Why so few WW2 German vehicles at shows?

[LarryH57]

Not withstanding the Complete running WW2 Panzer list on this forum which lists many UK based vehicles, why have there been so few of these German WW2 vehicles at shows this year - especially German armour and half tracks? If it was the recession then that would have affected people with US & UK vehicles and yet there seem to be more of these at W & P.

 

I remember for example going to shows a few years ago, such as Military Oddessy and seeing Hetzers and Sd Kfz 250 and 251s and PAK guns and Jagdpather but suddenly it seems that there are only mock ups on FV432 running gear and armoured cars on Defender chassis plus a few modified OT-810s.

 

Even the lighter wheeled vehicles seem to have disappeared too and many 'Kubelwagens' I have seen this year are mock ups based on the VW Beetle.

[berna2vm]

This is rather a shame,but at many forties events this year I have seen that on the advertisement it has stated 'Only allied uniforms,no axis will be admitted'. Maybe this discrimination has something to do with this situation... Many of the owners may like to wear costume befitting their vehicle? I like to see all types of uniform. Sometimes it is a little dull when EVERYONE is dressed as a GI....

[antarmike]

Could be as a result of the Hawker Typhoon squadrons!!! (and the Il2 Sturmovic)

[berna2vm]

That is a little like saying that there is not many Sherman tanks about because the Tigers destroyed many of them. My ex's father was involved in an action in Italy once when while advancing upon a Tiger 1,every tank in his command( 8) was incapacitated by a lone tank. He was lucky,he survived. Ironically when we discussed the war he always described it as 'bloody exciting'... Top man!

[LarryH57]

It's the survivors that I'm talking about. They all seem to have gone in to hiding! Here's to next year then in the hope that they 'come out to play'!

[berna2vm]

It's the survivors that I'm talking about. They all seem to have gone in to hiding! Here's to next year then in the hope that they 'come out to play'!

Me too,it is nice to see a blend of machinery at shows.

[LarryH57]

We all agree that WW2 German vehicles are nice to see but I don't think anyone has answered the question - where have they all gone?

[LarryH57]

This year the number of real WW2 German vehicles at shows has so far been less than ever, leaving only the mock ups on Land Rovers and FV432s plus a few repro VW Kubelwagens and OT's to take on the Allied vehicles.

 

I suspect therefore these vehicles that we all used to see are now in private collections and it costs too much to bring them along to a show and the owners have no financial inducement to do so.

 

The trouble is that over the years to come if the big shows don't make an effort to get some good stuff, people will not bother going again. Who remembers Detling a few years back? There was quite a collection of German half tracks, a few Hetzers and the Jagdpanther.

[Topdog]

The ownership of Odessy at Detling has been sold and the new owner wants to improve the format and build it back up to what it used to be.

Who remembers Detling a few years back? There was quite a collection of German half tracks, a few Hetzers and the Jagdpanther.

[paulob1]

This is rather a shame,but at many forties events this year I have seen that on the advertisement it has stated 'Only allied uniforms,no axis will be admitted'. Maybe this discrimination has something to do with this situation... Many of the owners may like to wear costume befitting their vehicle? I like to see all types of uniform. Sometimes it is a little dull when EVERYONE is dressed as a GI....

 

how dumb...

[ajmac]

There isn't that much of it left!

 

The Allies manufactured many more vehicles than the Germans did, what wasn't destroyed during the war was scrapped as nations were being re-equiped from the huge stocks of Armour in NW Europe. Just look at most of the worlds armed forces in the late 40s and into the 50s and they were awash with Shermans, Stuarts , GMC trucks, half tracks etc... those that weren't had T34s!

Thus from the start there are not many Germans wartime vehicles to restore, as such when they have been found on farms, scrapyards etc they have gone to wealthy collectors who have the deep pockets to find rare parts or indeed have them remanufactured. The German vehicles that do appear at shows are usually in amazing condition following years of restoration from wrecks, just think of the Wheatcroft: Fammo...Crompton: Halftracks.. etc.. Wield Foundation: Jagdpanther, Stug III, etc...

 

I do agree that not many of the German vehicles in the UK venture out and about, TankFest is your best bet, even then the Jagdpanther, Stug and 251s have been noticable by their abscence in the last couple of years. If you are over in Holland, Overloon host a large gathering of German vehicles that you won't see anywere else very often.

[LarryH57]

Firstly - its great to hear that the new owners of Mil Ody at Detling want to get the show back to how it used to be.

 

Secondly - I agree that our European friends seem to be better at having a get together with their rarer vehicles and from reading French MV mags I think I spend more time in France Belgium and Holland next year.

 

But all the above still doesn't answer the point - German vehicles do exist in the UK but seem to have gone in to hiding. Even in the 1980s when anything with tracks was rare you could at least see an Sd Kfz 10 up close.

 

Last year Duxford had the SdKfz.com Stug III but thats about it.