Hitler's Third Reich and World War II in the News is a daily edited review of WWII news, providing thought- provoking collection of hand-picked WW2 information.

Category: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks  -- See latest WWII news here. See also 'World War II Cars', 'Military Scale Models', 'Tank Forces, Panzer Crews', 'WW2 Jeeps', 'Anti tank action'.

Four T-34 tanks stolen in Serbia
Unknown thieves stole four T-34 tanks from the Serbian army in the northern Vojvodina province, while the tanks were parked "in an unguarded field". The source said the 32-ton tanks were "most probably cut [up] and taken away. They were old, idle weaponry, used only for military exercises and were not being guarded." An army captain noticed the theft of the tanks and damage done to a fifth. The Serbian Army dropped the use of T-34 tanks some time ago and has since kept them at military polygons where they serve as jet and chopper targets in military exercises.     [ balkaninsight :: 2008-04-25 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Firm delivers US Sherman M4 E9 tank to a military vehicle collector
A huge US Sherman M4 E9 tank was transported from Boroughbridge by Sowerby Bridge firm Stoneywood Motors. "...this was something we don't do every day," said Steve Fielding. The tank, used as a climbing frame in a children's park in California, was bought by Ken Pugh, a collector of military vehicles. Pugh said it was built during the war and was used as a static tank in the war film Flags of our Fathers. "There are only about half-a-dozen of these tanks left in the world." He has a collection of World War II military vehicles including jeeps and troop carriers and plans opening a museum.     [ halifaxcourier :: 2008-04-05 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Will Foster builds fully operational half-size Panzer tank
Will Foster never has trouble getting a parking spot: Who's going to argue with a guy driving a half-scale Panzer tank? He began building the tank from scratch 2 years ago. It runs on treads and has a 360-degree cannon (compressed air). A builder since he made his first tree house at 9, he came up with his first designs for the tank when he was 14, but he didn't have the resources to pull it off. "It's been a lot of trial and error... I've probably got $2,000 worth of parts on it, but $10,000 total has gone into it because I'd buy a $200 part that didn't work... before finding a $50 part that did."     [ mlive :: 2008-04-03 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Russian tank hobbyist charged with extremism: Tank has Nazi insignia on its turret
Tank enthusiast Vyacheslav Verevochkin in the Novosibirsk oblast is facing charges of extremism as prosecutors have started a probe into 2 battle tanks he built. The case began after a road-worthiness race between the man's tanks and modern SUVs. One of the tanks had Nazi insignia on its turret. "I restored those tanks that were used during the war. How could there even be mention of any kind of extremism? This is history." Aleksei Voytov, the lead prosecutor, said: "The public display of Nazi symbolism and attributions as an insult to the victims of the Great Patriotic War."     [ theotherrussia :: 2008-04-01 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Bidders rush on Russian T-34 and German Pz IV Tanks from the WWII
The elements of over 140 firing systems made up of WWII tank parts will be put up to a secret auction - 840 auction papers are sold. The "tank scrap" consists of gun - turrets from Russian Ò-34 tanks and also of 6 German tanks' elements. This World War II military equipment got a huge interest from militaria collectors all around the world. Before restoration the tanks cost 250,000 euros, but after their overhaul they could rise to 500,000. A group of American collectors considered to offer as much as it will take to have this unique and rare military machine.     [ international :: 2008-03-20 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

More information about Bulgarian WW2 tanks and turrets on sale
The interest shown by museums and collectors in the war relics has made the Defence ministry to sell the tanks and other equipment, some made in the Soviet Union, in an auction on March 19 in Sofia. On sale will be four 75 mm turret gun KVK - T-4 (Panzer IV) in Maybach turret (not a full set, gun body missing), two 75 mm T-3 (Panzer III) (not a full set), eighty-two ZiS-S-53/85 mm turret gun with a turret (not a full set), seven ZiS-S-53/85 mm turret guns in a T-34 turret (not a full set), one ZiS-S-54/85 mm tank gun (not a full set), 50 of the ZiS-S -53/85 mm turret gun in a T-34 turret (not a full set).     [ sofiaecho :: 2008-03-14 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

