Now that I’m more or less recovered from jet lag and back into the old routine, I thought I’d take a few minutes to recount my recent vist to the fantastic Bovington Tank Museum in England.
The museum is located in the village of Wool, about two and a half hours by train from the bedlam of London’s Waterloo station. Once on the platform in Wool, it’s a five minute cab ride to the museum, which is located in a pleasant rural area.
On entering the museum, one finds oneself in the WW I gallery in the midst of what is probably the world’s most comprehensive collection of tanks from that period. You can see the entire Mark series, some of which are fully restored and in working condition. One vehicle even sports original battle damage, where an artillery round passed completely through.
After seeing this impressive collection of early armor, I found myself wishing the model makers would pay more attention to this period. I’d give anything for a good 1/35 model of a Mark V.
The next gallery is devoted to the between-the-wars period, when armor designers were still uncertain about the roll of armor in modern warfare. I think some of those guys were frustrated naval architects, judging from the number of turrets on some of those tanks.
Next is the WW II gallery, with a mind boggling collection of German, English, Russian and American vehicles. Included are a King Tiger, Panther, Jadtiger, and of course the museum’s prize exhibit, the fully restored Tiger I!
On seeing these tanks for real, I was struck at how modern and massive the German vehicles looked in comparison to most of their American and British opponents. Easy to see why we were so much in awe of German armor. The Shermans look decidedly awkward obsolete next to the Panthers and Tigers!
Finally, there is the post-war gallery. Also excellent but not of much interest to me, with the exception of a Centurion that has been cut in half along its length and mounted so that visitors can stand between the two sections and watch a video complete with realistic sound effects showing a combat sequence as it would appear to the driver of the vehicle.
All in all, for an armor buff, Bovington is worth the cost of airfare by itself, notwithstanding all the other attractions of England.
Unfortunately, the day after I returned, I learned of the London bombings. The news was especially moving since it was just few days before that I was riding those some tube carriages on which so many stawart Londoners came to grief. My heart goes out to them and to their families.