Germany builds World's Largest Military Museum

Off-Topic Off Topic - Militaria
#1

I just found this article on Welt.de, a German language news site.The German Bundeswehr is building a new military museum in Dresden unlike anything in the world. The museum will be opened in 2011 and have some 14,500 square meters of exhibition space.

As to be expected with anything military in Germany, the exhibition’s goal is ‘not to glorify the war machinery but show the brutality and industrialized slaughter of humans’. There’s just no getting past a sense of moral superiority and patronization in Germany ^^

The exhibition will show anything from Tanks and Heavy Artillery to V2s and Combat planes. Modern military machinery and equipment aside, the museum will also showcase some 5000 historical exhibition pieces, including armor, weapons, flags and even medieval siege weapons. It will also be one of the first museums to stock irregular items that are encountered by International troops even today, such as replicas of Taliban-made IEDs, etc.

#2

Cool. Too bad its in progress and not already open though, I was in Dresden last summer.

#3

When I was stationed in Germany I commented to a local at a guesthouse about there being few, or no military museums in Germany, he said that it would be difficult to understand why, with my not being a native, but such museums are usually not built by the losers of a war, partly because there are many more important things to build/rebuild, but mostly because there was no desire to memorialize the cultural organ responsible for so much misery both in Germany, and the greater world.

#4

I can understand that logic. After all, a military museum often says little else than “Look at what we used to defeat those guys, who used this”.

That’s basically the whole point of them. I’m tempted to say that national military museums are pretty much the trophy halls of the post-modernity.

#5

Agreed, the Ghosts of the past can be scary, but there comes a time when its best to shoo them away, and get on with things.

#6

Wonder if they plan to keep the Tiger I and Pz II we loaned them?

#7

I guess that depends on whether it was loaned, gifted or returned? I don’t think they would need it though. The German Army already has an extensive tank museum, and if they really wanted Tiger Is and Pz IIs they could get them from there rather than depriving the Americans of their war prizes. :mrgreen:

#8

Simple fact is this.
There are a scant handful of Tiger 1s extant.

The Germans do not have one.

There was a good early example at Aberdeen Also a real complete Pz II.

A number of years ago a deal was made to “loan” them to Germany for restoration and display for a certain period.

Last I heard the Tiger is in some Englishman’s backyard being measured for reproduction.
The ball for returning them seems to have been dropped.

p 2..jpg

T1..jpg