World War II Nazi tanks for sale: Panzers, Jagdpanzers, StuG III assault guns
22 Nazi tanks that have lain forgotten in Bulgarian fields for decades are to be put up for auction, with the starting price of 100,000 euros. The World War II relics were a first line of defence against a Nato invasion. Dug into the ground, the Panzer tanks, Jagdpanzer tank destroyers and Sturmgeschuetz assault guns have been mostly forgotten since the end of the Cold War. In 2007, authorities caught persons who allegedly stole one of the tanks. Collectors were willing to pay millions for the stolen tank, reportedly a present from Adolf Hitler to the former Bulgarian queen.     [ telegraph :: 2008-03-03 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Bulgaria scrambles to rescue hundreds of rusty German WWII tanks
Until recently, over 100 rusty military tanks lay half-buried near Bulgaria's border, set up as a Cold War deterrent to NATO's southern flank. But the theft of a rare vintage military vehicle forced the army to start an operation to save those still left from looters. Demand was such that a Russian collector made an effort to buy one of the museum's models, a German Panzer IV, with 2.5 million euros. "Bulgaria received some 97 German Panzer IV tanks, 100 Sturmgeschuetz III assault guns and Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyers when it joined the Nazis..." said Blagoy Milenov, of Sofia's military history museum.     [ afp :: 2008-02-22 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Bulgaria's Army Digs out Its WW2 Panzer IV tanks
Bulgaria' s army has began to dig out its vintage WW2 tanks, in order to protect them from looters. A number of Panzer IV tanks, equipped with Maybach engines and buried as stationary guns, have already been moved to a secure military base. All WW2 tanks will be in a safe place before the end of February but it is unclear what their future will be. There are few tanks of the same type in the world still outside the military museums and robbers could make a good profit by selling tank parts to collectors. Recently police nailed two Germans and a Bulgarian army major over stealing a whole Panzer IV tank. After that there was a probe over a stolen turret of a vintage tank.     [ novinite :: 2008-02-09 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Third WWII Maybach battle tank stolen in Bulgaria
The turret of a third Maybach tank from World War II had been stolen. The tank had been buried over 50 years ago in the region of Elhovo and served as a firing point. It is the third Maybach tank theft in Bulgaria. In Dec 2007, military counter-intelligence arrested a gang, who had stolen one WWII tank and tried to steal a second one. The Maybach produced the engines for the Panther and Tiger tank, highly valued by collectors. Tank-theft seems to be profitable as in mid-January 2008 3 men were captured from the Momina Tsurkva, after they sold parts of the turret of an unknown tank for scrap metal.     [ sofiaecho :: 2008-01-23 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Char B Tank, used during the WWII occupation of Jersey, heading back
A german tank used during the WWII occupation of Jersey is heading back to the island after 6 decades. After the 1945 Allied victory the Char B Tank was shipped to the Bovington Tank Museum: presently under a major rebuild. Now the 25-tonne former heavyweight is temporarily returning to its wartime home to form a display at the Jersey War Tunnels attraction. Tank museum curator David Willey said: "The Char B has great significance to the island as it was one of 17 tanks... stationed in Jersey." Andrew Ridgway explained: "knowing that there was a Renault Char B1 in the collection that had been based in Jersey... I offered accommodation for it in Jersey."     [ thisisdorset :: 2008-01-23 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Canadian War Museum shows restored German Panzer V: Panther tank
The Canadian War Museum has finished a 2-year restoration of a WWII-era German Panzer V tank. Panthers, as the Pz V tanks were known, were among the largest battle tanks made in quantity during the war. They were planned to combat the Soviet T-34 tanks that Nazi Germany ran into after the invasion of Russia in June 1941. By war's end, almost 6,000 Panthers had been deployed on all fronts. As part of the restoration, the exterior surfaces were covered with a "zimmerit" paste created from a WWII recipe. Zimmerit was used to tank surfaces to overcome magnetic anti-tank mines. Panthers and T-34s, both on display in the Museum, are considered to be the best tanks of the war.     [ canadianpress :: 2008-01-19 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Finland auctions disused battle tanks, Sturmgeschütz III assault guns
The Finnish Defence Forces generated 916,000 dollars when it auctioned off 20 disused tanks and assault guns. Most of the buyers were foreign nationals like Mike Stallwood of Britain. "My company buys old tanks, renovates them and sells them on to museums and private collectors," Stallwood told. Stallood bought a German-made assault gun, Sturmgeschuetz III Ausfuehrung G for 260,000 dollars. The assault guns were deployed by the Finnish army during World War II.     [ hs :: 2007-09-26 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Super-heavy tanks of World War II
Super-heavy tanks were designed in response to the arms race of ever-increasing armament and armour in battle tanks. Although some models were built, they were impractical and saw no combat. Some extreme tank designs approved by Adolf Hitler were devised to be all-conquering monsters of the battlefield. A prime example being the Maus, which only reached the prototype stage. Ultra-heavy tanks of 1,000 tonnes were considered, like the Landkreuzer P. 1000 "Ratte", an enormous tank, and the P. 1500 "Monster", a gigantic self-propelled artillery platform. These were deemed impractical and neither was built, as Albert Speer put an end to these behemoths.     [ wikipedia :: 2007-08-30 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Two exhibitors of a German Tiger tank replica injured
Article no longer available from the original source.
Two exhibitors of a German Tiger tank replica were injured at the Indianapolis Air Show. Someone tried to fire a blank round from the tank's gun and it misfired. Air show chairman Mike Potter described the situation as a small incident: "The two exhibitors were treated on the scene and transported off the field. We have no information on their conditions." The Tiger tanks were used by Germans in World War Two. The replica was part of a German military display, one of several re-enactment attractions of various wars at the air show.     [ indystar :: 2007-08-27 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Nazi-era tanks - with imperial eagle, Nazi swastika - still stand in Bulgaria
A visitor to the village of Fakiya in Bulgaria can just make out a rusting tank cannon 10 metres off the side of a road. It belongs to tank equipped with a Maybach engine, built in 1943 for Nazi Germany's World War II army, the Wehrmacht. Serial number, the stamp of the imperial eagle and a Nazi swastika are recognisable. There are around 40 such tanks in the region along the border with Turkey. "During World War II, Bulgaria was allied with Germany," explains Petko Yotov, director the Museum of Military History in Sofia. Battle tanks were never scrapped, but instead were employed, together with T-34 tanks, to secure the border after the war.     [ dw-world :: 2007-08-17 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Vintage Bikes - Vintage World War II motorcycles
When the U.S. War Department asked motorcycle manufacturers to come up with military machines for WWII, Harley and Indian answered the call. At first, both produced models with V-twin engines derived from their existing streetbike lines. But the War Department also asked for designs to use for desert fighting in North Africa. Harley opted to copy the design of BMW's R71 - used by the German Army - building a flat-twin boxer motor. Indian took a different route, creating the Model 841, but the military never adopted the machine. The same was true of Harley's BMW-like XA. Instead, the motorcycle used by American forces was the 750cc V-twin Harley WLA.     [ cherokeesentinel :: 2007-08-01 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

