Tank Times | November 2017

NOVEMBER 2017

Tank Times

Issue #37

PUBLISHED BY THE TANK MUSEUM, BOVINGTON, DORSET BH20 6JG

FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHER C A M B R A I 10 0

1917

2017

Matt Sampson Part of The Tank Museum’s mission as a charity and regimental museum is to “educate and inspire people with the story of tanks and the people who serve in them; past, present and future”.

Cambrai 100 20 November 2017 marks the centenary of the Battle of Cambrai, the first mass tank attack in history, an anniversary marked every year by the Royal Tank Regiment.

At 6.20am, on 20 November 1917, a surprise attack by the British Army created a major break in the German lines to commence the Battle of Cambrai.

The first tank. the Mark I, had made its debut on the Somme in September 1916. Success at this first battle was modest and tanks were entirely unsuited to the fighting in the first part of 1917. Tank Corps commanders were naturally frustrated at having both their potential and their machines squandered in this way – but Cambrai was the moment they had been waiting for. Losses for The Tank Corps at Cambrai were not modest; but the tank had shown what it could do when appropriately deployed, with Haig writing that the “great value of tanks in the offensive has been conclusively proved.”

A Mark IV tank at Everdinghe, near Ypres, September 1917.

The Tank Museum will be releasing an online documentary, which covers the significant points and stories of the Battle of Cambrai. This film will be published on The Tank Museum YouTube channel in time for the anniversary in November; subscribe to the channel to ensure you don’t miss it.

Cenotaph in London, where the Mark IV tank will be positioned in honour of their regimental forebears who fought at the Battle of Cambrai, 100 years ago. The following week, the Royal Tank Regiment will journey to Cambrai, where the replica Mark IV will appear to enhance the regiment’s centenary celebrations.

The Tank Museum will also be supporting the commemorative activities of the Royal Tank Regiment with its First World War, replica tank.

Follow the Cambrai Centenary by subscribing to The Tank Museum’s YouTube channel, liking The Tank Museum on Facebook and taking a look around the Museum’s First World War blog, tank100.com.

On 19 November the Royal Tank Regiment Association will hold its annual parade past the

Every year the modern Royal Tank Regiment mark 20 November as Cambrai Day, with celebrations and historical reflection. In order to mark the centenary of this momentous battle, The Tank Museum will be undertaking a series of activities in November.

WHAT’S INSIDE

This mission fuels much of the work I do, which includes producing videos for the Museum’s online audience and Museum visitors, photographing key vehicles, collection items and events; all of which is used to reach an audience both at the Museum and further afield.

The Battle of Cambrai is one of the, if not the, most significant battle in the history of the tank. After the failures at Passchendaele and earlier tank actions, Cambrai represented a last chance for the tanks to prove their worth. Thankfully, the Tank Corps and their Mark IV’s managed to do just that.

In order to tell this story to as many people as possible, The Tank Museum is producing a documentary on the Battle of Cambrai and will be publishing it online for free.

Photographing a Panzer III. Filming at key battle sites like Ribecourt, Flesquieres, Masnieres and Graincourt, has allowed us to tell the story of Cambrai from the heart of the action and give a real insight in to what the tanks and the men would have seen.

The Mark IV at Trafalgar Square in 2016.

Continued inside...

TANKFEST DEVELOPMENTS

TIGER TWIST

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Check out all the upcoming changes to your favourite event!

New evidence emerges for the most famous tank in the world...

Official Tank Museum Christmas presents for all your friends and family.

THE TANK MUSEUM

FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHER Continued...

Combined with personal accounts from our archive and objects from our collection, the documentary will present a unique and personal insight into the battle – which remains an important part of the Royal Tank Regiments story.

NOVEMBER 2017

Changes for

tankmuseum.org

29th June – 1st July

TANKFEST 2018 German, British and French tanks at TANKFEST 2017.

On set with James May. Over the past few years the Museum has worked hard to increase its online presence, on channels like YouTube and Facebook. As part of this we have launched new video series like the Matilda Diaries, which tracks the restoration of the Matilda II, and Tank Chats, short videos on some of the vehicles from our collection. The popularity of these series means that we are reaching more people than ever before, with the stories of The Tank Museum.

LOWER CAPACITY

BETTER VIEWING

Capacity will be reduced by 1,000 visitors per day, allowing people to move around at TANKFEST more easily. This does mean we have had to increase our prices, particularly on the Saturday which has traditionally been the busiest day.

We are increasing the spectator space around the arena to improve viewing opportunities.

BIGGER DISCOUNTS We agree there is too much to see in one day.

Therefore, we have created some great new ticket options – including a three day ticket which will allow you to save 20% off the total cost.

These ‘block’ tickets are ideal for those travelling from far away and who want to experience the Museum – inside and out!

