"Experience in recovery of sunken vehicles
- Divers examined the position of the tank. The tank was standing flat on its tracks. The bottom of the river was composed of clay.
- The descent to the river was steep with a 1.5 meter drop. A 15 meter long ramp with a grade of 30 degrees was dug to make recovery easier. The ramp was constructed 10 meters downstream from the existing pier. A part of the 1.5 meter tall shore was dug, a part of it was demolished with explosives.
- Three anchors were dug into the ground about 30 meters away from the water in a triangle shape. Two hoists of 6 pulleys with 12 2 cm thick cables were attached to the tow hooks of the sunken tank. The sunken T-34 was recovered with another T-34 and the help of the two hoists, each rated for 20 tons.
Recovery of a sunken HTZ tractor
One tractor sank in the Dniester during crossing due to a fault of the driver, which did not disengage his gear in time. The descent to the river was steep. The river floor was flat from the bank to the center. The floor and shore were sandy. The tractor sank 5 meters from the shore at a depth of 3 meters and fell on its side.
Organization of work on recovery of the HTZ tractor
The tractor was flipped upright with the help of two cables while still in the water. Using one hoist and a type V captured support, one end of the cable was attached to the tractor and the other to an anchor. The free end was pulled by hand. Boards were inserted under the tractor's wheels.
The HTZ tractor was pulled out manually by 45 men and one hoist."