United States Army Ordnance Museum
Encyclopedia
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
that is in the process of being re-located to Fort Lee
Fort Lee
Fort Lee may refer to:* Fort Lee, New Jersey* Battle of Fort Lee was fought on November 19, 1776 between American and British forces.* Fort Lee , a United States Army post...
, in Fort Lee, Virginia
Fort Lee, Virginia
Fort Lee is a census-designated place in Prince George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 7,269 at the 2000 census.Fort Lee is a United States Army post and headquarters of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command / Sustainment Center of Excellence , the U.S. Army Quartermaster...
. Its previous building—at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland—was closed in September 2010, although many outdoor exhibits are still accessible to the public.
History
The mission of the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum is to acquire, preserve, and exhibit historically significant equipment, armaments and materielMateriel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
that relates to the history of the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps and to document and present the evolution and development of U.S. military ordnance material dating from the American Colonial Period to present day.
Established in 1919 and officially opened to the public in 1924, to exhibit captured enemy equipment and materiel, the Museum was located in Building 314 of the Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground is a United States Army facility located near Aberdeen, Maryland, . Part of the facility is a census-designated place , which had a population of 3,116 at the 2000 census.- History :...
and operated by the U.S. Army until 1967. Co-location with APG provided convenient access to the equipment being delivered to APG for testing after World War I. In 1965 local citizens formed the tax-free Ordnance Museum Foundation, Inc. to establish and operate a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
of these military artifacts. The Foundation is not affiliated with the U.S. Army, nor the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
. The Foundation began operation of the Museum in the early 1970s, upon opening in Building 2601 on the Aberdeen Proving Ground (until its closing in September 2010) and operates the Ordnance Museum until this day.
In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
(BRAC) law was passed by Congress. One of BRAC's requirements was the relocation of the U.S. Army Ordnance Center and School headquarters, the Ordnance Mechanical Maintenance School, and the Ordnance Museum to Fort Lee by the end 2011. The transfer of artifacts from Aberdeen to Fort Lee began in August 2009.
Hours and Entry Requirements
As of September 2010, the museum itself (indoors) is closed to all visitors while it is relocated to Fort Lee, but the outdoor displays with the remaining vehicles is open to visitors seven days a week, from 9:00am until 4:45pm. Visitors may request a pass from the Visitor's Center at the Rt. 715 East gate of the Aberdeen Proving Ground. This pass entitles the bearer to drive directly to and from the museum area only. As the display is on an active military base, one needs to have their vehicle's registration (or rental documents). Each adult 16 years and older will need to have a driver's license or picture ID. Children under 16 will not need to have such documentation. Foreign nationals are allowed to visit on a passport.Exhibits
The outdoor collection features those vehicles and artillery not yet transferred from World War I era forward.Sample outdoor exhibit artifacts include (not all-inclusive):
Tanks and Self-Propelled Artillery
- British World War I Medium Mark IV Female Tank
- British World War I Medium Mark A Whippet Tank
- British interwar Vickers Medium Mark IIVickers Medium Mark IIThe Vickers Medium Mark II was a British tank built by Vickers in the Inter-war period.The Medium Mark II, derived from the Vickers Medium Mark I, was developed to replace the last of the Medium Mark Cs still in use. Production and rebuilding ran from 1925 until 1934. The tank was phased out of...
Tank - British World War II Infantry Tank Mk II, "Matilda II" (A12)Matilda tankThe Infantry Tank Mark II known as the Matilda II was a British infantry tank of the Second World War. It was also identified from its General Staff Specification A12....
- German World War II Panzer IIIPanzer IIIPanzer III was the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen III translating as "armoured battle vehicle". It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and...
Tank - German World War II Panther TankPanther tankPanther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as...
(one) - German World War II Sturmpanzer IV BrummbärBrummbärThe Sturmpanzer IV was a German armoured infantry support gun based on the Panzer IV chassis used in the Second World War. It was used at the Battles of Kursk, Anzio, Normandy, and helped to put down the Warsaw Uprising...
