Lots of interesting stuff, here are the items which caught my eye (mostly German). The Panther was recently restored, of note is the subtlety of the zimmerit coating - it's not slathered on like most models depict!

You can't see in the photos, but the top of the Jadgpanzer has been blown off, the armour plate of the top of the superstructure is just sitting on it. The "cutaway" is a Sherman of some sort. The black mini-sub is a German midget sub (Molch?). The boring looking antenna and barrels is actually a German weather station that was secretly planted in Labrador - which has significance because it means that Germans had landed on Canadian territory (well, not technically, NFLD/Lab only became part of Canada in '49). The black Mercedes is one of the museum's most famous items - it's one of Hitler's personal cars, though the exact history of it is not fully known.

The robot with the shotgun attached is a Canadian bomb clearing item from the FLQ crisis in the 70s. I found it hilarious for how crude it is - the shotgun a finely engraved sport shooting item!

Enjoy:

You have some nice pictures there, just a suggestion but have you considered sending them to the features team with some information on each picture?

They have quite a few new things since I was there a year ago. The Panther and Stuart are new. The Universal Carrier never was up on the main floor before, the German Flak gun got a paint job, it used to be Grey. I don't remember a Churchill on the floor either, or the Half Track.

Every time I have gone there I end up seeing something different and new.

For those that have never been there, it is a must see if you are going through Ottawa. Plan on spending the better part of the day there though!!

You took alot of good pics!.. By chance do you have anymore of the panther????

Thanks
Russ

Those are the pics I've got, the Panther is cordoned off so I couldn't get any other angles. The new museum is great, it used to be much smaller and the armour was held in a warehouse. Now you can finally see the whole collection. I wish they had more planes though.

They had a temporary display about WWI culture in the trenches, there were some interesting artworks done by servicemen in the trenches. One was a complete tea set made of shell casings and bullets, for mum back home. I look at that as a not-so-subtle hint at the triviality of manufactured death - but it could have been a serious work of pride to celebrate the war effort in the context of the 1910s.

Its really nice to see the Panther all restored.

I live close to CFB Borden and used to see it all the time during my trips to the base. I think my mom has picture of me sitting on it when I was a kid in the early 80's.

It was kept outside and was starting to get worn looking being exposed to the central Ontario winters.

I actually went to Borden a few years ago to take pictures of it and when I got there it was gone! Drag marks from the pad it was sitting on but no Panther! I was relieved to hear where it went though.

Here is a picture of it when it was at Borden.

Borden Panther

The museum is great. I went there with my wife last year during our trip to Ottawa. One day doesn't do the place justice though. Look forward to getting back there.

Thanks for sharing your pictures.

Jeff

I am wondering, did they refurbish the Panther? Or just pull it from Borden, slap a coat of Zim and paint on it, and put it out onto the floor at the Museum?

Reason I ask is that an awful lot of the vehicles that they have on the floor are operational, one only has to look for the drip trays for the oil and hydrolics on the floor to know that there are alot of "working" vehicles there. I am not talking just the more modern stuff like the M113 and Leopards either, the T34 is operational among others.

I don't think they have alot of aircraft there, because across town you have the Canadian Aviation Museum that has lot more. The War Museum does have a Spitfire, CF-5(and probably others) on the ceiling in the museum itself, and a CF-101 on the ceiling of the armor floor.

I will reiterate, if you are in Ottawa on vacation.......3 places that are a must see if you are a model/history buff. The Canadian War Museum, The Canadian Aviation Museum, and the bunker at CARP.

If you are in Hamilton, the Canadian Heritage Aviation museum is a must...smaller than the Ottawa museum, but you can get much closer to the aircraft, can walk down between them, run your hands over their fuselage, fondle them.......... Oh my.....we will stop there !! LOL!

Seriously though, where the aviation museum in Ottawa, yes that have a Lancaster, however the one in Hamilton is an operational Lancaster, and when it is in the museum, you can walk right into the bomb bay of it, the only place cordoned off is around the main landing gear, where as the one in Ottawa, you are roped off to the point that you couldn't touch it even if you tried without going past the ropes. As well, in Hamilton they have a CF-100 that you can climb into the cockpit of, and a T33 that is automated so that you can play with the lights, fold up and down the landing gear and airbrakes. Well worth the the paltry sum they want to tour the museum!

Hi Jason,

Thanks for the pics. Do you happen to knwo the correct title for the Chevrolet Staff Car?

Thanks

Al

I don't think the CWM Panther is a "runner" I think they just refurbished the outside and even added the zimm too. I don't remember there being any on it when it was at Borden..... at least not to the extent that has now.

Its in much better shape then it was before.

Jeff

Hi Alan,

I did a quick search and this is what i found.....

This is a Canadian 1941 Ford C11ADF station wagon cut-down and modified for use by Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander, Commander of the Allied armies in the North African and Italian campaigns.

Found it on this site at the bottom.

Here





I wonder how it ended up here on this side of the pond?

That small german weather station is very simple but represents a very nice story. That the canadians only discovered it in 1981(!!!) really adds to the story.

I think 'Kurt' is one the nicest items you've shown us.

Thanks for posting!



Jelger

I would make a cool dio, either establishment of the weather station by the Germans or the discovery of it by the Canadians 30+ years after the war

Jason,
Great pics some very useful ones thanks for posting

Hi Jason,

Thanks for that, interesting, Field Marshal Alexander was of course an Irish Guard so I'm fairly familiar with him This would be a really interesting build if I could find or make the parts.

Thanks again, one for the future!!

Al

Last time I was at the museum, I asked the Collections Manager how much of the collection was in "running" condition. I was surprised when he said that about 80% of it was. Mind you, he said that it was a relative term. Many of the pieces were running when they were acquired, but may not have been started in the last 30+ years or so...and he even included the panther on that list (nice to hear, though I doubt we'll ever see that one run again).
The interesting part about the panther is that the zimmerit on the tank was all reproduced using a "concrete type mix", but the stuff behind the road wheels is still original and preserved.

Jamie

Is it just my browser's failure, or the links to the pics had gone?

I can't see the pictures either.

Sorry folks, my image server got reset for no apparent reason. Bugger.