A calmer and shorter week after Tankfest 2026, with the team returning on Monday and getting everything put away, followed by some steady progress across a few of our vehicles.
TANKFEST 2026
Tankfest 2026 was a great event. Interest in our Sturmgeschütz III was overwhelming, with so many members of the public stopping by to talk to us about the vehicle. It made the event feel very special.
The highlight came on Saturday, when a track link broke and rendered the StuG immobile in the arena. What followed was a spectacle for the public: the recovery of the vehicle and, with the help of our friends from the Nashorn restoration team, the fitting of a new link to bring the StuG back to running order.
It was also wonderful to see the StuG running alongside the Nashorn, a first for the Tankfest crowd. A video covering the whole story will be shared on our YouTube channel soon.
Our massive thanks go to The Tank Museum team for all their support throughout the event, and especially for the care they took in recovering the vehicle without causing any damage. A huge thank you also to the Nashorn team for their hard work in helping us repair the track, and for the enthusiasm they brought to the task.
THE WHEATCROFT COLLECTION SD.KFZ.223
The original oil light and speedometer have been fitted this week. We also carried out further test drives, and the vehicle is running well.
The Wheatcroft 223 is now very close to completion, with only a few small details remaining.
SD.KFZ.222 AUSF.A 4.SERIE
Work continues on our Sd.Kfz.222, which is still not running quite right. The team is investigating the cut-outs and an issue with arcing in the ignition system, both of which we have been trying to resolve over recent months.
RESEARCH UPDATE
This week’s Inside Track article looks at the Sturmgeschütz III’s Schürzen and the trials carried out with them, drawing on original German documents. We received many questions about the Schürzen at Tankfest, along with a number of myths we want to address.
LOOKING AHEAD
Next week, if all goes to plan, the Cranbrook howitzer is scheduled to be delivered to us. We will also be moving vehicles around in the Collection Hall to make the Jagdpanther easier to access ahead of Operation Market Harborough, and continuing work on the Sd.Kfz.222. If time allows, we will also start investigating an issue we noticed with the StuG III steering.
