Museo Storico Piana delle Orme - Latina (Italy) Just come back from a Battlefield Tour of Anzio, Cassino and Rome. This place is a folk, agriculture and military museum just south of Rome. It is an outstanding collection of kit and equipment. The layout of the exhibits is brilliant to say the least. I will post some pics when I process them. marks = 10 out of 10 :m8:
Interesting looking place Capt. Google-translated site: Translated version of http://www.pianadelleorme.it/ Is it an old Barracks or PoW camp or something? The layout seems reminiscent of a sunnier Eden Camp but I've not found any outside shots yet. Looking forward to some pictures, the collections look eclectic & quite substantial.
I can liken the tour to that of wandering around Ikea - in that there is a start and a finish and no short cuts. First shed is just vehicles all lined up - many good Fiat Spa examples (pics to follow), then the next hut takes you to El Alamein and the vehicles and dummies displays come to life. Audio guides are available in Italian, German and English Background music helps build the atmosphere - and sensors trip audio noises, such as the start of a battle, it covers Cassino too. It also has many good Allied vehicles, and a hut with post war adaptations, 'Willys jeep ' tow truck etc. As a collection, it is well worth seeing, as an active peice of exhibits - it has been well thought out and very poinient in places
Italian gun position Advance Desert Rats Anzio Landing Sherman DD - trialled at Anzio, and recovered from the seabed and restored And a shed full of vehicles simply 'parked up' and a shed with post war 'oddities' - the locals utilising the left overs! Enjoy !
Nice pics. Didn't know they used DD tanks at Anzio. I like the column of Italian POWs. That shed of vehicles could keep some on this forum happy for days. Cheers Capt Bill.
I stand corrected - but Im sure the guide mentioned their use. Digital photography enables me to take lots of photos to aid my ailing memory
EDIT: Sorry, cross-posted with the above. Nice to see the inflatable structure so clearly exposed. I'd thought the Bovington example was a unique survivor, but assume they mean in 'complete' form as there's a few other sunk & recovered ones scattered around. I don't think they were used in any Italian assault operations but it seems there was a certain amount of training carried out at Salerno for the Southern French landings,: Yahoo! Groups Page on this example's restoration: Translated version of http://digilander.libero.it/pmg/contributi/censimento/23_m4dd_la.htm The yanks tried to recover this one in 2000 for the Patton Museum but it was finally done in 2002, not found any shots of the recovery yet though. Just how many SPA's do they have! Good stuff, and the postwar shed does indeed look fascinating.
