Category: musée royal de l’armée et de l’histoire militaire

Mil Mi-24 Hind Helicopter

Earlier this year I went to the Musée royal de l’armée et de l’histoire militaire or Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

In the aircraft displays was this former German Air Force Mil Mi-24 Hind Helicopter. Was part of the East German Air Force, and was transferred to Germany on reunification in 1990. They were retired in 1993.

The Mil Mi-24, famously known by its NATO reporting name “Hind,” is a formidable Soviet-designed attack helicopter that uniquely blends the roles of a gunship and a low-capacity troop transport.

Introduced in 1972, its distinctive silhouette, often likened to a “flying tank” or “Crocodile,” quickly made it an iconic symbol of Soviet military power. The Hind is characterized by its heavily armored cockpit, robust airframe, and stub wings that not only provide lift but also house a diverse array of weaponry, including machine guns, rocket pods, and anti-tank missiles. While primarily designed for close air support and anti-armor operations, its ability to carry up to eight armed troops in its central compartment gave it a versatility rarely seen in Western attack helicopters. The Mi-24 saw extensive combat, most notably during the Soviet-Afghan War, where its resilience and firepower made it a feared asset, cementing its legacy as one of the most successful and enduring combat helicopters ever built.

North American AT-6D Texan

I recently went to the Musée royal de l’armée et de l’histoire militaire or Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft, which was used to train pilots.

The AT-6D is a later version and was used by the Belgian Air Force between 1946 and 1961. This AT-6D was on display at the museum.

Belgian Army Renault FT-17 Light Tank

I recently went to the Musée royal de l’armée et de l’histoire militaire or Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

They had a Belgian Army Renault FT-17 Light Tank on display. 

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.

Unlike the French Army, the Belgian Army had withdrawn all FT tanks from front line service before World War II.

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 Renault FT-17 at the Bovington Tank Museum.

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

Medium Mark A Whippet A347 Firefly

I recently went to the Musée royal de l’armée et de l’histoire militaire or Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

The Medium Mark A Whippet was a medium tank employed by the British in World War I. Developed for fast mobile assaults, it was intended to complement the slower British heavy tanks by using its relative mobility and speed in exploiting any break in the enemy lines.

This Medium Mark A Whippet, A347 Firefly, was on display at the museum, and is still in its camouflage paintwork. It still carries battle damage from when it was hit on 17 August 1918.

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. Unlike the large crew of the Mark IV, the Whippet managed with a standard crew of three: a commander, driver and gunner. Given the gunner was responsible for manning both machineguns (which could point forward, left, right and rear), sometimes a second gunner was squeezed in.

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 models for A Very British Civil War background. There are quite a few Great War tanks that could be used for a 1920s or 1930s civil war within the United Kingdom.

Mark IV Tank Lodestar III

The Mark IV was a British tank of the First World War. Introduced in 1917, it benefited from significant developments of the Mark I tank (the intervening designs being small batches used for training). The main improvements were in armour, the re-siting of the fuel tank and ease of transport. A total of 1,220 Mk IV were built: 420 “Males”, 595 “Females” and 205 Tank Tenders (unarmed vehicles used to carry supplies), which made it the most numerous British tank of the war.

The “Male” tanks were armed with three machine guns and two 6-pdrs. Whilst the “Female” tanks had Five .303 Lewis machine guns.

This Mark IV Tank, Lodestar III, was on display at the Musée royal de l’armée et de l’histoire militaire or Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

The Mark IV Tank Lodestar III, serial number 4093, was manufactured by Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth & Co. LTD in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was part of a 100-tank order (serial numbers 4001-4100) and joined the 12th Tank Battalion in early September 1918. This battalion was one of only two tank corps that continued to use Mark IV tanks during the final months of World War I.

Combat History and Challenges

The 12th Tank Battalion first saw action in January 1918 and played a significant role in the “Hundred Days Offensive” at the end of the war. Tracing the history of individual tanks like the Lodestar III is challenging because battle reports rarely mentioned specific vehicles. Additionally, the battalion frequently rotated its tanks, often receiving older Mark IV models after returning their vehicles or being reassigned. For instance, a crew assigned to Lodestar I (serial number 8081) in August 1918 might have later operated Lodestar III if their original tank was lost in battle or suffered mechanical issues.

Evidence of Operational Use

Several factors confirm the Lodestar III’s active service in World War I. The 12th Tank Battalion was almost continuously engaged in combat between August and October 1918. Given that the unit had only a few operational vehicles by the war’s end, it’s highly probable that every deployable tank, including the Lodestar III, was put into action.

Physical evidence on the tank itself supports this:

    • It’s equipped with an original unditching beam, used to free the tank from mud.
    • There are traces of a fascine, which was used to fill trenches and rivers for crossing.
    • The tank bears numerous bullet and shrapnel impacts, indicating its presence in battle.

Notably, the Lodestar III is the only Mark IV tank in the world that still retains its authentic 1918 colours and markings.

The Mark IV tank was first used in mid 1917 at the Battle of Messines Ridge. It remained in British service until the end of the war, and a small number served briefly with other combatants afterwards.

I have been working on a metal 15mm Mark IV Tank for use with the Home Guard. Though I do really like the Flames of War Great War models, which have a lot more detail.

I also have a Bolt Action 28mm Mark IV Tank on the workbench.

I also have a gallery of Mark IV tanks from a wonderful 28mm demonstration game at GamesDay 2007.

Minerva-Mors Armoured Car

I recently went to the Musée royal de l’armée et de l’histoire militaire or Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

Minerva-Mors Armoured Car

A replica of a Minerva-Mors armoured car of the the Belgian Expeditionary Corps of Armoured Cars (ACM) in Russia. This was a Belgian military formation during the First World War which was lent by king Albert I to the Russian Czar Nicolas Il to fight the German and Austrian Army on the Eastern Front. After the Russian Revolution, the regiment returned to France in 1918 via the United States.