New Zealand, 1941. With World War 2 well underway, a top team of government officials are gathered in the picturesque South Island countryside, chattering with excitement as they eagerly await the revelation of the nation’s brand new secret weapon: a fearsome tank designed to crush any Japanese attempt at invading its shores. Among their number, the man behind the machine, Minister of Public Works Bob Semple, promises it will be like nothing they have ever seen before.
And he’s right. An audible hush descends over the group as, suddenly, the strangest-looking armored vehicle they have ever seen emerges from the hillside. Trundling along at a painstaking 5 miles per hour comes an industrial tractor crudely covered with what appears to be corrugated roofing panels, looking more like a school project than a beast of war - it doesn’t even have a cannon.
Awkwardly grinding to a complete halt just to change gears, the 12-foot-tall monstrosity then wobbles onwards for a few more yards before hitting a bumpy patch, which sends her top-heavy structure crashing to the ground.
The silence is broken by a combination of angry outbursts and mocking laughter as the crowd turns to Semple for an explanation. Yet when he asks if anyone has any better ideas, everything soon goes quiet again. The Japanese army could arrive at any moment, and his tank was all New Zealand had…
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As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -
And he’s right. An audible hush descends over the group as, suddenly, the strangest-looking armored vehicle they have ever seen emerges from the hillside. Trundling along at a painstaking 5 miles per hour comes an industrial tractor crudely covered with what appears to be corrugated roofing panels, looking more like a school project than a beast of war - it doesn’t even have a cannon.
Awkwardly grinding to a complete halt just to change gears, the 12-foot-tall monstrosity then wobbles onwards for a few more yards before hitting a bumpy patch, which sends her top-heavy structure crashing to the ground.
The silence is broken by a combination of angry outbursts and mocking laughter as the crowd turns to Semple for an explanation. Yet when he asks if anyone has any better ideas, everything soon goes quiet again. The Japanese army could arrive at any moment, and his tank was all New Zealand had…
-
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -
