The Tank Museum
Published 30 Jan 2026Australia has always been an outlier when it comes to tanks. The first time Australians fought alongside tanks, it was such a disaster they almost gave up on the whole idea. And the first time they fought IN tanks, they were pinched from the enemy.
They’re the only Allied nation to reject the M4 Sherman. More than once, they’ve used their tanks very differently to how they were designed. Yet somehow, they’ve almost always been successful.
So, why do the Australians use tanks so differently to everybody else?
Join James and Fam as they explore the weird and wonderful ways that our Australian cousins have used their tanks. From captured tanks in the desert, to heavy metal in the jungle, the Aussie methods of armoured warfare have always seemed a little upside down from the outside.
While Australian interest in tanks has come and gone, when the need has arisen, the Australian tank force has been up to the challenge. Simply put, Australian soldiers usually use tanks differently because they usually fight differently. And despite long periods of neglect, tanks in the Australian Army always seem to find a way to bounce back.
00:00 | Introduction
00:36 | A Bad Start
03:44 | Tanks of their Own
06:19 | Welcome to the Jungle
11:07 | Lessons Relearned
13:53 | Defence of Australia
This video features archive footage courtesy of British Pathé.
This video features images from the collection of the State Library of New South Wales
This video features images from the collection of the State Library of Queensland
Want to learn more about the Australians and their tanks? Here are some of the sources we used to make this film:
“Australian Army stands up second M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tank squadron”. Jr Ng, 9 May 2025.
“Australian Shermans”. Paul Handel, 2001. http://anzacsteel.hobbyvista.com/Armo…
“Canister! On! Fire! – Australian Tank Operations in Vietnam”. Bruce Cameron, 2012
“Dust, Sand and Jungle: A History of Australian Armour 1927-1948”. Paul Handel, 2003.
“Leopard AS1 Main Battle Tank. Part One”. Paul Handel, 2001. http://anzacsteel.hobbyvista.com/Armo…
“Major ‘specialist combat brigades’ restructure unveiled for Australian Army”. Robert Dougherty, 28 September 2023.
“Plan Beersheba: The Combined Arms Imperative behind the Reorganisation of the Army”. Colonel Craig Bickell. Published in Australian Army Journal Volume 10, Number 4, Summer 2013.
“Preparing Armoured Units for Service Overseas”. John Coates. Published in The Australian Army and the Vietnam War, 1962-1972 (The 2002 Chief of Army’s Military History Conference), Australian Army History Unit, 2002.
“The Actions of the Tanks at the Battle of Bullecourt 11 April 1917”. David Brown & Brenton J Brooks. Published in British Journal for Military History Volume 9, Issue 1, March 2023.
“The Birth, Life and Death of the 1st Australian Armoured Division”. Lieutenant Zach Lambert. Published in Australian Army Journal Volume 9, Number 1, Autumn 2012.
“The US M3 Medium Series in Australia. Part One – Gun Tanks”. Paul Handel, 2001. http://anzacsteel.hobbyvista.com/Armo…
“We Were the 46th – The History of the 46th Battalion in the Great War of 1914-18”. Ian Polanski, 1999.
“Resetting the Australian Army: Negotiating the 2023 Defence Strategic Review”, Albert Palazzo, 2023. https://researchcentre.army.gov.au/li…Support The Tank Museum!
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April 11, 2026
Aussies & Tanks: The Story of Australian Armour
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