The 5 Most Exciting (And Gross) Realities Of Life In A Tank

[EpicBeardedMan]

I was wondering if this stuff is true? I am interested in a few different trades (hence my name), and am trying to gather information on them. I want the honest truth, is life in a tank really like this? If it isn’t why would he say it was like this? Wouldn’t that turn away possible recruits?

Thank you

Why wouldnt it be true? A search on this site will give you more information from /about crewmen.

 

[ConsideringCareers…]

Why wouldnt it be true? A search on this site will give you more information from /about crewmen.

It just seems kinda odd I guess, that there would be the possibility for burning liquid to spew all over you, and that you could easily get an arm or a leg crushed by the movement of the tank.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Loachman]

Heavy machinery comes with hazards.

Flying is fun and satisfying, but also has hazards. I've lost quite a few friends and colleagues in flying accidents. People make mistakes (even a trivial one can kill), get confused, disoriented, distracted, or misled, and things sometimes break.

Farmers and railway crews are two civilian occupations that are hazardous because of heavy machinery. Derailments (track breakages, vehicle strikes, washouts, rockslides, crushes between railcars during coupling/uncoupling operations (the latter happened to an engineer friend of mine) are not uncommon on railways, and tractors can overturn and crush farmers, who also occasionally succumb to silo gas or get limbs caught in other farm machinery.

Stuffed into a manoeuvering metal box, surrounded by large quantities of fuel, hot hydraulic fluid, and explosives, with limited vision, rough terrain, and confusing/rapidly changing tactical situation - what could possibly go wrong? With slight word changes, that also applies to ships and aircraft.

 

[ConsideringCareers…]

Heavy machinery comes with hazards.

Flying is fun and satisfying, but also has hazards. I've lost quite a few friends and colleagues in flying accidents. People make mistakes (even a trivial one can kill), get confused, disoriented, distracted, or misled, and things sometimes break.

Farmers and railway crews are two civilian occupations that are hazardous because of heavy machinery. Derailments (track breakages, vehicle strikes, washouts, rockslides, crushes between railcars during coupling/uncoupling operations (the latter happened to an engineer friend of mine) are not uncommon on railways, and tractors can overturn and crush farmers, who also occasionally succumb to silo gas or get limbs caught in other farm machinery.

Stuffed into a manoeuvering metal box, surrounded by large quantities of fuel, hot hydraulic fluid, and explosives, with limited vision, rough terrain, and confusing/rapidly changing tactical situation - what could possibly go wrong? With slight word changes, that also applies to ships and aircraft.

Huh, didn’t think of it that way.

Thank you for the reply Loachman!

 

[medicineman]

It just seems kinda odd I guess, that there would be the possibility for burning liquid to spew all over you, and that you could easily get an arm or a leg crushed by the movement of the tank.

Thanks for the reply!

Seen more than a few accidents because of things going wrong in armoured vehicles...

MM

 

[Franko]

Some of it is true, most is exaggerated. Driving through a wall was an outright lie after I made a few phone calls.

The RPG thing is true. They're junk and don't do anything except let us know where you're hiding.

Regards

 

[ConsideringCareers…]

Some of it is true, most is exaggerated. Driving through a wall was an outright lie after I made a few phone calls.

The RPG thing is true. They're junk and don't do anything except let us know where you're hiding.

Regards

Okay lol, at first thought I doubted the whole wall thing, then I thought “Well, I wasn’t the one who fought in one, so I guess I’m wrong.”.

 

[Loachman]

Townspeople in Germany were always relieved to find out that we were moving in with helicopters and not tanks.

And we never crushed a poor lady's car somewhere north of Lahr.

 

[George Wallace]

........... Driving through a wall was an outright lie after I made a few phone calls.

I have no idea what or whom you are replying to, but it would seem that you may not have made the right phone calls, or have your 'incidents' mixed up.  There have been instances of tanks going through walls (at least in Germany).  Wet Cobblestones and a night move come to mind, where a tank did go through a wall of a house.  No one was injured in that case.  If it is a case in Canada, a young Trooper of mine put a Lynx through the Canteen wall in C-40 (a few months before I arrived back at the Regt). 

Other tank incidents, not necessarily all Canadian, have included the crew being electrocuted when their antenna contacted railroad power lines (US Army); crews suffocating when their tank rolled over on its turret (Gagetown), and caught fire; driver decapitated exiting Dvr Hatch (RCD Lahr); and members being crushed to death in the turret (RCD Lahr) are just a few.  Some are very tragic.  Some result in personal injury or property damage and could result in some cash payout.  Some are humourous, yet still show the danger of working on armour vehicles. 

If you want to discuss the "Corn Field Incident", I know for a fact that was true.  I personally know the Sqn Comd and many in that Sqn who were the 'culprits'.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Those are just the peace time hazards. In wartime, somebody is also going to try to punch very high velocity holes in your vehicle. The human body reacts poorly to that scenario.

 

[Loachman]

I have no idea what or whom you are replying to, but it would seem that you may not have made the right phone calls, or have your 'incidents' mixed up.

I think that he meant that particular incident in the subject article.

 

[Franko]

I think that he meant that particular incident in the subject article.

Specifically we figured out who the author was and did a little bit of sleuthing by talking to people who worked with him/ were his supervisor. That's the benefit of having a small tanker community.

Regards

 

[ConsideringCareers…]

What are the differences (in relation to this article) between life in a tank and life in an Armd Recce vehicle.

Thank you!

Also, what happened in this “corn field incident”, did they write something in a field with their tracks?

 

[Lumber]

The RPG thing is true. They're junk and don't do anything except let us know where you're hiding.
Regards

Obviously I know better that to trust Hollywood, but having never worked with Tanks or RPGs of any kind, I didn't know how far off the mark they really were. They make it seem like RPG-7s are tank killers.

Actually, I'm pretty sure the media does that as well...