tankfest 26 – Felix's Gaming Pages

Panzerkampfwagen III

This Panzer III was in the arena at Tankfest 26 at Bovington.

The Panzerkampfwagen III, commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany, and was used extensively in World War II. The official German ordnance designation was Sd.Kfz. 141. It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and serve alongside and support similar Panzer IV which was originally designed for infantry support.

However, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, more powerful anti-tank guns were needed, and since the Panzer IV had more development potential with a larger turret ring, it was redesigned to mount the long-barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun.

The Panzer III effectively swapped roles with the Panzer IV, as from 1942 the last version of Panzer III mounted the 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 that was better suited for infantry support.

Production of the Panzer III ceased in 1943. Nevertheless, the Panzer III’s capable chassis provided hulls for the Sturmgeschütz III assault gun until the end of the war.

FV 4005 Stage 2 at Tankfest 26

The FV 4005 Stage 2 driving in the arena at Tankfest 26.

An experimental tank destroyer with a 7.2-inch mm gun L4, which was a modified version of the BL 7.2-inch howitzer. It’s not only a huge gun, but also a huge turret. However as a SPG artillery piece, this isn’t too critical, no need to be hull down on a hill ridge. The project started in 1951/52, and developed in July 1955. It used a lightly armoured, fully enclosed and traversable turret on a Centurion hull. The project was abandoned in 1957.

I had seen it before when it was a gate guardian to the museum. Since that visit it was restored to full running order.

Sd.Kfz. 222

This Sd.Kfz. 222 was driving around the arena at Tankfest 26.

The Sonderkraftfahrzeug 222 (Sd.Kfz. 222), officially designated as the Leichter Panzerspähwagen (2 cm), was the primary light four-wheeled armored reconnaissance car used by the German Wehrmacht during World War II. Built on a heavy-duty Horch 801 chassis featuring four-wheel drive and all-wheel steering, the compact vehicle was designed for speed, agility, and cross-country mobility to perform scouting duties ahead of mechanized panzer divisions. Its open-topped, ten-sided polygonal turret was fitted with a wire-mesh anti-grenade screen and mounted a 2 cm KwK 30 (later KwK 38) autocannon alongside a coaxial 7.92mm MG 34 machine gun, providing surprisingly formidable firepower against light vehicles, infantry, and low-flying aircraft. First deployed during the invasions of Poland and France, the Sd.Kfz. 222 excelled on Western Europe’s developed road networks and saw widespread action with the Afrika Korps in North Africa. However, its operational limitations became starkly apparent on the Eastern Front, where the Soviet Union’s severe rasputitsa mud and harsh winters severely hampered four-wheeled off-road mobility, leading to its gradual replacement by eight-wheeled armored cars and half-tracks like the Sd.Kfz. 250/9.

Sd.Kfz. 265 Panzerbefehlswagen

The Sd.Kfz. 265 Panzerbefehlswagen (light armoured command vehicle) was a German Army’s first purpose-designed armoured command vehicle; a type of armoured fighting vehicle designed to provide a tank unit commander with mobility and communications on the battlefield. A development of the Army’s first mass-produced tank, the Panzer I Ausf. A, the Sd. Kfz. 265 saw considerable action during the early years of the war, serving in Panzer units through 1942 and with other formations until late in the war.

This rare Sd.Kfz. 265 Panzerbefehlswagen is on display at Bovington.

The Sd. Kfz. 265 was based on the Panzer I Ausf. A chassis, but it had its turret removed and replaced with a superstructure that housed additional radios and other communications equipment. The superstructure was located at the rear of the vehicle, and it was designed to provide the commander with a good view of the battlefield. The Sd. Kfz. 265 was also equipped with a single 7.92mm machine gun, which was mounted in the hull.

The Sd. Kfz. 265 was crewed by three men: the commander, the driver, and the radio operator. The commander was responsible for directing the unit’s movements and for communicating with other units. The driver was responsible for driving the vehicle, and the radio operator was responsible for operating the vehicle’s communications equipment.

The Sd. Kfz. 265 was a relatively simple and inexpensive vehicle to produce, and it was well-suited for its intended role as a command tank. It was reliable and easy to maintain, and it had good mobility and range. However, it was lightly armoured and lightly armed, and it was not suitable for combat.

The Panzer I Command Tank was first used in combat during the Spanish Civil War, and it saw extensive use during the early years of World War II. It was eventually replaced by more capable command tanks, such as the Panzer III Command Tank, but it remained in service until the end of the war.

I didn’t know until some 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.

‘Black Sea’ Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G

This Stug III was running at the Tank Museum’s Tankfest 26.

The ‘Black Sea’ Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) Ausf. G refers to a historically significant MIAG-assembled assault gun (chassis number 95825) that boasts a unique and documented wartime provenance. Manufactured in October 1943, the vehicle was destined to bolster the 191st Sturmgeschütz Brigade on the Crimean Peninsula but never saw combat. In November 1943, while being transported across the Black Sea aboard the German cargo steamer Santa Fé, the ship was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine and sank off the coast of Sevastopol, taking its entire cargo of armoured vehicles to the seabed. Following its discovery and recovery by divers in the late 1990s, the vehicle was acquired and meticulously restored to operational condition by The Weald Foundation. Notably, despite being built at the MIAG factory, this survivor features a cast Topfblende (sow’s head) gun mantlet—a combination previously assumed to belong strictly to Alkett-built production runs. To preserve its exact historical state at the moment of its loss, the vehicle remains finished solely in its factory-applied Dunkelgelb base coat without any camouflage or unit insignia, standing as one of the rarest fully documented StuG III Ausf. G survivors in existence.

