Saturday, August 26, 2006

Discovery In an Unlikely Location

It is amazing what you discover in out of the way places. Friday I spent the day at the Danville Corps, a town not close to any interstate. Danville is 4.5 hours from home and is nestled on the Virginia North Carolina boarder. While leaving Danville I noticed museum, “The Tank Museum”. Danville is not within 170 miles of any major military base near any, nor has there been any base of significance anywhere close to the town. Danville would not be a logical place that one would think to look for such a museum.

Catching my interest as to what would be inside, I stopped, grabbed my camera, paid the fee and spent an hour clicking away. This museum is clearly highly specialized, dedicated to tanks, howetzers and anti-tank guns. I was amazed by the number and range of items they have in the museum. Of course no tank in use in the last decade is in the museum, except a Russian tank used by the Iraqis and a Russian self propelled howitzer also used by the Iraqis.

Here are a few of the pics. The first is the US’s first tank, the M1917 Six Ton Special used from late 1917 to the beginning of WWII; second is of a German Mk IV Panzer from WWII; third is a Canadian Sexton 25 Pound Howitzer from WWII; fourth is a Russia’s main WWII tank, the T34; last is American M60A1 Patton from 1959 to early 1990s, one of the main US tank before the introduction of the M60A3 Patton and the A1 Abrams.













4 comments:

Joanne said...

Here's another one for you. Calgary, which is 605km or 375 miles from the oceon or any large body of water for that matter and therefore is completely land locked has a naval instalation and a naval museum. I often wonder where they practice their manouvers......in the bathtub?

Barbara said...

Cameron would totally love that place.

I love it when I discover little hidden away places like this. Very fun.

Dave said...

Joanne....a naval installation in Calgary, what a hoot.

Evie said...

I was qutie surprised when you called and said you'd miss supper because you were going to a tank museum in Danville!

Unlike the others who visit this blog, I got to see other photos besides the few that are here. This museum appears to have a pretty interesting collection. Just goes to show, life is full of interesting discoveries.