Inspired by the recent Tank Museum Top 5 Tanks videos from the Mighty Jingles and Lindybeige, I’ve decided to pick my own favorite five tanks from that museum.

The Tank Museum in Bovington, England, possess one the largest collections of armor in the world, essentially one of everything that’s mattered over the past century (minus an M1 Abrams, which is something beyond their control) of armored (armoured?) warfare. Even if you don’t know the museum, you’ve seen their tanks in the movie “Fury,” which featured Tiger 131, the only running Tiger 1 in the world, and the M4A2 Sherman, “Fury.”

My first love is, and always will be, aviation, but armor has grown on me the past few years. This was partly because of too many hours playing World of Tanks, partly because of questionable anime choices and mostly due a visit to the Tank Museum on the highest of high holy days, TankFest. TankFest for me was like that scene in the Blues Brothers where Jake’s in the church and he Jesus H. Tap-Dancing Christ sees the light. But with tanks.

Did I mention a lot of that armor still runs? It does, and at TankFest the museum and their friends take as many classic tanks out as possible for a run. During my last visit the Fest culminated with “The Fury,” a fight between three Shermans with supporting American infantry and German defenders with the Tiger in a pseudo-retelling of the movie with lots of pyrotechnics but without the silly movie parts. That Fest featured a special guest appearance by a Spitfire and a Hurricane (pronounced “Her-uh-ken”) as well.

A final note, since this is Tank Museum tanks only there are some tanks I love, despite or because of their flaws (Japan’s Type 89) , that will not be mentioned here. If I can ever get to Japan’s tank museum I may do that Top 5.

5- Renault FT light tank

The little tank that could, the Renault FT or FT-17 could be considered the first modern tank due to its primary armament being mounted in a rotating turret. (I wrote about one of America’s veteran FT’s here) The Renault FT, unlike the giant rhomboids used by the British, were not break through weapons but were designed to support the movement of infantry across the battlefield, kind of like a Churchill but tiny and French. Okay, so not like a Churchill.

More than 4,000 were built and they saw service with France and the United States during the Great War. A few were still found to be in service during World War II, likely to the surprise and confusion of the Allied forces that had to blow away these museum pieces.

I’ve taken a shine to the design because of its place in history and toylike appearance. The British tanks were, well, tank- large, brutish and heavily armed. This looks like there should be a slot in the back to insert the wind-up key, yet it works.

The museum’s FT is not a war veteran, but was used for training and is built of mild steel.

It kind of looks like a proto-Dalek on treads from this angle. I have no idea why this amuses me.

4- Churchill infantry tank

A Churchill Mk IV A22 infantry tank with an American airborne re-enactor on top at TankFest 2014. Usually this vehicle lives in the vehicle conservation centre, away from the public. Incidentally, a shot very similar to this one won a Tank Museum photo contest that year.

A tank said to have had as many flaws as the man himself, the Churchill infantry tank was one of Britain’s World War II workhorses… besides all the ones they imported from another certain English-speaking country. An ideal infantry tank, it was a pillbox on treads that could keep pace with troops on the move and climb like a goat.

It had its trade-offs. Because it was designed to be moved by rail, it was too narrow to mount a turret big enough for the biggest anti-tank guns Britain had to offer leading it to be relatively under-gunned for its size. But, it had frontal armor thicker than a Tiger I’s and once through its’ teething period the Churchill served reliably throughout Africa and Europe. I think it is a testament to the robustness of the design and the stubbornness of British tank designers to keep at it until they got right.

They served not just as fighting vehicles but also as beach carpet-layers, bridges for other tanks and a in bevy of other wacky yet practical roles schemed up by Maj. Gen. Percy Hobart. “Hobart’s Funnies” were modified tanks, primarily Churchills and Shermans, modified to do special jobs. They were vital to the Allied success on D-Day.

The museum’s indoor Churchill is actually a Crocodile flame-thrower tank. What makes the Crocodile different than other flame tanks is that the flamethrower is mounted in the hull, not the turret, making them difficult to tell apart from normal Churchills at a glance.

This was the last Churchill Mk VII ever built and it is a Crocodile flamethrower variant. It never saw action but was delivered straight from the Vauxhall factory to the School of Tank Technology. Note the sneaky placement of the flamethrower and conspicuous “main armament” in the turret.

A Churchill Mk IV that was abandoned in a bog in 1944 but brought out and restored in 1980. It has been given the markings of a Canadian tank that took part in the disastrous 1942 Dieppe Raid, the Churchill’s combat debut. Note how like with the M3 Lee the bigger gun is in the hull and the smaller one in the turret.

One of Hobart’s Funnies, the Churchill Mk III AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers) mouned a giant spigot mortar that lobbed a 40 lb. bomb, the “flying dustbin.” During D-Day they would drive up German bunkers, point it at what they wanted gone and made it gone. According to some German accounts this was very demoralizing.

3- Tiger I heavy tank

Sd Kfz 181 Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf E… it’s easier to say Tiger I. This one served with 3 Platoon (Troop), 1 Kompanie, Schwere Panzer Abteilung 504, German Army.

The great enemy itself, the Tiger I. The Allies lacked a proper response to the Tiger I when it rolled into Russia and the North African desert in 1943. Its thick armor could withstand hits from any Allied tank or anti-tank weapon except at close range and it was armed with a modified anti-aircraft gun that could destroy Allied tanks well before they came into firing range themselves. Despite these strengths the Tiger was not perfect.