DUKWs, World War II-era amphibious crafts, used for tourist tours
When James Healy gets behind the wheel of a 19,000-pound ex-military vehicle called a duck and begins maneuvering it over Boston's streets, he becomes Cmdr. James Bernard Swampscott, a decorated military officer of his own creation. The commander wears khaki military uniform and displays a knowledge of Beacon Hill. But the best part of this trip - and of all the growing number of amphibious city tours - comes when the vehicle leaves land and plunges into water. Like the Boston tours, San Francisco's use DUKWs, World War II-era amphibious craft that were used in operations like D-Day and commonly called ducks.     [ nytimes :: 2007-06-30 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Restoring World War II military vehicles more than a hobby - an honor
Dave Wakefield found a 1942 Chevrolet World War II truck buried up to its axle in dirt in Ellensburg. For him restoring WWII vehicles is more than a hobby, it's an honor: "It's kind of an adventure. Like being an archaeologist and finding a historical treasure you can share with others." When he enters his 1943 Burma Jeep in parades, he dresses in military uniforms, which he also collects. A clean vehicle is out of the question: "I don't think there ever was a vehicle that was spotless." In one parade, he felt uncomfortable because the jeep was too clean. He found a mud puddle and splashed through it for a genuine look.     [ kvnews :: 2007-06-18 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Village tycoon fighting for right to party with warplanes, battle tanks
With low-flying warplanes, tanks and battle re-enactments, it was some birthday party for the American multimillionaire Charles Burnett III. For a man often driving a battle tank around the grounds of his Georgian mansion, it was nothing out of the ordinary. But some residents were dismayed as their village was turned into a battlezone. The hundred guests, who had been invited to wear vintage uniforms, danced to an orchestra performing military music. Althea Ayre: "There were lots of people going about in camouflage and tanks driving around, it was very frightening. I lived through WWII and I have painful memories of that time."     [ timesonline :: 2007-06-09 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Remembering the Machinery of War
Memorial Day honors military veterans of America's many wars, but amid all the ritualistic remembering, some 'veterans' are forgotten, namely, the cannons and war wagons that accompanied flesh-and-blood vets in battle. More than a hundred such antiquities rest in a dusty dirt lot in South El Monte. Retrograde tanks and personnel carriers, outdated anti-aircraft guns, boxy Jeeps and hulking trucks of World War II, Korean Conflict and Vietnam War vintage, all crowd the premises at the American Society of Military History Museum. Every artifact in the place is armored. The museum is brainchild and life's mission of Don Michelson.     [ cantonrep :: 2007-06-01 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Battle tank and armored personnel carrier course meeting opposition
Tony Borglum has a thing for tanks. Last fall, after he and his father traveled to England to buy one, they bought 4 more with the idea of opening a tank-riding and obstacle course in their back yard. "We were there a day and a half, and I got to thinking: 'There's nothing like this in the U.S.,'" said Borglum, talking about the obstacle course in England where he bought the tanks and an armored personnel carrier. What happened has turned Waseca County into a battleground, because residents are less than thrilled by the idea of battle tanks and an armored personnel carrier rumbling across the land.     [ startribune :: 2007-05-07 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Military museum offers a lesson in history
Walk into the Military Museum of Southern New England and you will feel that you have stepped back in time. With more than 35 exhibits containing a wide assortment of vehicles from 20th century U.S. military history the museum provides a wealth of information for military history enthusiasts. New vehicles are the 1940s Clark Aircraft Tug, which towed airplanes in World War II, and the M36 Jackson Tank Destroyer, which was used in combat during WWII. "The Jackson was a good match for the German tanks, but at 36 tons, it was much lighter, so it was often used for a 'hit and run.'"     [ newstimeslive :: 2007-04-22 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

