by Lorraine Gibson

A startling sculpture of Nazi Hermann Goring’s head with bullet holes through it is drawing attention at Dorset’s Tank Museum.

It’s believed that the metal likeness of the Luftwaffe leader was shot at by enemy soldiers at the end of the Scond World War and likely carried back to England by someone from the Royal Tank Regiment.

The evocative artefact, donated to the museum in 1957, is one of a hundred intriguing items, specially selected by curator David Willey and featured in The Tank Museum In 100 Objects, a recently-released book marking the visitor attraction’s centenary.

The Goring sculpture was originally displayed in Berlin throughout the war, in keeping with the Nazi party’s ‘cult of the personality’ endeavour at the time.

The two bullet holes, one between the eyes, the other just below the nose, starkly suggest how the victors felt about their Nazi foe.

The Tank Museum’s mission is to tell the story of tanks and those that served in them.
David Willey said: “I’ve put together a book detailing some of the most interesting items in our collection that tell these stories.