Tank Times Spring 2018

Times

Tank

SPRING 2018

#38

PUBLISHED BY THE TANK MUSEUM, BOVINGTON, DORSET BH20 6JG

FIND US ON YOUTUBE

29 JUNE – 1 JULY 2018

You can continue your Tank Museum experience at home, by visiting The Tank Museum’s YouTube Channel.

Our popular Tank Chats series takes a closer look at the tanks in our collection, and is hosted by two of The Tank Museum’s experts.

The most popular Tank Chat to date features the Panther tank and has racked up 408,240 views since being released in 2016.

TANKFEST, presented by World of Tanks, will take place over three days in 2018 due to popular demand.

Our Matilda Diaries series has followed the restoration of our Second World War Matilda II tank, allowing an in depth look at the work we have done on the tank – as told by the team that have done it.

The annual armoured vehicle spectacular is The Tank Museum’s most important fundraising event, with over 20,000 visitors expected from across the globe.

It’s also the biggest and best display of its kind in the world with an unparalleled displays of mobile historic armour and modern British Army vehicles in the Museum arena.

Visitors are also treated to a range of living history encampments, illustrating the living conditions and equipment used by soldiers from different countries through the 20th Century.

Having recently marked the centenary of the Battle of Cambrai, you can also find a fascinating documentary made

by The Tank Museum on the First World War attack that secured the future of the fledgling Tank Corps.

With a range of trade stands to browse and Museum admission included, TANKFEST must surely be an essential entry in the diary of any true tank enthusiast.

For the first time this year, Friday will be a ticket only ‘special event day’ and, whilst there will not be a full arena programme of displays, visitors will get a great opportunity to explore The Tank Museum without the crowds – before the action really gets going on Saturday.

WHAT’S INSIDE

Tickets – including three and two day tickets – are selling fast on our website now!

TIGER DAYS

TANKFEST GUESTS

Find out more about guest armour on page 3 – including our star guest: the massive Soviet IS-III!

FACEBOOK FOCUS

And better yet – by subscribing to this channel and watching our videos, you are helping The Tank Museum raise funds through the advertising revenue the channel generates.

To find this treasure trove of tank videos, head to YouTube and search The Tank Museum.

Scan this QR code with your phone to go to YouTube.

THE TANK MUSEUM - THE WORLD’S BEST COLLECTION OF TANKS An Independent Museum and Registered Charity No 1102661

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THE TANK MUSEUM

CAPTURE OF TIGER 131 Tiger 131 was disabled and abandoned, on 24 April, 1943, during fierce fighting for a hill known as Point 174 to the North East of the Tunisian town of Medjez el Bab. Infantrymen of the Sherwood Foresters had occupied the hill following a costly attack against the defending Germans.

The Foresters held on despite a determined German counter attack, which consisted of a number of German tanks, including Tiger 131.

Appearing just in time, British Churchill tanks engaged the panzers with their 6 pounder guns, and this is when it appears Tiger 131 was disabled.

One 6 pounder round jammed itself in the mechanism that turns the turret, rendering the tank unable to fight.

It seems the crew, some of whom may have been wounded, decided to flee under heavy small arms fire. Their fate remains unknown to this day, but it was several days before it was safe to recover the tank from the battlefield.

As it made its way back to the UK, it was inspected by Churchill and King George VI in Tunisia before being put on public display in Horse Guards parade.

tankmuseum.org

TIGER DAYS There is still only one running Tiger I tank in the world – and that is Tiger 131.

Captured by the British in Tunisia in 1943, Tiger 131 was the first of the new German Tiger tanks to be captured intact by the western Allies.

It was in such good condition that it was sent back to the UK for evaluation and trials – which undoubtedly helped influence future British tank designs.

When it was donated to The Tank Museum in 1951 it was in something of a sorry state – but was restored to running order in 2004.

During the Second World War, for every hour the Tiger rank it required 10 hours of maintenance. Today it requires over 200.

As a result, Tiger 131 is now only operated twice a year during our Tiger Day events – proceeds from which help keep the tank in running condition.

Real Tiger enthusiasts must be sure to get hold of Premium tickets for increased access to Tiger 131 and the other Panzers in our collection.

For more information, see our website. www.tankmuseum.org

TIGER MERCHANDISE Today, Tiger 131 is the star of the show at our Tiger Day event and remains a popular exhibit for its size and scale in comparison with its more diminutive British counterparts.

Find out more about Tiger Tanks on our Tiger Blog.

TIGER-TANK.COM

The following Tiger products are available to buy from The Tank Museum shop and make great gifts for yourself or the Tiger fan in your life. Remember – every purchase from The Tank Museum supports our work in keeping history alive!

TANKMUSEUMSHOP.ORG Scan this QR Code to go to The Tank Museum Shop.

