A piece of military history has been returned to Australia – and the world – thanks to Wargaming. The Australian Cruiser tank Mark 1 (Sentinel) is now safely at home in the Australian Armour & Artillery Museum in Cairns, and a virtual version will soon be appearing in both World of Tanks and World of Tanks Blitz.

The Sentinel was the only tank designed and mass-produced in Australia during World War II, and just seven of them remain in the world.

Until recently, this particular Sentinel was in Texas, USA, in the collection of the late Jacques Littlefield, founder of the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation. Wargaming has acquired the tank and has helped bring it home to Australia, where it will undergo some minor renovations before being shown off to the public.

Tracy Spaight, Director of Special Projects at Wargaming, explains:

Wargaming is passionate about history. We work with museums and nonprofits around the world to make sure that the vehicles of World War II are preserved for future generations. We are thus excited to bring the Sentinel tank back to Australia, where she was built, so that Australians can rediscover this piece of their country’s WWII heritage.

This is not the first time Wargaming has been so heavily invested in the real-world history it portrays in its games – the studio has also helped salvage a Dornier Do 17 bomber from the bottom of the English channel, and was involved in a commemorative re-creation of the Alaskan-Siberian Air Route.

We don’t yet have a date for the Sentinel’s grand debut in either World of Tanks or the Australian Armour & Artillery Museum, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted.