Well it was overcast but I made it to Aberdeen Proving Grounds. [:p]
It was overwhelming as it should be. There was some activity in the background where we could hear artillery being fired on one of the base’s ranges. The shots were far away from where we were, but hearing the shots in the distance really seals the deal when you stand in front of these old beasts.
Here are a couple teaser pictures of my friday afternoon [:D]
Oh yeah… and the leopold
This was my first visit in about 5 years. I was mostly interested in aircraft at the time and did not pay as much attention as I did this time. I will probably keep going back more frequently. I only took 190 pictures today…
Most stuff local is not in very good condition, poorly reconditioned or collections are very small. Some of our Returned Services League clubs have monuments outside in better shape than those in the collections[:(]
I hope to go here next year: http://www.armytankmuseum.com.au/i-vd.htm
This is about 1600 km’s from where I live. 70 vehicles is still not a huge variety but it does have some rarer stuff.
theres the only A7V German WW1 tank at Queensland Museum in Brisbane
i dont know what else is there, but the germans wanted it back and couldnt get it so had to make a 1/1 replica
A lot of the restored vehicles are now scattered around the post in front of buildings
instead of in the large field adjacent to the museum. Since all my training was as
an armor officer done at Ft. Knox, I never had a chance to visit APG. Now, I command
a satellite school of the Ordnance Center and I get to go down there quite often.
I still prefer Ft. Knox’s collection to APG’s. The Patton Museum is nicer than APG’s as well.
Muzzleflash,
Hope you had as much fun as I did when I was there a couple of weeks ago. Did you stop and look at the stuff on the road, by the gate when you came in?
How far are you from APG? I’m only about 11/2 - 2 hrs away up in New Jersey.
Sheremie, when I first entered the base there was a line of fully restored tanks. There was a guy that I could have sworn looked like you standing there, he looked back and forth a few times and then climbed up on the M3 that Rob has pictured in his gallery.
Trevor, I’m about 40 minutes southwest from APG.
I did not stop at the restored tanks at the entry. My goal was to finally see the inside of the Ordnance Museum, then stroll the lot. I will certainly go back to see the restored tanks, they were absolutely gorgeous!!!
Inside the museum I saw everything from the M-16 serial number 0000007, to the german guns with curved barrels to shoot around corners. Upstairs the guns were all tripod type mg’s, would be nice to have such a collection
Wasn’t me … honest officer, I wasn’t even in the U.S. at that time … I have an alibi … they’re trying to frame me!!!
The funny thing about this guy looking around before climbing up on the M3 … is that it does sound remarkably like my visit there. I didn’t drive for three days virtually non-stop not to be able to get some pics from topside (much to the dismay of the M.P. who was continually telling me to get down and stay down). This of course only applied to what was then called the “Mile of Tanks” and not the pieces on exhibit outside the museum itself.
Jon
They dont “allow” you to go “on” anything. There is a lot of looking back and forth to see if the coast is clear before climbing anything. The restored tanks are one thing, but the ones I pictured above have a lot to be desired. Many rusty edges!!! One thing for certain, you can see how well something was built when you see it on a grassy lawn, exposed to the elements, 60 years later and its still solid.
Aberdeen was used as a proving grounds. The captured armor was tested to see what kind of damage it could handle. The jagdtiger pictured above has direct hits on the front and sides that apparantly bounced right off!!! Some of the tanks had pretty obvious damage to them from the testing and you could see right through the holes into the cabin area. I’ll look through my pictures again and if the damage is visible I will post close ups of it.
I used to go to APG for Reserve training (transferred deliberately into a section that trained there each month). The ‘mile of tanks’ vehicles were off the road at that time for road construction. SO! BDU’d, camera, clip board and pen in hand, I climbed all over the vehicles! When asked by an MP what I was up to, I showed him the clipboard with some ‘jots’ on it and casually said, “Rust inventory on the vehicles for the Museum.”
The things a sergeant can get away with using a clip board! (by the way, you didn’t hear this from me.[:D].) I did happen notice a LOT of rust on and in several of the vehicles!!
Also, I agree with the Major, Knox’s collection is much nicer, but both are GREAT!! Any collection of armor, no matter how big or small is fun to look at!
Finally and this’ll make you cry if you didn’t already know it, APG had an A7V until WWII… when they TURNED IT IN FOR SCRAP!!![:0][B)][:(!][xx(][V]
