August 2014
Tank Times
Published by THE TANK MUSEUM, Bovington, Dorset, UK, BH20 6JG
Tel: +44 (0) 1929 405 096
FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY
Commemoration Event
4th August 2014 The Tank Museum’s Commemoration Event, on 4th August, is set to be unmissable. The Kuwait Arena will see our Mark IV and A7V replicas trundling round, accompanied by the Great War Air Display team and the Gordon Highlanders. There will also be a tank mobility display later in the day, featuring both First World War and modern vehicles. Areas outside the arena won’t be short of action either. The Great War Cavalry Display team will be treating visitors to various displays on horseback, including mounted skill-atarms, with the horsemen slicing a melon on a stick in half whilst galloping past. There will also be a chance to meet the stars of the show, the horses (!), after the displays.
Inside… ● RECORD TANKFEST ● ARMOURED CARS IN ACTION ● HOBART’S PIKE ● WHAT’S ON ● TANK MASCOTS
Talks will be going on at the Museum throughout the day, including “Tommy in the Trenches “, a look at tanks in the First World War and the origins of the War, among others. Meanwhile a Living History display, with soldiers performing drills and explaining what life would have been like for a First World War soldier, will feature near the Vehicle Conservation Centre. Activities for children include medal decoration, writing war poetry and painting wooden tanks. While children who wear a decorative Tank Museum poppy will be given free entry on the day – see tankmuseum.org for details. As this is a commemorative event, there will also be a short service followed by a minutes’ silence. Normal admission prices apply on 4th August and Annual Pass holders will be admitted as usual.
THE TANK MUSEUM - THE WORLD’S BEST COLLECTION OF TANKS An Independent Museum and Registered Charity No 1102661
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FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHER Matt Sampson
There are two very good things about being the Tank Museum Photographer. First you get to do all the things you are normally told not to… climb in/on the tanks, handle the collection artefacts, order (sometimes quite important) people around and essentially cross that line that says no ‘access beyond this point,’ be it physical or unwritten. The second is working across the whole Museum. While most of the work is associated with the Archive and Marketing, Events need photographing, vehicles need documenting, shop merchandise needs pictures and exhibitions need material. A common question is… ‘surely we already have lots of pictures of the Sherman/Tiger/ Matilda?’, well yes but maybe but not in this location, not since it has been restored or not from this particular angle.
To a large extent the nature of the job is to document the Museum’s collection and activities. However the mission of the Museum is to tell and make available the stories of vehicles Continued on page 2...
THE TANK MUSEUM - August 2014
G N I K A E R B D R O C E R
Continued…
It’s not only stills either. New exhibitions and an effective on line presence means video. Digital HD video and non-linear editing means that we can create quality video product in house. The learning curve is steep… very steep, but it’s extremely satisfying when we get there and the subject matter doesn’t get any more interesting than 60 tons of tank racing around the arena. Wondering where else we can attach a GoPro camera to a tank is a constant ‘worry’! The Museum has recently been able to invest in some new stills and video equipment courtesy of an Arts Council Grant and private donations which will help enormously to make all this possible.
Tankfest 2014 far surpassed the previous record of 11,000 visitors, with a huge 15,000 visitors pouring in to the site over the weekend. Our arena displays were bigger and better than ever, and our traders’ stands didn’t disappoint either. Tankfest 2015 is taking place on the weekend of 27th and 28th June. Tickets are available now from The Tank Museum website – and if you buy before September, you’ll get you tickets at the 2014 price!
Wargaming.net, the award-winning creators of World of Tanks, teamed up with The Tank Museum to support the restoration of a set of notable tanks from the running fleet. Keeping our tanks in good working order, is a considerable challenge; by raising money through their network of gamers, with regular users topping 70 million worldwide, Wargaming.net will be providing invaluable help to restore tanks including the Comet, Sherman and Matilda II.
British Army Display
White Helmets
NEW for 2014! Tank Pull Challenge
25 pdr Artillery Display
P51 Mustang Aerial Display
Operation Market Garden
So do we really need another picture of Tiger 131… well yes.
After a weekend of fundraising through the World of Tanks online game, €75,000 had been raised to support the Museum’s cause. Victor Kislyi, Wargaming CEO, officially presented the Museum with a cheque at Tankfest which was gratefully accepted.
The Tank Museum Volunteer Modellers, who attend the Museum during the holiday periods and Museum special days also attend model shows throughout the year representing The Tank Museum. Two of these are local, one with Poole Vikings Model Club and the other with Salisbury IPMS Model Club. I am pleased to report that at both these shows, Poole on April 12 and Salisbury this weekend, 31 May, they came away with the prize for Best Model Club display. Anyone who has visited one of these shows will know the high standard of models exhibited by other clubs and to be awarded this on two occasions is high praise indeed for our volunteers.
Matt Sampson Photographer
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IN BRIEF
FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHER
and crew and that means actively getting the message out there, most obviously and immediately online, either through the Museums new website or via social media. A simple everyday Facebook post works wonders in keeping the interest there, but it would be nothing without images, the audience always wants something new and as the Museum’s director often points out, we have more stories than we know what to do with. For example; a trophy Nazi German aerial recognition flag signed by members of 11th Armoured Division captured in April 1945… of which some careful photography has revealed some long faded soldier’s names and a collection of children’s soft toy animals carried in a British tank during WW1. They all need photographs and with the collection being the size it is …quite often there aren’t any. There are also new donations coming in all the time, there’s always another album or collection of personal images that need scanning and that’s the photographers job too.
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THE TANK MUSEUM - August 2014
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ARMOURED CARS IN ACTION
by David Fletcher
A German Ehrhardt, but not in the desert. A big, stately looking car with Maxim machine-guns sprouting out everywhere but you can see how bullets from a Rolls-Royce could have entered the turret.
I understand, at least I have been told, that there is a discussion going on, on one of these on-line chat rooms that deals in such things, about the first occasion in history when armoured cars engaged one another in battle. Apparently they have come to the conclusion that the first time it ever happened was near Aleppo, in northern Palestine towards the end of the war. I remember having read something about this so I thought I had better read more, to see how good my memory was and to bring myself up to date on the facts, such as they were.
the German vehicle was stopped and surrendered. Apparently although the armour on the German car was proof against machine-gun fire the British weapons penetrated gaps in the turret mounting and wounded the crew. The lorries all got away, except for one which was shot up by a Model T Ford armed with a Lewis gun, or broke down, depending upon which book you read. The Official History doesn’t mention the aircraft but says that the information about the Turkish column came from local inhabitants in Hama.
I found two sources. One was in the book ‘War on Wheels’ by Captain C R Kutz of the United States Army, published in 1941, the other was in Part II, Volume 2 of the British Official History ‘Military Operations Egypt & Palestine’ by Captain Cyril Falls and published by HMSO in 1930. Both tell the same story, as you would expect, although Captain Kutz has added a few juicy details to his in order to tell a good story, the author of the Official History clearly doesn’t see the need to do that.
The Germans had three types of armoured car in 1914, an Ehrhardt, Daimler and the massive double ended Bussing. They were all quite big, and all had four-wheel drive but we still don’t know which version was then operating in the Middle East. Upon further consideration the most likely type of armoured car would be the Ehrhardt. Of the three types mentioned above only the Ehrhardt continued in production, up to 32 having been built by the end of 1917. Another type mentioned as a possibility is the Mannesman-Mulag of 1916, but only one of these is believed to have been built and in any case it did not have a turret or any fixed weapon mounting and the account of the action particularly refers to the turret being struck by rounds from the British cars; the Ehrhardt had a machine gun turret.
So what happened? Well it appears that three Batteries, the 2nd, 11th and 12th along with a couple of Ford T based Light Car Patrols were operating with 15th Cavalry Brigade near the town of Hama when they received a report from an aircraft of a Turkish transport column, escorted by an armoured car, heading north out of Khan es Sebil on 22 October 1918. The armoured cars, which would have been Rolls-Royces, immediately set off to give chase but the roads were rough and stony so progress was slow. I remember reading about this and being more anxious to confirm the identity of the German armoured car than anything else. Whether it was the first armoured car vs. armoured car action of the war was something that didn’t interest me very much at all. Mind you I was surprised to read that the German armoured car made better speed over this rough ground than the British Rolls-Royces which were renowned for their speed. According to Kutz this was because the German vehicle, which he says was a big, lumbering Model 1914 type had iron rimmed wheels which coped with the stony road a lot better than the British cars which had pneumatic tyres. Kutz says that when the British caught up they were involved in a running fight for about a mile or two before
It always struck me as a bit unfair that one lone German armoured car was attacked by up to a dozen Rolls-Royces, even if they were half the size, but it is no wonder that it surrendered. Apparently, according to Kutz, there is a firsthand account giving details of the German car in a book entitled ‘Allenby’s Final Triumph’ by W T Massey which I need to see. As to whether this was the first (and possibly only) action involving armoured cars on both sides I don’t know and am not really bothered. I should have thought that such an action would have taken place earlier, possibly more than once, on the Russian front where they had any number of armoured cars. However if you are prepared to stretch the description of what constitutes an armoured car somewhat then an action by Commander Samson, in Flanders very early in the war should qualify.
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ARMOURED CARS ON THE SOMME
We hear quite a bit about the first use of tanks on the Somme in September 1916, and we’re going to hear a lot more over the next two years, but what about armoured cars, were any of them on the Somme too? By my reckoning there were three Light Armoured Batteries of the Machine Gun Corps (Motors) on the Western Front in 1916, the 7th, 8th and 9th, that is to say twelve Rolls-Royce armoured cars in all, and it makes sense that at least some of them were active on the Somme, the main focus of British effort in the late summer of 1916. There are in fact two pictures of Rolls-Royce armoured cars on the Western Front in 1916, one at Abbeville, the other at Guillemont, there are probably others but those two spring to mind at the moment. Granted Abbeville is a long way from the Somme but Guillemont is slap bang in the middle of the battlefield and what is more the photograph was taken in September 1916. The picture shows a Rolls-Royce with a small box cupola on top of the turret, escorting a Daimler ambulance on what passed for a road in that part of the world at that time. So far I have never seen a photograph showing a tank and armoured car together and it goes without saying that in action the tanks could go places the armoured cars could not, but the latter were definitely there, at least one was and probably more. They may have been patrolling behind the lines or acting as escorts for ambulances and staff cars but maybe, just maybe, they went forwards along what was left of the roads to add their firepower to that of the tanks. It is a topic that could do with a bit of investigation, particularly if the War Diaries of the above mentioned units still survive, in the National Archives; so how about it?
A typical group of Rolls-Royces in the Middle East, three at least with the upper panels of the turrets removed to reduce the heat. Each car was equipped with a single Vickers machine-gun.
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THE TANK MUSEUM - August 2014
FROM THE
EDITOR
www.tankmuseum.org
Hobart’s In the summer of 1940 Britain awaited a German invasion. Europe had fallen to Hitler, Stalin and Hitler had a pact and the resources of Russia were supplying Nazi Germany; Britain was alone in the fight.
Andrew Sawyer Tankfest 2014 was a fantastic weekend and a record-breaking one at that! We’re now looking ahead to our 4th August commemoration event, which we hope will be just as well received. Commemorating the day, 100 years earlier, when the First World War began it will be a day to both learn more about the realities of battle and an opportunity to remember those who died. This event will be the focus of the commemoration activities in Dorset and forms a significant part of the national programme of remembrance as well. As part of a rolling programme of new exhibitions, The Tank Museum is also setting its sights on its next project inside the Museum - scheduled for launch in Spring 2015. Set within a mock factory scene, the Tank Factory (working title) exhibition will explore the design and manufacture of British armoured vehicles from 1916 to the present. Using firsthand accounts of workers from the large northern factories, the display will focus on the highly skilled job of building complex war machines like tanks and how the demands of factory life affected the workforce. The display will also showcase an impressive line-up of post WW2 vehicles and through a series of themed bays, cover a variety of topics including Materials, Armour and Weapons and Testing, linking in directly to the Science and Technology education agenda. This programme of events and new exhibitions allows us to continue our aim of telling as many people as possible the story of armoured warfare and the people behind the machines. See you soon.
The Local Defence Volunteers, later called the Home Guard, was set up to help defend Britain. This pike, made of a piece of scaffolding pole with a 1913 Remington bayonet welded to it, was issued to 55 year old Percy Hobart to help defend Britain should the Germans have come. This amazing object was kindly donated to The Tank Museum by Grizell Hobart this year.
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Pike The engraving on the bayonet reads: “Pike issued to L/Cpl. P.C.S. Hobart, Home Guard, Deddington - by Lord Croft, Under Secretary of State for War in 1940. For repelling the invasion of Great Britain.“
Hobart was, of course, no ordinary member of the Home Guard. Before the war he had distinguished himself as a leading exponent of armoured warfare, trained and developed many armoured units including the 7th Armoured Division and had seen service in the First World War. After being in the Home Guard, he eventually fought his way back to the top to Command the new 79th Armoured Division. The 79th Armoured Division pioneered and developed many variants of specialist armour for the D-Day landings, and of course a number of these vehicles can be seen inside the Museum. By the end of the war Hobart commanded the largest armoured formation the western Allies possessed – not bad for a Corporal in the Home Guard who five years before was ready to repel an invader with a bayonet welded to a piece of scaffolding pole.
Tank Mascots
4.8.2014
WW1 Centenary Commemoration Commemoration of the outbreak of the First World War, with talks, tours, living history, a mock battle and air display. Children who complete our online challenge go FREE*.
20.9.2014
Britain at War Show This yearly event returns, looking at the events surrounding D-Day with talks tours and activities throughout the day.
11.10.2014
Tank Mod 2014 See the whole Museum taken over by model clubs and traders, for this model exhibition. This group of items was recently donated by the son of 2/Lt E. J. F. Sharp and has now doubled our collection of World War 1 tank mascots. The mascots were carried by 2/Lt Sharp as he served with 10th Battalion Tank Corps. Mascots came in all shapes and sizes, teddy bears, horse shoes and other objects were kept and carried into battle by crews for good luck. The four donated are stuffed toy animals representing a dog, a horse and two lambs. They have obviously received
some wear and tear in their lifetime, both during their time with 2/Lt Sharp in his tank and in the subsequent years. Accompanying the mascots is an early raw edge Brodie helmet. This was one of the early pattern Brodies introduced in 1915. It was a much played with item by the donor, who as a child added the green daubs of paint and also regretfully painted over what were most likely Tank Corps flashes.
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WHAT’S ON
The Tank Museum | Bovington | Dorset | BH20 6JG t: 01929 462 529 | e: tanktimes@tankmuseum.org The office is open Mon - Fri 9.00am - 5.00pm.
THE TANK MUSEUM - THE WORLD’S BEST COLLECTION OF TANKS An Independent Museum and Registered Charity No 1102661
25.10.2014 – 2.11.2014
October Half Term Modern Warfare – Find out more about warfare since the Second World War. Children who complete our online challenge go FREE*. * See our website for details.