Hello all good people! The American Heritage Museum will be open on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 20th, 10am to 5pm. We are looking forward to seeing you soon.
The American Heritage Museum is excited to announce the launch of a new restoration project aimed at restoring a rare and historically significant piece of original World War II armor: the Type 97 Tankette “Te Ke,” used by the Imperial Japanese Army.![]()
![]()
Read the full article at: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/2025/01/rare-japanese-type-97-tankette-te-ke-restoration-project-b...![]()
![]()
The Type 97 Tankette was a light armored vehicle developed and employed by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Introduced in 1938, the Te-Ke was designed as a reconnaissance and infantry support vehicle, embodying Japan’s focus on lightweight, mobile forces. ![]()
![]()
The Type 97 Tankette was powered by a 65 horsepower, inline 4-cylinder diesel engine, giving it a top speed of around 26 mph. It featured a two-man crew: a driver and a gunner/commander. Armament included either a 37 mm Type 94 tank gun or a 7.7 mm Type 97 machine gun, making it effective against lightly fortified positions and infantry but inadequate against heavier tanks.![]()
![]()
Our particular project vehicle has been determined to be a variant of the Te-Ke that was specifically designed as a gas scattering vehicle to either deploy chemical agents such as mustard gas or other chemical agents offensively or similarly scatter agents to counter poison gasses defensively. Vehicles in this role carried their scattering agents in a towed tracked trailer and though we do not have one of these trailers, we are actively looking for one to add to the restoration.![]()
![]()
The rare Type 97 Tankette will be restored at the American Heritage Museum by our restoration team over the next 3-4 years and will include a full overhaul of the original and rare Ikegai air-cooled diesel engine that is part of the project. We intend to restore it to operational configuration as a running tank and it will eventually become part of an enhanced exhibit documenting the years leading up to World War II. The restoration team is seeking any technical materials, drawings, or documentation of the Type 97 Tankette type – so if you have any resources to assist, please email us at admin@americanheritagemuseum.org
A huge THANK YOU to our hardy re-enactors, dedicated volunteers, and enthusiastic guests for braving the cold and muddy conditions this past weekend for the Battle of the Bulge History Experience! This was our first cold weather outdoor experience and we were happy to welcome so many visitors who took part, deploying in the M3 Half Tracks to our slice of the Ardennes Forest! Please enjoy a selection of photos from Warren Disbrow and Roland Brooks from the weekend! Let us know if you think we should plan another in 2025! #AmericanHeritageMuseum #battleofthebulge #tanklife #WWII #worldwar2 #WorldWarII #WorldWarIIHistory #1944 #visitma #hudsonma
Looking for an adventure with the kids during school break? Come visit us at the American Heritage Museum! We are open today (Monday 12/30) and tomorrow (Tuesday 12/31), 10am to 5pm. Fun activities and Jim will have the game board set up.
Great time to bring friends and family to the American Heritage Museum. Battle of the Bulge Weekend continues through Sunday and the museum will be open this Monday and Tuesday. Happy New Year to all!
Speaker Presentation: Firefighting During WWII
February 22 @ 1:00 pm, ending 2:00 pm
Free with standard museum admission
The lecture by Jason Cleary aims to provide a very brief overview of US firefighting during WWII – from the Office of Civil Defense Auxiliary firefighters helping to supplement firefighting forces in US cities and towns during the war; to the historically obscure US Army Engineer Firefighting Platoons deployed to the front lines overseas; to the civilian firefighters that protected our state-side military installations. Hear about some interesting, lesser-known WWII firefighting facts. Learn about how a “barn-find” military fire truck forged a new friendship between two firefighters across generational lines.
Jason M. Cleary has been in public safety for over 40 years, having worked in safety & security, law enforcement, EMS, and as a full-time firefighter for more than 30 years. He currently serves as the Fire & Life Safety Specialist for the Brunswick, Maine Fire Department. He recently retired in 2023 after 3 years as the Fire Chief in Manchester By-the Sea, Massachusetts. Prior to that assignment, he spent the previous 23 years working in the full-time fire service in New Hampshire with the Salem, Portsmouth, and Durham Fire Departments. He has been an antique fire memorabilia collector and fire buff since age 4 and has been a long-time WWII history enthusiast, researcher, collector, and reenactor as well. Having grown up in Medford, Mass., Jason now resides in Windsor, Maine with his wife Teresa. Their daughter, Eireann, now resides in Manchester, NH.
Photos are courtesy of Ted Heinbuch and the www.Firetrucks-atwar.com website.