CONSTRUCTION SETS

MUGS

King George VI inspects Tiger 131 in 1943

HAYNES MANUALS

T-SHIRTS

METAL PLATES

THE TANK MUSEUM

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+44(0) 1929 405096

SPECIAL

TANKFEST STARS

LEOPARD 2 The Leopard 2A4 appearing at TANKFEST will come from the Historic Collection of the Royal Netherlands Army, in cooperation with the National Military Museum of The Netherlands.

The Leopard 2 was first produced in 1979 by the West German Army and was in service with the German and Netherlands armies from the late 1980’s until 2000. Leopard 2’s are still in service in several countries all over the world and have seen action in warzones such as Kosovo and Afghanistan.

GUEST

IS-3

Every year at TANKFEST, The Tank Museum displays some of the finest armour from its collection. What makes the day extra special is the guest armour which TANKFEST visitors don’t usually have an opportunity to see. One of the highlights for this year will be an IS-3M from Belgium.

The Soviet Union put the IS-3 into production in early 1945, but the tank didn’t see action during the Second World War. Its first public appearance took place during the Victory Parade in Berlin in September 1945, when the advanced design of the new tank astonished the western allies.

By the summer of 1946, 2311 IS-3’s had been built, before a number of improvements on all IS-3 tanks led to the IS-3M. The IS-3M saw action in Hungary, during the 1956 Uprising, and in Egypt in 1967, during the Six Day War.

of Glasnost and Perestroika, when the Soviets were attempting to improve relations with the West and were beginning to reform their economy and society to introduce more openness into both.

This particular IS-3M was donated to the Belgian Royal Military Museum by the USSR in 1989. This was the period

The tank has since been exhibited by the Museum and was restored to running order in 2016.

STUG III & MARDER III The Second World War StuG III and Marder III armoured vehicles will be running at TANKFEST 2018. These privately owned German vehicles, have been fully restored since their wartime service.

FT-17 A First World War French tank, the FT-17, newly restored by the Weald Foundation, will be appearing in the arena at TANKFEST 2018. This is the first time ever an FT-17 will have run at TANKFEST. The FT-17 was the world’s first massproduced tank, 3800 being built in all.

The FT-17 was designed to be used en-masse, the idea being that a swarm of small tanks, like a swarm of bees, was the best way to overcome enemy defences, rather than big guns and heavy armour.

MATILDA II Having been in restoration for the past three years, the Matilda II will be making its event debut at TANKFEST 2018. To watch the Matilda restoration, take a look at The Tank Museum’s YouTube series, ‘Matilda Diaries’.

FT-17 in the field

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THE TANK MUSEUM

SUPPORT THE TANK MUSEUM

BECOME A FRIEND! A great way to support The Tank Museum is by becoming a Friend.

A £30 Adult membership will give you free entry to The Tank Museum and a subscription to the tri-annual Tracklink magazine. Save 10% off lectures, special events, including TANKFEST, and selected experiences. You will also be entitled to 20% off entry to the Museum for three accompanying guests. Join online at TANKMUSEUMSHOP.ORG

TRACKLINK If you are unable to take advantage of all the Friends benefits, you can now support The Tank Museum by subscribing to our tri-annual magazine Tracklink, from £18. Subscribe online at TANKMUSEUMSHOP.ORG

tankmuseum.org

FACEBOOK FOCUS

Stay in touch with The Tank Museum by following us on Facebook.

Challenger 1

Our Facebook audience is global – and if you have any interest in the history of tanks and armoured warfare, you will quickly see why.

Every day, we’re posting a range of interesting content; from links to new articles about our collections or historical anniversaries to rare historic images from our Archive. There is no better distraction, whether you’re on the train or supposed to be working!

In the coming months we’ll be covering the development of our Second World War Hall, and posting a range of material like this:

Tank Museum in the 1970s

Chieftain Light

POW Secret Radio

issue 99 SPRING 2018 PRICE £6

TRACKLINK MAGAZINE OF THE FRIENDS OF THE TANK MUSEUM

THE FIRST EVER TANK ON TANK

DUEL IS-3 VIETNAM VC Patreon allows supporters and online followers of The Tank OBSESSION

British Valentine I tank

TANK SPOTLIGHT

CENTURIONS IN

THE WAIN

CHILDHOOD

www.friendsofthetankmuseum.org

Museum to show their appreciation for The Tank Museum by making monthly donations, in exchange for various benefits like merchandise and access to exclusive content.

With the help of Patreon, the Museum is able to continue its work as a charity and tell its story to an ever-growing audience. Please visit PATREON.COM/TANKMUSEUM for more information.

KEEP IN TOUCH Sign up to our monthly e-newsletter for more news and articles delivered directly to your inbox!

Subscribe at: TANKMUSEUM.ORG

Review

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TRIPADVISOR

If you have a moment we’d be grateful if you could tell us what you thought about your visit on TripAdvisor.

TripAdvisor is utilised constantly by the staff at the Museum to show us what we’re doing right and where we can improve.

Scan this QR Code to go to TripAdvisor.

THE TANK MUSEUM - THE WORLD’S BEST COLLECTION OF TANKS An Independent Museum and Registered Charity No 1102661