a great place to see real ww2 tanks and some ww1 and modern tanks is aberdeen proving grounds in maryland.after 9/11 they closed it to civilians but now they start giving day passes.they started restoring the stuff to. even a couple t-34s. so come to take a look!

That sounds awesome. Maybe i'll visit someday.

Have been going with correct paint schemes or are they still that greyish brown color. Never been just remember early pictures I've seen from the place

I forgot to include, Fort Knox's Patton Museum used to have some great tanks. I remember as a kid playing in a Panther and Pzfw IV when it was housed in an old wooden structure. They built up a pretty nice place by the mid 80's...even had a working Hetzer

The money's been available to properly restore the vehicles. See some photos of complete tanks, as well as some of the ones in incorrect schemes here: Aberdeen Proving Grounds.

most of the stuff is in need of a restoration. bot there are many cutaway tanks which you can see the interior.theyve started restoring lots of stuff and just for good measure have a good gift shop with plenty of models they have a large small arms exhibit too. theyv'e even got the atomic cannon I believe just got back from there too so my memory is still sharp.

And the other big gun at Aberdeen is the German Leopold, aka "Anzio Annie."

Back in the summer of 2001, I spent a day at Aberdeen and was impressed by some of it and saddened by other parts of it.

Many of the "Mile of Tanks" had been removed and taken to a holding area for restoration. Inside the museum was a beautifully restored French Renault R35 -- in proper markings and colors, from what I could tell. As Airwarrior says, the small arms collection is impressive!

Outside, many of the vehicles were painted in a very light gray primer -- as evidenced in some of Sabot's photos. One of the museum staffers told me this was meant to slow the corrosion and deterioration of the vehicles.

This was pre-9/11, plus I have a govt. ID and a DoD sticker on my van, so I drove around a bit. I found the "Elefant" on the side of the railroad tracks, where it apparently has sat for years in the middle of a junk pile.

I also found the "holding pen" for vehicles awaiting restoration -- there was the M24 Chaffee, the Firefly, the M12, the Duplex Drive Sherman, and lots of other goodies. A few blocks away were a very early M1 Abrams, the T-72 (almost done) and the M2, which was awaiting restoration -- the hatches were all open and I got a good look inside, but I ran out of film after taking one shot of the entire vehicle and one shot through the open engine doors!

BTW, if anyone is in the neighborhood, it is also worthwhile to visit the museum at Fort Meade, Maryland. Outside is an M4A3E8 and a M41 Walker Bulldog, as well as a few other carriers and stuff from the 1960s. Inside, they have a beautifully restored FT-17, the actual "5 of Hearts, " which has been stabilized and returned to original WWI markings. Check out the bullet holes!. In the same room is a restored Mark VII "Liberty Tank" with all the doors open so you can get a good look inside. The museum also has a nicely restored M3(A1?) Stuart dispalyed with hatches open. They were working on restoring an M3 armored car when I was visiting. Ask at teh desk, and the staf will be happy to show you in-progress photo albums of the restorations.

I am planning a trip to Aberdeen this summer. It will all depend on $$$. I hope I can pull it off.

I had a visit to both the Patton Museum and Aberdeen in the Spring of 2001. Both were excellent experiences and I burned off a ton of film during those visits. I noticed the Elephant sitting beside the tracks then Bob. Someone at the museum told me they had just off loaded it from a railcar the day before we arrived, but who knows. If any of you are on the loose in Canada there's a couple of good ones up here to see too. The C.F.B. Borden (about an hour north of Toronto) Museum has some excellent pieces including an M4A4 Crab Flail and a Wirblewind. And the R.A.C. Museum in Shilo Manitoba has one of the largest collections of Canadian Military Vehicles of W.W.II. If you know where to find them there (all crammed into a couple of old hangers).

hollowpoint could you give me some close up detail shots of the mile of tanks especially an m4-a3 or m5a1 if you get the chance next time your there? thanks!

Check this site out Airwarrior

http://www.seedwiki.com/page.cfm?doc=Tanks2Scale&wikiid=92

You'll find some pics of that may help you.

Airwarrior:

I wish I could help you out with the photos, but the "mile of tanks" is more than 1,500 miles from where I live. Besides, the vehicles on the road were in very, very rough shape -- you can find better and more complete examples at other military museums or in private collections -- maybe even in front of your local National Guard armory, VFW or American Legion hall.

If you are looking for some good close-ups of Shermans, get a copy of Squadron's M4 Sherman Walk Around.

A Google search will also turn up lots of photos on the Web. A couple good places to check are the Sherman Register at: http://web.inter.nl.net/users/spoelstra/g104/ and my favorite AFV Interiors at: http://www.kithobbyist.com/AFVInteriors/ .

Robert:

The story I heard about the Elefant was that it was moved from the museum out to be rail-loaded for transport to a restoration facility, but then the deal fell through and it has sat on the rail siding ever since. Who knows -- at any rate, it is a shame to have it sitting in the trash pile. They should haul it back over to the museum.

BTW, I noticed I didn't make this clear in my other post: I would not advise anyone to drive around Aberdeen looking for more tanks that are outside of the museum. With the current state of security, it is best to stay at the museum and not wander around post. Don't forget the Aberdeen is an active military reservation and they don't want people poking around where they are not invited.

thanks for the page and i recentley saw a bok on detailing a stuart. probably gonna buy that anyway. thanks again for the sites! :-)