By Pierre Kosmidis

Photos © Vasileios Kapantais, submitted to www.ww2wrecks.com and used by permission

The Germans used the turrets of obsolete tanks as fixed positions, known as Panzerstellung, in order to guard vital areas, such as railroad lines, road junctions, bridges, beaches and other areas.

Stellung translated literally means “Position“ and in this context a panzerstellung is essentially a tank turret emplaced into a concrete structure.

According to respected researcher Mr. Vasileios Kapantais, from Greece, this Panzerstellung was built by the Germans and was located in the southern exit of Bralos tunnel, a very important area in the railroad line connecting Athens to Thessaloniki.

As the resistance and Allied saboteurs often targeted such positions, the Germans saw the importance of fortifying these locations, thus ensuring that the trains would keep on carrying resources from the north to Athens and from there to North Africa.

This Panzerstellung, survived for decades after WW2 was over, only to “disappear” in 2019, its current location being unknown.

It was either stolen by thieves to be sold as scrap, or salvaged by a collector.