Went ashore on Sword (Beach) as a troop commander of Crocodiles, Churchill Crocodiles, which was the flame-thrower (tank).” Was part of ‘Hobart’s Funnies,’ which was actually the special vehicles that were designed for the invasion. “My father was in Normandy on tanks with the (British Army’s) 79th Armored Division. He has a military background that suits him well to be lead docent. Rixon hails from Gosport in southern England. We helped him.” Colin Rixon with uniform his father wore in WWII When he got out of that tank, he felt very really relieved. Rixon said that a week after opening, a recent veteran arrived to see the actual M1A1 Abrams tank that he fought in and asked if he could get in it, something that isn’t normally allowed. Our mission is to remember them to remember the veterans.” An M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage, better known as a Half-TrackĪlthough it is new, the museum is already attracting visitors. “Every family has had veterans in their family at one time or another, and those that come here and have grandfathers and fathers have served, they’re in awe of the vehicles they were in. While the American Heritage Museum preserves military history and serves to educate those who visit, Rixon said it has an even higher purpose.

Only 40 were built and only 20 were shipped to Europe. Army M26 Pershing tank from World War II. A German Panther tank from World War IIĪmong the standout items on display are German Panther tank from World War II, which was found in a lake in Poland and restored to running condition, and U.S.

Planning for the museum started five years ago with most of the exhibits culled from the Jacques Littlefield collection. “This was a hole in the ground two years ago,” said lead docent Rixon one recent Saturday while providing a personal tour. The museum’s collection encompasses warfare from World War I and World War II, Korea and Vietnam, on through the Gulf War and the ongoing War on Terrorism. The breathtaking collection also includes a cannon from 1795, which is parked in the lobby. There’s also a variety of other armored vehicles among the more than 90 total a V-1 flying bomb from World War II, a Higgins boat used in the D-Day invasion, and a Scud missile and launcher from the Gulf War. – It is filled with what Colin Rixon succinctly calls “the tools of war.” Inside the 65,000-square-foot American Heritage Museum are more than two-dozen tanks.

U.s. military tank museum