The Wheatcroft Collection in the United Kingdom is a large and important collection of historical softskin and armoured military vehicles. It is located in Leicestershire, England, and is one of the largest private collections of military vehicles in the world.

Items in the collection

The collection has around 200 items, including more than 130 vehicles, of which 88 are tanks. The majority of the collection is of German, American and British origin, with a smaller number of vehicles from Norway, Japan, France, Russia and Sweden. The owner of the collection,

Kevin Wheatcroft Kevin Wheatcroft (born 1959) is a British businessman and motor sport entrepreneur. He is the owner of The Wheatcroft Collection, which is thought to be the largest private collection of military vehicles in the world. Early life Born in 1959, ...

, has been collecting military vehicles for 30 years.Graham, Natalie "FT MONEY: Tanks for the memories - at a high price" ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...

'' (London, England) erial online 22 July 2006:7. Accessed 28 October 2012.

Allied WWII Vehicles

Amongst the projects being undertaken is the restoration of ten

M4 Sherman } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It ...

Tanks, bringing the total number of Shermans in the collection to 15, each of the ten are planned to receive a matching engine correct for the variant. Eight early Wright Continental R975 C1s were found in a barn, and subsequently purchased for the collection, all are scheduled to be restored. Another R975

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

was sourced from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, described as being in mint condition. Existing Shermans include an 'Easy Eight', with cast chassis (likely mid production M4A1), D82081 (T23) turret, 76mm gun (with muzzle brake), HVSS suspension, & sharp nosed differential cover. The collection is expected to include all major Sherman variants & an

M10 Tank Destroyer The M10 tank destroyer was an American tank destroyer of World War II. After US entry into World War II and the formation of the Tank Destroyer Force, a suitable vehicle was needed to equip the new battalions. By November 1941, the Army requeste ...

once restorations are complete. The collection also includes two Churchill Tanks.

German WWII Vehicles

The Wheatcroft Collection is perhaps notable for having a number of extremely valuable and rare Second World War-era German military vehicles, including four

Panther tank The Panther tank, officially ''Panzerkampfwagen V Panther'' (abbreviated PzKpfw V) with ordnance inventory designation: ''Sd.Kfz.'' 171, is a German medium tank of World War II. It was used on the Eastern and Western Fronts from mid-1943 to ...

s, one of which is close to full restoration, a StuG III assault gun, a

Panzer III The ''Panzerkampfwagen III'', commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany, and was used extensively in World War II. The official German ordnance designation was Sd.Kfz. 141. It was intended to fight ot ...

, and a

Panzer IV The ''Panzerkampfwagen'' IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the ''Panzer'' IV, was a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161. The Pan ...

tank and various components from many other vehicles. Four

Hetzer The ''Jagdpanzer'' 38 ( Sd.Kfz. 138/2), originally the leichter Panzerjäger 38(t), known mostly post-war as ''Hetzer'', was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis. Germ ...

s are currently undergoing restoration. The collection is also working on restoring the only surviving German E Boat.

Exhibition and events

The collection is not on view to the public. The intention of its owner is to eventually restore and preserve as many of the vehicles as possible, and then to make them available to the public in a museum.

References

External links

* (requires Flash) Exhibitions in the United Kingdom Militaria Military equipment of World War II Military history of the United Kingdom Military vehicle preservation World War II military vehicles Tank museums {{Mil-hist-stub