Visited the German Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden. As it focuses on ‘military history’, the exhibits uniquely explore war from various perspectives—not just weaponry, but also war and music, alongside propaganda materials from the period.
The military history museum with its iconic spire structure. Truth be told, I came here alone on Wednesday morning, full of enthusiasm, only to find it closed. So on Thursday, the day we were moving to Prague, I dragged my wife along. With no car park available, we arrived over half an hour before opening to secure a spot on the roadside – and found no one else there.
To avoid wasting time, view the tanks and other vehicles outside the building before opening hours. The right-hand row features Soviet-era weaponry, while the left displays Western armaments. These range from personnel carriers like the M113 to Leopard tanks. Behind the building, torpedo boats and Patriot air defence missile systems are also on display.
My favourite Marder infantry fighting vehicle was here too.
T72M tank, flat-chested and massive, with a final-boss vibe
My wife, standing at 155cm tall, looks down upon the mini tank and the enormous PzH2000 self-propelled howitzer in the background.
As this is a museum of military history spanning the Middle Ages to the modern era, the first section displays such items as helmets, swords, and antique firearms.
Battle of Britain Corner.
Hitler-related exhibits. There is also a vast collection of speech videos and posters.
The famous Enigma cipher machine. I saw one at the Koblenz Military Technology Museum too. Come to think of it, it doesn’t have umlauts, does it?
The downed P51 Mustang and searchlight. The thoroughly wrecked P51—or rather, the cluster of P51 parts—has not been restored at all, so it’s good that even the internal structure, not usually visible, can be seen.
A bicycle loaded with Panzerfausts – can this single machine take on a T-34!?
Animals used in warfare, is this the exhibition about?? Elephants, horses, dogs – those I understand. Goats and sheep were likely for pack animals or food. But lions?? Wild boars?? I’ve heard of dolphins carrying bombs, but have cats ever seen action on the front lines?
A Soyuz capsule, for some reason, in the Military History Museum. Surely it has nothing to do with war? It really oughtn’t to, should it?
It is said that only the Japanese carried out kamikaze attacks, but this special submarine, the ‘Murder’, looks utterly incapable of returning with its crew alive. A submarine the size of a torpedo, with only a Plexiglas canopy – isn’t it far more pathetic than the Kaiten, Japanese submarine for suicide attack?
The German army had no female soldiers, though women did participate in roles such as reconnaissance personnel assisting in combat. Were those mobilised schoolgirls operating searchlights, or the girls making funny faces and laughing, able to survive the war?
I took a great many photographs, so if you’re interested, please view them via the gallery links below. They are divided into two galleries: one for the outdoor tank-related items and another for everything else.
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