So, did TANKFEST 2024 meet the high standards set in previous years? The answer was a resounding YES, from the arena displays, through to the living history encampments and to the lecture stage, all were very impressive and of a high quality.
As usual we, my good friend Tony and I, visited the show for the Friday and Saturday, both days being blessed by good, dry weather. Replacing the 2023 Officer’s Mess premium tickets, were Access All Areas tickets, this gave the holder plenty of benefits, including :
- Grandstand seating in a premium location, overlooking the arena
- Exclusive access to the cafeteria all day with all food and drinks included
- Early access to the Tank Park
- VIP parking
- VIP entry
- Goody bag which included a full colour museum guide, but oddly enough not a show programme.
On the Friday we took the Access All Areas ticket and for the Saturday, we had the Photo Area ticket. The locations of these were at opposite sides of the Kuwait Arena, so giving us excellent opportunities to view and photograph the show from alternate perspectives.
For the standard ticket, the arena was split into two sections the first being seating on the grass bank only, while the second allowed standing against the stone barricade surrounding the arena. Standing against the barricade, which us photographers prefer to do, versus sitting on the grass, has been a matter of discussion among visitors at previous shows so this splitting of the viewing area was an excellent idea and allowed a good view of the action to all. The seating area also had a dedicated section for disabled folk, allowing visitors of all physical abilities to get a great view of the show.
As always, there was a good selection of food vendors catering for everything from bacon rolls and burgers to doughnuts, soft drinks and beer. We did hear that some visitors had trouble accessing the car parks on the Friday, however we experienced no such problem when we arrived at 8am.
Of course the stars of the show are the armoured vehicles and as ever TANKFEST did not disappoint; there were many vehicles to choose from, so I will only mention my own favourites these being the M3 Grant (for some reason presented as a Lee in the show programme), the Sexton Self-propelled gun, the M24 Chaffee and the WWI Whippet replica. My pictures below will, I hope, give a good idea of what was to be seen.
World War I Armour
For me, and many others I suspect, the star of the WWI display was the replica Whippet tank. The Whippet is a fully functioning replica and was originally intended to run in the arena and take a major part in the WWI battle, sadly a mechanical failure prevented this and so it took a starring place in the WWI camp. Regardless it was a very impressive vehicle and provided the opportunity for photographs with the crew and reenactors.
World War I Battle
With more than a nod to the first ever tank vs tank combat, the WWI battle reenactment put the museum’s replica British Mk IV tank against the replica A7V. In reality this first tank against tank combat occurred on April 24, 1918, during the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux in Northern France. When 3 British tanks, one male and two female, faced 3 German A7V tanks. The female tanks were armed only with machine guns, the bullets of which bounced off the armour of the German A7V tanks, and so they did not press the combat. However, the British Male tank, armed with a 6pdr gun, did advance for combat against the 3 German A7Vs; after firing a good number of shells with no success, the Mk IV stopped to give the gunners a steady firing platform and therefore a better chance of success. This resulted in a hit on the leading A7V which killed or wound several of the crew and caused the rest to abandon the tank. Despite having a 2 to 1 numerical superiority, the remaining German A7Vs withdrew, encouraged by the arrival of 7 machine gun armed British Whippet tanks and thus ended the first tank on tank action, a victory for the British.
The reenactment mirrored history with the A7V sustaining a pyrotechnic ‘hit’ from the Mk IV and victory going to the British side.
World War II Armour
A very impressive selection of World War II armour was presented and for 1 hour the audience was treated to a demonstration of 20 or so original vehicles under the twin themes of Evolution of British Armour and World War Two – The Tank Comes of Age. Regretfully two vehicles developed mechanical issues, the Valentine DD and Marder Self-propelled gun, and so were not able to appear, but understandably the preservation of these vehicles must come first. My own personal favourites were the M3 General Grant, an ex-range subject still peppered with splinter marks, the Sexton Self-propelled gun and the M24 Chaffee.
World War II Battle
Arena battles are one of my favourite parts of any military history show and the battle at TANKFEST is always a good ‘un. Although not specifically stated, the vehicles and reenactors involved placed it very much in Germany, in the Spring of 1945. As I watched the impressive display, I envisaged an Allied reconnaissance unit making contact with a German Kampfgruppe (scratch battle group) . As expected the Allies won the encounter, despite the German reenactors putting up a spirited resistance, against Allied superiority, which included Chaffe and Stuart tanks.
Centurion!
On my first visit to the Tank Museum, at the young age of 11, my folks bought me a Tamiya 1/35th scale model kit of a Centurion Mk III, it was motorised with twin electric motors. I built the kit rather well, for a 10 year old, and spent many happy hours driving the model around the kitchen floor, it worked best on the smooth kitchen floor as the carpets in other parts of the house tended to pull the tracks off on turns, and repainting the model. Sadly the model is no longer with me, but ever since then the Centurion is, for me, synonymous with the Tank Museum; I was therefore delighted to see a Celebration of the Centurion as a part of the arena display. Centurions from Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands as well as the British Army were included in the display.
The Cold War
Representing the Cold War period were tanks from America, Britain, Germany, Soviet Union and France, including the M47, Challenger I, Leopard I, T-72M and AMX-13. All were spiritedly displayed giving us photographers plenty of opportunity to get great action shots. Informative historical narrative backed up the display, teaching the audience about the respective capabilities of the vehicles.
The Modern Army
Bringing us right up to date was an Armoured Recce display by the British Army. The display lasted 30 minutes and featured many of the vehicles in current use. A display of the individual vehicles was followed by a very impressive show of battle tactics against a ‘foreign’ enemy.
Show Guide
A full colour show guide was on offer, providing a site plan and details of all the activities, including the Kuwait Arena displays. Also included were excellent, informative articles on many of the vehicles performing at the show.
And finally…
So ended another splendid TANKFEST, this show really is a must for all those with a serious interest in armoured warfare and the development of the tank. It is also an event for the casual visitor and for families, especially with children as the day is sure to be filled with excitement, we saw many a child wide eyed at the spectacle of a main battle tank hurtling around the arena. And of course I haven’t even mentioned the Tank Museum itself, which is absolutely worth a visit in its own right. As might be expected, the museum was very busy during TANKFEST, and so Tony and I will make a return visit, when the museum is somewhat quieter.
As I have already shared, we visited TANKFEST for 2 days, as we usually do, but for 2025 we are thinking of going on all three days with the extra day being spent listening to and watching the lectures.
My thanks to my good friend Tony Hallett, for allowing me to use some of his ‘snaps’ on this page, including the one above of me, relaxing in the Photo Area on the Saturday of the show. Thanks also to all the reenactors who posed for photographs, if you see yourself on this page and would like a copy of the photograph without the Trains, Tanks & planes copyright, please do drop me a line at webmaster@trainstanksandplanes.com and I’ll be happy to oblige.
Finally, a big thanks to all those at the Tank Museum for putting on another excellent show, I am already looking forward to the 2025 show.
Trains, Tanks & Planes 