The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
The Type 59 Main Battle Tank (Industrial Designator WZ120) is a Chinese copy of the Soviet T-54 MBT. The condition of the vehicle is very good overall, however, little of the original surface finish remains as the vehicle was re-furbished by Puckapunyal Area Workshops in the early 1980s. Surface corrosion caused by condensation is evident inside the hull. Canvas work on the turret has deteriorated, and the engine is firing on only 10 cylinders. The vehicle is currently on loan to the RAAC Tank Museum, Puckapunyal.
The vehicle type was manufactured between 1957 and 1983 and has seen extensive service with many countries including Nth Vietnam during the latter stages of the Vietnam conflict. This tank was procured by the Australian Technical Intelligence Officer in South Vietnam, Major Jim Ellis, from Military Region 1 in South Vietnam in August 1972. It had been previously captured by the 8th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, Airborne Division ARVN at Hai-Lang, Quang Tri Province on 4/7/72. It is known that the North Vietnamese 201st and 202nd Armoured Regiments were involved in operations in this area at the time. The Type 59, along with a YW531 APC, were transported to Da Nang, where they were formally presented to the Government of Australia in a ceremony on 1 September 1972, before being loaded aboard the Army Ship John Monash for transport back to Australia.
The Type 63 is a tracked Chinese armoured personnel carrier that entered service in the late 1960s. (It is also known by its industrial designation YW 531). It was the first armoured vehicle designed
Model of Type 95 Ha-Go tank. Scale 1:8.5. Model is mixed media - timber, cast resin, plastic, brass. It is painted to represent the Memorial's Ha-go tank, with the paint scheme replicating the ori
Centurion Mk5/1 Main Battle Tank fitted with a QF 20 Pounder gun barrel. This tank is finished in a basic colour of lustreless olive drab, with a disruptive pattern of lustreless black. It has the Ar
Centurion Mk 5/1 Main Battle Tank with damage to the hull near the right hand exhaust shroud, possibly sustained in active service. The vehicle is finished overall in light olive drab lustreless pain
The 20 mm Type 98 is an anti tank and anti aircraft gun of the Oerlikon Pattern. The gun is gas operated and magazine fed. The gun mounting is so designed that by spreading the trail and outrigger a t
Oil pressure gauge taken from one of the Japanese Ha Go tanks destroyed by Australian forces at Milne Bay in August 1942. The guage has a white metal body and a chrome bezel. The black dial is marked
