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Armourgeddon, based in Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, is one of the UK’s premier outdoor activity centres. It offers tank driving sessions, amphibious vehicle driving, as well as conventional paintball, air rifle shooting, archery and quad biking. Armourgeddon’s unique feature is ‘tank paintball’, using FV432 armoured personnel carriers fitted with 40mm paintball guns. Participants initially learn to drive the vehicles, both with the driver’s hatch open and then using a periscope. Then they learn to load, aim and fire the gun on a small firing range. Finally two teams go into battle against each other, driving their vehicles closed down and firing at each other to score the most hits. Two of the vehicles used for this are original FV432/30 fire support vehicles; Armourgeddon also has another dozen or so extemporised vehicles made by combining standard FV432s with turrets from CVR(W) Fox armoured cars.
In recent years Armourgeddon has been building up a small collection of tanks and other historic armoured and military vehicles. These are displayed in a dedicated hangar, and around the paintballing areas. Vehicles include M3 and M16 half-tracks, M8 armoured car, Humber Pig armoured personnel carrier, Ferret armoured car, BRDM2 armoured personnel carrier, BV206 all-terrain vehicle, GMC533 and Bedford trucks, and a Willys MB jeep.
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Vehicle Collection Hangar
| Location ID: | 3501 | | Latitude, Longitude: | 52.46973752, -1.06144398 | | Location Accuracy: | 6 |
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Unique ID: |
1833
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933798: “USA 933798” painted on front bumper, and superstructure sides and rear.
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“C 19” painted on cab front and superstructure rear. White stars painted on cab front and sides.
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This HST arrived in February 2011. It was apparently brought in from the United States during the 1990s with a Detroit diesel conversion and used during the filming of Band of Brothers. It has been modified quite a bit on the cab but this is planned to be put back to how it should be. (Source: Sharky/HMVF).
A large number of ex-MDAP M4 High Speed Tractors used by the Dutch Army ended up at Sam Winer Motors in the US (source: H. Spoelstra/HMVF). It is presumed that this HST served with the Dutch Army, then was sold from Sam Winer Motors to the UK, then took part in the filming of Band of Brothers. This was probably at Hatfield Aerodrome in Hertfordshire, the principal location, circa 1999-2001 (source: IMDB). It is currently in a poor condition; it shows signs of rust and has a hole in the rear right superstructure side. It is fitted with extended-end-connectors on its tracks.
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2) Type 69 Tank
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Soviet / Chinese
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Unique ID: |
1834
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B9821024: “B9821024” stamped into glacis.
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“QUANG-TRUNG” painted on turret sides.
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“729” painted on turret sides. White stars in red circles painted on upper turret sides.
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This Type 69 (Chinese built T-54) arrived in about November 2010. It is believed to have been captured from Iraqi forces after the first Gulf War. It has been repainted as a North Vietnamese T-54, and named after the Vietnamese Emperor and military commander Quang Trung.
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Unique ID: |
1835
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07EB65: “07EB65” previously painted on nose and hull rear.
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“ACTION” and “5” previously painted on turret rear. Painted overall in a green and black camouflage scheme.
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This Abbot arrived in August 2010, having been found in a scrapyard. It had a number of broken torsion bars, including the rear four and the middle one on the driver’s side, but was in running order. By September 2010 its suspension had been dismantled, it had been sandblasted, primed and repainted, and then its tracks and engines were replaced. Some upgrades were done during the work, including replacing the track adjuster with a grease-piston type instead of the wind out type, and higher specification shock absorbers. The inside was refurbished with a grinder, needle gun and silver paint, and the electrics were overhauled. It was running again, and in its current camouflage scheme, in November 2010. (Source: Sharky/HMVF).
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Unique ID: |
1836
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Serial Number: |
1 (unconfirmed): “SER 1” chalked at various places around the exterior and interior. No serial number stamping visible on hull rear.
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CN4827603: “Courage CN4827603” chalked on rear right superstructure side.
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Painted overall desert sand.
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This Sexton is in a poor, rusted and damaged condition. It is missing its engine, tracks, sprockets, some roadwheels and other parts of its suspension. It was acquired from the Portuguese Army via the United States; a shipping label on the left side indicates it was transported via Southampton.
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Driving Area
| Location ID: | 3502 | | Latitude, Longitude: | 52.46979716, -1.06078684 | | Location Accuracy: | 7 |
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Unique ID: |
1840
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Other Identification: |
Painted overall in a green and black camouflage scheme.
