Tank Land : The American Military Museum / Special Access Tour
A day at the incredible Military Museum also known as Tank Land in South El Monte California . Extra special thanks for the guided tour and letting me sit in the helicopter . If you are in the area please go check them out . Worth a visit !
htttp://www.tankland.com
Transcript
0:04
welcome everyone Adam Lulu here to tank
0:04
land that is the nickname given to one
0:08
man's personal collection and from what
0:11
I was reading up on one of the largest
0:13
collections of military vehicles in the
0:17
West at least on the west coast in the
0:20
open air in the elements it's a little
0:23
sprinkly and rainy today but that's not
0:25
going to deter me and hopefully you for
0:29
checking this place out
0:30
join me shall you located in the town of
0:33
South El Monte California only open a
0:37
handful of days Friday Saturday and
0:40
Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as I
0:44
make my way towards the entrance have to
0:48
walk past all of these vehicles as state
0:53
is it's all outdoors
0:55
including a porta potty and a tarp which
1:00
is where the entrance of seniors and
1:02
vets for dollars those 10 to 16 years
1:06
old $3 children under 9 $1 and if you're
1:11
under 5 you get in free first impression
1:15
I think this is going to be an
1:17
informative exciting day remember it is
1:21
a misdemeanor to tamper or remove any
1:22
part of these vehicles punishable by
1:26
imprisonment wow that's a manager I was
1:31
gonna say it was the guard cabin I was
1:33
informed that this is the manager
1:35
Goines hey I should also mention if you
1:41
plan on coming here in the future if
1:44
there is heavy rain like today it's just
1:46
drizzling a little bit you can see you
1:49
see the water dripping and that little
1:51
puddle off of this tarp but if it was
1:54
raining heavily they have a problem with
1:57
flooding and they are not opened during
2:00
heavy rain number 146 was used in a
2:03
movie called Windtalkers it is a
2:06
Japanese light tank type 95 you can see
2:10
the number there just match up the 146
2:15
and there it is very informative that
2:19
they provide this book match the number
2:23
up number 64
2:26
and so on and so forth
2:29
pretty cool this one was used in Vietnam
2:33
and after reading the information this
2:35
says that very little protection was
2:38
given to the driver and those operating
2:40
it so when the cannon blasts it off you
2:44
have to hold on pretty tightly there's
2:46
not a lot of protection up there behind
2:49
the blasting area if you don't want to
2:51
use the binder and you have a smart
2:52
phone you can use a QR code to get your
2:55
information this is an anti-tank gun and
3:00
a much larger one back there next to the
3:04
next to the road in front of this
3:06
helicopter is a massive propeller
3:10
weighing 29,000 pounds you would need a
3:15
forklift to move this and while I would
3:19
call it a propeller
3:22
the nickname for it is a screw true
3:26
story
3:27
aka screw this can be used in the water
3:31
also carries a jeep as well as soldiers
3:36
that climb up in there looks like it has
3:40
an oil drip pan down below the engine
3:44
this is known as a dumb bomb and don't
3:48
quote me on this but I believe it got
3:49
its name because there is no guidance
3:51
system and they are just free-falling
3:53
Wow thing's got to be like 45 feet long
3:59
I'm guessing this tanks just pointing
4:03
towards the traffic what if someone just
4:05
looked over to the right as they drove
4:07
over to the left I saw this thing
4:09
pointing at him and I was like what what
4:11
that heck is going on an air raid signal
4:15
very loud and the sound protrudes out of
4:20
the sides this would be similar to what
4:24
Midwest earns know as a tornado siren
4:28
probably the same the same decibel level
4:32
also designated inside the book is a
4:35
layout a map of the property not only do
4:39
they have displays over here in this
4:42
section but there's also of course
4:44
repair shops and a restoration area
4:48
going a step further they describe the
4:51
anatomy of attack a little explanation
4:56
of what each piece is from the radio
4:58
antenna to the turrets to the taillight
5:01
a suspension a suspension bogie is that
5:06
how you pronounce that a gun mantlets
5:10
hatches there's the main gun there drive
5:15
sprocket
5:21
all right they're on this getting more
5:21
into the cargo and personal type of
5:25
vehicles the troops would have loaded in
5:29
the back of these to get to their
5:31
destinations
5:31
and speaking of they do need volunteers
5:36
if you want to sign up everywhere you
5:39
look out here there is just stuff
5:41
