Kubinka Tank Museum

ISU-152 at Kubinka

Panzer VIII Maus at the Kubinka Tank Museum

The Kubinka Tank Museum is a museum of armoured fighting vehicles in Kubinka, Odintsovsky District, Moscow Oblast, Russia. The museum consists of open and covered exhibition of many famous tanks and armored vehicles throughout the 20th century. It is also known to house and display many unique vehicles, such as the German super-heavy tank prototype Panzer VIII Maus, the Troyanov heavy tank and a Karl-Gerät self-propelled artillery, among other single or limited production prototypes from the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.

About

The Kubinka Tank Museum is located on a historically "classified" Red Army armor testing facility. Most of its displays in the museum were derived from the research collection of the still-functioning Kubinka armour testing and proofing ground. Most Cold War-era Western tanks were war trophies from Middle East, Africa, Vietnam and Latin America, sent to the armor test facility to test for weaknesses. Due to its secretive history as well as its close relationship with the army, the museum is still staffed entirely by Russian army personnel today.

Admission and visitor restrictions

As of 2016 access into museum is available for all visitors, however foreign citizens pay 1500 rubles and 1700 rubles during weekends, while Russian citizens pay only 400 rubles and 500 rubles during weekends. Access to children under the age of 6 is free. Permission to film and record videos cost 350 rubles. Foreign citizens are highly recommended to have a copy of the passport to enter the museum as well as the original.^[1]

Exhibits

The museum hosts a wide variety of tanks and armored vehicles developed and used throughout the 20th century by the Soviets, Germans and many other nations. Around 60% of the exhibits are Soviet-era vehicles, with the most recent display being the Object 172, the prototype of the T-72 MBT. Apart from that, the only remaining Panzer VIII Maus and a captured English WW1 tank, along with several different Hungarian, Polish, Japanese, etc. and western vehicles are on permanent display as well.

Access

Located in the outskirt of Moscow, Kubinka is easily accessible by suburban train from Belorussky railway station, Moscow. The Kubinka Tank Museum, however, is located on the other side of the M1 Belarus Highway, and connected with the Kubinka railway station by shuttle bus.

World War II History

Kubinka was a top-secret tank testing range. All new tanks from Russian research institutions and factories had to be tested here. Also German tanks captured by Soviet soldiers during the war and armored vehicles transferred by USA and Great Britain were tested in Kubinka.

Captured Tiger I tank was brought to the Kubinka testing grounds in 1943 to be subjected to firing tests. It turned out that the most effective weapon against it was the 85mm AA-gun 52-K model 1939, which penetrated the Tiger's 100 mm frontal armour from 1000 metres. Captured Tiger II tanks were also captured and tested in Kubinka in 1944. Before 1941 some German tanks were sold to the Soviet Union and tested in Kubinka: PzKpfw I, Pzkpfw II and PzKpfw III tanks were evaluated by the Soviet Army. After June 1941 several captured tanks and Halftracks were evaluated here (PzKpfw IV, Jagdpanzer IV, StuG40, Elefant, etc).

In 1945 Soviet Union also tested captured Japanese tanks.

Cold War History

Soviet Union tank technology concentrated in Kubinka Force Technology Center, a series of technical evaluation and testing, and the relevant information to the national defense system. Today Kubinka Tank Museum exhibits more than 50 tanks procured from abroad during the Cold War.^[2]

In an exhibition hall, displays of US-made M24 “Chaffee” light tank, the tank all former French colonial army, participated in 1946 – Indochina War in 1954 (also known as the Vietnam war for national salvation against France). In the battle of Dien Bien Phu Vietnamese People’s Army captured and later sent these tanks to the Soviet government.
An US-made M41 “Walker bulldog” tank was sent to Kubinka technology center in 1962. It was captured by Cuba in 1961, in the Battle of the Bay of Pigs. Cuban leader Fidel Castro decided to give it to the Soviet Union to show firm friendship between the two countries.
Some American-made vehicles M48 “Patton” tank are also displayed. Some M48 tanks were captured by Syrian forces in Lebanon during the 1982 war and later sent to the Soviet Union to study. The M48 tank was fitted with Blazer explosive reactive armour (ERA).
American M-60 tank: In January 1961 an Iranian officer defected with his M60A1 tank across the border into the Soviet Union. This Iranian M60 tank was used to test M60 tank and L7/M68 NATO gun performance. This helped to improve composite armor to be used by T-64 tanks. An M-60 was captured by the Syrians in 1982 and Soviet Union analyzed the latest ammunition types on board. More M-60 tanks were captured by Egypt in 1973 and Iraq in the 1980s and inspected by Soviet Union officers. One Israeli M60 was captured in 1973 in Sinai and sent to Soviet Union by plane after negotiation with Egyptian government.
American medium tanks M26 "Pershing" and M46 “Patton I” were captured by Chinese Army during the Korean War and sent for test and evaluation. One of them is displayed in the museum.
Several M113 APCs were captured in Vietnam and sent to Kubinka for evaluation. Other M113s may have been acquired from Somalia.
Several Centurion tanks are displayed at Kubinka. A Centurion Mk.III was captured in Korea and sent to Kubinka. At least two South African Elifants tanks were captured in Angola in 1988 and sent to the Soviet Union. Soviet Union acquired Centurions from Egypt, Iraq and Libya, that purchased them from the British production line. After the Yom Kippur War Egypt captured some IDF Centurion tanks, some of them were reported undamaged, and send them to the Soviet Union.
Captured Iranian Chieftain Mk.5 and Scorpion tanks were sent to Soviet Union for evaluation.
Israeli Sherman M51 tank was captured and sent to Soviet Union.
French AMX-13/75 light tank was received from Algeria.
French AML90/60 recce vehicles. Origin unknown, they may be SADF vehicles captured in Angola or Israeli vehicles captured by the Egyptian Army.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tank Museum, Kubinka.

Coordinates: 55°33′54″N 36°42′56″E / 55.56500°N 36.71556°E / 55.56500; 36.71556

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, March 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.