- German World War II Tank Destroyer "JagdtigerJagdtigerJagdtiger is the common name of a German tank destroyer of World War II. The official German designation was Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B. The ordnance inventory designation was Sd. Kfz. 186. It saw service in small numbers from late 1944 to the end of the war on both the Western and Eastern Front...
" - German World War II Tank Destroyer SdKfz 164 "NashornNashornNashorn , initially known as Hornisse , was a German tank destroyer of World War II. It was developed as an interim solution in 1942 and was armed with the outstanding Pak 43 anti-tank gun...
" - German World War II Tank Destroyer Marder IIIMarder IIIThe Marder III is the name for a series of World War II German tank destroyers built on the chassis of the Panzer 38. The German word Marder means "marten" in English...
- German World War II GrilleGrille (artillery)The Grille series of self propelled artillery vehicles were used by Nazi Germany during World War II. The Grille series was based on the Czech Panzer 38 tank and used a 15 cm sIG 33 infantry gun.-Development:...
Ausf. M Self-Propelled Artillery - German/US MBT-70MBT-70The MBT-70 was a 1960s German-U.S. joint project to develop a new main battle tank, which was to be equipped with a number of advanced features. It utilized a newly developed hydropneumatic "kneeling" suspension and housed the entire crew in the large turret...
- Italian Tank Destroyer, Semovente 90/53Semovente 90/53The Semovente 90/53 was a heavy Italian self-propelled gun and tank destroyer, used by the Italian and German Armies during World War II.-Development:...
- Italian Tank Destroyer, Semovente da 149/40Semovente da 149/40The Semovente da 149/40 was an Italian self-propelled artillery piece. Only a single unit was built; this vehicle is displayed in very poor condition at the US Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen, Maryland.- History :...
- Italian World War II Medium Tank; Fiat M13/40Fiat M13/40The Fiat-Ansaldo M13/40 was an Italian medium tank , designed to replace the Fiat L3, the Fiat L6/40 and the Fiat M11/39 in the Italian Army at the start of World War II...
- Japanese Pre-World War II Medium Tank Type 94 tankette
- Japanese World War II Tank Type 95 Ha-GoType 95 Ha-GoThe was a light tank used by the Imperial Japanese Army in combat operations of the Second Sino-Japanese War, at Nomonhan against the Soviet Union, and in the Second World War. It proved sufficient against infantry, however, like the American M3 Stuart, it was not designed to fight other tanks...
- Japanese World War II Tank Destroyer Type 1 Ho-Ni IType 1 Ho-Ni I-External links:***...
- US World War II M4A4 ShermanM4 ShermanThe M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...
Medium Tank - US World War II M20 Armored Utility CarM8 GreyhoundThe M8 Light Armored Car was a 6x6 armored car produced by the Ford Motor Company during World War II. It was used by the U.S. and British troops in Europe and the Far East until the end of the war. The vehicle was widely exported and as of 2006 still remains in service with some third world...
- US M60 PattonM60 PattonThe 105 mm Gun Full Tracked Combat Tank, M60, also known unofficially as the M60 Patton, is a first-generation main battle tank introduced in December 1960. It was widely used by the U.S. and its Cold War allies, especially those in NATO, and remains in service throughout the world today...
Tank - US T92 Light TankT92 Light TankT92 Light Tank was an innovative American light tank developed in 1950s by Aircraft Armaments. At 18.5 tonnes, 5m length, it was designed as an airborne/airdropped replacement for the 5 tonnes heavier M41 Walker Bulldog. The T92 was never accepted into service.The main gun was a conventional...
Artillery pieces
- German Krupp K5Krupp K5The Krupp 28-cm-Kanone 5 , in short K5, was a heavy railway gun used by Germany throughout World War II.-Description:The Krupp K5 series were consistent in mounting a long gun barrel in a fixed mounting with only vertical elevation of the weapon...
Railway gunRailway gunA railway gun, also called a railroad gun, is a large artillery piece, often surplus naval ordnance, mounted on, transported by, and fired from a specially designed railway wagon. Many countries have built railway guns, but the best known are the large Krupp-built pieces used by Germany in World...
