Saumur 2

[SJWi]

Last week some of the lads from the Black Wolf club in Hitchin headed off to France with our wives, and for us the tank museum was the likely star attraction of the trip. Leaving the ladies to enjoy the delights of the chateau and old quarter we headed slightly out-of-town to the "Musee des Blindees".

So, what's to see. The guide lists 240 vehicles, guns and engines dating from WW1 to the late 1990s. I am not showing any photos as these have been shown elsewhere albeit some of the items (eg the Chenillette UE) seem to have disappeared. The WW1 exhibits are all French, and of course there is an excellent collection of 1939-40 French armour and soft skin vehicles. German exhibits start with an early Panzer II and include a Tiger I, Tiger II, Panther and Jagdpanther. The allied hall includes a Matilda II, KV1 and Comet amongst other exhibits. Post WW2 includes a good selection of Warsaw Pact vehicles, plus US, German and UK kit and the to-be-expected collection of French equipment which includes some from the Indochina campaign. This reminded me that I need to paint my 28mm Red Star/Empress Miniatures French Paras.

The collection runs out of steam in the mid 1990s. You can tell this because the description of the Leclerc claims it is "the best tank in the world". Enough said!

One of my mates has given it 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor. I would give it less. At 8.50 euros it costs a lot less than Bovington's £13.00. However I found the halls quite old and not very well lit, and many of the display boards are showing their age. The only refreshments were drink and snack dispensing machines, which given its out-of-the-way location is a bit annoying if you want to make a day of it . On a more positive note the book/giftshop is pretty good albeit most books are only in French. I managed to pick up Vol 1 of the "Histoires et Collections" hardback set on the French soldier of 1940. Perfect for my new "Battlegroup Blitzkrieg" French 1939-40 force. Vol2 seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth!

So in summary, and excellent collection rather let down by its surroundings.

[Adler]

Was there for a two day Trade show as a Trader last year, I thought it was terrific, theres stuff there youll not see anywhere else. We were staying locally so had the time to sus out the local eateries and a picnic lunch Yeah its not all laser shows and fireworks but it is a Tank museum afterall. Im sure the atmosphere was helped when I was there by 50 or so gamers playing for two days.
Definately worth a trip if you anywhere close Id say.
L

[Don McHugh]

Been a couple of years since I have been there, but I would say it is a must visit.

It hasn't had the money spent on it that Bovy has, but for unusual French kit, it is a must.

I have recommend many of my friends to go and will keep doing so.

Don

[Bob_Mackenzie]

If you are a tank nerd its worth a five out of 5 rating. It's got stuff nowhere else has and plenty of it. I thought it was fantastic.

If you are a general military historian then I can see it would not be that diverting

Cheers

Bob

[dead1]

The collection runs out of steam in the mid 1990s. You can tell this because the description of the Leclerc claims it is "the best tank in the world". Enough said!

Well French museum and all that so it makes sense they claim the Leclerc as the best tank (though it's largely untested in actual combat). The best tank in the world could indeed be the Leclerc.

To be fair tank and armoured vehicle development does kind of wind down post 1990. And production numbers of anything new is so low (usually low hundreds as opposed to thousands) it's hard to get a museum piece especially as these vehicles are still in service.

The last new Western tank to be introduced was the Israeli Merkava IV and that is a smallish production run (600 hulls from memory). Everyone else has been gorging on ex-German Leopard 2s from the Cold War or using tanks from the 1990s (Challenger II, Ariete) whilst the Americans haven't introduced anything new since M1 Abrams. Even the Russians still emphasise modernised T-72s (including T-90s). You can still find hundreds of M48s and M60s in service around the world.

Only the Asians have been actively following up new armour and only the Chinese in any numbers - Al Khalid (Chinese export tank primarily for Pakistan), Type 96, Type 99, Japanese Type 90 and expensive and only procured in small numbers Type 10 and South Korean K2 Black Panther and third rate Indian Arjun.

The one area there's been massive growth in is the wheeled APC and MRAP sector.