Are you ready to learn about what's under a mysterious lake that a little boy suspected something was there but he wasn't quite sure? Keep reading because this true story is truly incredible. I still can't believe what they found myself. History buffs and preppers alike will love what they uncovered. I know I do!

In  September 2000, years after he first spotted the tank tracks, a local historical group mustered an entire team of people bent on discovering what was at the bottom of the lake.

The man remembered seeing bubbles in the lake for a while after he discovered the tracks as a little boy. Whatever was at the bottom of the lake was ginormous and not to mention very heavy. They figured it had sunk to a depth of around 23 feet.

For a long time, the team struggled to free the relic and here is the first glimpse of it. At this point, it was probably difficult to figure out what it could be, but now we know!

Just as the man had suspected as a boy, it was a military tank! But now the people who found the tank had a more interesting question to figure out — how did it get there?!

After some research, here's some of the history that they discovered about the tank, according to Wimp:

Northeastern Estonia was one of the battlegrounds of WWII, with roughly 100,000 casualties and another 300,000 wounded. The fighting was fierce, and sometime during the course of those bloody battles, the German army managed to capture this Soviet tank.

As the Allies started to gain ground, however, the German soldiers were eventually forced to retreat around the lake. Experts believe that the tank was probably abandoned in the lake on purpose, possibly to avoid having it end up back in the hands of their enemies.

Tanks such as this one are known as “trophy tanks.” They were captured, used for a time, and then discarded. That means this tank actually fought on both the Soviet and German sides of the war. Looks like we've got a double agent!

What's crazy about this tank is that it still had 116 shells onboard. Plus, believe it or not, all systems except for the engine were still working. The acidic environment of the lake ended up protecting the tank, which is why it hardly eroded for many, many years. This mysterious tank was waiting for that special time to discovered once more and sure enough, it was.

Just look at this beast — isn't it a thing of beauty?!

The restoration of the tank is still happening and eventually, it'll be displayed at a war museum nearby Goredenko.

So what do you think of this incredible discovery? It's amazing that the tank was in such excellent condition and there were still shells in there too. It's almost like it was meant to be found by this little boy who grew up to love history. Good thing he told his story to his friends, otherwise, it may have never been found!

It truly makes you think — what else could be hiding out there? Besides stockpiled food, historical bunkers, and other survival supplies that are hiding in the woods, you just never know what else you may uncover. For more on this unbelievable discovery, check out the videos of the recovery operation below:

Source via EnglishRussia, Photos: Me elis Mitt, Estonia