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Tank Museum - Saumur (France) |
Important note Photos provided on this website are not an endorsement of any political idea or of war. War is one of the most regrettable human activities. All photos on this page are copyright Robert Mary and may only be reproduced with my express permission. You may contact me here |
Historical information
In 2003, the tank museum has celebrated its 25 years ! Started by the roundup of WW II tanks, mainly from the Issy-les-Moulineaux factory (better known as the AMX for Moulineaux workshop) in the 1950's, the collection of armoured equipment constituted in Saumur, reaches today 880 armoured vehicles, 200 of which are in working order. For the last 80 years, the tank embodied the flagship of the modern armies. The tank museum tells its history and its technical evolution since WW I to the present times. In it are to be found the most representative armoured equipment of the major industrialized countries as Brazil, France, Germany, Israel, Italia, Sweden, Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries, United Kingdom, USA, etc… These pieces of equipment constitute the biggest collection in the world as much as by the sheer number of the vehicles exhibited, as by the uninterrupted historical and technical overview displayed in the museum spanning the tank evolution since its first appearance on the battlefield. French WW I tanks are well represented. The “Glorious Ancestors”, the Schneider and the Saint-Chamond fully restored are on display. The saint-Chamond led the first ever French tank attack at Berry-au-Bac on April 16 th 1917. To be also seen the "Tank of Victory", the famous Renault FT17, which led the 1918 victorious offensive and also equipped the US Army. The museum displays an amazing section of WW II vehicles. In it, the equipment is shown by countries. For France, the collection is almost totally full with the AMD 178 and AMR 35 armoured cars, the FCM ( Forges et Chantiers de la Méditérannée) tank, the Renault R35 and R39 tanks, Hotchkiss H35 and H39 tanks, the famous SOMUA ( Société d' Outillage Militaire et d' Usinage d' Armement ) tank which, thanks to its fire power and mobility, was a real match for the German panzers, and the B1Bis tank which partly equipped General De Gaulle's 4 th Division Cuirassée de Réserve at Moncornet on May 17 th 1940 and later during the Abbeville counter attack. For the USA, all the tanks involved in the North African campaign, the Italy campaign and the D-Day landings and the subsequent battles towards Victory in Europe are to be found : the Lee Grant, Stuart, Sherman (in its many versions) tanks, the Tank Destroyer, the M8 and M20 armoured cars. For the UK, most of the models used both in Northern Africa and Europe are on exhibition : the Cromwell, Centaur, Mathilda, Valentine and Churchill tanks. The German collection is enviously looked at by all tank museums worldwide and especially by the Germans, as it is practically complete : Panzer II, III an IV, Panther, Jagdt Panther. Tiger I, King Tiger ( the only one known in working order ), and the various Flak Panzer, recovery Panzer, Armoured cars, tracked troop carriers are on display. And of course, the Soviet Union is well represented by its period tanks, with first of all the T34. The After WW II period is a very well illustrated, particularly by the total collection of tanks and APC's produced in France during that time, mostly thanks to the numerous AMX family and its many different versions of AMX 13's and AMX 30's. From the EBR wheeled tank to the today's AMX Leclerc, they are all to be found even the prototypes which never have been put its production. A very large selection of Warsaw Pact tanks (T54, T72) and APC's are
on display including lesser known Czech or Yugoslav vehicles. American, British, German and East German modern tanks and APC's are
on hand and the museum is very proud to show the only Merkava tank outside
Israel. The museum takes part in many most activities as : international model competition, patriotic celebrations, and feature films making…The museum has also received souvenirs from the museum of Berry-au-Bac, mainly those from General Estienne, the “Father of Tanks”, whose the name has been given to the Musée des Blindés. At the present time, the “Musée General Estienne” welcomes 45 000 visitors per year. When the premises will be equipped with modern museology, 70 000 visitors are to be expected. Then the visit will be articulated around a fixed exhibition where two itineraries, an historical one and a technological one, which will match up on “Theatre de convergence”: privileged places where History seeks Technics and where Technics has an influence upon History. Each year, from May to September, a temporary thematic exhibition stresses on a certain historic or technical characteristic of the employment of armour. . The official website of the museum stands here. Location information The museum is located
in Saumur. This is the temple of tanks in France, the high number of displayed vehicles -especially the German room- bring an unquestionable added-value to this museum. However use of sceneries (there is only one scenery with a Soviet SU100 and a KV1) could greatly enhance this tanks exhibition. |
