It’s D-Day for the Friends of the Museum.  And they have pulled it off, Collier County's surviving World War II veterans can  now be reunited one last time with an old battlefield friend - a genuine Sherman tank! Come see it at Old Florida Festival, November 3 & 4, 2001.

Friends members located the 33-ton, restored M4 Sherman in a private collection in Indiana in June and immediately began negotiating with the owner to buy the tank and truck it to Naples as part of a permanent war memorial at the Collier County Museum.  The group narrowly beat out two other interested buyers by a matter of days. With a short-term loan from the County the Friends purchased the Tank on August 9th, 2000!

            The tank at issue is one of 49,000 Sherman produced by American factories during the war for Allied armies.  Solidly armored and reliable, the Sherman first went into action alongside British troops in October 1942 and become one of the most important weapons of World War II.  Thousands continued in service after the war and fought again in Korea. Only about 160 are known to still exist in this country, and a fully restored Sherman is an even rare sight today.

            The Sherman tank is the Museum’s most expensive and impressive acquisition to date, and the centerpiece for a permanent Museum memorial to honor the valor and sacrifice of America’s serviceman and women during World War II.

SPECIAL UPDATE:  THE TANK ENGINE HAS BEEN REBUILT!   It is currently undergoing some minor repairs to get the engine running. See it in the 4th of July Parade and again at Old Florida Festival, November 2 & 3, 2001!