2018

This year I was also involved in the launch of The Tank Museum’s Patreon page.

Patreon allows people to support the Museum with regular monthly donations, in return for a series of benefits, which include early access to videos, behind the scenes videos, exclusive Q&A videos from The Tank Museum’s Curator, merchandise, Friends of the Tank Museum membership and more; depending on how much patrons are able to contribute.

TANKFEST is The Tank Museum’s most important fundraising event. We always listen closely to your feedback to ensure the best possible experience for our visitors. As a result, we are making the following improvements for 2018:

PREVIEW DAY The first day of TANKFEST will now be Friday.

There will not be a full arena programme, but there will be some short displays of visiting armour. The Preview Day will be considerably less busy than the weekend and provide the perfect opportunity to explore the Museum and the trade stalls before the show really begins - without fear of missing any of the action in the arena.

Working as the Photographer at The Tank Museum is never dull. When people ask what I do they often respond with something along the lines of ‘That must be really interesting’. I like replying, ‘Yes, it is’.

The Fury exhibition, which opened soon after the film’s release, explores the part played by the Museum and includes interviews with Museum staff members who drove and cared for the tanks whilst on set, as well as pieces and scripts from the set. The centrepiece of the ‘Fury’ exhibition is the eponymous Sherman tank - the star of the film.

The ‘Fury’ exhibition closes on Sunday 12 November, so make sure you visit before it’s too late. The exhibition will be replaced by ‘Tank!

Back to the Future’, in spring 2018.

Matt Sampson

Maintaining the collection in the Archive & Library is a complicated and costly process, and one The Tank Museum views as absolutely critical. This is partially funded by selling duplicate books or models at Special Events such as Tiger Day and TANKFEST. Please help support The Tank Museum’s Archive & Reference Library by donating armoured warfare books, DVDs and models which can either be added to the collection or sold to raise funds to conserve it. If the items are too large to post the Museum may be able to collect if the items are within a reasonable distance.

Collection maintenance.

If you have an item you would like to donate, please contact library@tankmuseum.org or call 01929 405096 ext 207.

ARE NOW ON SALE!

Last chance to see FURY! Tank! Back to the Future

By reaching out to people in this manner we are not only being supported as a charity, but also offering the opportunity for our audience to engage with the Museum more directly and feel that they have a stake in the future of The Tank Museum.

Support the Archive & Library

THREE, TWO AND SINGLE DAY TICKETS

In 2014, The Tank Museum took part in Brad Pitt’s, Second World War film, ‘Fury’. As well as consulting on the script, the Museum’s famous Tiger 131 tank and Sherman tank were featured in the film.

Inside the Museum arena.

IN BRIEF

New Exhibition for 2018

Back to the Future exhibition.

In spring 2018, The Tank Museum will welcome a new temporary exhibition called ‘Tank! Back to the Future’.

Become A Friend!

Another great way to support The Tank Museum is by becoming a Friend. A £30 Adult membership will give you free entry to The Tank Museum and a subscription to the tri-annual Tracklink magazine. Save 10% off lectures, special events, including TANKFEST, and selected experiences. You will also be entitled to 20% off entry to the Museum for three accompanying guests.

Join online at tankmuseum.org/shop or call 01929 405096 ext 208.

Through a series of models, the new exhibition will explore the failed designs of armoured vehicles throughout history. Firepower, protection and mobility, the design principles of armoured vehicles, will be examined and the display will look at doomed tank experiments like the Tsar Tank and the Da Vinci tank.

The exhibition goes on to cover the eventual success of the British Mark I tank design, which went onto the battlefield in September 1916, as well as tank design beyond the First World War and into the nuclear age.

1

Matt Sampson Photographer

The Fury exhibition.

‘Tank! Back to the Future’, comes to The Tank Museum from the National Military Museum of Netherlands and will run for one year from spring 2018.

The Mark IV during First World War event.

+44 (0) 1929 405096

THE TANK MUSEUM

NOVEMBER 2017

Twist in the Tale of Tiger 131

WHAT DISABLED TIGER 131?

Battle damage and contemporary images of Tiger 131 suggest that there were four key strikes to the tank before it was captured.

The story of the world’s most famous tank has had a new chapter added following research revealing exactly how Tiger 131 was captured.

New research has shown that the tank was captured in a different battle to that which was believed. It was prompted by the recollections of a soldier who was perilously close to the machine at the time it was disabled.

Tiger 131 was the first example of the fearsome new German invention to be captured by the allies who seized it during fierce fighting in the Tunisian desert in 1943. A lucky shot had wedged itself in the turret mechanism so it couldn’t turn and the crew had bailed out and ran. Such was the importance of the capture that Prime Minister Winston Churchill and King George VI were pictured with the tank, when they visited North Africa.

