Tankfest 2022

Tankfest 2022 

25th June 2022

Another visit down to the Tank Museum in Bovington, this time for the annual Tankfest weekend! We'd been down a couple of times in 2021 for photography events, once outside and once inside, and of course we've been plenty of other times, but none of us had been there for Tankfest so we were really looking forward to it. We had our seats in the grandstand booked and were hoping we'd get some nice photos from where we were sitting.

1. Vehicle Restoration Building

We got down in plenty of time to have a wander about, starting with the Vehicle Restoration Building, which isn't always open (I'd never been in there). There were tanks filling the place to the rafters - bit of a challenge to get good shots in there as it was packed with people too, but it was great walking around all the vehicles parked up nose to tail.

First up, I got a photo of an A7V that was near the door, so the bright light from outside fell on it's huge boxy shape quite nicely. The A7V was a German First World War tank, built in response to the first British tanks and deployed from 1918. This is a replica of 'Schnuck', an A7V that was captured by New Zealand troops in August 1918 after the crew abandoned it. It's a strange looking tank, far different to the early British tanks like the Mark IV ('Big Brute') that we saw on our first photography evening.  

A7V 'Schnuck'

Just over from the A7V was an M46 General Patton, a post-World War Two American medium tank, designed to replace the Sherman (more on them later). 

M46 General Patton

Dad was particularly pleased to see the Leopard 1 as he had done some work on them many moons ago. 

Leopard 1

Other than that, it was difficult to get any good specific shots of any tanks, but there was some interesting lighting for details and I did like the way the forest of gun barrels appeared to be fencing with each other across the building. Unfortunately, we couldn't get up high on the gantry to take photos down on the tanks below as it was closed off for special events - oh well, I guess we'll have to go there again! 

2. Outside the Arena

Back out in the sunshine, we were able to see some of the guys getting ready for their stint in the arena. I wasn't sure what to expect but, based on the amount of effort these guys had gone to with their period costumes (plus, it looked like some of them had been sleeping in little tents on site!), I thought we must be in for a great show! 

3. World War II Battle

First up in the arena was a re-enactment of a World War II battle (or a demonstration of how a skirmish might occur), starring some of the guys we saw dressed up earlier. The setting was late in the war, imagining the discovery of a lone German position by a small American recon force, with the situation escalating as more armour was brought to bear. It was a great show, pyrotechnics and smoke going up - I thought it was a really good way to show off these vehicles. Entertaining and informative! 

To start with, the German troops turned up in an Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track and Sd.Kfz. 222 armoured car. They deployed a Pak 38 anti-tank gun from the back of a truck and set up a defensive position across the arena from us. 

Sd.Kfz. 251 and Sd.Kfz. 222

Pak 38 anti-tank gun deployment

The American troops were on a reconnaissance mission, mounted in Willys Jeeps and an M8 Greyhound armoured car. This small force came under fire from the Pak 38 and German troops - the Americans had to abandon their jeeps and fall back, while the M8 zoomed off to safety. This was more than they could handle by themselves! 

M8 Greyhound comes under fire

Americans dismount to return fire

It was now that the Americans escalated and called for backup. The first thing to arrive was a Chaffee light tank, backed up by an M4A1 Sherman; they soon found themselves outmatched by a combination of the punishing Pak 38 and a Hetzer tank destroyer that appeared from the distance. So, they backed off, and another Sherman was called up (an M4A4 this time), followed closely by an M16 half-track, sporting 4 large machine guns on the back. The M16 started off by shooting up the Sd.Kfz. 222 before more infantry ran in with bazookas to try and clear the German gun position. This gave an opportunity for some of the troops to remount their Willys Jeeps and support the attack with more machine gun fire. Smoke billowed across the arena, it was pretty dramatic, and ultimately the German position was stormed and the enemy soldiers captured. 

The whole display was done so well and really developed an excellent narrative, showing the escalation of the combat and the importance of using the right tools for the job, it was great! 

M4A1 Sherman arrives to assist the Americans

A Hertzer tank destroyer emerges from the trees

The Hertzer takes up a commanding position

A second Sherman, an M4A4, arrives

The M16 shreds the Sd.Kfz. 222 with fire from its four machine guns

It's now safe for the infantry to move up

American reinforcements take position

Some of the troops return to their jeeps

The Germans are pushed back and the position captured

Once the fighting had died down, the arena was prepared for the next part of the programme. Some of the vehicles stayed as they would be used in the next part, while others left the arena for now. 

The Chaffee light tank

Its work complete, the M16 heads out of the arena

A Sherman and Greyhound remain while a Jeep leaves

4. Invasion Vehicles

This part of the day focused on a showcase of some of the Allied vehicles used during the D-Day invasion. It was largely focused on the smaller vehicles, the initial ones that went over on the boats. Quite a few of them were the same as in the previous part, though they were easier to see during this showcase. One Sherman was included in this showcase, though the largest vehicle was the M26 Dragon Wagon tank transporter - considering it had to drag tanks around, it needed to be pretty big! 

