This could be a site on a beach in Normandy, that decades on from D-Day visitors flock to see this
landmark. However, this tank a British Comet tank has hardly any visitors, and it also isn’t very
well known about. It also isn’t in Normandy, or wasn’t left as a symbol of the intense fighting
of the Second World War? It sits on a very deserted and quiet part of the Lincolnshire coast.
Every day when the tide comes in and out, the tank emerges and disappears under the North Sea.
For miles around there is nothing, very little human activity,
only birds from a nature reserve. But what is the story behind this tank?
Why did it end up here? What is the story behind the World War 2 tank, abandoned on a beach.
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Saltfleetby-theddlethorpe Dunes nature reserve in Lincolnshire is a hidden treasure of a
beach. The dunes were formed in the 13th century through the processes of wind and tidal action,
and they continue to form new dunes today. Within them are a number of different insects,
birds, mammals who everyday have their habitats changed by the wind and the sea,
their homes shaped by nature. It’s a place which is home to a wealth of nature,
plants and animals, however it’s also a place that has been influenced by humans over time.
The site of the world war 2 tank sitting inside of the nature reserve is rather different,
and it’s not what you expect to see when you got for a walk here. But there is a back story to it.
The A34 Comet, was a British cruiser tank used towards the end of the Second World War. It was
developed from the Cromwell tank, and was seen as a rather effective tank destroying vehicle.
Over 1100 were made, with many seeing action in the final days of the Second World War.
The gun on the comet was a 17 pounder high velocity gun,
which was capable of doing significant damage against some of the world’s most famous tanks.
Panther’s and Tiger Tanks could be destroyed by the armament on the Comet,
but at the time when they arrived on the Battlefields they didn’t have the biggest impact.
The Comet arrived in December 1944 and they were intended to be used in the Ardennes Offensive,
however different units began to have their Sherman tanks replaced by Comets. However only
a small number of Comets saw their chance to face off against German vehicles and tanks,
as the Germans were suffering a shortage of them on the Western Front. There was a report
of an encounter in which a Comet destroyed a Tiger, but despite coming too late in the
war they did have a small effect. After the war they were used throughout the Cold War,
and some were sold to different countries, with the South African Army even using them in 2000.
But why if these tanks were brilliant did one end up submerged in the sand on a beach? Well the Air
Ministry allegedly bought the land around the nature reserve in the 1930s, for it to be used
as a bombing range for target practice. Because of this, apparently the beach was littered with
old military vehicles and targets for the bombing aircraft in the sky to try and hit with precision.
This was done at many beaches, but the fact this beach is rather deserted,
and also as it’s rather long when the tide goes out, it made the perfect beach for this.
Also very close by is an RAF station, which later in the 1973 would move the bombing range further
north leaving this part of the beach out of use. During the Second World War, around the beach,
the British sought to protect the Saltfleetby-theddlethorpe dunes by building
tank traps and also pillboxes. Even the dunes were mines to protect and defend from invasion,
so if the Germans arrived on the beachhead, machine gun posts would be set up, and there was
possibly a network of tunnels here. However what is bizarre is that the Comet a late World War 2
tank arrived on the beach at some point when the bombing range was in use,. The Comet was an
expensive piece of military equipment, and to be just used as target practice is a bit sad.
What is beautiful about this specific tank is the remains and state that it is in. You can see the
remains of the engine block in the centre, and the turret ring is so interesting to get inside of.
For someone who is a fan of tanks, to get inside and have a close look was one of the first times
I’ve ever been able to get inside a look at the internal parts of a tank. You can see where the
driver and commander would have sat, and also where they would have looked out through the
hatch. You can imagine where the gunner would have been sat in the turret which would have sat
ontop of. You can even see where the tracks would have been attached to it. It’s a remarkable ruin,
and helps to trigger the imagination and the stories of where this tank may have been. Yes it
may have been a wreck that came straight out of the factory and broke during training, or maybe it
does hold a more detailed story. Maybe it was part of those that did see action during World War 2,
the point is that nobody really has the definite answer as to what this Comet’s story was.
That’s the beauty of History, many things are still unknown. If you do choose to visit this
tank, go on a day where it’s Clear and take in the breathtaking views and nature around you.
There’s something different to seeing a tank in a ruined condition in this setting,
rather than walking around a museum littered with them. The A34 Comet abandoned on the
beach is a remarkble piece of hidden history that you should go and see.
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