to expensive. GIVE THE OLD MAN HIS PROPERTY BACK!

[@Mrtweet81]

As they just said in the video we all just saw… 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@misterhuman895]

what was this mans name and what was the name of the governor of the town? and the towns name?

[@lostbutfreesoul]

@@misterhuman895 It was surprisingly hard, and the name I found was: Klaus-Dieter F. Although I will say, the more I read on this matter... yeah: DO NOT GIVE THIS GUY ANYTHING BACK! Rich old German guy, building a Ruhmeshalle devoted to his favorite period in German history. We might all be talking about the tank, but what about the altars of 'not-see' worship? What about the thousands of other weapons and ammo they took out of this persons mansion?

[@misterhuman895]

@@lostbutfreesoul what do you mean worship? its not that deep, they had a really fascinating military culture this man has a right to own property does he not? he couldve opened a museum, imagine how awesome that would be

[@redgeneral5792]

Imagine getting your car pulled out of a ditch by a Panther tank!

[@Slayer_Pro]

Stole this man's collection and billed him 250k

[@elijahevo6859]

thats the german government for ya

[@pmgear]

@@elijahevo6859 exactly what I was thinking, German laws in general are very restrictive, like speech, not taking the jab which has its origin, as I understand, from WW2 but also from the communist terrorist era they suffered in the 70s

[@doomedoptimism1015]

@@pmgear sounds like you might be interested in the magic beans im selling, i'll give you a great deal

[@claywatterson1195]

Germany has had many issues since 1918. With 1933-1945 being the worst years.

[@antoniogivaldri5184]

It's not really the German government, secretly owning a tank, and lying about secretly owning a tank, is illegal in most countries. You can legally own and drive a decommissioned tank in the majority of EU member states and the US, even though in Germany, that's still illegal.

[@barkingmouse8152]

It was a private museum and they destroyed it's running gear while stealing it.

[@JohnDoe-ch6qy]

@@fadate7292 Entire schtick of n4zis during ww2 was to report anyone you find suspicious, they sure kept it up

[@Bricky_comedian]

Why couldn’t they just buy the property off him and turn it into an actual museum

[@Vertutame]

@@Bricky_comedian They didn't steal him the tank they just put in the base and tell him to sell it cause he can't have it. It's more of safety protocol and atm Germany didn't want any problem that's related to WW2

[@clanpsi]

@@Bricky_comedian My thought as well. I'd love to see his full collection.

[@Veritas-invenitur]

After WW2, Germany needed to fix its public image so they banned anything and everything associated with the war.

[@ED-yy4te]

"Did I see you having fun?"

[@Noobish_Camper55]

One of the most crucial German laws is no fun. Without it, society would fall apart.

[@chaorazul_4477]

ZERE IS NEIN FAN HERE ONLY ARBEIT!!

[@commisaryarreck3974]

STRENG VERBOTEN! Heil merkel, worship your former Stasi agent officials now. No fun allowed

[@paleoph6168]

"Ze healing is not as rewarding as ze hurting."

[@Mere-Lachaiselongue]

@@Noobish_Camper55 The guys that fought against the people east of France all wanted this! You break it, YOU buy it! Unless you're a [CENSORED] you deserve ALL the "rewards" and "benefits" of "winning" that [CENSORED]!!

[@grandadmiralzaarin4962]

Let's be honest, we'd all like a tank

[@DumbEpicGaming]

everyone would

[@phantomsvk5128]

@@DumbEpicGaming yea but not people in US when i think in 90s someone stole a tank and go destroy city after all

[@mrguerrero6278]

Fr I want a world war two tank any even bob sample heck yea

[@madcatgains]

I present to you: 'TankNutDave' who does not own the tank (I guess?) but gets to casually drive the tank on the road to a petrol station. kzbin.info/www/bejne/en20moibaK2AiNUsi=YZzYk3TGL_WiNrgN

[@DumbEpicGaming]

@@phantomsvk5128 people in the us too, just cause some bored veteran decided to steal a tank cuz he was bored with his life back in the 90's or smth, doesnt mean americans dont want tanks too

[@plaguedoctor2.026]

So sad 😢 give him his panther back

[@fenrir7878]

They took the keys to the Panther from Grandmpa

[@ommsterlitz1805]

you can be assured that the people who snitched on him were the descendant of the same nazis that snitched on jews and other people.

[@toastedt140]

Truly the sign of a fallen nation when they take a man's Panzer away 😢

[@Spz751]

The fact that there some other items other then the panther where seized or tooken away is just so upsetting. Just imagine how much it costed for all of that and years of collecting

[@즐겁다-l4l]

😢

[@nukecat6644]

bruh give him back his collections. it's like stealing your lego sets you collected since kid or stealing your car collection

[@ArandomPerson7996]

Exactly

[@littletrainguy]

Whats wild is that the federal government gave him permission in 2005 and its honestly wild that the panther got damage

[@lector-dogmatixsicarii1537]

They fucked up the rubber rings on the road wheels pulling it out, since there was no track on it. Average bureaucratic botulism.