everywhere this antenna and some
5:46
projectiles in this area this cart is
5:51
how they get them from point A to point
5:54
B look at this little thing some sort of
5:58
scavenger hunt
5:59
going on out here people from off
6:02
property they ran in and this is one of
6:06
the stops and now they have to grab
6:07
these sandbags and create something and
6:09
then move on they didn't pay admission
6:12
they're not guests of the museum this is
6:15
one of their stops on a project I guess
6:17
through town
6:36
created a bunker this ball used to carry
6:36
300 pounds of TNT
6:39
there was an anti-submarine weapon it's
6:43
already heavy enough as it is without
6:46
the TNT inside of it but once you got
6:48
that loaded up weighed 1,400 pounds if
6:53
you've ever wondered what it was like to
6:55
stare down the barrel of a tank that is
7:00
that's your first-hand look I was a I
7:05
read up the information on all of these
7:08
but this is a mystery
7:10
there is no designated number in front
7:13
of it what the heck is this
7:19
it's almost like a space pod very
7:22
futuristic looking says sergeant
7:25
Fletcher on the side
7:32
never seen anything like that before
7:32
pretty cool retro looking truck here ooh
7:43
here's another slightly unusual looking
7:43
item after reading up it is an external
7:45
fuel tank designed for the f-111 medium
7:49
bomber jet aircraft you put fuel in
7:53
nothing I always like looking at the
7:55
logos on the side of the vehicles you
7:58
know like different platoons and they're
8:01
their mascots this is the Seabees it's
8:04
like a fly holding a gun used in the US
8:10
Navy
8:10
Oh Pomona is a costume contest Oh
8:15
excellent so you guys are just coming
8:17
here beforehand yeah we check it out
8:18
very cool guys look awesome
8:21
next to the destroyer is this police
8:25
vehicle which can be used on land but
8:29
also in water used in Vietnam but was
8:33
given on loan to the Los Angeles Police
8:35
Department and was used up until 2004
8:39
you may have heard of a cattle guard
8:40
this is not for cattle but looks very
8:45
similar there's spikes protruding out of
8:49
the front of us definitely stay clear of
8:52
that one
9:09
you can access all of the components
9:09
right they don't build them like they
9:11
used to I mean this whole thing
9:12
basically opens up
9:24
so all these little rings are for
9:24
today's friend
9:41
so me cuz I'm taller I would be above
9:41
the protective area exactly so I'm just
9:43
too big you're almost like playing the
9:53
organ because you gotta know what you're
9:56
doing with your feet it's like playing
9:57
the organ it would be very confusing but
9:59
you got to use your hands and you have
10:01
to use your feet there's a lot going on
10:04
you got the push button here you got all
10:06
these little knobs pretty cool
10:19
Empire of the Sun flags or our fathers
10:19
1941 with John Belushi
10:22
Christian Bale broke his leg on this
10:48
and the actual firing mechanism
10:48
Sheriff's Department helicopter was
10:50
flying over showing somebody
10:51
we were following him
11:01
five minutes later dispatch dispatch
11:01
forwarding the call from the Sheriff's
11:03
Department saying please don't follow me
11:05
with your 40-millimeter Bofors and the
11:09
guy was a Vietnam
11:12
having some flashbacks but this was the
11:17
most popular guy at my window
11:20
awesome
11:31
oh we got it stuck in there yeah and
11:31
every weapon every gun system has a
11:34
placard so if you want to know when it
11:36
was made that's a 40 millimeter m3
11:38
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company 1944
12:06
there's certain things this is like
12:06
something going through your closet but
12:10
you know the shirt back without the
12:11
hanger yeah it kind of piss off people
12:14
this is the only gun tub left from the
12:17
USS Missouri anyway and we have it and
12:21
it used to be 1992 when they have the
12:24
retrofit for the cruise missile they
12:27
contacted us and said hey do you guys
12:30
want the gun tub from the Missouri and
12:32
we said sure why not well this is it
12:34
so the the battleship is in Pearl Harbor
12:37
the gun tub is an El Monte Wow go figure
12:40
and and for those of you that are into
12:43
Star Wars remember the Imperial walkers
12:45
absolutely so George Lucas came here or
12:51
I should say it came to Belle cuz we
12:52
weren't here when he was sketching does
12:55
that look familiar I was noticing that
12:57
earlier that it looks very similar yep
12:59
and so that's that's where the idea came
13:01
from this was an experimental
13:02
anti-aircraft gun that the Air Force
13:04
used never went to service but ended up
13:07
