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With conflict in
European soil in east Ukraine, Russia allegedly massing her forces at
the border, it may seem odd that many of the continent's nations are
actually dismantling their armed forces.
These
pictures show dozens of Marder light tanks that once belonged to the
West German army's mechanised infantry, waiting in the yard of Battle
Tank Dismantling GmbH in Edeleben, Germany.
Since
the early 1990s the company has dismantled over 15,000 tanks and other
armoured vehicles, from German, Austrian, French and other European
arsenals. They are complying with Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in
Europe, an agreement from the final years of the Cold War which placed
limits on key types of military equipment.
But
critics say that with the end of the Cold War and the shifts in the
balance of power in Eastern Europe, the terms of the treaty are out of
date. Russia in 2007 refused to meet its treaty obligations out of anger
at the westwards expansion of Nato and plans to bases U.S. ballistic
missile defences in Poland.
Marder light tanks that once belonged to the Bundeswehr are seen at the Battle Tank Dismantling GmbH Koch in Edeleben, Germany
A technician uses a welder's torch to cut parts
off a Marder tank: The vehicles are being dismantled to comply with the
limits of the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty
Since the early 1990s the company has dismantled
over 15,000 tanks and other armoured vehicles, from German, Austrian,
French and other European arsenals
Is that all it takes? A worker wields a sledgehammer to dismantle a tank in a workshop at Battle Tank Dismantling GmbH
A technician uses a tool to cut parts off a
Gepard anti-aircraft cannon tank: Battle Tank Dismantling is a
fully-owned subsidiary of Scholz Recycling AG & Co KG, a huge
recycler of steel and scrap metal
The technician uses a welder's torch to cut
parts off the Gepard tank: The Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty was
an agreement made right at the end of the Cold War
A technician uses a welder's torch to cut parts
off a Marder light tank: The Treaty limited Nato and the Warsaw Pact to
certain numbers in key categories of weaponry
A technician cuts parts off a Marder light tank:
But Russia announced it was suspending from its obligations under the
treaty in 2007
Hammer time: The Kremlin has complained that Nato has ignored its limits since absorbing several former Warsaw Pact countries 
Decommissioning: And Russia has complained that planned U.S. ballistic missile bases in Poland also violate the treaty
Backlash: On November 25 2011 the UK stopped
sharing military data with Russia in retaliation for the Kremlin's
suspension of its observance of the treaty
A man walks past several Marder light tanks that once belonged to the Bundeswehr in the yard of Battle Tank Dismantling GmbH
Weeds and bushes have grown up around the tanks, which date back to the early 1970s
The Marder is a German infantry fighting vehicle
operated by the German Army as the main weapon of the Panzergrenadiere
from the 1970s through the present day
A technician uses a welder's torch to cut parts
off a Marder light tank: Primary armament is the 20 mm Rheinmetall MK 20
Rh202 autocannon mounted in the small two-man turret
Tough: The hull of the Marder is all welded
steel, giving protection from small-arms fire and shell fragments with
the front strong enough to resist up to 20mm APDS rounds
Still working: A technician uses a converted Gepard anti-aircraft tank to move a other Gepard across the yard
Shunt: There are few other vehicles that could be used to move a tank. This photograph shows the manoeuvre from a second angle
A Gepard tank is seen here in a state of
carefree undress: The Gepard once constituted a cornerstone of the air
defence of the Bundeswehr and a number of other Nato countries
A technician uses a welder's torch to cut the cannon of a Leopard main battle tank that once belonged to the Bundeswehr
A technician cuts parts off a Leopard:
Introduced in 1965 the Leopard quickly became a standard of European
forces, and eventually served as the main battle tank in over a dozen
countries worldwide
Oily and old: A technician dismantles a Gepard
Recycling: The components will all be melted down and the metal from them reused elsewhereRead more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2612347/Where-tanks-die-The-German-graveyard-dismantled-15-000-armoured-vehicles-Europe-countries-strip-military.html#ixzz2zurYllYk
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