bovington tank museum Archives - Felix's Gaming Pages

Finnish T-34/76 Tank

The T-34/76 wasn’t just a tank; it was a turning point in World War II. Introduced in 1940, this Soviet medium tank shocked the German invaders in 1941 with its superior design. The T-34/76 boasted a perfect balance of three crucial elements: firepower, armour protection, and mobility.

The T-34/76 packed a powerful punch with its 76.2 mm cannon. This weapon outclassed anything else on the battlefield at the time. German tanks simply weren’t equipped to handle the T-34/76’s offensive capabilities.

The T-34/76 wasn’t just about attacking; it was a defensive powerhouse. Its innovative design incorporated thick, sloped armour. This seemingly simple feature made a world of difference. Shells that struck the T-34/76 at straight angles tended to glance off harmlessly, thanks to the sloped design, leaving the crew safe inside. This feature, along with the tough armour itself, effectively countered most anti-tank weapons of the early war.

The impact of the T-34/76 went beyond its raw firepower and armour. It was also remarkably agile. The powerful V-2 diesel engine propelled the tank at a respectable speed, allowing it to manoeuvre quickly across battlefields. This mobility gave the T-34/76 a tactical advantage, enabling it to outflank and surprise enemy forces.

While the effectiveness of the T-34/76 was challenged by later German tank advancements, its initial impact was undeniable. German General von Kleist famously called it “the finest tank in the world” after encountering it in 1941. The T-34/76 became a symbol of Soviet resilience and innovation, playing a pivotal role in the Red Army’s eventual victory.

The Tank Museum’s T-34/76 is a remarkable example of this legendary tank. This specific vehicle is an early model, captured by Finnish forces during the Continuation War. It served the Finnish army for years, even being used as a training tank well into the 1950s. The Tank Museum’s T-34/76 stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of this revolutionary tank design.

Vickers Mk VIB Light Tank

The Vickers Mk VIB Light Tank was a British WW2 light tank, crew of 3, powered by Meadows 6-cylinder petrol engine, armed with two machine guns.

This is the one at the Tank Museum in Bovington.

The Mk VI Light Tank was the sixth in the line of light tanks built by Vickers-Armstrongs for the British Army during the interwar period. The company had achieved a degree of standardization with their previous five models, and the Mark VI was identical in all but a few respects. The turret, which had been expanded in the Mk V to allow a three-man crew to operate the tank, was further expanded to give room in its rear for a wireless set.

The British Army lost 331 Mark VI light tanks in the Battle of France of 1940.

The Mk VIB was mechanically identical to the Mk VIA but with a few minor differences to make production simpler, including a one-piece armoured louvre over the radiator instead of a two-piece louvre, and a plain circular cupola instead of the faceted type.

The Mk VIB was also used in the North African campaign against the Italians late in 1940 with the 7th Armoured Division.

In A Very British Civil War scenario, you would expect to be using a fair amount of these tanks. When the Battle of France began in May 1940, the majority of the tanks possessed by the British Expeditionary Force were Mark VI variants.

Here are some 15mm Flames of War Light Tank VIs in the Flames of War Miniatures Gallery.

There is also a metal 15mm one of mine, which is badly painted, on my workbench.

There is a Mark VI A on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford. It was one of 11 sent to Australia in 1941 for training purposes.

Cruiser, Mk IV (A13)

This Cruiser, Mk III (A13) was on display at Bovington Tank Museum. This example was built in 1939 by Nuffield Mechanisation & Aero Ltd and was used for development of the improved turret armour for the Cruiser IV. It retains this revised turret which is why at first glance it looks like a Cruiser IV.

This vehicle is one of the 65 Cruiser IIIs delivered between December 1938 and November 1939. It was apparently retained to prove the attachment of armour plates on the turret in fulfilment of the Cruiser IV’s armour specification (30mm), which is the configuration in which it survives. It was held by the School of Tank Technology until 1949, when it transferred to the Tank Museum. It is painted to represent a vehicle commanded by Ron Huggins (who later volunteered at the Tank Museum) of 10th Royal Hussars – a part of 1st Armoured Division, which served in western France in June 1940.”

The Tank, Cruiser, Mk III (A13) was a British cruiser tank of the Second World War. It was the first British cruiser tank to use the Christie suspension system which gave higher speeds and better cross-country performance, previous models of cruiser tanks having used triple wheeled bogie suspension. Like most British cruisers, the A 13 was fast but under-armoured and proved unreliable mechanically. Most were lost in the French campaign in 1940, but a few were used in Greece and the North African campaign in 1940-41.

As you can see in this photograph the Mk III had a slab sided turret.

I have had a 15mm model of the tank for sometime. Don’t remember the manufacturer, though I think it may be an old SDD Miniatures model. It’s made of metal and is quite well detailed. After cleaning the model I gave it a white undercoat.

See the full workbench feature on the A13.

