War & Peace 2004,
The Hop Farm, Beltring, Kent

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Visitors from the UK might well have recognised this particular Achilles, as it was the subject of a recent television restoration project. The programme followed it through the restoration and rebuild process, though when talking to those involved you do discover a little poetic licence was used here and there (did the turret really fit first time? .....). Rebuilt as a runner, it was in really superb condition both inside and out.
Here you see inside the hull, with the drivers position and instrument panel. The two levers are the drivers main steering controls. There is a radio operators set out of view to the right.
Another first for the show, this Russian built engineer vehicle was just huge. The owner, who has had it about 18 months said he had used it fully 'for real', and description was "...it's a real beast!" I can't imagine there is much it couldn't move.  
  The Sherman BARV (Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle) is one from the Cadman Brothers, who organise the show, and is in superb condition.
This Ford WOT2 was in superb condition, and was the only one of its' kind that I saw at Beltring. So many vehicles are there in numbers, and if it is Jeeps, Dodge Weapons Carriers, GMC trucks, Land Rovers and so on then you almost lose count as so many are there. Hence it tends to be the one-offs which attract my attention.  
  The owner had brought this K2 over from Jersey. Having owned it for some 25 years, he had tracked it back to which Landing Craft brought it over to the island as part of the liberation forces in 1945. When he found it laying in a scrap yard it was in Dayglo orange and Police markings. Beautifully restored both inside and out, it was a pleasure to meet an owner with what was clearly his genuine 'pride and joy'.
This was another of the rarities to be found at Beltring, as I don't remember seeing this one in the flesh before. Super condition, and a great reference for the small scale plastic kit from Attack models. It is (I believe) a Tatra 57.  
  Amidst the traders tents was this Krupp Protze truck. For those with models either in 1/35 from Tamiya, or maybe even the older 1/76 one from Matchbox, this was a good reference opportunity, and the first time I can remember a Protze being present at Beltring. This particular one was in absolutely first class condition, being a museum exhibit over from the continent for the show.
There are a number of points around the show where vehicles and re-enactment enthusiasts are enabled to set up what I might best describe as full size dioramas. This one, on the edge of the wood near the arena, saw an aid station in a 'house ruin', with this ½ track, along with a red cross jeep, a GMC 6x6 and a Dodge Weapons carrier. There were others elsewhere with both German and Russian equipment setups. The photo opportunities are really first class, and I applaud the organisers for arranging these.  
This final shot gives a great idea of the photo opportunities presented at an event like War & Peace, where the re-enactment enthusiasts such as these Panzer crewmen, when added to what is in this case one of the "fake" Tiger Is (on a T34 chassis), then you can frame the photo to get a very good shot that could almost have been taken 60 odd years ago. It is certainly a close enough idea of what looks right.

My thanks go to Rex Cadman and the War & Peace team for the invite to the show this year.

 
©Robin Buckland, 2004