by The National Military History Center in Auburn, Indiana is auctioning off part of their collection in order to settle their mortgage. Auctions America is handling the auction for them. The auction catalog is here.
They will be offering 100 lots of WWII artifacts and 82 lots of military vehicles.
Worried about Predator drones flying overhead? Then how about an 88mm flak gun – demilled unfortunately?
Tired of having to fight traffic? How about this – a 1944 M16 half-track with double M-2s in a motorized mount?
You say you like that idea but want German engineering? How about this 1940-41 Hanomag S.P.W. Ausf. C SdKfz 251/1 Armored 3/4-Track?
I didn’t see any tanks in the catalog but there are a lot of motorcycles, trucks, and other assorted vehicles along with the uniforms and demilled MP-40 sub-machine guns. None of these auctions have reserves but I expect collectors will be paying a fair price for some of these items.
After visiting the late Jacques Littlefield's Military Vehicle Technology Foundation in Portola Valley (actually up on about the highest hill around there), and seeing how complicated the Germans made life for their tank crews, I would go for the American half-track! The Panzer-V they have restored has an amazing design and engine but the none of left-side track wheels are interchangeable with the right, and each of the bogies is also is individual from front to back!
There is only a 1-inch clearance for the engine inside it's enclosed, armor-resistant case so it has to be hauled by a crane and sent back to the BMW/Maybach plant in Stuttgart to have the valves adjusted. US tank-crews were mechanics and everything could be switched around left to right, front to back…
Very interesting. It is kind of like a Swiss Schmidt-Rubin K31 – highly machined with close tolerances which makes it less useful in the dirty, gritty conditions of combat.