“Surviving Panzers” website hits ten year mark

The website Surviving Panzers is celebrating ten years of being online.  For those that may not be familiar with it, the Surviving Panzers site is a great resource for information about existing historic AFVs on display around the world.  The site is organized by country and the information is stored in numerous downloadable PDF documents consisting of photos and text.  While the name of the site may imply that the focus is on German tanks, the site covers tanks of all nations as well as other types of armored vehicles.

According to site creator Pierre-Olivier:

When I started to set up this website, I often saw on websites or forums some lists of rare surviving tanks with their location. Sometimes, photos were very difficult to find, and I could not see how the vehicles looked like. That’s why I decided to collect information and photos of remaining rare WW2 tanks and I  published these documents. My aim is not to provide technical details (there are enough sites which do  that better than me..),  but only an up-to-date  list of tanks. Later the website was extended and now one  can find lists of WW1 and post-WW2 vehicles.

This is not only my work. As you can see, many people participate by taking photos and publishing them on their websites, or sending me some, by providing / forwarding recent information, etc.. Thanks  to them. My only task is to gather all this and do my best to share information, because  “information not shared is lost”.

Fans of the M4 Sherman are encouraged to check out Pierre-Olivier’s other creation, the Sherman Minutia Website.  This is a great online resource for those looking for detailed information on the many variations of the M4 family of tanks.

Saving Willie the Whale

From the Fort Lee Traveller comes this story about the moving and planned restoration of an LVT-4 amtrak formerly stored at Aberdeen Proving Grounds.

5696b7279ea6b.imageFORT LEE, Va. (Jan. 14, 2016) — An amphibious assault vehicle that symbolized the Marine presence at the Ordnance School when it was located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., has made its way back to the Devil Dogs.

Dubbed “Willie the Whale,” the LVT-4 was moved here from Anniston Army Depot, Ala., in September 2015 but currently sits in the high bay of Randolph Hall, a Marine training facility located on the Ordnance Campus.

Claire Samuelson, museum director, Ordnance Corps Training and Heritage Center, said Willie, which welcomed thousands of Marines to the Marine barracks at Aberdeen, is undergoing some minor cosmetic work courtesy of Marines enrolled in courses at Randolph.

Full Article here

Inside the Chieftain’s Hatch: T-55A

World of Tanks researcher Nick Moran has released a new video in his “Inside the Hatch” series.

Video” M10 (replica) driving fail

We recently were made aware of this video from this past summer and thought it was amusing enough to be worth sharing.  We are going to say it’s safe to assume these guys are not doing things properly.

More discussion of this incident over at the Historic Military Vehicle Forum.

Armor for the Ages: Churchill Crocodile

AFTA crocThe Armor for the Ages website has posted a new article on the history of the Churchill Crocodile tank that was part of the Patton Museum collection.  This vehicle currently resides at Fort Benning.  The article includes links to three photo galleries which show the vehicle at various stages of the restoration process.  British armor fans are sure to find these galleries (1, 2, 3) of interest.  According to the site:

Little is known about the Churchill Crocodile in this article. It once was part of the Tony Budge collection in Retford, Nottinghamshire, England. Mr. Budge assembled a huge collection of military vehicles in the 1980’s and 90’s but was sold off when his company, Budge Industries, was forced to downsize after financial problems. According to former Patton Museum curator Charles Lemons, the Crocodile was acquired in a Title X trade with the Center for Military History and it became part of the Patton Museum collection. It is now in storage at the Armor and Cavalry collection at Fort Benning.

The Chieftain’s Hatch: Equipping the Force, Part 5

chieftains hatchNicholas “The Chieftain” Moran has posted the fifth part of his series of articles on the history of US tank development during WW2.  In the is post he compares and contrasts the difference in opinions between Army Ground Forces and Ordnance regarding tank development.

Excerpt:

Now that that salvo is over, let’s have a gander at the whole lot, and compare/contrast with Ordnance’s view of things.

It is interesting to compare the line just above, “The agency controlling the using arm should likewise control the actual development program”, with the position of General Barnes over at Ordnance: “For these reasons, it is necessary for the Ordnance Department to take a strong lead over the using services in the development of new equipment and then to get the help of those using services in determining where the weapon best fits into battlefield operations.”

Put simply, they are mutually exclusive propositions. In effect, you have the scientists saying “If we just let the using arms come up with the equipment needs, nothing ‘new’ or revolutionary would ever be developed”, and you have the using arms saying “Stop focusing on hypothetical wonderweapons, and put all your energy into this thing we know we need right now.”

Full article here.

 

“Tankograd” blog on T-62

tankogradThe Tankograd blog on Soviet and Russian armor has posted an in-depth article looking at the Soviet T-62 main battle tank.  As with their other posts, this piece is probably the single most detailed description of the vehicle to be found online.  A very nice collection of photos is included in the article, including quite a few interior shots of various crew stations, controls and hatches.  The fire control systems and sights are described in detail as well, as is the cannon and the various kinds of ammunition.  For fans of the T-62, this page is a “must see” item.

Tankograd – T-62: Black Sheep of the Family

“Black Knights” restore M47 Patton tanks

From the official homepage of the US Army comes this story:

size0FORT RILEY, Kan. (Jan. 12, 2016) — Soldiers, assigned to 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, began restoration of two M47 Patton tanks here, Jan. 9.

Assisting with and advising the “Black Knight” Soldiers with the restoration were members from the U.S. Army Brotherhood of Tankers, or USABOT, and the Military Vehicle Preservation Society, or MVPs.

The M47 saw limited service with the U.S. Army and was quickly replaced by the M48, according to USABOT.

“This means a lot,” said Sgt. Adrian Medina, an M1 armor crewman with 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment. “Especially with having a lot of the older veterans coming in. These are tanks that are part of our heritage. A lot of technology and thought went into creating these tanks to better our jobs and everything out of these old tanks has been applied to our newer tanks like our Abrams. So it means a lot to get back into history.”

size0 (2)Medina said his unit hoped to have at least one of the tanks able to run after the restoration was complete. When finished, one tank will be displayed in front of the unit’s headquarters while the second will be placed in front of the motor pool.

“I think it’s great to get the Soldiers involved in the history,” said retired Sgt. Maj. Lowell May, former Fort Riley Soldier and the president of the local chapter of the MVPs.

May said the M47 was the first tank built after World War II and was in service through the 1950s.

“You cannot explain the feeling that you get,” said retired Sgt. Maj. Bob Trevorrow, a representative of the USABOT. “It’s a bit of history.”

size0 (1)The USABOT has grown from 500 members to 17,000 members within the past four years, Trevorrow said. They have now created a network with British and Israeli tankers as they strive for a brotherhood across the world.

“These girls are before my time,” Trevorrow said. “Some of us were in the Korean War and to see these, especially if we can get one running, that would be awesome.”

The M47 tanks will be refurbished and painted as well, Trevorrow said. He expressed his appreciation that 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, invited him to help and said he felt he was reliving history.

M24 Tank Wrecks on Rhodes, Greece

This video of M24 tank wrecks on the Greek island of Rhodes appeared on Youtube yesterday.  No information is provided as to how these tanks got there or why they were abandoned.

Tanks on Tarawa

Those interested in the battle of Tarawa and the role that armor played in that battle, be sure to check out the website “Tanks on Tarawa.”  Tanks on Tarawa is a website dedicated to Charlie Company I Corps Medium Tank Battalion.  The site includes maps, photos, videos and detailed descriptions of the history of the unit.  Well worth checking out by anyone with an interest in the Pacific Campaign.  Click on the image below to visit the site.