Editor’s note: Although seasonal Sherman tank rides return for summer 2024, the Evansville Wartime Museum and its displays remain closed due to damage its building sustained in an April 2024 storm. Please check with the museum directly for its reopening date.
Twice a month, passengers can board the Evansville Wartime Museumโs 1943 Chrysler M4A4 Sherman Tank, known as โRosieโs Revenge,โ for a ride. The Evansville P-47 Foundation acquired the tank from the Museum of the American G.I. in College Station, Texas, last summer.
Evansville Living climbed aboard for a tankโs-eye view and learned more about this nine-foot-tall, 32-ton war machine.
The Scoop
Museum volunteers begin each 30-minute session by tracing the tankโs history from World War II Britain and post-war France to Evansville.
After going over safety protocol, passengers โ clad in helmets and earplugs โ determine seating positions. The commander gets a view from the top; the loader and gunner positions peer through periscopes below. The co-driverโs seat has an unobstructed view in front of the tank. A member of the tank committee takes the driverโs seat.
Passengers get on and off the tank assisted by a set of stairs. Climbing across it, you will notice friction tape grips the steel surface.
The Verdict
Itโs not every day someone gets to see, let alone ride in, a Sherman tank โ nothing quite compares. Passengers leave with knowledge and appreciation of soldiersโ experiences in the field.
A few things to know before getting on: An early ride guarantees the tank has not yet heated up under the sunlight. Passengers must be able to climb in and out of the tankโs hatches. The ride is smooth, but passengers may feel a jerk or two, especially since the tank uses brakes for steering.
โYou want to have a hand on something. Itโs a tank, not a limousine. Things can get jerky,โ says Mike Rasche, head of the tank committee.
Need to Know
Participants should wear closed-toed shoes with a good grip and fit. Bags and phones are not allowed aboard because they easily can slip into small crevices.
Rides lasting 10-15 minutes on a field adjacent to the museum are offered noon – 3:30 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays of every month April-October. Sessions are rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Each seat costs $100, and all riders must be over five feet tall.