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It is presumed that this is an ex-British Army vehicle and would therefore have served with 50 Missile Regiment in Germany during the 1980s before being disposed of through the Vehicle Depot at Ludgershall in about 1992.
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Unique ID: |
1837
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785 XUF: “78 5X UF” painted on glacis and hull rear.
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“Hackett V.C.” (source: Sharky/HMVF).
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Other Identification: |
Fitted with triple rubber-block tracks. Painted overall in a green and black camouflage scheme.
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This Centurion arrived in about September 2009 and is a Mark 13. It was used by the Royal Engineers, when it was known as ‘Hackett V.C.’ (Source: Sharky/HMVF). It is in good condition but not in full running order. It appears to be missing its night fighting equipment (searchlight and infra-red headlights).
William Hackett was a Sapper in the 254th Tunnelling Company of the Corps of Royal Engineers. During World War I he was entombed with four others in a gallery owing to the explosion of an enemy mine. When a rescue party reached them he helped three men out of the hole. He stayed behind with the fourth, who was seriously injured, and the gallery collapsed. For giving his life for his comrade he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
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Unique ID: |
1838
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“Jane” and a pin-up figure painted on right hull side.
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“01A” painted on hull front and sides. Painted overall in a green and black camouflage scheme.
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This is an original FV432/30 vehicle. The turret was on the vehicle when it was bought from Withams; the turret data plate says ‘FV432/30’ (source: Sharky/HMVF). It is in running order and has been converted for use in ‘Tank Paintball’.
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Unique ID: |
1839
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“ELLIE MAY” and a pin-up figure painted on right hull side.
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“14B” painted on hull front and sides. Painted overall in a sand and green camouflage scheme.
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This is an original FV432/30 vehicle. The turret was on the vehicle when it was bought from Withams; the turret data plate says ‘FV432/30’ (source: Sharky/HMVF). It is in running order and has been converted for use in ‘Tank Paintball’.
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Workshop
| Location ID: | 3504 | | Latitude, Longitude: | 52.46903736, -1.0671249 | | Location Accuracy: | 6 |
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Unique ID: |
1841
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Serial Number: |
57556: “57556” stamped into rear towing lugs.
13284 (mantlet): “13284” stamped into mantlet.
B7238064 (gun barrel): “B7238064” stamped into top of gun barrel near mantlet.
4288 (gun mounting): “4288” cast into gun mounting.
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30104238: “USA 30104238” barely visible painted on side when originally recovered.
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“LUCKY SEVEN” and dice marking previously painted on left hull side.
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Other Identification: |
“E6257 [C] S” cast into mantlet. White stars previously painted on transmission cover and hull and turret sides.
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This Sherman was at the Poteau Museum for some years then went to Guy Gilis in Belgium before being bought by Armourgeddon in July 2010. Overall it was largely complete internally. However the running gear required a lot of attention and the engine was in a poor state, due in part to the oily petrol residue and burning resulting from being used as a target for petrol bombs. (Source: Sharky/HMVF).
Many Sherman tanks were used as Molotov cocktail training aids on Dutch ranges. Because of environmental concerns they were all removed in about the 1980s. This one was deemed not recoverable, which is why it initially survived the so-called ‘Tank Slag’ (tank battle), the clean-up of the ranges. At some point in time it was still going to be recovered and sent off for scrap, but Hanno Spoelstra, together with a RNLA Major, secured its future in the early 1990s. At that time “USA 30104238” was still barely visible on its side. It was found out that it was one of thirty M4 (105) Shermans supplied to the Netherlands by the USA through MDAP from 1951 onwards, out of a total of about 250. Later it was traded to a group of restorers in exchange for parts and restoration work on an M10 with 17-pdr gun. This group sold it to the museum in Belgium. (Source: H. Spoelstra/HMVF).
The Sherman arrived at Armourgeddon in January 2011, and the engine was removed the same month. It has since been more completely dismantled so that it can undergo a complete restoration. The turret was removed in March and stripped, sand blasted and repainted in May 2011. The hull since has been sand blasted and repainted. Most internal components are out of the hull and are being restored and repainted before being replaced back inside. The engine was first run up in November 2011.
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Unknown Location
| Location ID: | 3505 | | Latitude, Longitude: | 0, 0 | | Location Accuracy: | 0 |
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Unique ID: |
1891
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Red stars painted on turret sides.
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This T-34 was at Armourgeddon for some time but left in September 2009. Its current location and status are unknown.
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