M26 'Dragon Wagon' tank transporter

M26 'Dragon Wagon' tank transporter

Daimler Armoured Car and Daimler Dingo Scout Car

Daimler Armoured Car and Daimler Dingo Scout Car

Willys Jeep and Morris Light Recon Car

M8 Greyhound

M16 Half-Track and M4A1 Sherman

Happy blokes driving their Willys

5. World War II Armour

Some of the larger tanks came out for this part. There was a mix of Allied and Axis vehicles on display, a good mix of vehicles from different theatres of World War II. There were a few vehicles that kept coming back from the previous sections, they couldn't stay out of the arena! 

German Panzer III

German Panzer III

Japanese 96 Ha-Go light tank

American M3 Stuart light tank

The Ha-Go and Stuart heading round the arena

The Ha-Go driving past museum curator David Willey,
our MC for this bit who told us all about the tanks

M3 Stuart

Valentine, British infantry tank

Valentine, British infantry tank

M4A1 Sherman (again!)

M18 Hellcat tank destroyer 'Bronx Bruiser'

Russian T34/85

Russian T34/85

M24 Chaffee light tank

British A34 Comet cruiser tank

British A34 Comet cruiser tank

6. The Sherman Story

This was entirely focused on Shermans, which were deployed in huge numbers during the Second World War. The T34 is known as the most mass-produced tank of the conflict, with upwards of 57,000 being produced, but there were around 50,000 Shermans built too. There was an anecdote that the MC said about a German anti-tank gun emplacement running out of ammunition before the Allies ran out of Shermans, which is why the position was eventually overrun... 

Four Shermans were included in this showcase, all different variants:

• M4A1 'Belle', that we had seen earlier in the day
• M4A2 'Fury', the famous tank seen in the film of the same name
• M50, an upgrade on the M4A4 hull that was performed after the Second World War - this one was painted blue-grey, to blend in with the sky to enable it to sit on ridge lines when it served in the Southern Lebanese Army in the 1980's
• M51, another post-war upgrade, though this one used the M4A1 hull as its base - this one was painted beige and had been used by the Israeli Defence Force in the 1960's

Depending on who you talk to, it seems that the M50 and M51 could be referred to as a 'Super Sherman'. I was particularly excited to see the M50 as I recognised it from a trip to Eden Camp in Yorkshire last September. It didn't have a turret at that time, and apparently it only got the turret fitted about a week before making it to Tankfest! It was a really nice coincidence to see that tank running around the arena today after seeing it in the workshop just a few months earlier.  

M4A1 'Belle'

I had taken quite a few photos of 'Belle' earlier in the day, she was getting involved in all the displays! 

Sherman M4A1 'Belle'

M4A2 'Fury

I've got a lot of really good photos of 'Fury' from our Night at the Museum, but it was great to see her running in real life.

Sherman M4A2 'Fury'

M50

The M50 looked quite distinct in its blue-grey paint scheme and proudly flying the Lebanese flag (where it served in the 1980's).  

Sherman M50

Sherman M50

Sherman M50

Sherman M50

I got some photos of it being worked on up at Eden Camp in September last year. I've been to Eden Camp a few times, it is well worth a visit if you're in Yorkshire. it was originally a prisoner of war camp housing up to 1,200 Italian and, later, German prisoners. Now, it is a fantastic museum, very immersive and with a lot to see, plus fun bits and pieces for the whole family. I heartily recommend it.   

Sherman M50 in the workshop at Eden Camp

Sherman M50 in the workshop at Eden Camp

M51

The final Sherman of the bunch was the M51, a similar variant to the M50 but based on the M4A1 hull. 

Sherman M51

Sherman M51

Sherman M51

Sherman Column

It was challenging to get good photos of all four Shermans driving around the arena together because of the pillars that were holding up the awning we were sitting under (and the people sitting in front of us!), but watching them going round was brilliant. 

Couldn't avoid the pole!

7. Cold War Armour

We moved onto some slightly more modern tanks, looking at the post-War era and into the Cold War. This was a full-on parade of tanks - extremely loud, they didn't bother trying to talk over them! Once they got going it really was something else, the engines roaring like thunder as they followed each other round the arena in close formation. There was a good range of tanks on display from Nato and Warsaw-pact countries, it was brilliant, though sometimes difficult to see through all the diesel exhaust! There were ten tanks:  

• British Scorpion light tank (1973-present)
• French AMX-13 light tank (with the massive gun!) (1952-1987)
• Swiss Panzer 61 main battle tank (1965-1994)
• West German Leopard 1 main battle tank (1965-present)
• Chinese Type 59 (1959-present)
• American M60 Patton (1959-present)
• British Centurion Mark 7 (Swiss Army) (1945-1980s)
• British Chieftain Mark 10 main battle tank (1960s-1990s)
• British Challenger 1 main battle tank (1983-2001)
• Russian T-72 (1973-present)