History buff collects tanks, combat vehicles, self-propelled guns
Jacques Littlefield has amassed the country's largest private collection of tanks, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers, and anti-aircraft and other heavy combat vehicles on the lush, rolling hills of his 470-acre ranch. The real prize is the dreaded German Panzer V Panther, which the German army sank in a Polish river during World War II to keep it from the advancing Russians. The Panther sat submerged for 50 years until Littlefield acquired it and began a painstaking restoration four years ago. As an undergrad, he built a model tank from scratch in the campus machine shop. In 1976, he bought his first combat vehicle, a WWII Scout armored truck.     [ sfgate :: 2007-04-09 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Belgians to restore historic American M4 Sherman tank at Bastogne
An American tank got blasted, though not by one of the usual suspects. Of all people, it was a group of Belgians, and they sprayed the armored vehicle hard enough to peel paint. One of the participants, a soldier, even called the experience a privilege. "I never thought that one day I would work on that tank," said Adjutant Daniel Libert, a maintenance chief at a Belgian military arsenal in Rocourt. If all goes as planned, the Sherman M4 tank, that has been absent from McAuliffe Square in Bastogne, will return by Memorial Day. Bastogne is linked to the largest land battle in U.S. military history: the Battle of the Bulge.     [ estripes :: 2007-04-07 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Military-vehicle enthusiasts march to drum of bygone era
Joe DiGiovanni and Warren Boekhout like to play with trucks: the big, green, antique kind that once fought the nation's wars. When they meet at the Somerset Armory in Franklin as the Central Jersey Military Motor Pool, DiGiovanni, Boekhout and their fellow military-vehicle enthusiasts plan parades and trade knowledge and parts. "It's a way of keeping military history alive and remembering the guys who went before us," said Dave Peters. DiGiovanni owns 7 WWII vehicles and a 1941 cannon. The Army later replaced the cannon with another model because it didn't work against German battle tanks, the best it could do was chip the paint.     [ thnt :: 2007-03-13 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

A WWII Jeep - Memorabilia and military vehicles
Article no longer available from the original source.
Paul Dooling spends many of his hours toiling away in his garage, or what he calls his "clubhouse" - for big boys that's steeped in history and filled with memorabilia from World War II: including a rebuilt Army Jeep, old military magazines and newspapers, even a parachute that was used for carrier pigeons. I paid $4,000 for the Jeep. I had another one that I put together and last year sold it for $11,000. I also got this ammunition trailer that the Marines used in the Pacific in Iwo Jima in Kings Park. And when I was a mechanic, some of my customers gave me their WWII uniforms and some of the stuff in the trailer.     [ newsday :: 2007-02-22 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Vintage military vehicles roll into Market of Marion
Whenever Charles Hildebrant travels to a military show, someone stops to admire his ride: a 6-wheel 1943 Dodge jeep. "It was a personnel weapons carrier," said Hildebrant, coordinator for the First Florida Chapter Military Vehicle Preservation Association, which is inviting the public to the Market of Marion for an up-close look at vehicles American soldiers used on the battlefield. Unique jeep will be among 25 vintage military vehicles on display. "We'll have jeeps, heavy trucks, a Pingauzer, all sorts of military vehicles. We have vehicles of World War II and Korean War vintage, a couple of Vietnam vintage trucks, to present-day vehicles."     [ thevillagesdailysun :: 2007-02-11 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Old Soviet battle tank T-34 still tops for durability
The Soviet T-34 tank, introduced to Stalin by Mikhail Koshkin in 1940, still holds the first place in the Military Channel's Top 10 tanks list. Koshkin, who died in 1940 from pneumonia caught during the tank's test-drive, created a very reliable and simple-to-build design, which balanced the firepower, armor and mobility. In WWII, his concept proved to be victorious. At the first battles with German tanks, the T-34 came as a total shock to the Nazis. A single T-34 could be built in about 40 hours, and it became the most-produced tank of the war. The first time Koshkin, Red Army soldier at the time, saw tanks (british Mk Vs) was in 1919 in Arkhangelsk.     [ masslive :: 2006-12-14 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

WWII T34/76A battle tank Recovered - Photographs
14 Sept 2000, a Komatsu D375A-2 pulled an abandoned tank from its tomb under the bottom of a lake near Johvi, Estonia. The Soviet-built T34/76A tank had been resting at the bottom of the lake for 56 years. From Feb to Sept 1944, heavy battles were fought in the narrow, 50 km-wide, Narva front in the northeastern part of Estonia. Over 100,000 men were killed. During battles in the summer of 1944, the T34 tank was captured from the Soviet army and used by the German army. It is a very rare machine, considering that it fought both on the Russian and the German sides. Plans are under way to fully restore the tank.     [ strategypage :: 2006-11-16 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

How to drive a battle tank - like World War II-era T-34
Someone in Budapest seized a WWII-era battle tank and drove it 100m down the road. It made me wonder how easy they are to drive. Most tanks have a crew hatch for the driver, but in T-34 I climb over the wheels and tracks and haul myself up onto the turret top. I'm thankful of the helmet, as there are lots of sharp switches, ammunition racks and the gun. The 32 tons of metal monster, with the 85mm gun, lurches forward. I hit my head. I can't see behind or to the sides, that's why there's a commander in the turret. I don't know how so many young soldiers managed to cope: T-34s were chilly in winter and hot in summer; if the gun was fired, the inside filled up with fumes.     [ bbc :: 2006-10-27 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

