Category: Cold War
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IS-3
Type: Heavy Tank Nation: Soviet UnionPeriod: Cold War Location: Muzeum Broni Pancernej w Poznaniu, Poznań, Poland Berlin tank panic The IS-3 caused a serious shock among the Western Allies when it was first presented publically while taking part in the Berlin Four Nations Victory Parade on 7 September 1945. Having just celebrated the end of…
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Kampfpanzer 70
Type: Main Battle Tank/Experimental PrototypeNation: USA/GermanyPeriod: Cold WarLocation: Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, Germany Another joint venture The KPz 70 was a German-American attempt to develop a shared next-generation main battle tank. This vehicle was intended to replace both countries‘ fleets of M48s, M60s and Leopards (which had not even entered service at that point). The design…
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Merkava Mk. I/II
Type: Main Battle Tank Nation: Israel Period: Cold War Location: Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, Germany Do it yourself When the State of Israel was established in 1948, its government was facing the difficult task of creating a capable army as soon as possible because of the country‘s very specific situation. For the following decades the Israel…
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AMX-50/120 surbaissé
Type: Heavy Tank Nation: France Period: Cold War Location: Musée des Blindés, Saumur, France Cold war colossus The AMX-50 was a French attempt to build a functional modern heavy tank intended to succeed the archaic ARL 44 in the 1950s. The first of only five prototypes was visibly inspired by the German Tiger II and…
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Centurion Mk 5/2
Type: Main Battle Tank Nation: United Kingdom Period: Cold War Location: Nationaal Militair Museum, Soesterberg, Netherlands One size fits all The Centurion is widely considered one of the best tank designs of all time. Its origins date back to 1943, when the development of a heavy cruiser tank was ordered. Up to that point, the…
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M4A4 FL-10
Type: Medium Tank Nation: Egypt Period: Cold War Location: National Military Museum, Cairo, Egypt Frankentank The M4A4 FL-10 was a not too creatively named up-armed Sherman version that combined the long M4A4 hull with the FL-10 oscillating turret taken from the AMX-13 light tank. This variant was designed and built in France for the Egyptian…
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T-72B (Ukraine Memorial)
Type: Main Battle Tank Nation: Soviet Union/Russia Period: Cold War/Modern Location: Embassy of the Russian Federation, Berlin, Germany Ageing backbone Following 1978’s T-72A, the T-72B was the second upgraded version of the standard T-72 Main Battle Tank. First introduced in 1985, it featured an improved 125mm gun and fire control system, a more powerful engine…
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76 mm Gun Tank M41 Walker Bulldog
Type: Light Tank Nation: USA Period: Cold War Location: Wiemesmeer, Belgium Size does matter The M41 Walker Bulldog was designed as a replacement for the ageing M24 Chaffee light tank. In the early 1950s the US Army had started to classify their tanks by calibre instead of weight. A light tank was to be armed…
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AMX-30B
Type: Main Battle Tank Nation: France Period: Cold War Location: Camp de Suippes, France The game has changed The AMX-30 was the indirect result of a 1950s joint French-Italian-West German project to develop a standardised European main battle tank. When the partners could not agree on certain specifications such as the main gun, they went…
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AMX-13 (Modèle 1958)
Type: Light Tank Nation: France Period: Cold War Location: Cavaleriemuseum, Bernhardkazerne Amersfoort, Netherlands Long-lasting success The AMX-13’s development started in 1946 when the French Army needed a lightly armoured air-portable vehicle to support paratroopers and carry out reconnaissance missions. It was designed by the Ateliers de construction d’Issy-les-Moulineaux who would later go on to develop…