Hotchkiss H39 Restoration planned

February 12, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Hotchkiss H39Over at the Historic Military Vehicles Forum, member “xrize” has posted some pictures of the remains of a Panzerkampfwagen 38h735(f) (Hotchkiss h39) tank which he has purchased at plans to restore.  According to the forum thread, this vehicle was purchased at the end of November 2015 from a Norwegian firing range.  This vehicle was captured by German forces following the fall of France and used in Finlan and North Norway as part of Panzer Abteilung 211.  The vehicle is 70 to 80% complete and is missing the engine and gearbox.

Photos of the vehicle can be viewed here.

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Tank Talk with Len Dyer – German Panzer IV

February 11, 2016 by 3 Comments

Len Dyer of the National Armor and Cavalry Restoration Shop discusses the WWII-era German Panzer IV tank. Tank Talk is a series designed to educate on the features, tactics and histories of tanks throughout world military history.

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From the Vault: British Assessment of T-64

February 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment

02Here is a British technical assessment of the Soviet T-64 tank circa 1978.  At this point in time the British and other Western countries had only very limited information on the T-64, so much of this report is based on photographic evidence and the best guesses of intelligence analysts of the period.  Therefore, take the info in this report with a grain of salt.  That said, it’s an interesting look into what the West knew, or at least thought they new about this revolutionary tank design in 1978.

Summary from report cover page:

This report describes the external features of the Soviet T-64 medium tank derived from photographic intelligence and gives also an assessment of the probable internal arrangements based on intelligence reports matched to the spatial configuration.  The appendix to the paper gives details of the turret model used to produce turret sections from which armour distribution of the turret was derived.

View the full report here.

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WW2 Japanese Heavy Tank O-I

February 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment

pn5bAGOOver at the Status Report is a new post about the history of the little known Japanese O-I super heavy tank project from WW2.  This vehicle never got past prototype stage and the one prototype constructed is no longer in existence.  Much of the information on this vehicle was kept secret until mid 2015 when the surviving documentation concerning the O-I was purchased by FineMolds Inc.  The article is written by Seon Eun Ae.

Excerpt: The O-I (オイ車 Oi-sensha) was a super-heavy tank prototype designed by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War after the Battles of Nomonhan in 1939. The O-I is one of the Second World War’s more secretive tank projects, with documentation regarding the tank being kept private for over 75 years at Wakajishi Shrine, Fujinomiya. Surviving files have been purchased by FineMolds Inc., and publicly previewed in mid-2015. The multi-turreted 150-ton tank was designed for use on the Manchurian plains as a supportive pillbox for the Imperial Japanese against the Soviet Union. The project was disbanded four years after the initial development began, deemed unsatisfactory for continuation in 1943 after the lack of resource material for the prototype.

Read the full article here.

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Tank Chats #14 Canal Defense Light

February 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment

From the Tank Museum:

Mark II A12, Matilda Canal Defence Light (CDL)

Night fighting always presents problems but searchlights had been tested on tanks as early as 1919. The idea of turning them into an offensive weapon is credited to a Mr A V M Mitzakis, who devised his scheme before the war but the British authorities did not take it up until about 1940. The idea was to use a light of such power that it would dazzle the opposition, leaving them temporarily blind and disorientated.

Five British and two American battalions were trained on CDL and two of the British units went out to Egypt. In fact the CDL was never employed as intended. A few tanks were used to cover the Rhine Crossing and there were incidents in India after the war but that is all.

 

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Alf-Adams Photo Bucket

February 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Today we would like to spotlight the excellent online collection of armor photos by Alfred Adams.  His photobucket page contains pictures of vehicles from around the world, including North America, the UK, France, Australia, Germany and the Golan Heights. The photos range through various time periods as well, with some being from as far back as the 1970’s.  Expect to spend some time clicking through all the great images here.  Click on the image below to go to the photobucket page.

Alf adams photos

 

 

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Video: Type 97 Shinhoto Chi-Ha

February 2, 2016 by Leave a Comment

We recently came across this short video from 2014 of a running Japanese Type 97 Shinhoto Chi-Ha medium tank.   Very little detail is given about this vehicle, which is most likely the only running example of this tank model in existence.  Shinhoto Chi-Ha tanks are relatively rare in any condition, let alone in running condition.  This footage comes from the “Engines of War” exhibition in Russia.   For a full list of existing Japanese WW2 medium tanks, click here.

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Wheatcroft Collection gains huge haul of WW2 German vehicle parts

February 2, 2016 by 5 Comments

According to a post at warhistoryonline.com, the Wheatcroft Collection has come across a “huge haul” of rare German tank, half-track engines and spare parts.

Maybach-HL120-5The Wheatcroft Collection in the United Kingdom is a large and important collection of historical softskin and armored military vehicles. It is one of the largest private collection of military vehicles in the world.

The collection has around 200 items, including more than 130 vehicles, of which 88 are tanks.The majority of the collection is of German, American and British origin, with a smaller number of vehicles from Norway, Japan, France, Russia and Sweden. The owner of the collection, Kevin Wheatcroft, has been collecting military vehicles for 30 years.

The collection is perhaps notable for having a number of extremely valuable and rare Second World War-era German military vehicles, including three Panther tanks, one of which is close to full restoration, one Panther II, two rare Tiger II (also known as “King Tiger”) tanks, a Tiger 1 as well as a StuG assault gun, a Panzer III, and a Panzer IV tank.The collection is also working on restoring the only surviving German E Boat.

Kevin Wheatcroft said:  ‘This is one of the most significant mechanical finds of recent times and has overnight supplied us with all the engines and gearboxes we need for our current restoration program’.

Editors note:  We find the mention of a ‘Panther II” in the Wheatcroft Collection to be rather curious.  As far as we know, the only existing Panther II is the one that was part of the Collection at the Patton Museum which is now at Fort Benning.

 

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Sherman tank moved from Pittsburgh display

January 27, 2016 by Leave a Comment

From CBS Pittsburgh comes this news story.

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Sherman tank rolled into Pittsburgh on June 17, and took up residence at Heinz History Center during its World War II exhibit.

Fifty-thousand Sherman tanks helped to defeat Nazi forces in Europe. But after seven months on loan, this one is moving out.

“Right now we’re going to take it to Fort Indiantown Gap, and there’s a re-enactment going on in a few days,” said owner Tom Pippins of Sewickley.

Pippins says he fell in love with tanks as a kid.

“I told my dad, ‘Hey, let’s buy a tank.’ He said no, so 30 years later I bought my own,” Pippins said.

This one took part in the Battle of the Bulge. Eventually, it will return to Ligonier, where the owner’s mother has a farm.

Museum President Andy Masich says it caught people’s attention.

“There wasn’t anyone that passed the History Center over the past six months who didn’t stop and take a selfie, in front of the Sherman tank,” Masich said.

Pippins maneuvers his tank toward the flatbed truck, which will carry it to its next location. Pittsburgh contributed to the design during the war.

“The turret was made in Lawrenceville in 1944,” Masich said. “Westinghouse helped make the gun stabilizer that made it possible for Sherman tanks to fire on the move. There are all kinds of Pittsburgh connections.”

The next exhibit at the History Center will be “Toys of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.” That opens in early March. And at that time, the tank will be replaced with a 20 foot, inflatable Gumby.

A final word from History Center President Masich: “The Sherman tank has left the building. Tanks for the memories.”

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Tank Museum Photo Gallery

January 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Here is a link to a nice photo gallery of some of the tanks on display at the Tank Museum at Bovington in the UK.  This gallery belongs to flickr user “Arekev.”

Click on the image to go to the flickr page.

tank museum gallery

 

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