[@mrfancypanzer549]

Can't a man have hobbies?

[@itsyayogamer3149]

mans casually had a collossal steel titan on his basement how do you expect the police not to rush their way to his home in this days where people are crazy at the point of using tanks to destroy public property because of mental illness ☠

[@floatingfish2415]

@@itsyayogamer3149 Bro it was in his basement, we all know those stop steel titans pretty effectively

[@itsyayogamer3149]

@@floatingfish2415 i know,but technically its like if you had a demon core in your basement and say to the police: i am not using it so technically its not dangerous

[@MrSheenDude]

You're taking this comment way too seriously

[@neckro_agent931pl9]

@itstatogamer3149 wtf does a dempn core have to do with a fucking not capable of firing tank??

[@Rubberduck1909]

I live close where the guy had the panther, its kinda sad that they took away what he had, he was so kind using the Panther to clear snow on the road.

[@izone728]

The man need Freedom Laws are controlling us 😢

[@shadowteam9943]

Would have been absolutely epic to see.

[@jakubslavik5595]

"Which way is Moscow?", a guy in a Panther clearing the snow.😂

[@jaywerner8415]

I mean the Idea that a guy in the 70s was cruising around the town clearing snow, in a TANK that was at least 30-40 years old and still RUNNING, is a Awesome image in its own right.

[@Orbit_Corona]

What I would give to see a Panther plowing snow around here😄! If a tank could look beautiful, it is the Panther.

[@LeonidVasily]

Bro was waiting for steiner go signal for the counter attack

[@sstff6771]

😂

[@evengraintech1397]

Never gets old

[@elgringo8585]

😂😂😂

[@Dasreichviking]

Yeah. That reminds me of the Japanese soilder who didn't surrender until the 1970's, but that wasn't a joke - yours was more funny

[@josephbailey1293]

lmao

[@vnkmy]

What is missed out on is that he filed for a permission to acquire the tank to the state he was living in and they approved it. In court it was argued that the minister of the state didn’t have the permission to do so. So, why wasn’t the minister fined?

[@doge_sevens]

I bet it's something stupid like the breech wasn't welded closed properly or something

[@Lila_5451]

Exactly

[@dj1NM3]

To be fair: it wasn't the Panther tank which got him into trouble (this was bought from the then West German government), but was the assortment of unlicenced WW2 firearms and explosives that this guy had hidden in the same underground garage which were his real problem with the authorities.

[@XtremeProHD]

why did the took the tank then ?

[@Preyhawk81]

I think the barrel and the locking mechanism were the problem. The gun was ok to fire thats not allowed.

[@DudeSoWin]

All standard issue with the fully furnished and operational tank...

[@el8779]

Couldnt he be fine with the tank part if he pured cement in the Barrel so it’s absolutely incapable of shooting anything

[@Chiggi0815]

@@XtremeProHD They did bot take the tank. If you can not make sure that your large collection of firearms is legal, then you do not qualify for possession of a tank - whatever state that is in. He just was not allowed to keep it and had to sell it, but it was not taken from him.

[@markhohenbrink5230]

Its complete crap that the man lost his entire collection from decades of collecting just because some officials got upset. The museums and other "collecters" can have the collection, not the guy who spent decades of his life acquiring and repairing all of the items.

[@karstenschoenberg9736]

and it was specified that he deactivated them it's not like they found plans for him to use the panther tank to rob a bank or something

[@CA999]

These were not ordinary "Officials" , this is German Bureaucracy with young careerists who see German World War Two history as something not to be celebrated or revered in any way. So on the Crusade they went...

[@nickn3318]

​@@silversnakeproductions3241 You the type of guy to be like "tread on me harder daddy government"

[@silversnakeproductions3241]

@@nickn3318 he knowingly violated many laws and is lucky his consequences werent as severe as they could be

[@kremepye3613]

​@silversnakeproductions3241 not all laws are equal mate. It's germany. They fine you for walking across the street.

[@thunderbird7020]

Can’t even have a tank, torpedo, and AA gun in your basement anymore. Literally 1984.

[@zackf192]

1984😢

[@capelife2665]

indeed

[@ClovisPoint]

cant own a Rambo knife in the UK anymore !!!!!!!!!!!!

[@AllenorLP]

muh 2nd amendment!

[@groovechampion1462]

You will own nothing and be happy

[@NathanielGarr0_96]

I was very sad hearing about them taking all his stuff. Let men have their hobbies, jez.

[@KunalGarshan]

Its fing tank it workes and could distroy moay areas

[@collinthegamer510]

@@KunalGarshangood

[@CommittingSudoku]

@@KunalGarshan According to the video, it was already decommissioned so it can't fire, it's just a large vehicle at that point.

