A man travelled 3,000 miles from the USA to The Tank Museum in Dorset - just to take a photograph.

Kevin Donahue from Pennsylvania came across The Tank Museum whilst working on a book about the Battle of Medenine, which occurred in the Tunisian desert in March 1943.

Kevin takes up the story; "I had always been intrigued by a photograph that was taken by the British at the end of this battle, showing what appears to be a body sprawling out of a Panzer III. Something about it never looked quite right to me."

The battle occurred as Montgomery's 8th Army were pushing the Afrika Korps back into Tunisia, and it was at the crossroads at Medenine that Rommell decided to halt the advance with four German and one Italian Divisions.

The Germans were routed, and suffered heavy losses of both equipment and men. The British victory was important for propaganda purposes; demonstrating to the public that the turning point in the war really had arrived. But newspapers then, as today, always want the right picture for the story - no matter how they get it!

Kevin said; "For a long time I thought this picture had been set-up, and to prove it I wanted to re stage the shot. To do it, I needed to find a Panzer III of the correct era and in immaculate condition.

"Having searched the internet for a suitable place, I found that The Tank Museum pretty much the only place I could do it."

Armed with a copy of the original photograph, Kevin and his wife made their way to Dorset, where they recruited staff member Mathew Upsahall to play the unfortunate subject.

"It is clear from this new shot I have taken that the original is a fake. You can see that the hatch on the original has scorch marks around it - where the flames would have leapt from the turret when the tank was knocked out. Yet the `body` shows absolutely no sign of being burned or damaged at all."

He said; "The Panzer III is a real rarity. In its day it was a deadly weapon, but sadly very few have survived. This is by far the best example I have seen - it looks as good as new."

ENDS