November 2014
Tank Times
Published by THE TANK MUSEUM, Bovington, Dorset, UK, BH20 6JG
Tel: +44 (0) 1929 405 096
www.tankmuseum.org
CLAIRE COOPER LEARNING ASSISTANT Claire Cooper
I started working at The Tank Museum in May of this year and the time has just flown by! My role as Learning Assistant means that it is my duty to liaise with schools from start to finish. This involves responding to the initial enquiry, drawing up time tables and delivering the workshops on the day that they visit. On the 20th October, The Tank Museum launched its latest exhibition, ‘Fury’, which looks at the Museum’s involvement in the making of the latest war film, starring Brad Pitt. Murray Walker OBE, a former Sherman tank Commander with the Royal Scots Greys during the Second World War, well-known for being a racing commentator, came to the Museum to open the new exhibition. Whilst the ribbon was cut by two Tank Museum employees, Ian “Buzz” Aldridge and Brian Frost, who were heavily involved in the filming of Fury. Situated in the World War Two hall, the exhibition tells the Tiger 131 on set of Fury film. story of the Museum’s integral part in the making of David Ayer’s visionary war film, using props and images from the set, interviews with Museum staff and Fury itself – the Sherman M4A2E8. Visitors will be transported from the familiar surroundings of a cinema to the backdrop of a destroyed town
Inside… ● TANK FACTORY ● NEW TANK! ● WARTIME CHRISTMAS ● FERRET SCOUT CAR ● WHAT’S ON
at the end of the Second World War; similar to the sets used in the film. The exhibition has also been supported by Wargaming and will include gaming stations, where visitors will be invited to play World of Tanks and recreate battles fought in the film. The Museum first became involved in the Fury film at the end of 2013, when writer-director David Ayer reached out to the museum looking for expertise, crew and vehicles; in pursuit of making the film as historically accurate as possible. Original Second World War vehicles were at the top of the list for Ayer and it was agreed that the Museum would loan its Sherman tank as the main ‘hero’ tank for the duration of the filming. After much discussion, the Museum also agreed to loan its world-renowned Tiger 131 tank, for a two week trip to the film set, with Museum staff crewing the vehicles and remaining on set in case of any problems. The exhibition will give an insight in to the issues faced by the Museum during this time; the difficult decisions that had to be made when working to protect the vehicles, what being involved might mean for the Museum’s reputation and what it was like for the staff on set. The ‘Fury’ exhibition is set to run until the end of 2015 and entry is included in admission price.
THE TANK MUSEUM - THE WORLD’S BEST COLLECTION OF TANKS An Independent Museum and Registered Charity No 1102661
The Education Departments’ mission statement is to become an embedded part of how education is delivered in Dorset. By doing things like updating our workshops to reflect the new National Curriculum, loaning out free First World War boxes to local schools and creating resources that schools can use within the classroom, we hope to reach and inform the widest audience possible. We offer a range of History workshops at the Museum that pupils can take part in. Children learn about what life was like for a soldier in the trenches during the First World War, what jobs were done on the Home Front during the Second World War and what family life was like in the 1940’s. One of our most popular workshops is going inside the First World War tank the Mark IV and hearing about the crew and conditions. We are currently developing more science based workshops, and activities for younger children so that we can appeal to a larger range of schools. Continued on page 2...
THE TANK MUSEUM - November 2014
CLAIRE COOPER LEARNING ASSISTANT
www.tankmuseum.org
Centenary Commemorations
Tel: +44 (0) 1929 405 096
WARTIME CHRISTMAS
Continued… The Education Team doesn’t only teach in the Museum. We also offer workshops to residential homes. During these sessions we take artefacts from our collection for the residents to look at, handle and even try on! (See the photo blow from ‘The Laurels and Pine Lodge’ in Poole.) These sessions are wonderful at bringing out the memories of the residents and we encourage them to share their stories with us. Residents tell us about what life was like during the Second World War and their experiences of rationing, evacuation, air raids, and volunteer organisations including the Women’s Land Army, ARP, and the Home Guard.
Over four thousand people gathered at The Tank Museum on the 4th August to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. A First World War battle re-enactment, featuring the Museum’s replica Mark IV tank, gave visitors a chance to see the type of warfare that men would have encountered and what a difference was made by the introduction of the tank on to the battlefield.
you will always have the consolation that I died quite happy doing my duty.’
During the re-enactment the final letter written by Cpl. John Duesbury was read who, after a heavy bombardment, was severely injured and found himself trapped in a shell hole.
The crowd then fell silent for a Remembrance Service, led by the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset and an army chaplain. After a one minute silence a cloud of over one million poppies was shot in to the air and drifted slowly to the ground, to represent British forces lost during the war.
‘I am writing a few lines severely wounded. We have done well our battalion, advanced about ¾ of a mile. I am laid in a shell hole with two wounds in my hip and through my back. I cannot move or crawl. I have been here 24 hours and never seen a living soul. I hope you will receive these few lines as I don’t expect anyone will come to take me away, but you know I have done my duty out here for 1 year and 8 months and The Education Team also creates learning activities for audiences during school holidays. Our latest project has been ‘Blackjack’ the horse: a full size fibreglass Cavalry horse complete with all his kit. Families can learn how to look after a horse as the Cavalry would have done in the First World War, learn about the role of horses during the war and handle some of our collection items. Watch out for Blackjack rolling out around the museum soon. I truly enjoy working with such a large team of professionals and have been made very welcome here. The exhibitions and collection items that I get to work with everyday have made my job a real pleasure and seeing the joy and excitement on the children’s faces makes all the effort worthwhile.
Claire Cooper Learning Assistant
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‘Must give my best of love to all the cousins who have been so kind to me the time I have been out here. And the best of love to Mother and Harry and all at home.’
Richard Smith, Director of The Tank Museum says, “The 4th August event marked the start of four years of commemorations, when we as a Museum and as a nation will be looking back and ensuring that the actions of men and women, who lives were changed forever by the War, will be honoured.”
Tank Factory
After the successful opening of Warhorse to Horsepower, The Tank Museum is setting its sights on its next project, set for launch in Spring 2015. Set within a mock factory scene, the Tank Factory 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.
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. Exhibition Manager, Sarah Lambert, says, “With this exhibition we aim to look at the people behind the tanks and create an interest in engineering, particularly amongst our younger visitors.”
The display will also showcase an impressive line-up of post Second World Warvehicles and through a
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THE TANK MUSEUM - THE WORLD’S BEST COLLECTION OF TANKS An Independent Museum and Registered Charity No 1102661
The Wartime Christmas Festival and Fayre is back once again for the festive season, 6th to 7th December. Take a step back in time and discover how the festive season was celebrated during the two world wars and beyond, with a variety of activities and experiences. There will be Christmas craft activities, including the chance to make your own Wartime decorations, a 1940’s fancy dress competition and singing from a number of 1940’s performers. Talks and tours on “Make Do and Mend”, the Land Girls and life in the trenches, will be going on throughout the day, and there will be a reading by author Martin Impey from his book, “The Christmas Truce”. The Festival will also feature a Living History group and their interpretation of Christmas on the Home Front. If all that wasn’t enough there will also be over 50 traders offering local crafts and produce, with Christmas treats and gift ideas for all. Finally, don’t miss Father Christmas as he arrives by tank!
LEGACIES Leaving a legacy to the Museum greatly assists us in carrying on the work we are doing and helps to ensure resilience for the future. When you make or update your Will, please consider making a gift to The Tank Museum Ltd; a registered charity. A donation to our charity means that we can continue to educate and preserve the heritage of the Royal Tank Regiment and Royal Armoured Corps for generations to come. If you are interested in leaving a legacy in your will to The Tank Museum, please contact the Fundraising Department at fundraising@tankmuseum.org and we will provide you with more details.
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THE TANK MUSEUM - November 2014
www.tankmuseum.org
Tel: +44 (0) 1929 405 096
T72
Over the summer The Tank Museum made a new addition to the collection…
by David Willey The T72 is what is known as a second generation Soviet main battle tank. The tank has seen much combat in its history, although not in the way for which it was originally designed. Though it may now appear a dated vehicle – having first seen service in 1973- it’s large production number, about 20,000, and ability to be up graded means it is still a potent ‘threat’ vehicle in use all around the world. The T72 was a development of the innovative T64 tank. The T64 had only a three man crew and an autoloader to keep size down, but had initial problems with it’s engine. The introduction of a bigger gun (125mm instead of 115mm) the auto-loader system and a new simpler but more powerful engine led the designers to look for a stronger, more robust hull. They chose an earlier T62 project vehicle (known as Object 167) to experiment with. The tank was intended only to have been built in time of war but after many further developments and political manoeuvring it was put into major production to replace the T64 in 1973. The T72, as with many tanks that have lengthy production runs, has gone through considerable changes and versions of the tank have been built under licence in Poland and Czechoslovakia and tanks assembled in India and Iraq. Many countries that obtained the T72 have developed their own upgrade programmes with, in some cases, high levels of sophistication. In general, Soviet made tanks for use by the Red Army had a better and higher technical standard than those that were given to Eastern Block Allies or sold. For example the T72 started with conventional steel armour on its turret about 11 inches thick at its greatest point. The T72A model had spaced turret armour with a sand insert and a thicker looking turret frontage (charmingly called the ‘Dolly Parton’ armour by US intelligence analysts) whilst the T72M – or the export version had a less effective armour system. T72’s were fitted with Nuclear, Biological and Chemical filters and an over pressure system to stop contaminated air entering the vehicle. However space and subsequently the crew conditions in a T72 are poor compared to western tanks, the driver in particular having limited visibility and a tiring tiller system with which to steer. Height for tank crewmen was limited to 5 foot 9 inches.
The gun is fed by an autoloader system. 22 two part rounds are carried in a horizontal carousel with a rammer pushing the projectile, then the propellant case into the breach. 17 further rounds are carried but these need to be fitted into the carousel or awkwardly loaded singly into the gun. An automatic ejection system removes the empty case through a rear small turret hatch after firing. The autoloader saves space and in consequence the internal volume of the tank can be smaller and the whole vehicle lighter. The use (or miss-use) of Soviet tanks by countries in the Middle East during the Cold War gave many Western viewers a skewed opinion of Soviet tank design. The tendency to compare like for like when looking at tanks inevitably led the west to see their own tanks as better, which on a one for one ‘Top Trumps’ basis they often were. However the Soviet T72 was built to meet a Soviet war plan that no other country was likely to emulate. The tactical use of many T72 tanks in overwhelming smaller NATO forces to meet the operational aims meant losses might be high, but numbers would be available to replace those losses. Criticisms of the T72 often failed to take into account the way the tank was likely to be used. For example the gun was often criticised by NATO counties due to its limited angle of elevation and depression but as a tank designed to advance in large numbers it wasn’t - as NATO tanks were – likely to need to sit on reverse slopes in hull down to defend a position – a task in which greater gun depression and elevation would have more significance. With modern upgrade packages commercially available, a once redundant looking T72 can become a very effective tank again – and at an appealing cost. We have found T72’s available for sale as low as 30,000 Euros. A fleet of these tanks (even without upgrades) appearing over the horizon will form a very real threat – especially in an age of limited budgets. In simple economic terms the missiles fired to knock out such tanks will cost at least twice the price of the tank. Lets hope no-one tests the theory… T-72B during wading exercise
The T72 has a reliable diesel engine that traces its development back to the T34 engine of World War Two. The tracks have no rubber pads and can rip up thin tarmac turning (‘aggressive track’). The mobility of the T72 was increased by the addition of a snorkel for underwater running; if used in an attack on the west – the Soviets knew that NATO would destroy all the bridges on the many rivers running north across their path of advance.
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THE TANK MUSEUM - THE WORLD’S BEST COLLECTION OF TANKS An Independent Museum and Registered Charity No 1102661
Seventy years to the day after Polish and British Forces fought side by side at the Falaise Pocket in Normandy, Tank Museum Director, Richard Smith, travelled to the Land Forces Museum in Poland to take part in a historic exchange of two Cold War era tanks, which thirty years ago would have faced each other on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain. The Tank Museum gifted a Chieftain Mark 11 to the Land Forces Museum, Bydgoszcz, Poland where it will go on display to the public. The Chieftain was the backbone of the British Royal Armoured Corps for nearly thirty years after its introduction in 1966. Its 120mm gun was considered the best of its kind in the world and its 120mm armour made it a tremendously powerful weapons system. In exchange The Tank Museum has been given the T72M tank, which will now form part of the running fleet. The T72M was manufactured in Poland and was a formidable opponent, lighter than the Chieftain but with equally powerful armament. Director, Richard Smith at the Handover Ceremony
Visitors will be able to see this impressive new addition roaring round The Tank Museum arena during the school holiday, Tanks in Action displays and at the Museum’s biggest event of the year, Tankfest. Richard Smith, The Tank Museum Director, “We are delighted to have been given this fine example of a T72; it will make an excellent addition to our tank displays and our collections, helping us complete our record of the Cold War.”
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THE TANK MUSEUM - November 2014
www.tankmuseum.org
WHAT’S ON
FROM THE
EDITOR
Tel: +44 (0) 1929 405 096
by David Fletcher
6.12.2014 – 7.12.2014
Wartime Christmas Festival Take a step back in time over this December weekend to experience a Wartime Christmas and browse our festive trade stalls.
Roz Skellorn The past few months have been a very busy time for The Tank Museum, with high visitor numbers over the summer, a number of successful events and an exhibition opening. Our First World War 4th August commemoration marked the start of four years of commemorative activities for both the Museum and the nation. It was encouraging to see so many people looking to find out more about a conflict that, despite starting one hundred years ago, still has such an impact on our lives today. The Museum has numerous plans to refresh the existing First World War offering and expand with new exhibitions, which will give visitors a more indepth insight in to what was termed ‘the war to end all wars’. At the end of August we had a less usual visitor, in the form of Brad Pitt, as we hosted Sony’s International Press Launch for the Fury film and soon after we announced the launch of our new “Fury” exhibition. Our involvement in the film has involved a steep learning curve, but overall it has been a positive experience and one that we are confident will have benefitted the Museum – find out more in the new exhibition. As you will have read, we also welcomed a new addition to the collection. So look forward to seeing the T72 as a regular feature in future tank displays. As Assistant Marketing Manager I will now be responsible for Tank Times and would be interested to hear your thoughts on what you like and don’t like about the newsletter. So if you have any thoughts, they will be gratefully received at marketing@tankmuseum.org.
Early Mark 5 03EE03 with its four Swingfire launchers raised. Note the Commander’s machine-gun at the centre of the turret.
We have a Ferret Mark 5 on display in The Tank Museum. There can’t be many of them left now, after all only fifty were built in the first place and most of them were converted back to Mark 4 standard after 1978, when their period of service was over. But perhaps I should start by apologising to all our Scottish readers for the way one of their town names is spelt on the side – ‘Kirkcubrick’. It should of course be Kirkcudbright but the spelling is an antipodean rendering as a result of the fact that this particular vehicle 03EE06, was sent out there for hot weather trials known as Exercise Antidote. It’s not our fault but it looks like we’re stuck with it. We decided to display it as written, rather than correct it, in the interests of authenticity. The Ferret Mark 5 is an interesting vehicle. It shared the same heavy duty suspension and 11.00 x 20 inch wheels as fitted to FV711 the Mark 4, the so-called Big Wheel Ferret, but the Mark 5 also had a completely new turret. And it is this turret we need to focus on. It was low, flat and very wide. Designed and built
Swingfire being fired; each missile is contained in its own launching box. Stowage for spare missiles is directly below the turret.
by Alvis Ltd, it was the first item made from aluminium armour to be fitted to a British vehicle, designed to carry four British Aircraft Corporation Swingfire wire-guided missiles. Swingfire was an anti-tank missile with a range of about 4000 metres and powerful enough to destroy any tank it hit. It is said to have developed from the abortive Orange William missile system and seemed to be the answer to a soldier’s prayer, since it could be launched from a compact, lightweight vehicle yet with sufficient power to destroy a main battle tank.
Access All Areas A series of dates for 2015 have been announced for our popular behind the scenes tour. See the Events Diary on our website for details.
Commander aims the missile away from the vehicle, to which he is connected by wire. The Ferret is in a hull down position.
Of course there is always a downside to this kind of option. The launcher vehicle, being small and vulnerable, had to be as well hidden as possible, its missile was slow in flight and the launcher had to stay where it was until the missile struck its target. It rarely got a second chance. The Ferret 5 had a crew of two, a driver and a commander who sat in the centre of the turret, with two missiles either side of him and the control equipment with which to aim and fire them. Two spare missiles were carried in armoured containers, underneath the turret. The missiles could also be fired if the operator took his equipment outside the turret and selected a better position to aim from.
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New Dates Announced
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
2.5.2015
Tiger Day 2015 The Tiger tank is back in action – so if you’re a fan of our most famous exhibit, this is the event for you!
27.6.2015 – 28.6.2015
Tankfest 2015 The World’s best display of moving armour returns for 2015! Tickets available to book online now.