Military Channel Tank Overhaul Series 2 Episode 2. The Elephant

Welcome to a world where military geeks, mechanics, and eccentric millionaires are living a dream with blowtorches, industrial lathes and hi-tech electronics, restoring four notable battle tanks from wars past. Each episode follows one tank's story: the rebuild; the innovations that made each machine great, and the engineering flaws that proved fatal. Unique serial numbers lead us to re-trace each tank's forged-in-war history: discovering where it was made, the battles it fought and the often tragic end of its fighting career. Once the hard work is over, we see the machines sputter and roar to life.

Episode 2. The Elephant
One of the largest heaviest tank destroyers ever built, the Elephant was brilliant on paper and terrifying to behold. But in 1943, the Germans sent it into battle without having ever tested it. Under fire, the massive monster turned out to be a sitting duck for courageous Soviet fighters who learned they could disable it with a simple Molotov cocktail.The Elephant is possible the rarest surviving tank from World War 2. Only 90 were ever built and now only two are thought to exist. At the US Army Ordnance Museum, you will see a crack team restore a rusted beat up machine that has been left on the sidelines since 1944.