WWII vehicles retrace Patton's route from D-Day Utah beach
A convoy of World War II military vehicles has set off from D-Day Utah Beach to retrace the steps of the Allied forces. Some 250 Americans, Britons, Canadians, French and Belgians mounted original WWII-era trucks and other vehicles for the 713-mile tour through Normandy and northern France. The trip started Monday and wraps up July 23 at a ceremony at General George S. Patton's tomb at the American military cemetery. The path follows the itinerary of General Patton's famous Third Army. One veteran is taking part: Belgian Maurice Sperandieu, who joined Patton's force as a teenager during the Liberation.     [ militaryltd :: 2006-07-12 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Armoured and dangerous - Shermans, Panzers, Pattons
When we tumbled at Jacques Littlefield's 10,000 square foot vehicle restoration facility, we saw several old and battered looking genuine battle tanks sitting outside the facility. Battle tanks are not something everybody collects and there are 220 military vehicles, which reside at Pony Tracks Ranch. A muscular German Panzer IV - which under Rommel's Afrika Korps attacked British forces in the desert of North Africa. A 1944 German Panther tank rescued after 40 years in a Polish bog. Numerous one-of-a-kind prototypes.     [ deccanherald :: 2006-06-11 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

M-5 Stuart Light Tank put together collected pieces
Johnny Jay and his friend George DeBonis supplied the military heavyweights for the Memorial Day parade. The two have been collecting military vehicles for about 20-25 years. Their M-24s, Jeeps and 7-ton reconnaissance Scout trucks are a few of the rare objects in the universe not readily available on the Internet. "The M-5 (Stuart Light Tank) we put together from pieces we collected from here, there, and everywhere." DeBonis purchased the M-24 WWII tank 15 years ago from a collector in Indianapolis.     [ townonline :: 2006-06-03 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

King Tiger tank from the Normandy campaign arrives Museum
A rare German tank - a veteran from the Normandy campaign of World War Two - has gone on public display at the Tank Museum for the first time since its capture. The German King Tiger (Sd Kfz 182 Tiger II) was captured after a tank battle in Nothern France in August 1944. It was issued to 1 Kompanie of SS Panzer Battalion 101 in the summer of 1944 and was commanded by an Obersharfuhrer Franz. The King Tiger was the largest and most feared German panzer of World War II. It gained a fearsome reputation as a formidable opponent: Mounting an 88mm gun and with virtually impenetrable armour to its front it has since become recognised as the most powerful tank of the war.     [ 24hourmuseum :: 2006-06-01 :: Panzers & Armored Divisions & Tank War ]

Museum of Vintage military vehicles used in war movies
Vintage military vehicles used in war movies make their home in Rusk - and belong to Tom Townsend, owner of Toyland Military Museum, East Texas' largest, privately owned military vehicle collection. Tom, as a tank platoon commander in the 1960s, earned the rank of First Lieutenant. "It all began when I was hired to work on the movie, 'Courage Under Fire.' They couldn't find a whole lot of people who could drive tanks." The museum consists of more than a dozen operational military vehicles from World War II through Desert Storm, plus weapons, uniforms and military artifacts.     [ jacksonvilleprogress :: 2006-05-30 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Classic vehicles - Ferrets and Lynxes and Sherman tanks
Ferrets and a black-smoke-belching diesel-powered vintage Sherman make up part of the 72 vehicle collection of the Oshawa Aeronautical, Military and Industrial Museum located at the municipal airport, which served as a Second World War Commonwealth air-training base. One of the goals of the museum volunteers is to have all the vehicles actually run, and more than 40 currently do. A tour begins with the artifact section before moving out to the machinery hanger. This is tightly packed with a Sherman and Chaffee tank, Bren gun carrier, Chevy staff car, a Willys Jeep, a M37 Dodge Power Wagon...     [ theglobeandmail :: 2006-05-26 :: Memorials and Museums ]