showing up in Star Wars all these Rd
13:09
build meaning you can't fire through it
13:12
there's a plate up front but all these
13:14
components come off yeah you know what
13:17
war two aircraft they would do this and
13:19
of course it carried over into artillery
13:20
units you called it a nose art yeah the
13:23
nose art from from the Air Force they
13:26
would started it
13:27
other units you know would would name
13:30
their so this is you know bring on the
13:31
rain so as you can see you know what's
13:34
the Calgary twenty five five and this
13:36
would fire around twenty six miles so
13:38
from L mommy you can hit downtown long
13:40
times with no problem
13:41
you pick the building if someone would
13:44
sit here yep you'd have a crew of ten
13:47
ten people in the middle but you know
13:49
you have one two three four then you'd
13:52
have folks off site that would be help
13:55
with loading of the bags of powder and
13:57
ammunition
13:58
there's Auto loading they've bundle it
14:00
up here and go right into the breech I
14:05
think when I was thinking of joining in
14:07
the u.s. it was 1970 this was a popular
14:11
guy we got this from the Seal Beach
14:15
Naval Weapons Station this is an RC
14:18
controlled boat special forces uses a
14:21
Navy calls us demolition units like you
14:24
still have the boat it's like yeah we
14:25
still have it it's like don't touch it
14:27
it's like okay they send out their unit
14:32
their bomb unit
14:33
they said we had about 20 pounds of c-4
14:36
on it that we forgot to bring oh my gosh
14:38
so some of the little stories you don't
14:41
hear about so it was on this boat and if
14:43
that we would hit the button this whole
14:45
section would have been taken out so
14:47
these bombs any idea what movie they
14:49
were in there's a famous scene with Cuba
14:51
Gooding jr. and in Pearl Harbor where
14:54
you follow the bombs down to the deck of
14:55
the ships so these motion picture and
14:58
television painted these up to be
15:00
Japanese bombs but if you go to Pearl
15:03
Harbor they're actually much larger than
15:04
this
15:05
CGI yeah John Wayne this is the tank
15:19
this is m60 he stole the tank he stole
15:22
the tank from the armory and you can
15:24
actually pull it up on youtube remember
15:28
we fired this up eight years ago it was
15:31
sitting for over over eight years
15:35
put some diesel in it put a battery turn
15:37
the key started right up
15:40
you know Detroit there's something to be
15:41
said for anything made in the US so the
15:46
first thing that happened was the barrel
15:48
started rising because this is all
15:49
pneumatically controlled commander seat
15:51
up and Tom
15:54
and notice there's a walking bar that
15:57
keeps the barrel down because when you
15:59
first turn it on the barrel will start
16:02
to rise otherwise how far did he get
16:04
before he was supporting stop maybe 15
16:07
miles he drove over an RV drove over
16:09
cars I mean it was crazy and then
16:11
there's an escape hatch that's down here
16:13
weighs about 400 pounds so if you need
16:14
to get out you don't climb out through
16:16
the top you'd actually lime out through
16:17
the bottom bottom there's enough room
16:18
that you so the driver would be right in
16:20
here
16:21
yeah it could poke his head out of that
16:22
hole they lost two brothers and Saving
16:34
Private Ryan and they're trying to get
16:36
the third one out and they come up in a
16:38
command vehicle two officers to tell the
16:42
mother right going on down this dusty
16:44
Iowa Road well here's the here's the
16:48
command vehicle over oh yeah suicide
16:53
doors
17:02
Wow that's cool a lot of movie artifacts
17:02
out here right where do they go on the
17:06
backlog on Universal yeah so I was here
17:09
in El Montay hit cinema I know mommy
17:12
she's wearing a little pith helmet you
17:14
know pointing
17:16
and totally piss everyone off jane fonda
17:19
was sitting right there
17:21
nice propaganda that's gonna do it for
17:27
today from El Monte well South El Monte
17:30
California here at tank land officially
17:34
known as the military museum I will put
17:37
links in the description to their
17:39
website and more information if you feel
17:41
like visiting here if you are new to
17:43
this channel if this is the first time
17:45
here please subscribe now by doing so
17:48
helps keep you up-to-date on future
17:49
adventures I will be going on in the
17:52
loop for uploads that will be happening
17:55
on this channel I'll see you in the next
17:57
video the vlog is over oh I didn't even
18:01
see you guys in there what are you up to
18:04
just hanging around taking a nap guys
18:11
just just chilling alright see you later