THE UNITED STATES was unprepared for war in 1941. In the year prior to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, American factories produced just 365 tanks. Within two years, output would skyrocket to more than 10,000 armored vehicles per year. In all, U.S. manufacturers would churn out a staggering 5 million tanks, half-tracks, jeeps and trucks before hostilities ended. Today, all but a tiny fraction of these fighting machines still exist. Thousands were damaged or destroyed in combat, more were sold off to allies, mothballed and then finally scrapped. Only a handful remain as museum pieces. American Insurance, providers of trusted and low-cost auto, life, home and health insurance, has compiled this list of must-see wartime vehicle collections in the United States. Check them out at: AmericanInsurance.com.

Virginia Museum of Military Vehicles

Way back in 1982 Allan Cors acquired his first antique military vehicle; an old surplus Second World War jeep. From there his passion for vintage military hardware only grew. As the years passed, Cors laid his hands on a remarkable assortment army trucks, command cars, tanks and armoured personnel carriers. In 1989, he put it all on display for the public. For the past 30 years, his museum, located in rural Nokesville, Virginia has been home to literally dozens of war machines. From U.S. and British Second World War models to Soviet and European vehicles from the Cold War, the Virginia Museum of Military Vehicles has it all. Check it out at http://vmmv.org/.

U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum

Located in Huntsville, Alabama, the U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum is famous for military equipment, artifacts and memorabilia from the Revolutionary War to present day. The collection includes essential and rare artifacts, including a Ford Pygmy, one of the first prototypes of the classic U.S. Army jeep. You’ll also find tanks, helicopter gunships, river boats, artillery, uniforms and all manner of weaponry. The museum is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check them out at www.memorialmuseum.org

Museum of the American GI

If it’s tanks you’re looking for, check out the Museum of the American GI, in College Station, Texas. In addition to an assortment of Second World War-era tanks, tank destroyers and scout cars, their collection includes a restored Renault FT-17 tank that looks like it just rolled of the Western Front of 1918. You’ll also find a series of fascinating and informative exhibits exploring the history of America’s fighting men and women. For more information, visit: www.americangimuseum.org

U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum

The U.S. Army’s own Fort Lee is home to a museum commemorating the long and storied history of the Quartermaster Corps. Its collection of original flags, uniforms, weapons and equipment dating back to as far as the War of Independence is only part of the story; visitors can also get up-close-and-personal with jeeps and scout cars, but also vehicles you’re not likely to see elsewhere, like a Civil War-era ambulance and a First World War mobile field kitchen. See www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil for more.

Transportation Museum of the U.S. Army

Planes, trains and automobiles – it’s all part of the collection at the U.S. Army’s own Transportation Museum. If it’s military and it rolls, flies or rumbles, you’re likely to find it here. Located in Fort Eustis, Virginia, the facility features exhibits that cover every American conflict from the First World War right up to the War on Terror and includes a number of pavilions that are home to air, sea and ground fighting machines. Perhaps the most famous of the of the museum’s 7,000 items is Eve of Destruction, a Vietnam War-era armoured “gun truck” brought home from South East Asia. Check it out here: www.transportation.army.mil/museum/index.html