Zalai Múzeum 13. Németh József 70 éves (Zalaegerszeg, 2004)

Béres Katalin: Egy legenda nyomában

Egy legenda nyomában 253 In a footstep of a legend In the spring of 2001 the Göcsej Museum was informed that a German tank, called "Tiger or King Tiger" that was buried after the second world war, can be found in the backyard of a family house in Batyk, a small village situated in the northern part of Zala county. Hungarian and German collectors were interested in unearthing and buying the tank. The information about the tank attracted our attention, and we attempted to find out the validity of the legend of the Tiger. We interviewed the owner of the property, where the tank was said to be found. The owner said that in the beginning of the 1970s - when he moved to the house - he discovered the tank while he was digging in his backyard. He gave account on opening the tank and climbing into it. Then he filled the tank up with gravel, and levelled up the backyard with approximately 1,5 meters thick soil and altered the backyard into a garden. He was informed by his neighbour that in 1945 a fleeing German tank ran out of fuel, and its crew disabled the tank and pushed it into a big pit next to the road and left it there. After the war the owners of the house buried the enormous and immobile combat vehicle. We eagerly continued our research and we found more informants who confirmed the story, however we did not find any witnesses who saw the actual burial of the tank. We found sources in the archive and in rural district reports, which mention that after the war many tanks lied on the streets of the village. Many of them were collected to a depot except the heavy ones that could not be taken in tow. The above accounts on the existence of the tank made us believe that the story was true. For this reason three trial trenches were opened in the garden where the owner showed the assumed place of the tank. Surprisingly the tank was not there. A few days later a team specialised in surveying and locating war instruments, searched the garden and the surrounding area of the house. Unfortunately their sensitive apparatus did not show the presence of a considerable amount of metal in the ground. The task of a museologist ends here, but the story does not. The owner of the property is still convinced that the tank must be there somewhere and in the last few years, with his approval, many collectors and wreck-detectives tried to find the tank. Until now without any success. The legend goes on, and if someone finds the "Tiger" we will be richer with a unique military machine, if not, we will be richer with a glamorous story. Translated by Eszter Kreiter