After the tank was taken to the UK, Lt. Peter Gudgin was charged with writing a detailed report about it. Gudgin had been fighting Tigers with 48 Royal Tank Regiment in Tunisia at a place called Djebel Djaffa, on 21 April 1943, and after being hit by one was invalided home. He mistakenly believed that the Tiger tank was the same one that had destroyed his Churchill tank and that his comrades had subsequently stopped it with the lucky shot.

And that has always been the official story.

Tiger 131 being inspected in Tunisia.

Dale’s father John, who died in 1982, had told him about his battalion’s first attack set-piece in Tunisia when they took on the legendary tanks and captured one intact with a jammed turret.

And when, in 2012, Dale visited the Tank Museum and saw how the official story of Tiger 131 and his father’s recollection were so similar, he began his research.

He said “After ejecting the Germans, the Foresters - including my father - dug in and prepared for the counter attack which, when it materialised, comprised a number of Tiger tanks. Having the dubious honour of carrying a PIAT anti-tank weapon, my father was ordered to creep forward and engage the nearest Tiger.

“After getting as close as he dared he took aim and fired only to see the bomb strike a glancing blow on the turret and bounce off. At this point he saw

Dale added, “Dad said very little about his war, but he did tell me about the Tiger tank and how it came to be captured. After being struck by the similarities between my father’s story and the official account I began the research which has now proved that Tiger 131 was the one my father was fighting.

“However, it is now clear that although the Foresters did capture the vehicle, they were not the ones who disabled it”.

Curator, David Willey said “History is re-interpreted by each generation, keen to learn their own lessons, draw their own comparisons and find their own relevance to the stories of the past.

“Here we see a case of the evidence always being there - but until Dale came to question the accepted orthodoxy - no one had looked at this evidence in a new way.

However, new research shows that Tiger 131 was actually disabled 15 miles away from Djebel Djaffa at a place called Gueriat el Atach, known as Point 174, during an attack there by 2nd Battalion The Sherwood Foresters on 24 April 1943.

Research carried out by Dale Oscroft, son of one of the Foresters who fought on Point 174, has revealed the story.

Whilst a few of the strikes may have wounded and spooked the crew, it has always been felt that the round that jammed the turret was the final straw as it rendered the tank unable to fight.

In response to Dale Oscroft’s research, The Tank Museum recently carried out putty tests on Tiger 131’s turret to determine the type of shell which disabled it and in turn what kind of weapon the fatal shot was fired by.

John Oscroft’s account recalled his comrades turning a French field gun abandoned by the Germans on the Tiger.

The Daily Sketch reported that it was knocked out by ‘our gunners’ using a captured ‘German anti-tank gun’. We also know that Churchill tanks from 48 RTR engaged Tiger tanks.

The Germans used captured French guns in Europe and North Africa. The French had converted their old 75’s for use as anti-tank guns before the Second World War began.

King George VI inspecting the tank. the turret begin to traverse in his direction and decided to get his head down.

“Fortunately for him, the tank was then hit by what my father was later told was an old French ’75’ which the Foresters had taken from the Germans.

Much to his relief the tank crew bailed out and made off. A later inspection showed the Tiger to have sustained a lucky hit on the turret ring.

“Backed by the magic of technology such as Google maps - a new story can now be written about the capture of Tiger 131.

“My father speculated that the crew must have thought that the Foresters had something more potent than they actually did.”

John, who was from Sutton-in-Ashfield, joined the Foresters in 1942 from his job in the hosiery industry. He fought in Tunisia, in Italy and ended up in serving in Palestine before being demobbed in 1946 and returning to his job as a hosiery knitter.

John Oscroft during the war.

The angle of impact.

Dale carried out his research using wartime maps, photographs and documents which showed that Tiger 131 was indeed captured on Point 174 and not Djebel Djaffa as had always been believed. Later, Dale sought the assistance of David Byrden, a Tiger tank expert, to confirm his findings through the use of satellite imagery.

Tiger I in the museum arena.

The Germans would have also used their own anti-tank guns. Tantalisingly, Tiger 131 was photographed next to a captured Pak 38 after its capture.

But each of these guns fire shells of a different size, and by applying a quick drying paste to the strike marks on the bottom of the Tiger barrel and mantlet, The Tank Museum has been able to make a mould to determine the calibre of round that struck it.

The results leave little doubt in the mind of The Tank Museum that Tiger 131 was hit by a 6 pounder round as fired by a Churchill tank, which were with 48 RTR supporting the Foresters from quite a distance behind.

“And of course the story doesn’t end here as more will undoubtedly come to light, more of the picture will be filled in and we can return again to this moment in history anew.”

Currently Tiger 131, the only running Tiger I in the world, is part of a world-first exhibition at the Museum, the Tiger Collection, which showcases the entire Tiger family side-by-side.

