Bovington Tank Museum Part 3

Inevitably it was time finish the museum tour with the last unvisited area and make our way to the exit.

It was getting late and we were far beyond our scheduled time to leave for the long drive back to Scotland.

In order to do so we had to go on with the few remaining thanks and exhibitions.

First of all at the back of the War World II area there is a small area with a bar and a family seating space.

Next to it was Mr Jingles favourite tanks (and the thank on which I managed to kill him ) : The TOG II.

It's the less good looking area to be honest and really resembles a depot but still we have some nice tanks.

There is Conqueror tank, a Challenger and a Chieftain tank.

The last one of them to our great surprise, was open for a visit.

We could not miss this chance so we patiently waited for tank to be opened and together with another visitor of the museum we were lead down two narrow hatches.

Once on top Homer and I were instructed to put on a solid plastic helmet and enter the right hatch (left one if watched from the front).

Homer went in first and once he set down the main seat at the bottom of the hatch he had to slide forward to an even narrower seat: the gunner one.

I went down right behind him and found myself sitting on the commander seat.

The other guy, supposedly the loader, went in the other hatch.

Standing in the tank there was a museum guide which was waiting to explain us not only how the tank operates but also shared his personal account having been himself a member of a Chieftain crew.

We were very pleased with the visit and we would have kept asking questions if it wasn't our time was up and had to leave for the next group of people to take our place.

I only managed to take a single picture with the wide angle and was not even enough to show how the tank crew is really squeezed inside there.

As you can see my left knee is against Homer left arm.

Anyway what I can share from the tank commander perspective is that is quite hard to see anything at all from the tiny armoured slots used to look outside when the hatches are closed.

A curiosity is also that the tank , as mentioned before is NBC safe (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) and in order to prevent contaminated atmosphere to enter the tank it is kept as a constant pressure for the air not to have access to the living compartment.

Once we left the tank we went for a quick visit to the Exhibition Camp Afghanistan.

Here you can view a reconstruction of a British military base based in Afghanistan. From the barracks quarters to the vehicles like Jeeps and Tracked troop carriers.

It is excellent in giving an insight in what life is in a British base and was very interesting to be able to see the damaged vehicles either half blown by mines and scarred buy heavy gunfire.

The only problem with the area is that there are many displays with video to watch scenes from the battlefield and when they all go on at the same time they generate a cacophony which to me was quite annoying.

Left the area we moved onto the First World War Exhibition.

This are is split in two.

The first part War Horse to Horse Power depicting the development of tanks into the modern machines.

Here is possible to see the first tanks from Britain and from Germany.

Also a small collection of artillery pieces is displayed here.

Next to it is the area with the reconstruction of a typical First World War trench.

I must confess both areas are nice and well detailed but personally for the second one I had mixed feelings.

I come to the tank museum to see tanks, and especially tanks I can relate to so, despite being a very nice attraction, I left with the feeling this area was due to be seen as part of the ticket rather than an area I wanted to see as it was more related to a war museum that a tank museum.

Still I could not avoid to pay my respect to Lord Kitchener on the way out!

Once out of this exhibition was time to time to leave.

We headed to the shop to take a souvenir and head home.

I got a wristband and a little fridge magnet with a few aligned Matilda tanks on the North Africa desert.

We left the museum and slowly walked to the car taking a look at the arena where the Tankfest parade takes place.

When we finally left we headed for the exit and we immediately stopped.

In fact awaiting for us was a little surprise to send us on our way home.

The massive turret and the centurion chassis leaves no space for doubt: it's the FV4005!

The tanks is definitely massive and the exposition to the outside weather is quite visible especially at the back side facing the fence which is a bit rusty.

A picture is well worth anyway.

We jumped back into car and made our way for the motorway finally heading home.

The body was tired but the mind was still quite excited for the visit.

The main topic on the way back was related to the most interesting tank we saw and we kind of agreed we were quite impressed by a tank we did not really expected and that we subsequently decided to research on WOT: The Panther.

The engineering going in these tank was quite impressive and is a testimony to the dedication of engineers that despite having to deal with material shortage tried to produce the best tanks for their country and adapt them to face a new way of doing war.

By the time we got back home we were exhausted but this very fast visit did not satisfy the desire of knowing more and I'm quite sure that before the yearly access to the museum expires we will definitely make good use of it again.