[@tomkoneprusky9601]

@@CommittingSudoku I don think he will understand your sentence xd

[@tomkoneprusky9601]

@@KunalGarshan tank no fire, man make panther go not pew pew, no destroy, only very cool collection

[@vonbennett8670]

What a joke....governments around the world (in this case Germany) are the real villains.

[@gravelhands2968]

I envy this guy so much, he practically owned a whole museum in his house.

[@ryancarter1080]

Donate to a collector? Surely he was a collector or is there some legal definition or some sort of certificate you have to get to be a collector, cause if it goes to another private collection doesn't that mean the new owner is in violation of the weapons act? Why would that affect him but not them?

[@ToroksMagic]

I was thinking the same thing, seemed very odd

[@Digital_Necromancer]

someone in the court likely had a hand in the cookie jar and would get some cookies if they made sure he sold to them.

[@JohnBambooO]

That's one of the reasons why so many Germans leave Germany and needs to be replaced by immigrants 🤗🙈🙉🙊

[@dom3827]

It went from a private collection in illegal condition to a public collection which modified the tank to be in legal condition. Legal condition means it has to be completely demilitarized and the gun has to be destroyed in a ways that it is unrestorable and never to be used again in its lifespan. Same with weapons. All his weapons were ready to use. Which is totally illegal in germany. And thats good. We dont have and dont want thinks like columbine or Killdozer. Such szenarios can keep happen in america, but not here.

[@alessandrocaliendo4868]

different states, different jurisdiction, different rules about the matter.

[@derekbootle8316]

He wasn't a terrorist. The community felt no threat. What business is it to the government? I'm not a German Law Scholar, but freedom dictates an individual is free to do what he like unless it harms another or society. Where's the harm?

[@alphaenterprise2232]

That tank is way too expensive and government doesn't like to share

[@thatperformer3879]

Bold of you to assume the west even has freedom anymore

[@americanpatriot436t54]

german politics are typically rarely for the people.

[@PrayingPanda]

​@@thatperformer3879they never did.

[@a------a-e3q]

"freedom" doesn't exist.

[@pyeitme508]

Welp he had a great collection. :P

[@CristianMonserrate-wo2rk]

Indeed he did

[@pyeitme508]

@@CristianMonserrate-wo2rk YES!

[@AmoebaEradicator]

Seeing his collection made me jealous that I hope I have a fucking King Tiger

[@ommsterlitz1805]

you can be assured that the people who snitched on him were the descendant of the same nazis that snitched on jews and other people.

[@itsyayogamer3149]

@@AmoebaEradicator seeing this case,that would have been possible if the panther was a king tiger instead ☠

[@ronalinen5611]

Government stealing this guys property.

[@RTPJu]

If there is a state governing there will be not a "guy's propriety"... "everything must serves the social function and greater interest". About Germany... just a country that steal you even after you die

[@Michael-f1u2x]

wouldn't be the first time government did that..

[@HaukeKarstens]

Kiel is my hometown, the tank storry is known all over Kiel since decades, nobody in Kiel was surprized. Yes it realy drove through Heikendorf snow catastrophy in 1977. This is a great research, the screnery of court house, the mariners memorial in Heikendorf (the big eagle) all is real, even that the tank had no tracks on when recovered is true. One detail was not mentioned: "THIS PARTICULAR UNIT WAS A BRITISH BUILD PANTHER!". Britisch build the tank after WWII from German left over parts and plans in order to test its capabilities. Never the less, it is identical to the tanks build by the Germans.

[@MythosHB]

Also from Kiel here. Now this guy made it from local news to "Simple History"

[@samfischer1733]

Heikendorf UNITE!

[@embo4887]

Who snitched

[@kontor170]

The jealous neighbor, cause his wife said no to having a tank 😅

[@cagribaba4464]

You know which people snitched on him.

[@Vagabond_Etranger]

Probably a Karen.

[@user-pn3im5sm7k]

Oy vey.

[@user-pn3im5sm7k]

✡️

[@herrgodfrey9563]

The dude wasn't hurting anyone and of course, the government comes in and steals his property and then has the audacity to fine him.

[@s110h2]

They also sold the entire collection. This was entirely a cash grab by corrupt politicians

[@dom3827]

it is not your property if you illegaly obtain it.

[@noahpauly8766]

Welcome to the German beruocracy where petty state officials and penpushers are No rare occurence. They sometimes are comparable to a Caren led HOA.

[@lemonscarab21997]

@@dom3827 It was sold to him by someone completely legally, the point was it posed a threat and was seen as any other functional military tank even though the gun was deactivated. In my opinion he should've been forced to relocate the vehicle to a museum whilst having full or partial ownership of the vehicle.

[@cloaker2829]

@@dom3827 how do you have this much energy to type if all you do is bootlick

[@diddlethepoodle4812]

Yup. Spend your life having a hobby and the government takes that also.

[@ThisNameIsUnaviable]

Germany always took things from the most vulnerable people. They need quick cash.