PzKpfw II

The Panzer II was the common name for a family of German tanks used in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen II (abbreviated PzKpfw II). Although the vehicle had originally been designed as a stopgap while more advanced tanks were developed, it nonetheless went on to play an important role in the early years of World War II, during the Polish and French campaigns. By the end of 1942 it had been largely removed from front line service, and production of the tank itself ceased by 1943.

This one was on display at the Bovington Tank Museum.

When they first appeared, in 1936, the Panzer IIs were regarded as platoon commander’s tanks. They were also employed to give fire support to the Panzer I in combat with enemy tanks. However by 1940 they had been outclassed and were relegated to the reconnaissance role. This exhibit, an Ausfuhrung (or Model) F featured improved armour and was introduced in 1941.

This tank was captured by British forces in North Africa but it is shown in the markings of 1st Panzer Division at the time of the invasion of France in June 1940.

Another photograph of the Panzer II.

That was something I didn’t know until a few years ago that the German tanks in 1940 were painted grey and brown, I had always thought they were just grey. I personally blame Matchbox for this.

It was only after Blitzkrieg was released back in 2010 by Battlefront that I noticed the grey and brown camouflage scheme.

As recently as ten years ago the overwhelming consensus regarding early war German AFV paint schemes was that they were all painted in uniform overall panzer grey (Dunkelgrau – RAL 7021 – formerly RAL 46). However, in 2002 Tom Jentz and Hilary Doyle published an article based on primary sources stating all German vehicles at the beginning of World War II were painted in a two tone camouflage scheme of panzer grey with one third of the vehicle painted in a disruptive pattern of dark brown (Dunkelbraun – RAL 7017 – formerly RAL 45). The order to move to an overall panzer grey scheme was not signed until the end of July 1940.

Back in 2011, I blogged about finding the 15mm Zveda plastic model kit.

Though you can buy a resin version of the Pz II I was plesantly surprised to find a plastic 1/100th scale kit of the Pz II in a model shop for just £1.25. Bargain!

Made my Zveda, a Russian firm… I did manage to pick up three of them. I am going to make them up as PzKpfw IIs for the Western Desert.

Note that the cover art of the box is all grey too… but by the time of the invasion of Russia, all German tanks were grey.

French Char B1

This Char B1 was on display at Bovington.

The Char B1 was a French heavy tank manufactured before the Second World War. It was a specialised heavy break-through vehicle, originally conceived as a self-propelled gun with a 75 mm howitzer in the hull; later a 47 mm gun in a turret was added, to allow it to function also as a Char de Bataille, a “battle tank” fighting enemy armour, equipping the armoured divisions of the Infantry Arm.

Among the most powerfully armed and armoured tanks of its day, the type was very effective in direct confrontations with German armour in 1940 during the Battle of France, but a slow speed and high fuel consumption made it ill-adapted to the war of movement then fought. After the defeat of France captured Char B1 (bis) would be used by Germany, some rebuilt as flamethrowers or mechanised artillery.

It is a big tank, but only for 1940, by the end of the war heavy tanks were huge in comparison.

More photographs of the Char B1.

It is one of my favourite tanks, probably down to the Matchbox kit I got when I was younger.

I do have a 28mm Char B1 for Bolt Action which recently made its way onto the workbench to be made up as a FFI version used in 1944 and 1945.

There are some 15mm versions for Flames of War too.

Vickers Armstrongs Mark E

Alongside their work for the British armed forces Vickers-Armstrongs produced military equipment for export to foreign armies. Their earliest commercial tank designs failed to sell but in 1928 they produced a masterpiece. Known as the ‘six-tonner’ it was a remarkable design, with a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine driving to a gearbox and track sprockets at the front of the tank. There were two main variants; some tanks were supplied with two machine-gun turrets (Type A) while others carried a larger single turret (Type B).

Following trials the British Army turned it down but the tank was a major export success. It sold all around the world, from South America to Japan and was even studied by the United States Army. It was licensed by the Soviets as the T-26. It was also the direct predecessor of the Polish 7TP tank and influenced tank design in many other countries.

The Bovington Tank Museum exhibit, a (Type B), is displayed in the fancy camouflage style adopted by Vickers for their commercial offerings; it is seen at a mythical army equipment exhibition some time in the thirties.

Another photograph of the Vickers 6-Ton tank.

You can imagine in A Very British Civil War scenario, the Vickers factory ramping up production and making these tanks available to one of the armies for fighting the civil war. They could be used as the core of an armoured thrust in a major battle, or they might be used to provide security in cities.

Vickers Medium Mark II*

This is the Vickers Medium Mark II* at the Bovington Tank Museum.

It was the main British tank from 1923 until 1935.

Introduced in 1923 the Vickers Mediums were the first British tanks to see service fitted with a sprung suspension and a rotating turret. Designed to fight on the move, their high speed of 30 mph restored mobility to the battlefield. The hull was riveted. The engine, an air cooled Armstrong Siddeley, was mounted in the front of the tank, alongside the driver. Originally described as a light tank, the advent of even smaller tanks weighing about five tons, resulted in the Vickers’ design being reclassified as a medium tank.