Thanks for reading the posts!

Johnbull79 & Homer_5

Special Report: Bovington Museum - Part 1

Sometimes the best trips begin with nothing more then just an idea.

And this is what happened on Friday (13^th March).

I was talking with Homer_5 about a possible visit, during the week end, to the Kirkcudbright Training Area, a local army training area filled with old tanks used for target practice.

The area is accessible by people, when no army training is planned, and is possible to see wrecks of many tanks like Churchills, M4, Comet, Centurion, Cromwell and also one of the 5 Tortoises ever built.

Is sounded an easy plan and not too far as we both live in two towns close to Glasgow.

But then Homer said joking “What about Bovington?”.

The joke had short life as at first I had a laugh saying “I wish!” but very quickly the feasibility of the plan started to materialize in front of ourselves and in no time we were looking for a B&B close to the museum in the south of England.

We quickly realized we had no plans for the week end, weather was going to be acceptable, 7 hours driving was not an impossible thing to do and 20 minutes later we found a B&B: the Sydney Arms in Dorchester.

It was almost unbelievable but the change from idea to actual plan was so fast that I was impressed by both of us, but really please.

I cannot deny a certain excitement at the idea of paying a visit back to the museum I once visited when I was 18 and I looked forward to Saturday morning to start our trip.

Friday night passed quite quickly and the next morning, at about 8 am I was at Homer place.

We put our bags in the car, got some petrol and we set off.

I think the excitement for the trip ahead and the chance to have a talk face to face we did not have in a long time, both made the journey time pass faster.

We were both quite surprised when we arrived to Dorchester much more relaxed we though we would have been.

We dropped everything in the room and went straight for the town centre for a meal and a “couple of pints”.

Dorchester turned out to be a very good choice for the location.

The distance from the museum is about 10 miles and the town itself is nice.

Morning came knocking on the windows and after our full breakfast we set off to the Museum.

We were both looking forward and when we finally got to the entrance there were a couple of Tanks welcoming you on both sides of the one way road.

I think one was a Chieftain and the other a T-55 but we did not go back to check.

Once we parked we took a walk around the north part of the parking place (overflow parking) as I thought of spotting something very nice and very interesting we we drove past it.

Apart from the Churchill tank exposed there and a series of turrets (some heavily damaged), on the right side of this parking place, behind fences are rusty tanks awaiting a restoration or to be used as spares.

What I noticed was an unmissable shape of a Churchill with a massive metal box on it and when I approached my initial idea was confirmed. We were looking as a Churchill Gun Carrier.

The semi destroyed vehicle was next to other chassis.

On his right a Sherman and a RAM chassis.

On the left some destroyed Comets...sooo nice... I hated the tank so much in the game I could not feel happier seeing it rotting away!

It was time to leave the car park and finally make our move towards the entrance where, awaiting for us, was the massive Challenger II.

We took a picture to commemorate our visit and went in to get our tickets.

The cost of a ticket valid for a year is 13 Pounds.

We headed right away for the main area and the first thing that welcomes you is the prototype of a tank made by Leonardo Da Vinci.

The wooden conical shaped wheel based design is considered the father to all modern tanks.

Moving on you find yourself in a hall from which you can access all the exhibitions.

At the time of our visit there were 5 different ones:

1. The Tanks Story
2. The Trench Experience
3. Warhorse to Horsepower
4. Second World War and Discovery Centre
5. Battlegroup Afghanistan

We headed right away for the Tank Story which is the most logical choice.

Here you can see the evolution of tank construction and notice how much the design changed according to the needs of the battle.

As you enter this area it's impossible, for people passionate about tanks, not to stop and start looking around from the height of the ramp you find yourself on.

Right in front of you, just below, is a Centurion with the 20 pounder and all around you start to notice familiar shapes everywhere.

When you get at the bottom of the ramp you find yourself close to the the very first tanks of WWI.

There is the Little Willie, the very first British prototype which will later on become the base for the Mark I Tank.

Next to it you can see a Mark II with the side cut-out for you to have a peek inside.

There are many holes in the tanks and, according to what we found out, this is the Female version.

Basically Male Mark tanks have guns (6 Pounder) while Female Mark tanks only have machine guns.

