Modern/Post-War Photos

Belgian T-13 tank destroyer.

Musee de l\'Armee, Brussels.

Belgian T-13 tank destroyer - some confusion in my sources as to whether this is a B 2 or B 1 model. These vehicles were Belgian-built, based on that old workhorse, the British Vickers-Carden-Loyd chassis. While it was light on armour and a bit fragile generally, this vehicle packed some punch (by 1940 standards), since they mounted the useful Belgian 47 mm antitank gun. This vehicle, which is preserved in the Musee de l'Armee, Brussels, is the last survivor of its kind. It had been thought that all T-13s had been destroyed in the course of the German invasion in 1940, by their crew at the time of Belgium's surrender, or subsequently in German service. However, this example turned up in Vienna - in the basement of the Army museum there - in the 1980s, in excellent condition (including original paintwork). How it got there, nobody seems to know; perhaps it was brought by the Germans to Austria for evaluation, and was somehow forgotten. At any rate, the vehicle was repatriated to Belgium, restored, and is now part of the collection of the Musee de l'Armee, Brussels. Best regards, JR.