[@heekychad6427]

@@ThisNameIsUnaviable either you are an ignorant american or what i believe a full blooded ossi that dreams about having the DDR back so you can spy on your friend, family, coworker to the stasi for benefits

[@rocketboyreviews1463]

This is unbelievable, he had an amazing collection that he dedicated his life too and nobody had a problem with. So ridiculous

[@skunkjobb]

3:55 The V-1 was not a rocket, it had an air breathing pulse jet engine. (The V-2 was a rocket.)

[@ramamaulana8922]

He really has a great taste of tank choice

[@Armada-1935]

Yeah, the panther is a beautiful tank, favorite German tank by far

[@izone728]

​@@Armada-1935tbh I'm German and I see no m4 Sherman floating around here😂

[@Armada-1935]

@@izone728 wdym?

[@Armada-1935]

I’m German too

[@izone728]

@@Armada-1935 Ja

[@marcellmolnar8228]

GIVE HIS TANK BACK!

[@ThisNameIsUnaviable]

His tank is probably mysteriously gone, same as the German governments opps 😂

[@balinthehater8205]

Why though?

[@marcellmolnar8228]

@@balinthehater8205 WHAT WHY IDIOT

[@marcellmolnar8228]

@@ThisNameIsUnaviable sadly

[@felixwood2986]

Probably donated it to Ukraine for the war

[@The_Mimewar]

“Why is this tank in your basement!?” Vell, you zee, it vas vonce in ze living rüm, and vell, times makes fools of us all

[@zaynevanday142]

That wasn’t justice that was injustice 🔥

[@FiendishlyDelightedSefto]

Looks like the badies won the war afterall

[@south_koreaball]

Basically the government: "Oh, you have collected hundreds of historical artifacts and an entire tank for your personal collection over a span of many years, dedication, and money? What's that? Your collection was not secret at all and all the locals knew about it for many years? Well that's still not allowed, so we're just going to take your entire collection, fine you 250,000 Euros AND force you to sell or donate all of your precious collection!"

[@snake45aiman]

kinda sad that they broke the panther when moving it from his basement

[@GMT417]

I don't understand how the guy managed to put a whole tank in his basement in the first place.

[@The_Swedish_Knight]

He probably took it down in parts so he could then put it back together in the basement​@@GMT417

[@blackfox7448]

​@@GMT417probably had build a temporaly ramp and places the tank down there when it was on its worst state from when it got it and from there it rebuild it basicly xD and considering the time it pass, that posible temporal ramp was no longer posible to safely pull the tank out of there without damages

[@Somewhat-Evil]

I heard the government damaged the man's basement as well while removing his collection.

[@chaorazul_4477]

@@GMT417 it was an underground garage... simple history didnt do a good research as usual... the news report also said that the tank was inoperable before they moved it but managed to damage the foundation of his house/the underground garage while towing the tank... if i recall correctly one track was already broken for years

[@timmccomish1531]

They could have easily tuned his collection to abide by law without him losing all his stuff. Bunch of crap.

[@jorenvanderark3567]

He could have done so as well, yet he didn't. Can't do the time then don't do the crime.

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

@@jorenvanderark3567 the crime of restoring and preserving historical relics?

[@HANSsaysOwO]

⁠​⁠@@jorenvanderark3567hear em out, a non firing, antique tank, in a brick basement, surrounded by a million dollar house, of which no one would want to destroy, sounds a bit to much not like a threat.

[@jorenvanderark3567]

@user-op8fg3ny3j The crime of not properly disabling a weapon of war while claiming on the paperwork that you did so. If the man weren't a billionaire, he'd be where he belongs: in prison!

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

@@jorenvanderark3567 catapults were weapons of war. Are you suggesting we have to break them just for scared people to feel safer? Where was he going to get ammo for the tank? He could do more damage by just ramming and crushing like a tractor/bulldozer

[@JerReed]

Dude wasn't hurting anybody.

[@jadeorbigoso5212]

And even doing community work by plowing the snow with the Panther Tank

[@BinbarYT]

He was no threat to anyone.

[@Gilder-von-Schattenkreuz]

He didnt Hide it at all. Everyone in the Village knew about it. That Panther was used for Leisure Drives through the City and even used as a Snowplow in some Winters. The Local Authorities Prohibited him from Driving the Panther on Public Streets about 50 Years ago because it was Damaging the Street Paving. Because of that it was Put into the Basement and only used for Special Occassions. And as the Man Grew Older it basicly Collected Dust.

[@redvraven3285]

Govt stole his collection and sold it, then fined him. What a scam.

[@ArtifexExMachina]

"His identity kept secret under local privacy laws..." Narrator proceeds to give full name and partial address. lol

[@darthshaggy9697]

this is straight up robbery no argument.

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

And people are praising the government for doing it

[@tankdood329]

@@user-op8fg3ny3jwho? I just want to talk to them

[@jorinlutz4363]

The Tank belonged to the german government so the took the State property back

[@Jamespwickstromw]

@@jorinlutz4363 So the government is still the 3rd reich?

