$30 Million Tank Collection Donated to Collings Foundation

[Warbird Kid]

Anyone else see this? Holy cow.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/silicon-valley-tank-collection-donated-to-massachusetts-museum/2013/11/10/86da8a46-4a17-11e3-bf60-c1ca136ae14a_story.html

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The family of a Silicon Valley engineer who amassed one of the nation’s most extensive historic military vehicle collections is giving the tanks, missile launchers and armored vehicles to a Massachusetts-based museum that will preserve and display some of them.

Until now, the $30 million fleet of tanks has been refurbished and housed in seven storage sheds on a family estate up a winding, forested road above Silicon Valley; they are visited only under privately arranged tours.

But in a deal inked on July 4 and announced Monday in honor of Veteran’s Day, the 240 pieces have been signed over to The Collings Foundation, which preserves historical military aircraft and now plans to add a new military vehicle museum at its Stow, Mass., headquarters.

Foundation director Rob Collings said the organization hopes to raise $10 million to build the museum by auctioning 160 of the military vehicles in August 2014. Eventually he hopes visitors can learn U.S. history through a chronological walk past the remaining 80 historic military vehicles.

“They’ll start in the World War I trenches and go forward through time,” he said.

The collection was assembled by Jacques Littlefield, a Stanford University graduate who left Hewlett Packard in the 1970s to focus on collecting and restoring military vehicles.

He acquired his first tanks in 1983, and by the mid-90s the collection included examples from almost all historically significant land battles of the last half-century, according to the nonprofit Military Vehicle Technology Foundation that currently is in charge of the collection.

Before his death in 2009, Littlefield acquired tanks and armored vehicles from the U.S., Russia, Germany, England, France, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia and Israel. There’s a Sherman tank and a Striker tank destroyer.

The oldest armored military vehicle in the collection is a World War I era M1917 light tank. While some are quite worn, many have been meticulously restored.

Although proposals have been made, there is currently no federal historic military vehicle museum in the U.S., and only a few significant private collections.


Bill Boller, president of the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation, said the Littlefield family opted to give the collection to the Collings Foundation so that more people could visit it.

“Unfortunately this is not the best place in the world, location and accessibility, for the general public, authors, historians, the defense industry, all the people that want to take advantage of this wonderful collection,” he said.

A peek inside the tanks offers visitors a chance to appreciate what soldiers go through, he said.

“They are a pragmatic reality,” he said. “If you ultimately value the freedoms we have in the U.S., you understand and appreciate the necessity and you have tremendous admiration and respect for those who put themselves in a position to go ahead and do it.”

Many of the tanks and vehicles have been popularized in recent years through video games and may be widely appreciated by a younger audience.

[Pat Carry]

Most interesting, thanks.

[seabee1526]

Dear Collings Foundation,

I understand that there is a large facility in Ypsilanti Michigan that may be able to house your collection. Please consider relocating to Willow Run.

Thank you

(joking of course)

[P51Mstg]

I've been there... Nice collection of perfect vehicles.... Including a TIGER TANK (one of last maybe 2 operating tanks).....

Mark H

[Forgotten Field]

Another well-written article

Although proposals have been made, there is currently no federal historic military vehicle museum in the U.S., and only a few significant private collections.

Has nobody heard of the US Army Ordnance Collection and Museum, or the Fort Knox Armor Collection?

[CAPFlyer]

That is a huge "get" for the Collings foundation. Also, great for Collings to get out in front of this whole thing and announce that they do intend to sell/auction part of the collection to raise funds. Too many don't think to do it and even though they may have gotten the "okay" from the original owners, it looks bad when you take on a collection and less than a year later divest over 2/3 of it.

And FF - techically, neither the US AOC/Museum nor the Gen. Patton Museum are exclusively "military vehicle" museums, so they are right, but it's not the whole story. They're more speaking about how there's not a "National Museum of the United States Army" or anything organized like it in the US (which is really something that should be fixed).

[cooper9411]

Guess I'll be taking a trip east!

[Warbird Kid]

Dear Collings Foundation,

I understand that there is a large facility in Ypsilanti Michigan that may be able to house your collection. Please consider relocating to Willow Run.

Thank you

(joking of course)

Well... as crazy and "off the cuff" as that sounds, that would be pretty cool. The geographic location is central in the country, and has quite a large population base. Imagine going to Willow Run, and visiting two significant operational museums?

[PinecastleAAF]

Including a TIGER TANK (one of last maybe 2 operating tanks).....

Its a Panther. No privately owned Tigers in the USA. I think there is one in the UK. Priceless.

[Jerry O'Neill]

I've been waiting for it to break for about a month now! Looks like the building will be in Stow.
Jerry

[Roger Cain]

Here are a few of their collection pieces for those that haven't seen them. It will be sad to see this leave the area, especially as it was all open to the public as one massive collection.

http://www.sfahistory.org/tanktour.htm

[Cherrybomber13]

I can think of a particular building in Stratford CT that would be perfect to house this collection... And there is an airport across the street so they can come visit from Stow.

[Jerry O'Neill]

Drew, don't forget they built and tested the engine for the M-1 Abrams in that plant!!!

[P51Mstg]

FYI, as far as I know the collection in FT Knox doesn't exist anymore. Most of it was moved to Anniston AL a few years back.......

My mistake........
I just looked at a video, there is a PANTHER THERE....... For some reason I thought it was a TIGER they had on TANK OVERHAUL (Which was a Panther episode).... I know there is another running TIGER in England......

Mark H

[hang the expense]

I wondered about the tank museum in Ft Knox with the announcement of the base closure.Anniston is way way closer.