"Leopold" (one of the "Anzio Annie" twins) - German World War II 12.8 cm FlaK 4012.8 cm FlaK 40The 12.8 cm FlaK 40, was a German World War II anti-aircraft gun built as the successor to the 88 mm gun. Although it was not produced in great numbers, it was one of the most effective heavy AA guns of its era....
Zwilling anti-aircraft gun - German World War II 8.8 cm Flak 36 anti-aircraft gun
- German World War II 8.8 cm Flak 41 anti-aircraft gun
- Soviet World War II 152 mm howitzer-gun M1937 (ML-20)
- US 105 mm M2A1 HowitzerM101 howitzerThe 105 mm M2A1 howitzer was the standard light field howitzer for the United States in World War II, seeing action in both European and Pacific theaters. Entering production in 1941, it quickly entered the war against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Pacific, where it gained a reputation...
- US 120 mm M1 gun120 mm M1 gunThe 120 mm Gun M1 was the United States Army's standard super-heavy anti-aircraft gun, complementing the smaller and more mobile 90 mm M3 in service. Its maximum altitude was about , which garnered it the nickname the stratosphere gun. The 120 served primarily in U.S. defensive roles, although...
- US 155 mm Long Tom155 mm Long TomThe 155 mm Gun M1 and M2 , widely known as Long Tom, were 155 millimeter calibre field guns used by the United States armed forces during World War II and Korean War. The Long Tom replaced the Canon de 155 mm GPF in United States service.-Development:Before entering World War I, the United...
Field Gun - US 280 mm Field GunField gunA field gun is an artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march and when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances, as to opposed guns installed in a fort, or to siege cannon or mortars which...
M65 "Atomic Cannon"Nuclear artilleryNuclear artillery is a subset of limited-yield tactical nuclear weapons, in particular those weapons that are launched from the ground at battlefield targets... - US 16-Inch Coast Defense Gun16 inch Coast Gun M1919The 16 inch Coastal Defense Gun M1919 was a large artillery piece installed to defend the United States' major seaports between 1920 and 1946.- History :...
Munitions
- "T12", the largest conventional bomb ever built (U.S. 44000 lb (19,958.1 kg) bomb), before moving it stood outside the front entrance to the museum building.
The indoor portion of the Ordnance Museum contains a large collection of firearms, shell
Shell (projectile)
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...
s, hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s, cartridges
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
, and educational displays. Numerous examples of artillery and mortars are on display, as is a 1942 Jeep
Willys MB
The Willys MB US Army Jeep and the Ford GPW, were manufactured from 1941 to 1945. These small four-wheel drive utility vehicles are considered the iconic World War II Jeep, and inspired many similar light utility vehicles. Over the years, the World War II Jeep later evolved into the "CJ" civilian...
and a M5 Stuart tank equipped with the "Rhino" Culin cutter for use in hedgerows.
See also
- Kubinka Tank MuseumKubinka Tank MuseumThe Kubinka Tank Museum is a large museum of armoured fighting vehicles in Kubinka, just outside Moscow. It has many famous tanks from World War I, World War II and the Cold War. The museum also houses many unique vehicles, such as the Panzer VIII Maus, Troyanov super-heavy tank and a Karl-Gerät...
- Russian Tank Museum - Musée des BlindésMusée des BlindésThe Musée des Blindés or Musée Général Estienne is a tank museum located in the Loire Valley of France, in the city of Saumur. It is one of the world's largest tank museums....
- French Tank Museum - Bovington Tank MuseumBovington Tank MuseumThe Tank Museum is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles in the United Kingdom that traces the history of the tank. With almost 300 vehicles on exhibition from 26 countries it is the second-largest collection of tanks and armoured fighting vehicles in the world.The Musée des Blindés in France...
- United Kingdom Tank Museum - General George Patton Museum - Fort Knox, Kentucky Tank Museum
External links
- U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground official website
- article about the transfer to Fort Lee
- Army Ordnance Museum unofficial website (not connected to the museum or its foundation)
External photographic catalogs / galleries
- US APG OM at peachmountain.com
- US APG OM German tanks at axishistory.com
- Ordnance Collection at Aberdeen Proving Grounds
- US Army Ordinance Museum Photos of Tanks, Armored Vehicles, Artillery, and other weapons at the US Army Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Grounds