VLIELAND LEOPARDS - END OF THE LINE

60 foto a colori e a piena pagina (21 x 15) degli ultimi Leopard in esercitazione su suolo olandese sull’isola di Vlieland nel 2004. Le foto rivelano ogni minimo dettaglio di questo corazzato dell’esercito olandese.

This is a photographic document of the end of the line for Dutch Army Leopards. Granted the subject is a little sad, but the author and photographer, Dirk Bruin, has captured the essence and beauty of these hard targets with some wonderful photography. Sixty photographs each have a page to themselves. Printed on 170 gsm silk paper, the quality of the photographs comes through. This is not just another tank book, it is a study of the end of days for these machines. A lot of atmosphere – and a lot of detail – is captured in these photographs. Dirk Bruin was born and raised on the island of Vlieland, lying off the north coast of the Netherlands. He has a life-long fascination with the island’s history, past and present. He has dived on many North Sea wrecks. Over the years, as a professional photographer, he has gathered together an impressive portfolio of range targets – and many other subjects – on his native island. When the news came that the tank gunnery range would be closed in 2004, Dirk decided to photograph the target area in detail. This book therefore marks the tenth anniversary of the withdrawal of the Dutch Army from it’s only live firing range on home territory. This has now become an interesting historical document of what has been – and will never return.