Opposite to the Mark II there is the Renault FT-17.

This tanks is one of the most famous and was the base on which future tank will be built with driver in the front, rotating turret in the centre and engine at the back.

Behind the Renault is the Mark A Wippet tank telling the tale of Cecil Sewell and how he was award the Victoria Cross while commanding this tank.

Next to this area you have an area with few armoured cars and a few more early tanks.

Out of these the one a mention is worth for the Medium II, the first tanks for the British line in World of Tanks.

Next to it there is the VAE, the Vickers tank you can find in the Chinese Tech Tree.

Also the Universal Carrier on with the 2 pounder is mounted to get the British TD.

Moving on you enter in a section where you can see the following.

Panzer II , Char B1, Cruiser II and the Light Vic with modified gun compared to the one in the game.

Then finally you get to the are dedicated to the War in North Africa.

I was looking forward to this as my favourite tanks, the Matilda, was supposed to be here.

Unfortunately we found out it was removed and transferred to maintenance to start preparing the tanks that will be shown on TANKFEST.

In it's place there is the Kettenkrad... one of the most hated vehicles if you ever played Company of Heroes...

DELUSION!

Nevertheless, awaiting for us, is also the mighty TIGER I!!!

It's really impressive to see and touch one of the most famous and deadly tank of WW2.

Compare to the Panzer III next to it, it's a totally different machine.

Also compared to the British Grant and Valentine tank in the same section you can really get the feeling why it was so feared when it reached the battlefield.

You can see from miles you will not stand a chance against this behemoth of heavy machinery.

It's curious but you can also still see the marks along the barrel and at the base of the turret where the shot from the a British tank got wedged between turret and chassis blocking the turret, reason for which the crew abandoned the tank which was retrieved from the British and brought back to the UK.

Next to the tank is on of the shell used by the might 88 gun.

Again another level of gun compared to the one of the same period.

The confirmation German engineering was at it's peak at the time you can have a look at the Panther which is parked right in front of the Tiger.

Design and engineering were really paramount for Germany industry and this is even more evident in the close by T34-85 which is a far more rough tanks compared to the German counterpart of medium tanks.

This is no news as despite the efficiency on the battlefield Germany relied a lot more in quality over quantity as Russia did.

Leaving this part we move to the modern tank area and welcoming us is a Leopard I and a Chieftain.

At this point I must admit I felt detached a little bit as I got so much knowledge about the tanks I know and played in he game that I did not have the same feeling about this modern section.

Still the evolution of the machines is dramatic.

If the mighty Tiger looked fearsome, this new breed of modern tank looked deadly with the futuristic technology and armour sloping.

Also impressive is the collection of barrels against the wall with the selection of ammo they were usually issued with.

You don't rally appreciate the length of a barrel until it's removed from the turret.

The thing that impressed me the most is the huge BNC (Biological-Nuclear-Chemical) filter set at the back of the Chieftain to allow warfare in contaminated environment.

I tought i made a picture but I was wrong...  :(

There were many vehicles here apart from these.

A russian made Type 55 from the Iraqi Army captured during desert storm, an M48 Patton, a T72, a Challenger II.

Nice but I liked most the area next to them we I spotted the Arromanches, a Centurion Tank.

Having played with it recently was quite nice to see a real one.

Behind it a Churchill Crocodile with his trailer filled with propellent for the flamethrower mounted in the front.

It really is a Churchill VII.

Next to the Churchill a Sherman which Homer_5 pointed out to me had the long 17 Pounder.

It's a Firefly!

Lovely tanks for those who played Company of Heroes!

Next to the Firefly another masterpiece: the Cromwell with his unmissable riveted turret!

No spoiler at the back as Homer pointed out.

Finally for this area the M4 Sherman dual drive.

An attempt (apparently successful) to make the M4 amphibious by use of a canvass which can be put in position to encircle the tank and give it buoyancy.

At the end of this section we had to face the reality that the time we originally estimated we would need to see the museum was largely underestimated and we went to a drink and a bit of planning on what was next.

It's a very nice feeling to touch with hand the real tanks on which the we spent a lot time with the game but the reality of life in a tank that was soon to come would really give us an insight on what it really meant.

Stay tuned for the next episode of out visit to the Bovington Museum - Part 2!