People are being given the opportunity to operate military-grade tanks from World War II.
The American Heritage Museum in Hudson, Massachusetts, allows those who can pay $995 to $1,495 the chance to operate their choice of a M4 Sherman, M24 Chafee, or M26 Pershing tank, the Military Times reported Wednesday. None of the tanks’ weapons work, however, due to a process called demilitarization.
The museum is also holding a contest for one lucky person to get an “Ultimate World War II Tank Experience.” This involves driving all three of these tanks, as well as “inside the hatch” tours of five other tanks from Germany, Russia, and the U.K., with options including the IS-2 Iosef Stalin heavy tank used by the Red Army or the Panther tank used by the Wehrmacht. (RELATED: Happy Tanksgiving! Celebrate With These Photos Of Badass Tanks)
The M4 Sherman was the iconic American tank of World War II, seeing battle in both Europe and the Pacific. It had a crew of five, either a 75mm or 76mm main gun, a .50-caliber machine gun, and two .30-caliber machine guns. About 50,000 were produced, notes MilitaryFactory.com.
The M24 Chafee was a light tank with a crew of five that was introduced late in World War II. Like the Sherman, it had a 75mm main gun, two .30-caliber machine guns, and a .50-caliber machine gun. Just over 4,700 were produced, according to MilitaryFactory.com.
The M26 Pershing was a heavy tank intended to help American tank crews take on the Panther and Tiger tanks that took a fearsome toll on the M4 Sherman, but arrived too late to the battlefield to make much of a difference, according to MilitaryFactory.com. It had a crew of five, a 90mm main gun, a .50-caliber machine gun, and two .30-caliber machine guns. Over 4,500 were produced.