This video appeared a few days ago on youtube, showing some footage of the interior of a rather sad looking M247 Sgt York AA SPG. The video is shot as an undisclosed location in Nevada by some self-styled explorers. The video is rather amateurish but we figured it was worth sharing since this is a relatively rare and unusual vehicle.
The Matilda Diaries Part 5
July 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The Tank Museum at Bovington has posted another installment in their “Matilda Diaries” video series chronicling the restoration of the museum’s Matilda II infantry tank. Museum staff Bob Darwood talks about the tank’s complex but practical epicyclic gearbox, how it works and what its restoration involves.
Overlord’s Blog: Man against Machines
July 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Overlord’s Blog has a new article about a WW2 US Army private in the pacific campaign that engaged and destroyed a platoon of Japanese tanks by himself. For this action, PFC Dirk John Vlug was awarded a Medal of Honor.
Article excerpt:
In the afternoon five Type 95 Ha-Go tanks approached the roadblock. The lead tank was spewing out smoke in an attempt to conceal the other four. As they approached the roadblock they began to rake the US positions with their machine guns and the 37mm main guns. PFC Vlug grabbed his M9 Bazooka and charged the Japanese tanks.
Halting a short distance away from the lead tank he fired his first round. The missile streaked into the tank and soon it began to spew out black smoke as it burnt. PFC Vlug must not have been taking concealment as both the Japanese and his own side could see him clearly. The crew of the second tank began to dismount to deal with this anti-tank threat. PFC Vlug ripped out his pistol and opened fire, killing the tank commander. The fact he was engaging with his pistol gives you an idea how close he was to the enemy. The remaining two tank crew remounted their vehicle, but before they could move PFC Vlug fired his second rocket, killing the crew.
Video: T-34 pulled from river
July 21, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Last week we had posted about a T-34 that was recently recovered from the Don River in Russia. Here is a video showing the recovery operation.
Atlas Obscura: Sherman tank retrieved from Sea
July 20, 2016 by 2 Comments
The website Atlas Obscura has made a post about a Sherman tank that was retrieved from the Atlantic ocean sea floor by a team of Russian sailors in July of 2014. This story was originally reported by the Daily Mail and other news sources two years ago, so this is old news. However, we thought it was interesting enough that it was worth posting, particularly since this site was not in existence when this story was fresh.
This particular Sherman tank came from the SS Thomas Donaldson, a Liberty ship sunk by German U-boat in March of 1945 off the short of Kildin Island. The U-boat attack disabled the ships engines and the captain ordered most of the crew off the ship while a skeleton crew remained in the hopes that the ship could be towed to shore. However, the ship sank just a half mile from Kilden island, under 55 meters of water. The tank was retrieved by the Russian Northern Fleet as part of a naval exercise. The tank, as well as other items retrieved from the sunken transport were said to be delivered to Severomorsk, the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. While it is somewhat hard to tell exactly what type of Sherman tank was retrieved from the wreck, it clearly has the 76mm gun turret and welded hull. This narrows it down to either M4A2 or M4A3, and since this was being sent as aid to the Red Army, we will guess it’s a M4A2 since that was the model the Soviets preferred due to it having diesel engines.
The Atlas Obscura post links to a photo gallery at The Sherman Tank Site. The Sherman Tank Site was temporarily hosted as a page here at Tank and AFV News.com before moving to its own URL, where it has grown substantially. The Sherman Tank site can be viewed here.
Tank Chats #23 Hornsby Tractor
July 15, 2016 by 1 Comment
In the 23rd Tank Chat, David Fletcher takes a look at the Hornsby Tractor. The Hornsby Tractor was the first tracked vehicle in service with the British Army. They were designed to tow artillery. The Museum’s example is still running and is the oldest vehicle in the collection.
Unique T-34 recovered from Russian River
July 15, 2016 by 1 Comment
According to TASS, a WWII era Soviet T-34 produced by the Stalingrad Tractor Factory has been recovered from the Don River near the village of Ukrainskaya Builovka in the Voronezh Region of Russia. This is believed to be the only surviving T-34 in existence built at the Stalingrad Factory, all other T-34 tanks built at Stalingrad are believed to have been destroyed during the war. The tank was successfully retrieved by a BREM-1 repair and evacuation vehicle based on a T-72 tank from the 7-meter depth. The tank is said to be in very good condition all things considered and restoring it to running condition is a possibility. The most likely theory as to how it ended up in the river is that it sunk when crossing the river on a pontoon bridge which collapsed. Full article here.
Review: Russell Military Museum
July 14, 2016 by 2 Comments
This past Sunday we had the opportunity to spend a few hours at the Russell Military Museum. This privately owned museum sits just south of the border between Illinois and Wisconsin about an hours drive north from Chicago. The museum is situated right off the highway and is easy to get to. A somewhat battered looking M3 Stuart light tank marks the entrance to the museum parking lot, a former car dealership lot converted into a museum in 2007.
If not for the light tank sitting out front and the sign on the building, a passer-by might be forgiven for mistaking the museum for a salvage yard. Those expecting a highly polished, big budget affair such as the (relatively) nearby First Division Museum at Cantigny Park will be disappointed. The Russell Museum is a “mom and pop” style museum, a labor of love by owner Mark Sonday and his family, who double as the museum staff. While the museum may lack a certain amount of polish, it more than makes up for it in the amazing array of military hardware present in the collection.
Museum owner Mark Sonday has been building his collection over several decades, originally showcasing them at a previous location in Pleasant Prairie Wisconsin (which wife Joyce Sonday now refers to as “Unpleasant Prairie”.) Forced to move due to Pleasant Prairie using eminent domain to clear land for a retail development, the Sonday family became embroiled in a long legal fight to gain fair compensation for the theft of their land [Read more…]
Review: First Division Museum at Cantigny Park
July 13, 2016 by 1 Comment
This past weekend we had the good fortune to spend a long weekend in the Chicago area. While there we were able to check out a couple museums housing tanks and armored vehicles. This review examines the tank collection at the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois. Cantigny Park opened in 1958, being the creation of newspaper magnate Robert R. McCormick who had established the Robert R. McCormick Charitable Trust and designated Cantigny as a public space for education and recreation. The park has a number of different features, including a museum dedicated to McCormick, extensive gardens, walking trails and a golf course. Also housed on the grounds is the First Division Museum and an outdoor collection of tanks, of which this review will focus on.
McCormick had served as a Colonel in the First Division in WW1, hence his interest in preserving the history of the unit. The museum is not large but is well worth the hour or so it takes to walk through the displays. Walking through the museum, the first thing encountered is a series of mannequins dressed in the various uniforms of the First Division from each major US war. This section then leads to a winding path in which the viewer progresses through each US war in chronological order. The WW1 section is the most impressive, designed to emulate the trenches of WW1, including a replica French Schneider tank.
Tank Talk: Ford M-1918 Two-Man Tank
July 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Len Dyer of the National Armor and Cavalry Restoration Center discusses the American Ford M-1918 Two-Man Tank.
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