Scorpion

Scorpion and AMX-13

AMX-13 and Centurion

AMX-13

Panzer 61

Panzer 61

M60 Patton

Chieftain

Challenger 1

Challenger 1

Challenger 1

Challenger 1

Leopard 1

Leopard 1

Leopard 1

Leopard 1

T-72

T-72

T-72

T-72 on the hill and Leopard 1 peeking round

Type 59

Type 59 and T-72

Centurion, Panzer 61, Leopard 1

Scorpion, AMX-13, Centurion

8. Armoured Cars & Personnel Carriers

This was now the modern stuff, so there was a serving Army officer on hand to provide additional information about what we were seeing. A lot of these vehicles were incredibly quick, making it really difficult to get good photos of them! The Warrior in particular was very fast, but it was the stopping power that was surprising - it would stop dead in such a short distance that the whole back of the vehicle would shoot up into the air, which seemed like it would have been a little uncomfortable for the soldiers that eventually jumped out of it! 

It's certainly interesting seeing some of these new vehicles that have been designed with a different sort of warfare in mind - particularly the bevelled undersides to combat IEDs and the mesh armour on the Mastiff that was designed to catch RPGs before they exploded. 

Daimler Ferret followed by Panhard AML-90

LAV Cougar

LAV Cougar

LAV Cougar

South African Buffel (Buffalo)

South African Buffel (Buffalo)

Bulldog APC

Warthog

Warthog

Bulldog

Bulldog and Warthog

Jackal

Warrior

Warrior

Warrior

Warrior

Cougar MRAP

Mastiff

Mastiff

9. British Army Demonstration

Like a pair of bookends, this was a modern equivalent of the World War II demonstration at the beginning of the day. This was really interesting as it was narrated by the Army officer from the previous section, and really showed how the different elements came together. He really highlighted a lot of the logistical issues that are less obvious to most of us but are crucial in being able to actually deploy vehicles, especially tanks. 

Driving in

The Titan bridge layer was the first vehicle into the arena for this demonstration. It's based on the Challenger 2 chassis and is surprisingly nimble considering the enormous bridge on its back! This was followed up by the Challenger 2 itself, the current main battle tank of the British Army. The CRARRV armoured engineer vehicle came in after that, showing the importance of vehicle maintenance on the road. They demonstrated (many times!) how the drivers can use fresh diesel to create billowing smoke to obscure their advance, reducing the reliance on smoke grenades. Eventually it seemed that the whole arena was covered with fog! 

Titan armoured vehicle launcher bridge (AVLB)

Titan armoured vehicle launcher bridge (AVLB)

Titan armoured vehicle launcher bridge (AVLB)

Challenger 2 main battle tank

Challenger 2 main battle tank

Challenger 2 main battle tank

Challenger 2 main battle tank

CRARRV armoured engineer vehicle

CRARRV armoured engineer vehicle

The Demo

First, they had to lay down a bridge, then send a recon force over it. This was led by a Scimitar reconnaissance vehicle. Much like in the World War II demonstration, the Scimitar found an enemy position but was not capable of taking it so called in for reinforcements - these arrived in the form of a Challenger 2 and a fast-moving Warrior full of soldiers. The Challenger traded blows with a T-72 and, once it was safe, the Warrior charged in and disgorged its soldiers to complete taking the position (once the soldiers had regained their bearings from being chucked around in the back of the Warrior!). The whole thing was a great demonstration, difficult to capture in photographs, largely because there was so much going on so fast. 

The Titan lays its bridge

A T-72 attacks the Challenger 2

The Warrior moves in towards the position

Soldiers jump out of the Warrior, thoroughly
shaken up by the extreme braking!

Departure

We left our seats while the vehicles from the demonstration were leaving the arena, giving us a different vantage point to capture them on their way out. The drivers still couldn't resist blowing more smoke out their exhausts as they paraded out! 

Final Thoughts

Tankfest 2022 was absolutely great. I did learn that I shouldn't take so much camera equipment with me - it wasn't a full-on photoshoot like the previous evenings we've done there, and the seating just didn't provide enough space for a massive camera bag. Besides, we were close to the arena, so a 200-500mm lens wasn't really required. Live and learn! 

It was great to sit under the canopy to avoid the glaring sun and sudden showers that we had, but it did make it difficult to find the best angles for photos (particularly avoiding heads and the awning itself). I'd love to find a better spot for photos next time, but then again maybe it's worth just enjoying the show and watching the stream on the Tank Museum YouTube channel or looking at their official photos later. I don't know, it is fun trying to capture the best photos possible, it's a bit of a challenge. 

We'll definitely go down again I think, and possibly to Tiger Day - I might have to copy Robert and get myself a Gold Membership to the museum at this rate... there's the Southern Warlords miniatures show down there in September too...  

I've done my best to be as accurate with the vehicle designations as I can, but I may well have got one or two mixed up, they do get quite confusing with the variants!