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AAF American Armored Foundation Tank Museum Photos
You can visit the AAF Tank Museum in Danville, Virginia.
The tank museum's exhibits are all indoors and consist of:
- Tanks, most of which are from the US Army and Marine Corps, with a few Iraqi armored vehicles, a Soviet T-34/85 Medium Tank, and the museum's most prized vehicle, a complete German WWII Panzer Mk IV Medium Tank
- A variety of US Armored Personnel Carriers
- Several Armored Cars from the US and UK
- Tank engines
- Artillery, anti tank guns, mortars, rockets, and other support ordnance
- A room full of tank and other military toys
- Uniforms, many donated by well known high command officers from both allied and axis forces
- Headgear from dozens of military units
- An extensive collection of military rifles, pistols, machine guns, and other small arms from around the world
- A radio controlled tank battlefield
- Army Tank and armored vehicle restorations in progress
- Marilyn Monroe's dress & handbag (Really!) and Elvis in the Military memorabilia
The AAF Tank museum is about a 5 hour drive (depending on I-95 traffic) from Washington DC in Danville, Virginia. It was previously located on Long Island, NY and moved to Danville a few years ago. There was plenty of room around the exhibits and on the weekday I was there very few people - 8 that I counted and I was there the entire day. Most of the tanks and armored vehicles are in as donated/acquired condition and restoration is ongoing. The staff was friendly and helpful, facilities were clean and parking was easy. Several fast food places are nearby as well as lodging if you want to make it an overnight trip. Tripods and flash photography are not permitted so photography was a challenge (all of these shots were hand held). There were more tanks, artillery, and other exhibits than I have on these pages, but a good percentage of the shots I'd taken were unusable. There's a lot to see, so allow yourself the better part of a day if you really want to get a good look at everything. If you like tanks and other military equipment, you'll love this place. The vehicles are generally well displayed, and the dioramas are very well done.
The AAF Tank Museum restoration staff has a lot of work on their plate, yet the vehicles that they have finished restoring are done to a very high standard. To give you an idea of the quality of restoration work these guys can do, have a good look at that Sherman Tank. It had been buried for 21 years on the grounds of a hospital in NY State and as you can imagine it was in a pretty sorry state when they dug it up. It may not run but it sure looks great today. The staff said they are looking to get new bogie wheels for the Sherman Tank so if you have any taking up space in the garage drop them a note.
If you enjoy army tanks and armored vehicles as much as I do, set aside a weekend and make the trip down there. For hours and directions and hours see the AAF Tank Museum Website. Their collection is very impressive and I believe the largest on the east coast aside from the US Army Ordnance Museum in Aberdeen, MD. The museum also holds reenactment days during the summer where some of their tanks and armored personnel carriers are started up and driven around the grounds.
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