If you’re a tank enthusiast, then you will love the annual Tankfest that takes place at The Tank Museum in Bovington. If you’ve not already heard about this exciting event, it is a day of tank-tastic proportions where visitors can view some of the most iconic fighting vehicles in the world of modern warfare.
More than 15,000 visitors descend on the site for the event that takes place in June every year. Some people travel across the world to attend this amazing spectacle.
The event this year saw 3 Sherman tanks on display from the Hollywood smash hit ‘Fury’, although sadly they weren’t accompanied by Brad Pitt. The Tank Museum rolled out its Tiger I to join them for the Grand Finale Battle.
Also, on display were the Comet, 38T, the Rolls Royce Armoured Car and the Panzer III. As well as a nod to history, modern technology available to view includes the latest equipment of the British Army. If you want to experience how it feels to drive a tank, consider a Tank Driving day at https://www.armourgeddon.co.uk/tank-driving-experience.html/
The event is sponsored by World of Tanks, the hugely popular online game made by Wargaming, and so an appearance is made by the MGT-20 – the Wargaming’s mobile gaming tank for fans to jump on board and play some tank-based games. Wargaming also sponsor an Education Centre at the museum which teaches visitors all about the history of some of the world’s most iconic tanks.
There is always something new to learn as visitors can immerse themselves in different eras by being transported back in time at the Living History encampment on the site. This year’s camp saw an authentic World War II Spitfire and Douglas C-47 Dakota airplanes on display and take to the sky.
Previously known as The Bovington Tank Museum, it is one of the best and biggest museums dedicated to tanks in Europe. It is located in Somerset, approximately 12 miles west of the port of Poole.
The museum covers the entire history of the armoured vehicle with nearly 300 machines in the exhibition from 26 different countries. It boasts the third biggest tank collection on earth, including the only functioning example of a German Tiger I and the Mark I British tank from the First World War, the oldest surviving tank in the world. The museum is a registered charity and the official museum for the Royal Tank Regiment and the Royal Armoured Corps.
The idea for a museum was first raised by writer Rudyard Kipling who visited Bovington in 1923 and saw the number of damaged tanks from the Great War and how they had been salvaged. He suggested a museum should be set up dedicated to the war. Initially, a shed was set up to hold the collection but it was not open to the public until 1947.
