Interesting tank facts

[martin goddard]

I thought we might share some interesting tank facts.
For amusement.

1. The Panzer III had two blue lights inside to tell the driver if the gun had been turned sideways. Left or right. Stops the gun being bashed  in a narrow pass.

Your turn.

martin

[Colonel Kilgore]

I thought we might share some interesting tank facts.
For amusement.

1. The Panzer III had two blue lights inside to tell the driver if the gun had been turned sideways. Left or right. Stops the gun being bashed  in a narrow pass.

Your turn.

martin

So blue if the gun slews left and, er, blue if it slews right? 

Simon

[John Watson]

Tanks were called tanks when the British started developing them as they wanted a nondescript word for them that would not give the Germans any idea what they might be. Just think they could have been called daffodils or strawberries.
What did you do at the weekend? I went to the Daffodil museum at Bovington. What was your favourite exhibit? The Vickers light Daffodil.
John

[Bankinista]

 There was more to it than that. Any glimpse of the items/ drawings etc. could justify a "liquid storage" tank title. Maybe rather than "daffodil" we should think of the possibility of "metal sheds", "tough storage" or the like.

Derek of Cambridge

[Sean Clark]

But I like John's interpretation 

[Colonel Kilgore]

There is a detailed explanation of all this next to Little Willie in the Bovington Tank Museum, of course 

Simon

[Sean Clark]

Apparently the Sherman wasn't commonly referred to as a Sherman during WW2. It's was more commonly referred to as the M4.

[Colonel Kilgore]

That is interesting, Sean.

Was that the case in both US and Commonwealth units, do you know?

Simon

[Panzer21]

The last engagements between Shermans and Panzer IVs and Stugs was in 1967......
Admittedly, the Shermans had been significantly upgunned with 75mm and 105mm guns.....

Six Day War. On the Golan, the most common Israeli tank were M50 and M51 Shermans and the Syrians were using dug-in Panzer IVs (from France, Spain and Czechoslovakia) as well as Stugs, and a few Jagdpanzer IV and Hummels.

Neil

[martin goddard]

Tanks were often designed to fit railway carriages and tunnels.

martin

[Colonel Kilgore]

Tanks were often designed to fit railway carriages and tunnels.

martin

Didn't the British Mark IV have retractable sponsons for that very purpose?

Simon

[John Watson]

British tanks were designed so that they could be transported by rail. So if Brunel had won the battle of the gauges and we had kept broad gauge, we might have had bigger tanks in WW2.
John

[Colonel Kilgore]

But then we'd have got our tanks stuck in French tunnels, John?

Simon

[martin goddard]

Agreed Simon. They just unbolted and removed them.
The Tiger 1 had a special set of  narrow tracks to allow it to get transported by rail.

martin

[martin goddard]

The Early Crusader hatch was very dangerous. It slid forward like a big guillotine blade if not fully secured.
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martin