A French Museum Is Selling Off Its D-Day Tanks

A museum in Normandy is closing its doors, and World War II history buffs have a chance to reap the rewards. The Normandy Tank Museum, opened in 2013, will shut down in September due to lack of visitors, and it’s selling off its collection of World War II tanks, Bloomberg reports.

The sale from the auction house Artcurial, set to take place on September 18, includes armored vehicles, transport trailers, barrels, gas cans, and medical equipment as well as mannequins used in museum displays. Some of the items have elements that have been reproduced, like new tires, but much of the stock is original from the 1940s.

The first real tanks were invented by the British during World War I, but World War II marked the beginning of tanks playing a major role in warfare. By the end of the war, tank production had skyrocketed, and armored vehicles had undergone several generations of different design iterations, improving firepower, developing even heavier armor, and creating more versatile vehicles.

The sale will take place in the French town of Catz—only a few miles away from the beaches stormed by Allied Forces on D-Day.

[h/t Bloomberg]

All images courtesy Artcurial

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