One of the world’s rarest tanks has just rolled into Purbeck to take part in Tankfest 2025 – and has caused a huge rumble of excitement.
Tickets for the three day event at the Tank Museum in Bovington have completely sold out, and the highlight for many is undoubtedly the first ever visit to the UK of the world’s last working Tiger II, better known as the King Tiger.
After a journey of almost 400 miles, the King Tiger arrives at the Tank Museum in time for Tankfest
Journey of nearly 400 miles
The 70 ton machine, a German tank from the dying days of World War Two, made a journey of nearly 400 miles on a low loader from Saumur in the Loire valley, France, and arrived in Dorset on Thursday 19th June 2025.
It is going to take part in two live demonstrations a day at the Tank Museum’s arena during Tankfest 2025, from Friday 27th June to Sunday 29th June, in conditions close to those of the battlefield.
A capacity crowd of 24,000 is due to watch the moment of history, the first time that a running King Tiger has been put through its paces on UK soil, and the museum staff are in no doubt that its visit has caused the sell out.
In order to deal with the disappointment of many locals who missed out on the chance of tickets, the Tank Museum has arranged a live video stream on its YouTube channel from 1pm on Sunday 29th June 2025.
The King Tiger has travelled to the Tank Museum from its usual home in the Loire region of France
“A significant achievement”
Nik Wyness, marketing manager at the Tank Museum, said:
“Our audience expects spectacular new products every year. We try to ensure there is always something at Tankfest that most people will not have seen before and the arrival of the King Tiger in action is a historic moment that we are pleased to share through this international collaboration.
“This is the first time a running King Tiger has been displayed in the UK, and 24,000 visitors will have the opportunity to see it up close, as well as in the arena.
“Bringing the only running King Tiger tank in the world to the UK for the first time is a significant achievement. We’d like to thank our French colleagues, and event sponsors World of Tanks for making it possible.
“The King Tiger is a German tank first used during the Normandy campaign of 1944. Its combination of heavy armour and devastating firepower made it a formidable adversary for Allied forces, and we know our visitors will be really excited to see this rare World War Two tank up close at Tankfest.”
Lieutenant Colonel Yannick Krause, curator of the French tank museum
“It is a great honour for the museum”
Lieutenant Colonel Yannick Krause, curator of the French tank museum, said:
“I’m very honoured and proud to be taking part in Tankfest 2025 in Bovington, representing the Musee des Blindes de Saumur.
“We know how much this iconic float is admired. It is an honour for the museum and a great pride for our teams to see this project come to fruition.
“We warmly thank our UK partners and World of Tanks for their commitment to this journey.
“A huge thank you to the whole team at the Tank Museum for this wonderful cooperation, which will mark a new stage in the friendly relations between our two museums.”
The King Tiger, here in action in France, is about to manouevre in the UK for the first time
Saw action in Normandy in 1944
The Musee des Blindes’ vehicle was assembled from parts of different King Tigers captured by the Allies at the end of World War Two. Its turret and part of its mechanics come from a command vehicle that saw action in Normandy in 1944.
The King Tiger, equipped with an 88 mm gun and exceptional armour, embodied the power of German military technology at the end of the war, but by the time it saw action in the battles of Normandy and the Bulge, the tide had turned against Germany.
Dorset’s Tank Museum has its own star exhibit in the Tiger 131, the world’s only running Tiger I tank, which has a special day dedicated to it twice a year at the museum.
And in an unexpected turn of events on Friday 27th June 2025, both of the machines took to the arena together, the first time a running Tiger I and Tiger II have been seen in public together in eighty years.
Both the King Tiger and the Tiger I were run together at the Tank Museum, for the first time in 80 years
An historic event
Chris Price, director of the Tank Museum said:
“To have the only running Tiger tanks in the world together in the UK in the first time, and to be able to display these iconic tanks in public for the first time since the Second World War is a significant historical event.
“Our thanks go to Tankfest sponsor World of Tanks and to Musee des Blindes for making this possible.”
And Nick Booth, head of curatorial services at the Tank Museum, added:
“Bringing the only running King Tiger tank in the world to the UK for the first time is a significant achievement, demonstrating the importance of our partnerships with international museums.
“I’d like to thank our French colleagues and our vehicle collections team for co-ordinating this important loan.”
The King Tiger sets out on its road trip to Dorset – a ‘logistical labyrinth’
“An event of historic magnitude”
A spokesperson for World of Tanks, which funded the international loan and the tank’s transport from France to Purbeck, said:
“After years of anticipation and for the first time ever, the legendary King Tiger will roll onto the arena grounds at the Tank Museum in Bovington!
“It is an event of historic magnitude – one of the most iconic armored vehicles of World War Two is finally crossing the Channel, not as an invader but as a guest of honour.
“World of Tanks has worked tirelessly in cooperation with the Musee des Blindes and the Tank Museum to bring this steel beast to British soil for Tankfest 2025, navigating the logistical labyrinth required to transport a 70 ton vehicle across borders and water.
“The King Tiger’s protection, together with the armour penetration and the effective firing range of its gun, made it one of the best armoured vehicles of World War Two, despite its limited operational range and low top speed of 25 miles an hour.
“Despite their impressive performance, King Tigers were extremely expensive to build, so only 487 of these tanks were delivered, with the last ones shipped in March 1945.”
The M3 Grant tank, recently acquired from Australia, is a guest vehicle at Tankfest
Line up of guest vehicles
The line up of guest vehicles for Tankfest 2025 also includes an M3 Grant tank, recently acquired from the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum by William Bannister for the Bannister historic armour collection and making its running debut in Dorset.
The M3, famous for its use by the British in North Africa during World War Two was previously restored as a museum exhibit around ten years ago and had been on static display in the Australian museum before being brought to the UK.
It will now join the Bannister collection housed at the Tank Museum, and a second phase of restoration will be carried out over the coming years until it is fully restored.
Other vehicles from the Bannister historic armour collection will include an M8 Greyhound, an M5A1 Stuart, an M24 Chaffee and a Centaur III, as well as John Pearson’s Valentine Duplex Drive, Chris Till’s M4A1 Sherman, and Duxford Aviation Society’s T34-85.
The Valentine Duplex Drive – floating tanks which were trialled in Studland Bay ahead of the D-Day landings – will be at Tankfest 2025
Further information
- If you don’t have Tankfest tickets, watch a livestream on the Museum’s YouTube channel
- Discover more about the King Tiger at World of Tanks