75 Years of Porsche Engineering Services: Cars and Panzers
On 25 April 1931 Ferdinand Porsche founded an Engineering Office. The Type 64 racing car built in 1938/39 is the original ancestor of all sports cars to follow from Porsche in the decades to come. 1939 Porsche was requested by the German Army to develop a medium-weight battle tank, but work was discontinued due to greater demand for heavier tanks. So developing the Tank 101 "Tiger", Porsche KG submitted its bid to the Army Armament for the building of a tank in the weight category above 50 tonnes. In 1942 Porsche got the assignment to build a very heavy armoured car - known as the Tank 205 "Maus", but only two prototypes were built.     [ paddocktalk :: 2006-04-30 :: World War II Cars ]

For sale: 70 military vehicles and artillery pieces
When John Belfield takes his pride and joy for a cruise down his driveway, his neighbour complains that his house shakes. A 50-tonne Centurion main battle tank will have that effect. His arsenal includes WWII Matilda tanks with flame-throwers, an AC1 Sentinel and AC3 Thunderbolt tank, an M3 A1 Stuart tank, anti-aircraft guns, a mobile radar unit, a white half-track armoured vehicle and a Saracen armoured personnel carrier. His weapons are surrounded by searchlights, bugles, uniforms and gas masks. Plastic soldiers fight historic battles within glass cases.     [ theage :: 2006-04-14 :: Panzers & Armored Divisions & Tank War ]

Museum acquired a rare M-36 Jackson tank destroyer
Tank destroyers were meant to combat the big-gunned, heavily armored German Tigers and Panthers that "badly outclassed" the American Sherman tanks during the war. They were basically fast, lightly protected gun platforms firing shells that could penetrate the German armor. Their survival - and that of their crews - depended on speed and elusiveness, rather than heavy armor. Only about 1,500 M-36s were manufactured, and they reached the front in 1944, replacing older, smaller tank destroyers like the M-10 Wolverine and M-18 Bearcat.     [ newstimeslive :: 2006-03-07 :: WWII Anti-tank crews, guns & weapons ]

Remains of two second world war tanks found on the beach
Remains of two second world war tanks found on the beach at Titchwell. The exposed rusty remains of the tanks offer an insight into the 1940s when the beach was used by the Royal Tank Regiment as a practice range. The squadrons that may have used the tanks were the A Squadron, the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, the 13th/8th Hussars and the 27th Lancers.     [ Archant Regional :: 2006-03-04 :: Vintage Military Vehicles (AFV) & Battle Tanks ]

Hitler's favorite tank sits rusting on a dumping ground in the Russian province
According to Mr. Speer's memoirs, Hitler was closely following the combat baptism of the new tanks. He demanded an hourly report on the situation. Hitler flew into a rage when he found out that the attack was a disgrace. He demanded all tanks should be smashed into pieces so that the enemy could never get a hold in the German secret weapon. The Germans managed to blow off four tanks. However, the Soviets had already removed two tanks using tractors. Soviet designers painstakingly examined the specimen and learned the important combat specifications of the Tiger by the summer of 1943.     [ Pravda :: 2005-09-29 :: Panzers & Armored Divisions & Tank War ]

Red Army's war-winning weapons like T-34 tanks are up for sale
Russia is to sell thousands of Second World War tanks, machineguns and cannons in an attempt to raise funds and remind the world of its pivotal role in defeating Hitler. The company is tempting collectors with a selection of weapons that includes Maksim machineguns, 76mm ZiS-3 field guns, PPSH sub-machineguns and T-34 tanks, the backbone of the armoured columns that drove the German army out the Soviet Union in 1944.     [ telegraph :: 2005-02-03 :: Panzers & Armored Divisions & Tank War ]

See also

'World War II Cars'

'Military Scale Models'

'Tank Forces, Panzer Crews'

'WW2 Jeeps'

'Anti tank action'.

What's new - recent & interesting categories.

Although the articles linked from Adolf Hitler's Third Reich 1933-1945 and World War II in the News are reviewed and specially selected, they do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, who is not responsible for the content of any external sites. This service is © Joni Nuutinen 2005-2008. All rights reserved.