The Tank Museum

The Tank Museum The official page of The Tank Museum, Bovington (UK). Home of the tank. Unrivalled in scope and depth, we care for 300 vehicles from 26 nations.

Disclaimer: In reflection of our charitable objectives, our content may show weapons of war and/or historical imagery for educational purposes. The Tank Museum holds the finest and most historically significant collection of fighting armour in the world. These range from `Little Willie`, the world’s first tank, through to the British Army’s current Main Battle Tank, Challenger 2. Support The Tank Museum on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/tankmuseum

07/06/2026

7 June 1917: The Battle of Messines begins, supported by 72 Mark IV tanks, their first use in combat.

They are split up and assigned to infantry units in small numbers. Their role is fairly minimal, as the extensive British artillery bombardment means their infantry needs little support to take the German positions.

However, in a portent of Third Ypres, many will get bogged in difficult ground.

07/06/2026

The T-72 is the most widely used main battle tank in the world. It has been manufactured in six countries, is in service with the armies of 35 nations and has fought in most major wars of the last 40 years.

We have several T-72s at The Tank Museum, and this one is a bit different from some of the others you might have seen.

This is a T-72M1, and is one of the first batch of Polish produced models. It was built in 1984 and remained in service until 2013. In 2014, it was donated to the Tank Museum by the Land Warfare Museum in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in exchange for a Chieftain Mark 11.

The Poles produced around 1600 T-72s at the Bumar-Labedy tank factory in Gliwice starting in 1980. The M1 model entered production in 1983.

This tank is an early example, built in 1984. Polish production of a number of components was not yet up and running at this point, so the tank features many Soviet made parts. It spent most of its service life with the 9th Armoured Cavalry Brigade.

Our T-72 is just one of over 50 vehicles which will take to the arena at TANKFEST 2026 later this month. We have a limited number of Friday tickets still available -

https://tankmuseum.org/events/tankfest

Which of Hobart’s Funnies is your favourite, and why?
06/06/2026

Which of Hobart’s Funnies is your favourite, and why?

06/06/2026

The Tanks of D-Day.

6 June 1944: Operation Overlord begins with D-Day. Thousands of Allied men and tanks storm Normandy's beaches and secure...
06/06/2026

6 June 1944: Operation Overlord begins with D-Day.

Thousands of Allied men and tanks storm Normandy's beaches and secure a beach head - heralding the end of the Reich.

The scale was vast. On the 6th of June alone, 160,000 troops would land from a fleet of 5,000 vessels accompanied by an aerial armada of 1,200 aircraft.

Our Tetrarch is one of just two surviving examples – and was built in November 1940.Originally adopted by the British Ar...
05/06/2026

Our Tetrarch is one of just two surviving examples – and was built in November 1940.

Originally adopted by the British Army as a light tank, the Tetrarch became the first British airborne tank. 20 Tetrarchs were assigned to 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment for D-Day - landed in Hamilcar gliders. Those that landed safely were mainly used to support the paratroopers with reconnaissance and not to fight German tanks.

Our Tetrarch has been converted into a Close Support Tetrarch - with the standard 2 pounder main gun having been replaced by a 3" howitzer. It was used for training by the Gunnery Wing of the Armoured Fighting Vehicle School at Lulworth, before it came to The Tank Museum in 1949.

As a prototype, King Tiger V2 has a number of unique features - one of the most distinctive is a unique attachment to it...
05/06/2026

As a prototype, King Tiger V2 has a number of unique features - one of the most distinctive is a unique attachment to its exhaust.

This was fitted as part of gas-proofing tests - the tank would be put in a gas chamber and completely sealed. The running engine fed air into the tank, keeping the pressure inside greater than outside, while the engine exhaust fumes were fed out of the chamber through hoses. This attachment connected the exhaust to the hose.

This is just one of the distinctive features of King Tiger V2 – a unique survivor. The 2nd King Tiger ever to have been built, the oldest surviving King Tiger in the world, and the only surviving example with the pre-production turret.

King Tiger V2 is our current restoration project – with your help, we’ll get this vehicle back to running condition – for more information –
https://tankmuseum.org/support-us/ktv2-fundraiser

05/06/2026

A ROCKET POWERED, SWIMMING TANK

Footage recently scanned for the first time shows Sherman DD rocket egress trials conducted in 1949.

Despite their interest in the technology, no tanks entered front line service with the Italians during the First World W...
04/06/2026

Despite their interest in the technology, no tanks entered front line service with the Italians during the First World War.

They did develop their own designs though, including the heavy Fiat 2000. This tank only saw active service in the repression of Libya and in displays and parades. It was outdated by the Second World War, and the 2000 was removed from service, replaced by lighter tanks.

Address

Bovington
Wareham
BH206JG

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+441929405096

Website

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