[@scockery]

@@jorinlutz4363 That government ceased to be in 1945. Unless you are saying the Germans are still National Socialists.

[@SchwarzerWolf1000]

Every tank crew needs this man: +Maxed out Engineer skill +Maxed out Wealth +Maxed out Driving +Maxed out crew replacement

[@Kezenmacher]

I live in the area. Was a huge story back then. Supposedly, sometimes during winter, the man used his tank to plow snow on his road.

[@LuiViiz]

Er hatte damals sogar Leute in den Keller gelassen

[@gordtron]

what a fascinating man. going to need to look for any real photos or videos of his collection. that snow storm ride must've felt invincable.

[@Bone1337]

there are news articles, he was also quite knows here

[@lostbutfreesoul]

Name is Klaus-Dieter F. if you want to look him up. I recommend starting with a historynet article, written by Zita Ballinger Fletcher, on 7/27/2021

[@Comike27]

What a shame they damaged such a rare item

[@Chiga-lt6vq]

Give this man his tank bak

[@justinriviere7823]

Being from New Orleans and visiting the ww2 museum a lot I love how simple history at 0:25 put a perfect drawn recreation of one the first areas you visit in that museum well done and perfect right down to the placards with the information

[@armykracker0072]

For clarification, 500.000 € are about 550.800 USD

[@Rebelistic642]

They violated my guys Collection

[@robfromjersey7899]

No crime was committed.

[@lgamer4874]

But a crime was committed

[@captainrex9252]

Not registered=it's a crime

[@lgamer4874]

@@captainrex9252 Illegal possession of weapons is a criminal offense in Germany

[@daviddavidson2357]

@@lgamer4874 It was decommissioned. Therefore not a weapon. Just a large, tracked vehicle. Unless you class bulldozers as weapons too.

[@nikolasbantolias7699]

No crime was committed

[@Praenuntium]

They stole this man's possessions and robbed him of his money.

[@lgamer4874]

No, he committed a crime by possessing illegal weapons

[@Praenuntium]

@@lgamer4874 Government oppression.

[@MisterOcclusion]

​@lgamer4874 even in my country of Canuckistan a deactivated gun is no longer a weapon and may be possessed without permission.

[@lgamer4874]

@@MisterOcclusion He has violated at least tihs paragraphs Kriegswaffenkontrollgesetz § 1 KWK Begriffsbestimmung § 2 KWKG - Umgang mit Kriegswaffen § 22 KWKG - Strafvorschriften Waffengesetz § 1 WaffG - Begriffsbestimmung § 2 WaffG - Grundsatz des Waffenbesitzes § 10 WaffG - Waffenbesitzkarte § 51 WaffG - Strafvorschriften

[@Icecube095]

@@MisterOcclusion The tank was deactivated and therefore just a large vehicle. As stated in the video he even got a certificate back in 2005. The accused violations , that "lgamer4874" keep spamming here, were for small arms, that were not deactivated. But not for the tank. Edit: After further investigation it is clear, that he did also violate some other laws regarding armored vehicles.

[@robertdacquisto6871]

“After a tip off”, wow that person who gave them the tip is a complete and total loser. What harm is this stuff causing them? This guy should be rewarded for preserving so much history at his own expense.

[@Ghilliez]

It was more than likely a pos ✡️

[@PurOwO]

07:49 ??? 250.000€ on Aug 02 2021 would have been $297,500; not $244,000

[@Knoten385]

Typical american move because of course the dollar needs to be strongest currency

[@British-Anarchy]

My guess is they picked the only date when the dollar had a better exchange rate which was around AUG 2022 - DEC 2022 it's the only time in recent history that the dollar was worth more than the euro. Even though as you pointed out they reached a verdict on AUG the 2nd a year earlier...

[@jeffreyreed3502]

Who ratted this guy out to the cops

[@lostbutfreesoul]

As the original contact was in 2005, it is hard to find out why the Public Order Office where on site. Berlin Police got involved when the old man's name came up in an investigation on Not-see artwork.... TEN YEARS LATER! Only then did anyone do anything about the weapons, tank included, found along side the flags and busts. I will conclude this: Whatever brought the Publics Office on-site was not what caused the weapons to be seized. They looked over everything this guy had, looked over the insane paperwork piles created and... walked away. Instead of verifying if everything was in order, the Officials in Publics Order's gave the old rich guy a pass. At this point in time I will put it down to incompetence, one of the reason the rich surround themselves with paperwork is because they know you and I will never want to go through it all. Governmental people are the same, if it is too much work for the paycheck.... Thus it was an entirely different investigation, to find out what happened to stolen and priceless artwork during the war, that brought the police to this guys door. There was a certain statue this person acquired, so they went to talk to him about it and see what was up. This initial contact confirmed not only the unlawfully acquired pieces of artwork, I assume unlawful because they fined him for possession of a lot of this stuff, but a trove of weapons and other memorabilia that are very problematic to be have sitting side by side. The article I read talks about a Bronze Statue that the mustached man used to own. It was very likely this statue that got Klaus-Dieter F. attention from the police, not a neighbor.

[@SSGTWinters]

iirc it was his son

[@MrRosco]

@@SSGTWinters Disowned speedrun any%

[@thedreadedsyntholbaby763]

some jew probably

[@andrefreeman7025]

Imagine some evil bureaucrat stealing your whole life, everything you love and have fun with...

[@DPoner]

This is why all men should never vote for liberals. They will destroy your hobby with regulations or outright theft. This is not political. You will have to if you want to secure the future of your pastime.

[@dom3827]

well, next time build your life in a legal way than?

[@tuktuk1959]

Thats called Germany

[@redgeneral5792]

Yeah. They're called the IRS.

[@einfachignorieren6156]

​@@dom3827"legal" not if a they ignore the law and be everything is illegal

[@bilgeratmilitaria]

0:15 that is literally my U.S. WWI collection set up from a picture I posted on IG 😂🤔

[@James-d9b6b]

Holy crap...it really is!! Even down to the news paper framed with be red border! That's neat!

[@Mars66669]

😯😯 well that's cool!! Lol

[@Chevdriver]

had to check your channel, can confirm🤣

[@DoubleTapLuke]

I CAN CONFIRM. We’ve done videos together I’ve seen his war room this is 100% his

[@Cine493]

Wow I Just saw!

[@-Lazy]

1. Driving the tank damaged the roads 2. They weren't fully deactivated. At least not the proper way. Only the torpedo and the V1 were. He was able to keep them. 3. He also had a historical statue in his backyard that technically belonged to the state , but at the same time was part of his property.

[@Sevencato]

Small sidenote, it is NOT a WW2 Panther, but rather a British post-war build like the one in Bovington. Same series. Comprising mostly of spare parts and leftovers.

[@harrypalmer728]

Typical government over reach.

[@railfanlynx]

The government aren’t your friends and they never were, this video just proves that😊

[@thecommenter9678]

What do you expect from a European nation, control is all they know. That is why they snub their nose at the USA, they see our freedoms as "Chaotic" and "Unrefined" They do not understand freedom.

[@christophersayers598]

Typical American

[@Obsolecent_Weapons]

@@christophersayers598nope funny enough the collector and the offending government were German. Wild.

[@thecommenter9678]

@@christophersayers598 Typical snide European with no concept of freedom or rights. Just trusting blindly their masters.

[@Cherryking400]

The only crime of that story is that the government took away his property.

[@superspies32]

Chelsea fans agreed with you

[@NightmareMMO]

in germany nothing new

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

@@NightmareMMO government overeach

[@patrickstar5136]

And the fact that it is illegal to own a functioning tank.

[@itskyansaro]

No, owning a Tank, AA Gun, explosives, unregistered Firearms and unregistered ammunition is illegal.

[@gloryToTheMelonLand]

Let's be real here, every colectioner wants one

[@DeadLikeMe-ir9ix]

You mean a snow plow not a tank.🤫😉

[@TheBigExclusive]

Clickbait title. He didn't hide the tank. He used it publicly to help neighbors shovel snow and clear roads during winter.

[@yakucho8123]

The guy drove the Tank in the Winter and moved the snow of the Streets :D Everyone in the Village knew that he had a Tank!

[@Static-register09]

Give that man his stuff back now!!!! That’s unfair!!!

[@ExRazR]

Honestly, im rather interested how the tank changed hands and got transported from the british collector towards Kiel in 1977 without any of our authoritys noticing o_O

[@MisterOcclusion]

That was before we had woke snowflakes in positions of power. People got upset over real problems more and hurt feelings less.

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

@@MisterOcclusion what's woke about this? It's just greedy government beuracrucy

[@Jamespwickstromw]

@@MisterOcclusion today the gov are just bullies to their native populations

[@jaywerner8415]

That is probably the ONE QUESTION no one seems to be asking. Like.... You would THINK a TANK being transported would get noticed by the Port Authorities at least.

[@vaxrvaxr]

@@jaywerner8415 Could've just bribed them.

[@ielwood927]

its sad. i just cant imagine how he feels spend your whole life collecting. enormous amounts of time resources and care put into it. hours days weeks even just fixing small things. the pride of accomplishment and research. just taken at the whims of a tyrannical state. he was wasn't hurting anyone. leave the old man and his toys alone.

[@Revelationthankful]

This guy has as many weapons as 80% Of all American citizens do

[@jeremyboku]

Video starts at 3:24

[@daniellewillis2767]

They could have just let the old guy keep it and done a history special.

[@lgamer4874]

@@daniellewillis2767 But it is simply illegal

[@mrnobody9611]

​​@@lgamer4874Then overthrow the goverment, is it really that difficult?

[@dom3827]

@@mrnobody9611 why? Because they make us safe? The man could have done "Killdozer 2 - The Revenge" with his tank. I know, you americans would have let that happen. But we are not in america, we dont want maniacs getting guns easily and kill people.

[@Molten_Slugger]

​@@mrnobody9611no

[@RandomGuy9]

​@@lgamer4874the tank was legal. The rest not.

[@AdrianShepard2000]

Let the man have is tank

[@user60521123]

Some people just can’t help themselves:they have to impose their misery on others. The authorities had no business going after this guy. He wasn’t committing any serious crime.

[@jorenvanderark3567]

Except that the tanks gun was not deactivated as he claimed. Oh, and of course for all the other guns and explosives he owned. He is lucky that he isn't in prison.

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

@@jorenvanderark3567 no, it was deactivated. What, you thought the old pensioner was going to reinvade Poland? Let the man have his antiques, he isn't hurting anyone

[@ThisNameIsUnaviable]

I agree, the government should investigate serious crimes, like for example how many kids got abducted in Germany? And those abductions are still cold cases.

[@crazy8sdrums]

"German government steals private citizen's collection of valuable memorabilia" - Fixed the title for you....

[@legacyvaultchannel]

It's unbelievable that someone managed to keep a WWII Panther tank in their basement for so long! The dedication to restoring it and maintaining all that memorabilia is both fascinating and mind-boggling.

[@watcherinthedark247]

Lets not forget that when the government went in and took the tank they broke it upon trying to move It out

[@mariuszmoraw3571]

Yeah. And the worst is tank was running so you could easily move it... by driving it.

[@watcherinthedark247]

I know it was mentioned in the video about it being damaged when the army moved it out of the collector's house, but I emphasize that because the one old man managed to fix it and drive it around by himself, no problem. So how then was that the army no less, managed to damage it? A lot was said right there. And just to throw this out there, he collected the tank back in the day when inflation wasn't out of hand. I'm sure the guy has money but still doesn't justify the insane fines. Or how the government practically stole his stuff.

[@alphaenterprise2232]

It's not a crime to keep a panther in your garage

[@lgamer4874]

It is a crime against the following paragraphs Kriegswaffenkontrollgesetz § 1 KWK Begriffsbestimmung § 2 KWKG - Umgang mit Kriegswaffen § 22 KWKG - Strafvorschriften And probably Waffengesetz § 1 WaffG - Begriffsbestimmung § 2 WaffG - Grundsatz des Waffenbesitzes § 10 WaffG - Waffenbesitzkarte § 51 WaffG - Strafvorschriften

[@Icecube095]

​@@lgamer4874 The tank was deactivated and therefore just a large vehicle. As stated in the video he even got a certificate back in 2005. The violations against the law, that you keep spamming here, were for small arms, that were not deactivated. Furthermore I highly doubt anyone, who doesn't speak or understand German good enough will understand your comment anyway...

[@lgamer4874]

@@Icecube095 He would hardly be convicted if he had not committed a crime. I probably know more about German law than you do

[@Icecube095]

@@lgamer4874 Yeah I'm sure you do. It's not like I already stated it with "The violations were mostly [...] for small arms", that he did in fact commit a crime, but not because of the tank. Some of the small arms in question were Mauser M712 Reihenfeuer pistols (fully automatic Mauser C96), that were not deactivated and not registered. That was the violation against the KWKG (Weapons of War act), that started the whole trial. What I don't understand is, that he could have just got the official collector's licence (or red Waffenbesitzkarte) plus a permit from the BKA and not have any problems at all with the law since all of his firearms were made before 1945. There are civilians in Germany, who can legally own a fully automatic MP40 with these licences as unbelievable as it sounds. The legal basis for it is, that the MP40 is not a firearm, that is used as official military firearm in any country on the world and therefore just a forbidden weapon (verbotene Waffe). Let's see if youtube likes my long comment, because for some reason smaller comments get through, while longer comments are hidden😅

[@TheREALLibertyOrDeath]

@@lgamer4874psycho

[@windseer55]

Donate to a collector ? Who is what? A friend of those who are seatedd? And then what, charge people money for it? As i heard the old guy freely shows and educates you about the specs and history of his collectibles, free of charge.

[@arneniederhut5326]

It is now owned by Steward Walton.

[@hoeveldingenmoetikproberen]

This man's collection should be held together and put up for public display with an honorary mention in his name.

[@bittemeinrammstein]

Imagine supporting the violation of this mans ability to collect what he wants and then preaching about freedom...

[@Beckwourth]

So much for collecting in secrecy, this is why people don't and shouldn't show their collections with others at the end of the day it's yours till your last day to stare at and be satisfied with, if i had a collection like that i'd hide it better than Anna Frank could during the german occupation.

[@vaxrvaxr]

Can't agree. He got to share the joy with others over decades. Can't take it to the grave anyway.

