The Americans had now adopted the British practice of naming their tanks after famous generals and the T26 was christened General Pershing after the World War 1 commander in France. It was a radically different design from previous American tanks and in theory was more than a match for the heavier German types. Even so it was considered underpowered and, being larger than its contemporaries, tended to damage the military bridges it passed over.
A dozen Pershings, now standardised as M26, were shipped to the Pacific Island of Okinawa but landed too late to see combat action. Britain took delivery of a few Pershings at the end of the war, of which this is one, but never used them in action. American forces used the M26, which was the main production version, during the Korean War.
Successor to the Sherman and incorporated improvements in power, mobility and armour. Development programme begun with T20 and T26E3 was put in production (later it became M26 General Pershing). It first saw action in early spring 1945 and some saw action in Korea.
You can get to see the Tank Museums Pershing whilst you are at the Tiger Day event in May
Your first chance to see Tiger 131 in action after its starring role in the Hollywood Blockbuster FURY…
In 2015 Tiger 131 will only make two appearances in our arena; Tiger Day – 2nd May and Tankfest 27th & 28th June. As the only running Tiger 1 tank in the world you really can’t afford to miss it!
The Museum will open at 10.00am with a range of World War Two talks and tours taking place throughout the day, including the opportunity to get close to Tiger.
The Vehicle Conservation Centre will be open from 10am –5pm allowing access to the main floor, this allows visitors unprecedented access to the museum’s extended collection of tanks and other military vehicles.
The highlight of the day will be at 1.30pm, when Tiger 131 makes its return into the Kuwait arena*. The 30 minute display will examine and compare this World War Two beast to its Axis and Allied contemporaries; including Matilda II, Panzer III, T-34 and Sherman. The display will also examine the impact Tiger had on future tank design, with Centurion and Leopard*.
Please note that access to the arena will be solely for those with a valid Museum ticket.
*As with all our historic machines, the appearance of the Tiger tank in the display is subject to its mechanical reliability on the day.
Ticket Options: Please note: Tiger Day is a Special Event Day so pre-existing annual passes will NOT be valid. Special event admission prices apply please Tiger Day to buy your tickets.
We have introduced a brand new entry ticket for this year,The Tank Museum Season Ticket, which will allow you to gain admission every day that we are open including our Special Event Days: Tiger Day, TankFest and Warfare Through The Ages. Its fantastic value, saving up to 50% on normal admission prices and you’ll also save 10% in the shop and restaurant. Click here To Buy.
Accommodation
If you are travelling from afar to attend this event why not book a hotel for the night. May we recommend our accommodation provider, Sam Lewis, who would be happy to assist you with finding a great place to stay. Click here for more information or call 07963 629945.
Premium Tiger Day Experience
These tickets are now sold out. For those lucky enough to get a ticket, the day’s activities will include:
- Refreshments including light breakfast, hearty lunch and Dorset cream tea.
- Get up close with the Panzers (including Tiger 131), get closer than ever before to these unique vehicles.
- Saving the Tiger lecture; our restoration team will explain the methods and reasoning they used to bring the Tiger 131 back to life.
- See Tiger 131 in action in the Kuwait Arena.
- Gain exclusive access to the vehicles used in the tank display.
- Go behind the scenes to visit our restoration workshop, where Tiger 131 was painstaking restored.
- Opportunity to meet the Tiger 131 workshop mechanics.
If you are interested in attending Tiger Day 2016 as a Premium Experience Guest (Date to be announced May 2015), please email our events team; events@tankmuseum.org who will contact you when tickets become available.
TRADERS
Traders & Caterers wishing to book their spots for Tiger Day 2015 can download a booking form and information pack here.
SEE TIGER 131 IN ACTION! We’ve put together a short film from 2014’s Tiger Day: click here
If you would like to learn more about the history of Tiger 131 please click here
Refund policy: Once purchased, tickets cannot be transferred, exchanged, refunded or returned unless the event is cancelled, moved to another date or details of the event are significantly changed after an order has been placed.
