Hollywood and Tanks

Then without including the gun, the only Sherman I'm aware of being anywhere close to the Tiger II in length is the M4A4 Sherman V version they extended to fit in a certain engine (diesel?). Hey Danyel, where are you when I need you?

 

If you're living in The Netherlands, you should be able to make it back and forth in one day. I drove from Copenhagen, through Jutland, past Hamburg (the highways there are evil!) and visited Munster for a couple of hours, before driving on to Amsterdam - all in one day.

Christian

 

I've seen TV footage of autobahn traffic. Looks like a mass kamikaze migration!

 

Basically, it's because the Autobahns (and msot other European highways) were constructed before anyone had any idea how many cars there would be today. Now, these highways run through cities, and are difficult to expand.

Some of the most trafficated highways in Copenhagen only have two lanes each way, where four would be about right to handle the amount of traffic here...

 

You could also visit the technik museen in sinsheim near heidelberg.

http://www.technik-museum.de/

 

This is Heidelberg, Germany I assume? You mean I spent 20 months in Germany and visited Heidelberg five times and didn't know there was a museum with armor near there? Now you ruined my day.

 

Dutch highways are worse. Much, much worse. In the Netherlands the average population density is over 400 people per square kilometer (over 1000 per square mile). Plus all freight traffic has to pass through from Rotterdam harbour, the largest harbour in the world. It is a mess, to be short.

Christian, it sounds nice and I would do it in an instant - if I could find someone to drive me there...

 

Roel
You could take the train - relatively easy, as far as I can see. I don't know where exactly in Amsterdam you live (if I did, I could probably find the exact travel time), however there are direct connections to Hannover (a little north of Munster) from both Aachen, Duisburg and Osnabrück (also see http://downloads.raileurope.com/pdf/maps/germany.html and http://downloads.raileurope.com/pdf/maps/benelux.html ) - depending on time and place of departure, the German part of the jouney would probably be EUR 30-60, with the prices I have found (you can find your exact plan at http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/dn ).

I found all of this in about ten minutes, so it should be relatively simple to find an exact tour plan online

 

Hey, thanks Christian! That's a great help!
I don't live in Amsterdam myself, but the train system works fine so I could get to those German cities. Now from Hannover to Munster... Thanks!

 

But I saw film Windtalkers and there are all weapons correct.

 

With regards to the King Tiger v Sherman size I have to say that at Bovington there is the Porsche King Tiger almost directly opposite a Sherman. I can't quite remember what model Sherman but to me the King Tiger seemed to DWARF the Sherman both in size and sheer awesome presence. The King Tiger is easily the most visually impresive WW2 tank there is. The Sherman looked like a little pipsqueak next to it. I can't see a 76mm gun making all that mich of a difference. It might have been a Sherman 76mm anyway. I just can't remember as I wasn't all that interested in it compared to the King Tiger. When I first saw that King Tiger I was blown away. It looks HUGE and POWERFUL. I actually think the Porsche King Tiger looks cooler than the Henschel one.

 

Even so, Spielberg didn't quite get the Tiger I correct in Saving Private Ryan. It shouldn't have had the 'dustbin' commander's cuppola or the Feifel air pre-cleaners on the engine deck. These were features of early Tigers Is. Only mid production Tiger Is and late production Tiger Is were in Normandy. What's more, SS 102 all had late production Tiger Is with steel road wheels in Normandy. No rubber wheeled Tiger Is were there in SS 102. SS 102 (they mention 'second SS' in a comment) weren't even at the Normandy front until July 1944 and were in the British/Canadian sector anyway. It didn't fight alongside 2nd SS Das Reich.

Kelly's Heroes (1970) was the first movie to try to replicate a Tiger I. They made three based on T34 chassis and they looked pretty much ok (except for th tracks,wheels and glacis). Not all that inferior to the T34/Tigers that Spielberg had made for SPR. The same minor innacuracies were also present though.

 

Roel,

All German counties/districs/states (or whatever they are called) have day tickets on the railways which are valid for up to 5 people. It costs on average about 21 to 25 Euros to cover the whole district. I used the day tickets to cover ALL of Bavaria recently. Munster is not that far from the Dutch border anyway. You can only use regional trains on these day passes (not high speed IC or ICE trains) but the pass also counts for the metros, trams and buses in the cities (and in Hamburg it inclused ferries too).

What's more, Germany has what is called the 'good weekend ticket'. Basically you can travel the ENTIRE country on one of these but only at weekends. I think it's around 30 Euros and again it's valid for up to 5 people. I've travelled the length and breadth of Germany on these tickets too. The only hitch again is that you have to use regional trains, not the high speed classy intercities so you end up changing a few times on the journey but that's not problem at all and the trains are quick enough. You can go to any ticket office, tell them where you want to go and they'll give you a print out with all the changes and train times that you need to make the connections. It's possible for 5 people to all travel together from Hamburg to Munich for just 30 Euros. It would be a long journey (12 hours) and about 4 or 5 changes but hey, just have some beers to while away the time and it's fine.

In Koblenz there is a museum with armour. It's not huge but I saw a Panther G, Stug IIIG, PZ III, T34/85 etc etc. They used to have a Sturmtiger there but that's gone now I think.

 

Yeah, that regional ticket thing is great. All major cities I've visited yet (Barcelona, Berlin etc) use it and I like it very much. Unfortunately this system hasn't been installed in Holland yet... :cry:

 

Sorry to ruin your day.

The museum is great though.

 

A good comparison between the two tanks - no so big a difference, in my oppinion:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=55323

That is the Sherman prototype, if I'm not mistaking, which would be smaller than e.g. the 76.2 mm. armed Sherman.

 

Just watched Kelly's Heroes again last night and I have to re-iterate that the Tigers weren't half bad.Almost as good as the Tigers from SPR.All the same those narrow tracks of the T34 really let the overall look down.

 

Yup, plus the thing that strikes me most when I see them, in both movies: the turret is tuck way too far forward. It's almost like there's no more room for the driver's hatch up there!

 

post subject.

Have just received word via our Regimental web Site that my old Regiment (Queens Bays) supplied Cents. while stationed in Libya 1958
for a film starring Victor Mature and called "No Time To Die", also named
"Tank Force" in the USA.I understand that he (Mature) was an American Sergent somehow mixed up with the 8th Army, the Bays tanks were painted up as Axis forces, the details can be found on a film website
www.imdb.com > our Museum has a copy which they have offered to copy for me! I suppose the lads enjoyed it!!

 

post subject

Which film? Who are the stars?