yellowshaker

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NEAD stopped at Aberdeen for a little while on the way home.Here's a few pictures.Maybe the others will post some more.Enjoy!

pattoncommander

Thanks, very depressing. [] I work in an Army museum, and it's very frustrating to see the sad condition of the artifacts elsewhere. The military museum honchos have no interest in maintaining them and it's a real hassle to even get them to the paint shop for a little patching of rust holes and paint. We are the last priority and nothing can be done to change it. Then look at most European museums and see how many they have running or at least clean inside.....don't even think about looking inside a tank on display at a military post. [:@] Used to be, we could hook up a 5 t wrecker and drag a tank to the paint shop...but now, since all fluids have been drained....to include tranny and final drives, all gears are rusted together...we have to hire a civilian contractor to bring in two cranes, lift it onto a flatbed, follow it to the shop and lift it off.. and with Obama cutting everything including training.....doesn't happen.
Bill

candycab

Great photos,thanks for sharing yellowshaker.

Just from looking at it on the net Aberdeen has to be overwhelming for someone who respects whats there.  I agree pattoncommander, its a shame that no one seems to care about preserving any of this stuff.  Seems like most people just think its junk and don't realize or care that it wont be around for future generations to see if its isn't actively maintained. The crap our Gov wastes money on is absurd yet they cant spend a few bucks and throw up a building or Two for these pieces of history. 

Onondaga

Maybe they will move more of those great tanks down to Fort Lee where they are building a sheltered exhibit area, well hopefully at least the JadgTiger!!!! Excellent pictures btw!

MassiveOverkill

Thanks for the pics.............now go back and get some close-ups of the Jagpanther!!!

pattoncommander

I really dig that 280mm atomic gun. We had them in Korea 1956 and often heard them running on the roads..they had the same 500 hp Lycoming engine as the M-41 in both tractors and when a gun was moving, it sounded like a dozen Bulldogs. Singman Rhee, the president of S Korea at the time, almost cried when he saw two on display and Tong-du-chon....he was dreaming about sitting in Seoul and bombarding Pyongyang.

Candy, We (curator and I) have been trying to work on getting one of the huge shelters not being used on the ranges for a sun cover for our Ft Jackson outside exhibits...but they'd rarther just rip it to pieces and truck it to the land fill rather than spend money to disassemble it and put it up at the rear of the museum. [&o] We get a tank painted and the scorching summer heat will bleach it in a year. APG is having similar problems, mainly rain/snow, and no way ($) to construct any protective shelters for the artifacts and of course, nothing big enough to house them. Bovington is a tank historian's dream.

Bill

yellowshaker

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It was a sight, for sure. Unfortunately, I have to agree that the condition of these tanks is poor and beyond. I did not take photos of some of them because they were in such terrible condition. I would like to see them housed indoors and maybe even see them in running condition again, but we all know there is little chance of that happening.[]

CHIEFSONN

Nice pictures Joe .

We all know that if this was in Europe they would be taken better care of, Reason being this is were it all happened,we did not have these tanks running down our streets or in our fields.not that it isn't a part of our history.


I will try to post some pictures of the Jagdpanther,maybe a little clip with the Jagdpanther & jagdtigers weels spinning.

20Q

Great photos. Thanks for sharing.

yellowshaker

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Glad you guys like it. Wayne, post it up. It amazes me that the wheels still turned so easily and free on theser monsters. I'd like to restore one myself. I could start with the JT...if someone would forward me about 4 million bucks ...sigh

herrmill

I find it hilarious how quick so many of you who blame the President for everything bad in the world & his "socialist agenda" are bemoaning the fact that we in the US can't have such fantastic tank museums as other countries in Europe & the Mideast have. Perhaps it has something to do with their citizen's acceptance that better public facilities & services come through higher taxes or that their public is more open to sponsoring museums when government funding isn't available.

Since the chance of any future funding to preserve Aberdeen's collection is unlikely with the current Tea Party atmosphere in Congress, the best way to save them would be to 1) find corporate sponsors who can cover the expense of restoring these relics & placing them in a proper indoor museum or 2) sell them off to wealthy collectors who will lovingly bring them back to their original condition.

Getting back OT, I watched The Military Channel's Tank Overhaul episode featuring Aberdeen's Elefant the other day. It, along with the other 3 episodes featuring the Centurian, Chaffee & BMP, can be found on eztv.it for those who aren't adverse to downloading bittorrents.

Martellus

Just wondering, is you job at the tank museum a full time thing? how did you get to that?

pattoncommander

I'm more or less a full time volunteer. Main job is building scale models, diorramas research and seeing that what is on display is correct as to era, proper uniform, brass, patches, weapons etc. Also maintain outdoor exhibits as well as cleaning weapons in the
weapons collection. I'm there in uniform every Wednesday family day for BCT grads. Been doing this since 1980. Ft Jackson is not a tank museum...its BCT but we have a decent selection of tanks.

As I wrote before, the horrendous cuts we have been receiving have made it nearly impossible to maintain anything. We do anticipate reopening on 1 July, having been through total reconstruction. We were supposed to have been open LAST April (2010) but again, the present regime has held up progress.

wayne k

last time i was in aberdeen was 1988. the tanks in the pics look exactly the same as then. too bad our government dosen't take care of them. one day someone will realize the treasures they have and it will cost 10 times more to repair them than it would if they did it now.

modelbob71

I was also at Aberdeen in 1988. While looking at the outdoor relics a duceandahalf truck came along with 3 barrels of paint,
green, OD, and cream for Russian, US, and German equipment. Two guys wearing fateges(sp) sprayed the vehicles, tires, tracks
and all. While spraying the back of the Tiger I the left rusted muffler fell off. They left it in the grass and moved on. I nearly cried.
modelbob71