This incredible firepower and seeming imperviousness made for a really heavy tank. They were too heavy to traverse most bridges and difficult to transport. Keeping them maintained under battlefield conditions could be problematic as well. Finally, it was both expensive to produce and took far more material than most other tanks leading to a low production run of 1354. Telling of the tank’s psychological effect, there were far more Tiger sightings than there were Tigers to be sighted.

It wasn’t until later in the war that the Allies had built tanks that could handle the Tiger I. By this time the Germans had an even more potent Tiger, known as the Tiger II, “Konigstiger” or “King Tiger.” Either way, menacing as they were, built in such low numbers they had little impact on the war and Germany probably would have been better off using the resources used on these tanks to build more Panzer IVs and Panthers.

Personal Tiger story, I saw the world’s only running Tiger before I ever saw a running Sherman, of which there are many, in real life. God, I love TankFest.

Its like watching a unicorn playing with a slightly more common yet uncommon animal. Tiger 131 and a P-51C Mustang. This P-51C, “Jumpin’ Jacques,” was flown by the Tuskegee Airmen (332nd Pursuit Sqdn) in March 1945.

That Tiger, Tiger 131 is special for another reason besides its still being operational. It was also the first Tiger captured by the British. A shot from a Churchill got wedged in the turret ring and for whatever reason the crew bailed out without destroying Hitler’s secret weapon first. It was a real intelligence coup for the Allies, and that a couple of Churchills took the Tiger out of commission proved it wasn’t unstoppable.

TankFest 2015 “The Fury” grand finale. I did a photo video on this you can view here.

2- M4 Sherman medium tank

The M4A2E8 (76) W Sherman medium tank that played the title role in “Fury.” The top-mounted GoPro is an extremely post-war addition.

America’s arsenal of democracy on treads, the Sherman supported Allied warfighters from the Russian steppes to the jungles of New Guinea, on the beaches of Normandy and the final drive into Germany.

Opinions differ on the Sherman’s fighting qualities but like its Soviet counterpart the T-34, it was built in great numbers and was very reliable. 50,000 Shermans rolled from American and Canadian factories. (Yes, Canada built them too. Some respect for the Canucks.)

Like other tanks that served throughout the war, the Shermans had their highs and lows. First lend-leased to Britain, the M4 helped turned the tide against Rommel in 1942 but by D-Day they were outgunned by newer German tanks. A design flaw in ammunition placement meant a hit could easily cause the tank to catch fire. The U.S. responded with a better gun, better ammunition and changes in how ammunition was stowed. The British responded by also mounting a larger gun of their own on some Shermans, calling them “Fireflies.”

In the Pacific the Sherman was unmatched by Japanese armor and was almost impenetrable to Japanese anti-tank guns, which could only damage them at close range.

The Sherman was infinitely modifiable resulting in many variants including flamethrower tanks, some of “Hobart’s Funnies,” support vehicle and even ones mounting rocket launchers. The hull was also used for the creation of both self-propelled guns and tank destroyers.

The museum has more than a few Shermans in its collection, each one sexier than the last.

M4A1 “Michael” was the first Lend-Lease Sherman and the oldest known Sherman in existence.

Possibly a M4A1 ‘Grizzly’ built in Canada due to the lack of rubber in it’s treads. I may be wrong, trying to keep track of all the different Sherman variants is a pain.

M4A4 Sherman V Firefly, which mounts a 17-pdr. gun that could cut through pretty much anything.

One of the few remaining M4A2 Duplex Drive Sherman IIIs that could be launched from ships and swim ashore to support beach landings, such as at Normandy.

One of Hobart’s Funnies, an M4A4 Sherman V Crab flail tank. These menacing looking chains were designed to clear minefields in a simple yet effective way (hit them to make them explode) but also were good for scaring Germans.

The M74 Armored Recovery Vehicle was a post-World War II modified Sherman used to do exactly what the name says.

1- TOG II* heavy tank

The glory that is TOG. This is a pile of ridiculousness that I can’t get enough of. (And yes, it’s my favorite World of Tanks tank. It’s the only tank on this list due to that game)

The idea behind TOG is simple, build the ultimate World War I trench-crossing tank that could boldly cross no-man’s land and give the Hun what for. But bigger, stronger, slower. We have the technology. The TOG II* is what happens when the original tank designers, christened The Old Gang (TOG), decide to face modern problems with antiquated solutions and then the government humors (humours?) them along for years. Years as long as the TOG itself.

The program began in 1939 and soldiered on until 1944, long after it became obvious World War II would not break down into the static trench warfare of World War I.

The result of the program is the museum’s heaviest tank, which weighs in at 80 tons and is 33 feet long. This out-masses a modern Abrams by 15 tons and a shadow for that main battle tank to hide in.

It’s also interesting to note that the side doors were originally the location of World War I-style side sponsons, before those were removed and the poor old gang had to concede that turreted (like that little FT) is better.

It was hard deciding what to pick from the museum’s collection as there are so many interesting or unique vehicles in it, but I went with the basics otherwise I could never choose between them all. The basics, and of course, the TOG. I cannot recommend visiting the museum enough, and more than once. It seems that their on-display collection gets swapped around a bit every year between the museum’s showroom floor and the usually off-limits vehicle conservation centre- which is open during TankFest, yet another incentive to visit during that time.

If you have a favorite five tanks please tell us about them in the comment section below.