Visitors returning to the Patton Museum may notice changes to the vehicles on display inside the museum. Len Dyer, director of the Patton Museum, and the museum staff have been adding extras to the vehicles, such as crew members, stowage items, secondary armament and basic issue items (BII) that would normally be seen on these vehicles when in use. Len has been making these improvements to the display vehicles over the last several months in an effort to not only bring life to these machines, but to also educate the public on how the human form interacts with the vehicles and to present the basic equipment and items that are required for the operation and survival of man and machine.

These new additions include, among other items, K-ration boxes, tarpaulins, tow cables, picks, shovels, hand tools, jerry cans and along with the added gear, almost all of the vehicles that normally had radio equipment now have antennas. As new vehicles and equipment are restored, they will be added to the exhibit halls to keep the museum's presentation fresh and educational for all visitors.
Many of the vehicles on display inside the museum now have crew members with extra equipment and stowage that would be present in that time period
(left) Basic tools such as shovel, mattock, axe and tanker bar along with bore rods and camouflage netting adorn this U.S. M7B2 self-propelled howitzer.

 


(right) In the stowage rack on the rear hull of this M4A3 Sherman are ration boxes and jerry cans for spare fuel.
This Vietnam-era M48A3 has a lot of stowage including spare wheels and Claymore mines attached for close defense against
enemy soldiers.

Because World War II German radio antennas are hard to find in this day and age, new antennas have been constructed for three vehicles at this time. The photo below shows the coiled metal construction of war-time German antennas that has been placed on the museum's Tiger II. Antenna have been added to the Hetzer and Marder II and it is planned to add a command "star" type of antenna to the Panther II.
Life-like figures have been added to many of the vehicles and display cases in the museum. On the left, a 2.36" bazooka team inside a glass case and to the right, a view inside the Vietnam-era M113 ACAV personnel carrier showing the men, weapons and other equipment used aboard this vehicle.