The Tank Museum is celebrating after Tiger Day Spring 2024 brought in record-breaking attendance. The event, which occurs twice a year, saw an impressive 4,500 visitors travel to Bovington, United Kingdom to take in everything the spectacle had to offer, including the M4 Sherman Fury, live artillery action and, of course, the world’s only running German Tiger I tank, Tiger 131.
As aforementioned, the main attraction of Tiger Day Spring 2024 was Tiger 131, which was captured in 1943 by the 2nd Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) and the 142nd (Suffolk) Regiment Royal Armoured Corps while in Tunisia.
Following its capture, Tiger 131 was visited by both British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and King George VI, and, in 1951, was delivered to the Tank Museum, where it has since undergone restoration and regular maintenance.
Speaking in a press release, David Willey, curator of the Tank Museum, said:
“The Tiger 131 is the most famous tank in the Museum’s collection and was an important prize when it was seized by the Allies in 1943. Over 80 years from its capture, the Tiger 131 is still fascinating crowds and playing an important role in telling the story of tanks and the people that served in them.”
Along with Tiger 131, Tiger Day Spring 2024 featured appearances from several World War II-era vehicles, including a Churchill tank, the aforementioned M4 Sherman Fury, a Comet, an Sd.Kfz. 2 (Kettenkrad) and a Panzerkampfwagen III.
Visitors were also allowed to get up close and personal with the historic tanks in the arena.
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Tickets for Tiger Day Autumn 2024 are currently on sale, with the Tank Museum already counting down the days until the spring 2025 edition of the event comes around.