[@Stiegelzeine]

He literally broke laws, that’s why they did this, you can also own stuff while abiding law

[@jamesofficial6829]

@@Stiegelzeine Stupid and nonsensical laws!

[@michalochodnicky6146]

7:30 500 000 euros is not 489 000 dollars, 500 000 euros is 558 000 dollars lol

[@BZAnimations_official]

Dang

[@krakentoast]

Fr

[@Covid-bv4hp]

Do you have a brain? This is today's exchange rate. The video time frame is set in 2021. Please use google, its free

[@MM10567]

Poor tank

[@r25012501]

He was a collector and seems his neighbors liked him, it was a living museum. A history collector who took better care of his collection better than the government would.

[@Operator_Suerte]

He probably gave it to the Bovington tank museum since they have the biggest tank collection in the world

[@aiden777able]

8:43 He would have loved his tank and he wasn't hurting anyone.

[@B1268-g4m]

​@@Vgfranky2077he didn't steal the tank he bought the tank from a British collector, where did you get that he stole it!? He just didn't have the permission from his country to own the tank

[@ezspina6590]

Again it was an nazia tank

[@NorthwoodsShooter]

Imagine how many other similar hidden gems are out there, hiding in private collections across the globe?!

[@ForTehNguyen]

"What is the charge? Restoring a collection? A succulent German collection?"

[@shotgunwound]

"Get your hand off my panther!"

[@brianpack5479]

RIP to Mr. Democracy Manifest.

[@RandomGuy9]

He owned illegal machine guns and also grenades and bombs in working condition. The tank was perfectly legal and the court said so. But the rest not so much. And his punishment was really mild.

[@_Jaspy_]

I could hear this comment🤣

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

@@RandomGuy9 I don't think you know what a machine gun is. Assault rifles can be full auto or semi

[@GlamorousTitanic21]

What happened to this man was criminal. He was robbed. No wait, not robbed. He was “relieved” of some dangerous paraphilia. Officials: _take off handcuffs_

[@RandomGuy9]

He broke the law. The tank wasn't the problem. It was other stuff in his collection. Stuff that wasn't demilitarized but in working order. And he got a very mild punishment. He was facing up to ten years in prison but just had to pay a fine. The tank got most attention but wasn't the big deal actually.

[@ChisledFish430]

​​@@RandomGuy9who gives a crap

[@Evilknight76]

@@ChisledFish430People who want to have laws applied? You would also say the same things about thief stealing yours? Why would people care about some random people breaking 1 law ?

[@Judge_Magister]

@@RandomGuy9 just the government maffia taking out the competition.

[@heekychad6427]

@@ChisledFish430 What an high IQ thing to say

[@AGPWA]

They don't have the right to take it from him. Their government is really disappointing...

[@DeadLikeMe-ir9ix]

Just a reminder that America had a hand in setting up their government and laws.

[@MatchGrade08]

​@@DeadLikeMe-ir9ix blameing America for 1930s germany. No. They set up their own laws after.

[@jamesofficial6829]

@@DeadLikeMe-ir9ix Yeah and our government is really disappointing too!

[@zylynlamis9285]

They took his greatest collection. That was sick. Worked so hard to own the tank and they took it away from him easily.

[@themysterioussoul1970]

That's really outrageous that such a priceless collection is taken away from you, optimists they could have disabled everything and said you can keep it even though most of it was already and those suits and the uniforms may be very expensive but is that it completes the collection that the bullets are taken okay just feel sorry for that man should be 😁 grateful

[@Alte.Kameraden]

Honestly, should have allowed him to keep it and turn his home into a semi-museum, and later a full museum in writing when he passed away, with a sizable donation by himself upon death to keep it running for years to come. Basically keep it there, as it's kind of part of the history of the town itself now.

[@dep404th]

That is the coollest things i ever heard

[@ILVXI]

What weird EUR-USD Exchange rate are they using? xD

[@SpectreBGM]

I think they put the numbers backwards while converting

[@jeejee3818]

im saying

[@SolarBaller]

If by this Friday they don’t return him the tank Im gonna get involved

[@rayortega4294]

At least he got to enjoy it for all those years and the world eventually got to see his amazing collection!

[@michaelchristy506]

He deserves to get that tank back. It’s his baby

[@soulknife20]

"Why is there a tank in your basement?" "Whaaaa?! How...how did that get there? That's so weird!" *glaring side eye* "I stole it from some Germans"

[@popeo1973]

bro he is German your not funny

[@Somewhat-Evil]

He legally purchased it back from the English Government and had it brought back to Germany.

[@soulknife20]

​@@Somewhat-EvilCool. Don't care

[@mrnobody9611]

​​@@soulknife20 I care.

[@popeo1973]

@@soulknife20 still not funny

[@tommyspringer6119]

That's bull. That collection was hurting no one and he was NOT essentric

[@JuggusNawt]

Collector forced to sell his collection to another collector?

[@briangman3]

Hey should have started a museum!