Churchill Mark III Infantry Tank

This Churchill Mark III Infantry Tank took part in the arena displays at Tankfest 26.

The Churchill Mark III represented a major evolutionary leap for the British Infantry Tank family, replacing the underpowered 2-pounder gun of the Mark I and II with the far more lethal Ordnance QF 6-pounder (57mm) anti-tank gun. To accommodate this larger weapon, the early cast circular turret was replaced with a distinctive, spacious fabricated-welded boxy turret, and the earlier hull-mounted 3-inch howitzer was removed in favour of a standard Besa machine gun. First seeing action during the ill-fated Dieppe Raid in August 1942, the Mark III quickly proved its worth in the North African Campaign, most notably at the Battle of Second El Alamein and later in Tunisia, where its exceptionally thick armour and outstanding climbing ability allowed it to negotiate rough, steep terrain that impassable to other armour. Though its low top speed remained a inherent drawback of the heavy infantry tank design, the Mark III’s upgraded anti-armour capability and robust hull provided the definitive blueprint for subsequent Churchill marks throughout the remainder of World War II.

M3 Grant

This M3 Grant tank was running in the arena at Tankfest 26 at the Tank Museum.

The M3 Grant was the British-specification variant of the American M3 Lee medium tank, rushed into service during the Second World War to bolster Allied armour in the North African Campaign. While both models shared the same hull design, featuring a sponson-mounted 75mm gun on the right side and a secondary 37mm gun in the upper turret. The Grant was distinguished by a completely redesigned, lower-profile cast turret engineered to British specifications. This new turret eliminated the high commander’s machine-gun cupola found on the American Lee, reducing the tank’s overall height, and provided internal housing for a radio at the rear of the turret, allowing the radio operator to be positioned alongside the commander rather than in the hull. As a result, the Grant operated with a reduced crew of six (compared to the Lee’s seven) and offered a slightly less conspicuous target on the open desert battlefield, where its dual-gun firepower proved vital in countering German armour during battles such as Gazala Offensive and El Alamein.

World War One Tanks at Tankfest 26

One of the displays at Tankfest 26 had replica Mark IV tanks and a replica Whippet enter the arena.

These were impressive machines and certainly showcased these early metal behemoths which changed the nature of modern warfare.

This was one of the main reasons I wanted to attend Tankfest, though I should add that my view was obstructed by people standing in front of the seating area next to the arena.

Sturmpanzerwagen A7V

Introduced by Imperial Germany near the end of World War I in early 1918, the Sturmpanzerwagen A7V was the German Empire’s sole production tank of the war, designed in response to the unsettling appearance of British and French tanks on the Western Front.

Resembling a massive, armoured box on tracks, the 30-ton vehicle was armed with a front-mounted 57mm Maxim-Nordenfelt cannon and six 7.92mm MG 08 machine guns, requiring a unusually large crew of up to 18 men to operate effectively. Despite its thick steel plate protection and formidable firepower, the A7V was plagued by a high centre of gravity and low ground clearance, which severely limited its cross-country mobility and trench-crossing ability compared to the British rhomboid design.

Only 20 chassis were produced, but the A7V secured its place in military history on April 24, 1918, at the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, where three A7Vs engaged three British Mark IVs in the world’s first tank-versus-tank combat.

This replica Sturmpanzerwagen A7V was in the Vehicle Conservation Centre at the Tank Museum.

It is is painted to represent A7V number 504, Schnuck. The actual Schnuck was damaged by friendly fire at Fremicourt on 31 August 1918 then it was abandoned by crew, and captured by troops of the New Zealand Division three days later. Displayed in London on Horse Guards Parade 1918/19 and given to the Imperial War Museum in 1919 but was scrapped and disposed of in 1922.

Mark II Matilda

This Mark II Matilda was on display at Tankfest 26.

The Infantry Tank Mark II, better known as the Matilda, was a British infantry tank that served in World War II. It had a crew of four, was powered by two Leyland 6-cylinder diesel engines, and was armed with a 2-pounder gun and a machine gun.

The Matilda was designed in 1936 as a gun-armed counterpart to the first British infantry tank, the machine gun-armed A11 Infantry Tank Mark I. The Mark I was also known as the Matilda, and the larger A12 was initially known as the Matilda II, Matilda senior, or Waltzing Matilda. The Mark I was abandoned in 1940, and from then on the A12 was almost always known simply as “the Matilda.”

The Matilda was an excellent infantry support tank, thanks to its heavy armour. It was impervious to most German anti-tank guns at the time, and it could withstand heavy fire from enemy tanks. However, the Matilda was slow, with a top speed of only 14 mph. It was also not very well-armed, and its main gun, the 2-pounder, was effective against other tanks, but it had limited anti-personnel capabilities.

Despite its limitations, the Matilda was a valuable asset to the British Army during World War II. It was a reliable and well-liked tank by its crews, and it played a significant role in the North Africa Campaign. It was eventually replaced in front-line service by the lighter and less costly Infantry Tank Mk III Valentine beginning in late 1941, but the Matilda continued to serve in other roles until the end of the war.

Overall, the Matilda was a versatile and effective tank that served the British Army well during World War II. Its heavy armour made it a formidable opponent on the battlefield, and its reliability and popularity with its crews made it a valuable asset to the British war effort.

The Matilda II infantry tank from inside the Tank Museum.

A Matilda II infantry tank is at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester.