News for all things related to Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles
WCSH in Cornish, Maine is reporting about a local man that is looking to sell a running M114 chassis. The seller has the vehicle listed on Craigslist for $10,000 but also notes he will accept vintage Star Wars toys in partial trade. So for those who want to trade in your old Darth Vader figures for a tracked vehicle chassis, this might be the right deal for you. Click on the image below to view the WCSH news video.
Panzerwrecks is introducing a new series of books called “In Focus.” The first volume in this series is In Focus 1: Jagdpanzer 38
Publishers Description:
In Focus 1: Jagdpanzer 38 is the first in a new series of books from Panzerwrecks. As its titles implies, the subject is the German Jagdpanzer 38 tank hunter. The subject has been written about before and many photos published, but this book combines 20 years original research and gathering of materials to take a look at the vehicle using 117 rare large format photographs over 112 pages. These are supplemented by specially commissioned high quality artwork by Felipe Rodna. The author and artist have worked closely together and incorporated the latest findings to offer the reader the most authentic colour plates of the Jagdpanzer 38 yet published.
Earlier this month these three videos featuring footage of Soviet era T-54 and T-55 tanks appeared on the youtube. Most of this footage appears to be shot in the period when the T-54 and T-55 were the main frontline tank of the USSR. The beginning of part 3 is particularly interesting as it shows some T-54-1 tanks with their distinctive turret design.
The Jan-Mar 2016 issues of ARMOR Mounted Maneuver Journal is now available for download. Probably the article that will interest the casual tank enthusiast the most is on by Col. William T. Nuckols Jr. and Dr. Robert S. Cameron titled Don’t Harness an Ox to a Racehorse: Get the M113 Out of the Armored Brigade Combat Team … Now, Please! The article takes a rather critical look at the ubiquitous M113 from its introduction in the 1960’s up to the current day.
From the youtube channel of Russian tank researcher Yuri Pasholok, here is Mark V tank Kubinka 2016.04.11.
Over at the World of Tanks website, Nicholas “The Chieftain” Moran has posted an article written by historian Ken Estes about the career and experiences of WW2 era Marine tanker Lt. Col. Rowland Hall.
Excerpt:
Anzac Day is a day of solemn commemoration in Australia and New Zealand. The last time I touched upon this was two years ago, with a bit of background, and then an overview of one of the feats of arms of the Australian forces: The Defense of Tobruk.
Those of you who have seen the miniseries The Pacific might remember an episode set in Melbourne. Australia’s role wasn’t just to send manpower and equipment to fight for the Crown. The country had a similar role in the South Pacific as the UK did in Europe: A bulwark to hold on the edge of the theater, a staging and training area for future operations, and a place for some R&R.
Some time ago, Ken Estes sent me an article for the Hatch: the reminiscings of Marine officer Rollo Hall. Rollo’s writings do not focus on Australia per se — they are his view of the war as a whole and of the development of the Marine Corps tank force, but the amount of words he wrote about his time in Australia is indicative of just how important the country was to the prosecution of the war for the US, both in practical terms for combat training, as well as the morale effect of cameraderie with allies. This should give something of a holistic view of the general environment. So, I hand the keyboard over to the late Rowland Hall.
War History Online has an article about the upcoming “Armour & Embarkation” event in Dorset on June 18 and 19. This event features a large collection of functioning WWII era tanks and armored vehicles intended as a recreation of allied forces just prior to the D-Day landings.
A massive of tanks and armour and ‘big’ heavies will come together and form a convoy which will then drive through the lanes and towns of Dorset for an unmissable and unforgettable event. Re-enactors and vehicle owners from around Europe will don original uniforms, carry weapons and equipment that would have been taken on embarkation to give spectators a real taste of history and breathe new life into the story of D-Day and the Normandy invasion.
“With the help of military vehicle enthusiasts the Armour & Embarkation event aims to demonstrate the true scale of the operation behind one of this country’s most important events in modern history.” The group will also be participating in the Veteran’s Weekend on Sunday 19th June by continuing their journey to Weymouth and taking part in the activities.
The War History Online article has a large gallery of photos from the 2010 and 2012 versions of this event. View them here.
For the facebook page of Armour & Embarkation 2016 June, click here.
This video showed up on youtube earlier this month. Self explanatory title.
IHS Jane’s is reporting that a Turkish M60T MBT survived a hit by the Islamic State using a Russian made 9K129 Kornet ATGW. On April 19, video appeared online claiming to show the destruction of a Turkish tank by an ISIS guided missle near Mosul. The video shows the missile striking the tank but ends shorting after the initial detonation. IHS Jane’s states that the Turkey’s Anadolu Agency reported that the Islamic State carried out an attack on a M60 tank at Bashiqah. The source said the tank had been slightly damaged and there were no casualties in the camp. The IHS Jane’s article also includes a picture of an M60T with damage to its turret add-on armor.
Here is the video of the missile strike:
Oddly enough, this incident mirrors a situation from earlier this year in Syria where a Russian built T-90 was struck by a US made TOW missile. Video was released claiming to show the destruction of the tank, although much like this current video, it cuts off after the initial impact and explosion of the missile warhead. Later, it was revealed that the T-90 survived the missile strike with only minor damage.
The UK Ministry of Defense wishes a happy birthday to a female British tank technician.
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