AN “iconic” British tank has been donated to a Dorset museum by the Swiss Army who bought the tank, among others, in the 1950s.
A Panzer 57/60, a variant of the Centurion tank, has been donated to The Tank Museum in Wareham by the Swiss Army – Centre for Historic Equipment of the Armed Forces (CHEAF).
The museum’s head of collections, Chris van Schaardenburgh, said: “The Centurion is an iconic post-war British tank and we’re pleased to have this Swiss variant in the collection.”
The Centurion is widely considered to be one of the most successful post-war tanks, due to its reliability and its capacity for modification. This flexibility and effectiveness meant the tank was in British service for more than 50 years and exported to dozens of countries, where its variants remain in service today.
When the Swiss Army were looking for a new tank in the 1950’s, the Centurion’s success during the Korean War made it a desirable choice. They purchased a total of 312 tanks and 30 Armoured Recovery Vehicles between 1955 and 1961, the first of which were named Panzer 55.
As the vehicles were upgraded and modified with Swiss equipment, they moved through a series of variants including the Panzer 57/60. This variant is now on display in the museum’s Cold War Hall.
Mr van Schaardenburgh added: “We are incredibly grateful to the Swiss Army for donating this vehicle to us in such good running condition.
“It’s currently on display for visitors to see in the Cold War Hall and we look forward to seeing it operating in The Tank Museum arena at our events in the future.”
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