Anyone know good miltary museums; Europe?

[Thog]

Hey all, I'm going to be taking a trip to Europe this summer for several months. I'll be backpacking my way around and would like to check out some of the military musuems if I can. Right now the general itenerary is to land in Amsterdam and fly out of Istanbul, and in the 4 months between to meander around the countryside without getting arrested or run over.

I'm interested in both aircraft (duh) and armor. I'm something of a treadhead at heart, so any good AFV displays would be appreciated. Airshows and the like would also be good.

My ISP went bankrupt (thus the lack of flying), so email access is erratic, but please reply here or send to "duriprice@hotmail.com".

Thanks,
Thog

[Hooligan]

It will require a channel crossing, but London has several exceptional places:  The Imperial War museum, the duxford air museum and another one or two I don't recall offhand.

Jay

[Raubvogel]

Sinsheim, Germany has a very nice museum. It's not a "war" museum, it's a technical museum. So, they have everything from race cars to trains to jets. Lots of nice armored vehicle exhibits and quite a few aircraft. I haven't been there in 8 or 9 years, so I don't remember exactly types of what they have. They have a website, but some of it is under construction. http://www.technik-museum.de/index.html  

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Raubvogel
LuftJägerKorps

[Dowding]

If you do get to England, check out Duxford and the Warbirds thing they have every summer.

It has a great static display and also has a ton of flying warbirds including spits, hurricanse, Tigercat (that big blue two engined naval plane) corsairs and stuff.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight usually pays a visit which consists of a Lancaster, a hurricane and a spit (usually).

The museum at Yeovil is good too - has a concorde there on static display.

There are plenty of smaller museums too.

[Swoop]

And dont forget the Imperial War museum in London.  They have a P51D, Spit 1a and a 190 hanging from the rafters and the bodyshell of a Lanc to walk thru.

 

[Replicant]

Hi

Definitely check out these websites!  

Duxford

Hendon & Cosford

These are the three best air museums in the UK.

Regards

Nexx

[aknimitz]

If in England, the RAF Musuem is a MUST.  Is this the same as the Imperial War Museum?  My wife and I went to the RAF Musuem, WOW!  109s, Spits, P51s, Lancs, and quite a bit of WW I stuff too, Camels, Spads, and many others.  Great place, an absolute MUST!

Nim

[Replicant]

Imperial War Museum 'own' Duxford but they have several other museums in the UK
 http://www.iwm.org.uk

The RAF Museum are the ones at Cosford and Hendon.  It is most likely you went to the one at Hendon (London).

Regards

Nexx

[Seeker]

So you're going to Amsterdam; be quick! there's a carnival on 30/04 every year.

While you're there, check out the Anne Frank house, and associated annexes, that's about as much War as any one can take. Don't forget Arnhem, a good museuum, and a world class monkey zoo! (Het Apenhaal).

Lots of guys have mentioned English museums (they're great), but "Saving Private Ryan" country is only a small detour between A'dam and London. That part of the world was host to both world wars, so Musea and historic sites abound.

Germany's musea are more technical than historic, due to P.C. concerns, but the old Zeppilin factory near Lubbeck is well worth seeing.

As you're going down to the Med (Istanbul), both Gibralter and Malta are well worth looking at, especialy Malta.

Have a good time.


[This message has been edited by Seeker (edited 04-12-2001).]

[Argent]

The museum in 'Yeovil'  is actually in Yeovilton, on the HMS Heron Navy Base there...   http://www.fleetairarm.com/

Its the Fleet Air Arm museum and is worth a visit, has the prototype concorde (first to fly) there and lots of Sea based aircraft, many helicopters and all those things.  Base used to be live and fun to just goto the obs tower to watch but i think its decomissioned and they all went down to join the rest in Cornwall.  If it happened, maybe it was reprieved dont know...  if its live though youll also see the the new (EH101) HM MK1 Merlin... just dont ask if its the new Sea King, and dont smoke near it lol

[This message has been edited by Argent (edited 04-12-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Argent (edited 04-12-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Argent (edited 04-12-2001).]

[straffo]

If you happend to come to Normandie drop a mail !
I will help you survive in France  

[danish]

Another possibility is the Luftwaffen Museum in Berlin, http://www.luftwaffenmuseum.de/

I hope to be able to spend a few hours there primo May.Will report back then.

danish

[Vladd]

If armours your thing, the biggest and best tank museum in Europe and possibly the world, can also be found in England.
 www.tankmuseum.co.uk


Vladd

[danish]

Just a quick appendix.
Visited the Luftwaffenmuseum on a rainy day.It lies at the former Gatow airfield and has a rather impressing exebition of jet fighters and helicopters - many from the former DDR.Alas these were all but a few standing outside in the rain..

Indoors there is only a few planes for us WWII buffs (a very nice 163 by the way), but add to that a handfull of nice WWI planes + a little cafeteria with some little known books and pamflets and 2-4 hours is fast gone.

In another hangar there should be a very large collection of uniforms ect - didnt have the time for that one.

People are extremely helpfull and friendly :=) on the downside there isnt any good public transport.Best way really is taxi: about 2 x 50 DM from Berlin center.

danish

[101bakx]

Hi this is baksie,

I'm from the Netherlands and when you are there make sure you go to the Overloon musuem. Itds in the South of Holland near Venray - Nijnmegen. Its a outdoor / indoor museum. Not too many a/c but tanks art and such. Rally nice.
I've been to this i think 10 times so ..

Have fun in Holland