The Medium Mark II was completely obsolete by the beginning of World War II. The survivors were used for training during the first few years of the War. Some were issued to combat forces to make up their strength after the loss of most British first line tanks during the retreat from France in 1940. Others were sent to Egypt as training vehicles and were pressed into service with the Western Desert Force. They were buried as fixed defences at Mersa Matruh and Tobruk.

Vickers sold 15 Medium Tanks to the Soviet Union in 1930, they were used for training. Rather surprisingly, the Finns captured half a dozen of these relics from the Russians in the autumn of 1941. At least one other went to Australia, while a single example of a developed version, the Mark C, was sold to Japan. This vehicle formed the basis of the Japanese Type 89 tank design. A single example of the final version, the Medium Mark D, was sold to Eire where it remained in service until 1940.

These would be the mainstay tanks of any A Very British Civil War scenarios. Difficult to get hold of relevant models though, but you can find 3D printed versions online.

More photographs of the Vickers Medium Mark II*.

Whippet Medium Tank

This Whippet Tank was on display at Bovington.

While the heavy tanks were designed for direct attacks against enemy trenches the Tank Corps also wanted a lighter, faster tank to work with the cavalry over open country. Designed by Sir William Tritton and built by Fosters of Lincoln the Medium A, or Whippet, was the only such tank to see service with the Tank Corps, starting in 1918.

The Whippet was a difficult tank to drive; it had two engines, two clutches and two gearboxes but it was fast, by 1918 standards and very manoeuvrable in skilled hands. Even so experience soon showed that it was incapable of working with the cavalry and, in truth, should have been seen as an alternative. The Whippet was powered by a pair of Tylor four-cylinder engines, the same type that would be found in London buses of that period.

Though originally envisioned with a rotating turret, the production model had an armoured housing for three to four 303 Hotchkiss machine guns, which could be relocated between four gun ports. Approved in June 1917, roughly 200 vehicles were produced starting in October 1917. This was the only type of medium tank to see action in World War I.

I do think that this tank would make for a great base for vehicles for an alternative Great War. It could be converted into a turreted tank, or a self propelled gun. One other idea is to use the tanks for A Very British Civil War background, those in storage are taken out of retirement and used by both sides.

I have a Flames of War 15mm version somewhere….

German Panther Tank

This massive German Panther Tank was on display at Bovington.

The Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as well as the heavier Tiger tanks until the end of the war.

The Panther’s excellent combination of firepower, mobility, and protection served as a benchmark for other nations’ late war and immediate post-war tank design, however despite being a technologically sophisticated vehicle, the Panther’s technical design had a very limited influence on postwar tank development.

After the war, France was able to recover enough operable vehicles and components to equip the French Army’s 503e Régiment de Chars de Combat with a force of 50 Panthers from 1944 to 1952, with about a dozen remaining in use by that time. These remained in service despite being partially replaced by French-built ARL 44 heavy tanks.

I have been thinking about some post-1945 games, and a force of French Panther tanks supported by Chaffee and Shermans.

The last ‘production’ Panthers were produced at the factory by German staff just after the end of World War II under the supervision of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) using available components. 9 Panthers and 12 Jagdpanthers were produced and shipped back to Britain for post-war trials. A complete Panther (this tank) and a complete Jagdpanther produced this way are now at the Bovington.

I have a few 15mm models of this tank on the workbench.

French Renault FT-17

The Renault FT or Automitrailleuse à chenilles Renault FT modèle 1917, inexactly known as the FT-17 or FT17, was a French light tank; it is among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history.

The FT was the first operational tank with an armament in a fully rotating turret, and its configuration with the turret on top, engine in the back and the driver in front became the conventional one, repeated in most tanks until today; at the time it was a revolutionary innovation.

Copies and derivative designs were manufactured in the United States (M1917 light tank), in Italy (Fiat 3000), and in the Soviet Union (T-18 tank).

France still had several thousand First World War Renault FT tanks in 1940. Over 500 of them were still in service in independent bataillons de chars de combat (BCC) tank battalions in the front lines. Although adequate for infantry support, they were totally outclassed by German tanks in a mobile battle.

It is one of my favourite tanks, I have always had a fondness for this little tank, probably as a result of making that Matchbox plastic kit of the Renault and the Char B1 when I was young.

There was a nice looking Renault FT-17 at the Bovington Tank Museum.

The tank appears to have been part of the Imperial War Museum collection after the First World War and arrived at the Tank Museum as part of an exchange of exhibits in 1965. The tail skid turned up about 20 years later, having been discovered in a store at IWM Duxford.

More photographs of the Renault FT-17 at Bovington.

As I am creating an Early War French army I got some of these little tanks for Flames of War.