Has A Collection Of Nazi Panther Tanks To Anti-Air Assault Weapons, This Man Is Threatened By Court

Illustration of the legendary Panther tank from WWII. (Wikimedia Commons/hyenaguy.adam1)

JAKARTA - Because of his unusual and historical collection, a grandfather in Germany is threatened with punishment by a local court, causing the prosecutor and his lawyer to get into a tough debate.

Quoting the BBC on Tuesday 27 July, a lawyer in Germany is debating how to deal with a pensioner who keeps a Nazi's Panther tank from the World War II era.

In addition to the legendary tank as well as one of the forerunners of the modern tank, this man also has other unusual collections, namely anti-air attack weapons to torpedoes. The problem is, his entire collection is kept in the basement of his house.

The city authority of Heikendorf, located in northern Germany, decided to move this monumental collection back in 2015, with the help of the German army.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are now negotiating possible sentences, including suspended sentences and fines of up to 500,000 euros, or about 427,000 pounds. The defendant, who is currently 84 years old, also had to find a new home for the monumental items.

Panther Tank Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Hugh Llewelyn)

According to his lawyer, a museum in the United States is interested in buying the Panther tank. Many historians argue it was the most efficient vehicle used by Germany during the Second World War.

The lawyer also said that a number of German collectors had approached the defendant for other items. Besides Panther tanks, anti-aircraft guns, and torpedoes, local media said the grandfather also had a collection of assault rifles and pistols.

During a court hearing on Monday, July 26 in the city of Kiel, about 100 km (60 miles) north of Hamburg, lawyers tried to determine whether the man's military collection violated Germany's War Arms Control Act.

The law regulates the manufacture, sale, and transport of weapons of war. The defense argued that many of his client's weapons were no longer functional and the tank was purchased as second hand.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor thought that a number of weapons and ammunition could still be used. However, lawyers are considering accepting a lower fine of 50,000 euros, Die Welt reports.

To note, about 20 German soldiers struggled to evacuate a Panther tank that no longer had armored chains on its wheels, so it took up to 9 hours to push it onto a transport truck in July 2015.

Local authorities were reportedly briefed on the contents of the crypt by colleagues in Berlin, who had previously searched the house for the Nazi-stolen art collection. The court's decision is expected to be announced next month.