Read the full story of Tiger 131’s capture at Tiger-tank.com

The projectile’s impact on Tiger I.

THE TANK MUSEUM

FROM THE EDITOR

NOVEMBER 2017

From THE TANK MUSEUM Shop VISIT TANKMUSEUM.ORG/SHOP

Perfect gifts for tank fans!

EVENTS VINTAGE CHRISTMAS 2 – 3 DECEMBER 2017

Nik Wyness In the last edition of Tank Times, we announced that the Heritage Lottery Fund had confirmed its support for the final part of the Museum’s ‘Conservation in Action’ project.

The largest part of this project is the building of the new workshops which, anyone who has visited the Museum recently will have seen, has now started and is on schedule to be complete next spring. These new facilities will allow the Workshop team to undertake more conservation and restoration projects, as well as continuing the maintenance of the Museum running fleet.

Future conservation projects are being lined up to make the most of this new facility – which we will bring you news on next year.

To assist us, we have welcomed three new Workshop Apprentices who will be able to carry forward the knowledge of our highlyskilled existing team members.

POSTERS AND PRINTS

BOOKS

There are some incredible posters and prints available from The Tank Museum’s online shop, including eye-catching images from the Museum archives and Museum events.

Prices start from £9.99.

If your Centurion or Challenger 1 tank needs some maintenance, then why not invest in the one of the Haynes Owner’s Manuals. Written by The Tank Museum, you can explore the history, development and engineering behind some of the world’s most iconic tanks.

MODELS

PREMIUM EVENT TICKETS

The online shop has a wide variety of tank model kits to buy, produced by the likes of COBI, Meng and Tamiya, depicting tanks from many nations throughout history.

Make the most of Tiger Day IX and TANKFEST, with a premium experience, including behind the scene tours, refreshments and talks.

Premium tickets will be on sale in time for Christmas, on Tankmuseum.org

Are you a fan of The Tank Museum? With a Season Ticket, visit The Tank Museum every day we’re open at no extra charge – including admission to TANKFEST and Tiger Day!

In August, Heritage Lottery Chairman, Sir Peter Luff, Heritage Lottery South West Chairman, Stephen Boyce and Heritage Minister, John Glen MP, visited The Tank Museum to see the impact that over a decade of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund has had on the Museum. All three were delighted to see the hugely positive changes that had occurred at the Museum and expressed their optimism for the future plans.

As previously mentioned in this edition, a very important centenary is approaching for the Royal Tank Regiment. We hope you’ll agree that the heroism and ingenuity demonstrated during the Battle of Cambrai is something worth remembering with us.

Nik Wyness Head of Marketing and Engagement

THE SOUTH WEST MODEL SHOW 10 – 11 FEBRUARY 2018

SEASON TICKETS Stephen Boyce, Sir Peter Luff and John Glen MP break ground on the new workshop.

See Father Christmas arrive by tank and explore vintage shopping and entertainment.

The Tank Museum will be inviting exhibitors from across the UK to exhibit their models of planes, train, boats, cars and of course tanks, throughout the Museum.

Tiger Day IX 28 APRIL 2018

First Victoria Cross for the Tank Corps Over one hundred years ago, on the 4th October 1917 the first Victoria Cross to be awarded to a member of the Tank Corps was earned by Clement Robertson, a 26 year old Captain in A Battalion. He led tanks into action near Polygon Wood, during the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as Passchendaele.

Conditions on the battlefields of Passchendaele were terrible. Thick mud made any kind of movement difficult, and shelling had badly damaged most of the roads. When tanks had been used earlier in the battle many of them had ended up hopelessly bogged. Captain Clement Robertson was determined this wouldn’t happen again.

For his bravery Clement Robertson was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Robertson’s action was later described by one of his fellow officers as ‘one of the most patiently courageous actions of the war.’ His was one of four VCs earned by Tank Corps soldiers during the First World War. They all had two things in common.

None of the recipients were in a tank at the time, and none of them survived.

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The attack on 4th October began at 6am and the ground in No Man’s Land was just as bad as before, so Robertson decided to walk in front of the tanks to guide them forward over the best ground possible. The German artillery, machine gun and rifle fire was intense, but he refused to take cover, as he knew his tank crews needed to be able to see him.

One by one Robertson guided them safely across a narrow bridge. As they continued forwards Robertson was shot and killed. His tanks fought on, helping to successfully drive the Germans back.

Enjoy a day of Tiger themed activities and see the only running Tiger 1 in the world, take to the arena alongside its wartime contemporaries.

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Clement Robertson

THE TANK MUSEUM - THE WORLD’S BEST COLLECTION OF TANKS

An Independent Museum and Registered Charity No 1102661