Work has started to make a scaled display model of Buffalo 47. All wood being used is reclaimed and the replica is being built using the plans of the British version of LVT4.
One of the first events we hope to use it at is the Spalding Flower Parade which returns after a 10 year gap on Saturday 13 May 2023. At one time, Spalding was well known for it’s annual flower parade but sadly due to lack of funding and support, it ceased to exist but it returns this year.
If you have any spare timber you could donate to the project please contact us here.
Thanks to Daniel Abbott, Darren Speechley and Ollie Wilson (WPS Wilson Property Services) for their help and effort so far.
Why do we need to build a wooden replica when we have the real thing?
The replica will be used when we visit shows to which we are not able to transport the Crowland Buffalo and will help show what a fantastic vehicle it is.
The Crowland Buffalo weighs in at around 15 tons or 33,600lb so needs a large vehicle and trailer to move it which isn’t always practical, it’s also a task in itself getting it loaded on and off the trailer.
The association relies on the support of Crowland Cranes or Tears Recovery to move the Buffalo around but both those businesses do not always have the time or the equipment needed available. It would be prohibitorily expensive for us to hire the necessary equipment to move the Buffalo to locations where we need it. The timber Buffalo will allow us to attend more events and use it as a mobile information centre.
Replica tanks
Replica or dummy tanks were known were used in World War One but significantly more in World War Two. They were either built of timber, an inflatable skeleton covered in canvas or a full inflatable replica of the real thing. Designed to fool enemy intelligence they were quite fragile and only believable from a distance.
Their use in military deception was pioneered by British forces, who termed them “spoofs.” They are still in use today but modern designs are generally more advanced and can imitate heat signatures, making them more effective illusions.
Pre D-Day they were used as part of Operation Fortitude which was a major element of Operation Bodyguard, one of the main objectives was to ensure the Germans would not increase troop presence in Normandy and to do so by promoting the appearance that the Allies would attack in other locations.
Crowland Buffalo LVT 