Nearly four years ago...

[Bjoern]

...I took those during a show exercise.

Quite hard to get good shots through the mirror system, especially when driving. :isadizzy: :icon_lol:
9870

9871


Tool of the trade:
9876



That one was an exceptionally lucky one. CRT displays and digital cameras normally don't like each other.
9872

[Bjoern]

For funsies: More.

9877


9880


Oh I miss those days...feeling like the king of the battlefield, getting shaken like a good cocktail due to weak suspension, almost burning your hands while checking oil levels after every day...

[Wing_Z]

Cool stuff...tanks are always laden with such arcane hardware.
What do you do with all those X's hanging off the front?
And, are those rubber-faced tracks?

[Piglet]

Cool shots!
Like the one of the Geopold(sp?) AA tank.
Those X's are track gousers, for increased traction on icy or muddy surfaces, I think.
Modern tracked vehicles often have rubber blocks imbedded into the tread links. Helps keep the roads from getting chewed up. And helps dampen vibration.

[Matt Wynn]

For funsies: More.
Oh I miss those days...feeling like the king of the battlefield,

Unless you have jump wings on your shoulder and enjoy being surrounded you can't be king ;) :icon_lol:

remember God is Airborne ;) :icon_lol:

jokes aside Great Shots Bjoern, always great to see armour rolling in when the sh*t hits the fan :salute:

[Lionheart]

Cool shots Bjoern.

I'll bet you guys had some great fun driving those beasts through the countryside.

<--- ex-Panzer Commander game freak from many years ago... going online with multiplayer was a kick in the pants. Horrible though when someone had a great shot at people coming in. You had to move fast and find a hiding spot to start getting a bearing on all the enemy positions...

[Matt Wynn]

only tank game i played was.... Armoured Fist, that was quite fun... until the choppers came in.... then i started using my ABRAMS for anti-Air amazing what a HEAT round can do to a Chopper :icon_lol:

[Piglet]

I wish some one would release a mod-enabled updated version of Panzer Commander...
Combat Tank Simulator?

[Prowler1111]

Cool shots!
Like the one of the Geopold(sp?) AA tank.
Those X's are track gousers, for increased traction on icy or muddy surfaces, I think.
Modern tracked vehicles often have rubber blocks imbedded into the tread links. Helps keep the roads from getting chewed up. And helps dampen vibration.

It´s the Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard, AA twin gun..

Prowler

[Bone]

Now that's heavy metal! Cool shots, Bjoern.

[redriver6]

Now that's heavy metal! Cool shots, Bjoern.

i agree...

so nobody but me does T-34 vs. Tiger?

[Lionheart]

i agree...

so nobody but me does T-34 vs. Tiger?

ahhh... Nice looking shots! Bump mapping...

I wonder if this is at Steam?

[Willy]

I wish some one would release a mod-enabled updated version of Panzer Commander...
Combat Tank Simulator?

At one time early on with CFS 3, we were making the tanks and some of the ground vehicles drivable and using that for a tank sim. I had a great time tooling around the French countryside in a Sherman and shooting the place up. Street battles in Paris were also a hoot.

[tigisfat]

Those are super cool pics! If only I could be 18-50 about 20 times, then I could live alll the various careers I'd like.


I've always wondered how banged up you'd get sitting up at the top while the tank is smashing and bucking it's way through rough terrain.

[txnetcop]

Unless you have jump wings on your shoulder and enjoy being surrounded you can't be king ;) :icon_lol:

remember God is Airborne ;) :icon_lol:

jokes aside Great Shots Bjoern, always great to see armour rolling in when the sh*t hits the fan :salute:

AMEN!!! 101ST Screaming Eagles "Rendezvous With Destiny" But hey Bjoern,:salute: thank you for your service to democracy...I still can't believe they turned you lose with a tank LOL!
Ted

[Matt Wynn]

...I still can't believe they turned you lose with a tank LOL!
Ted

Took the thoughts right out of my head, at least he was driver and not Gunner i suppose... :icon_lol:

[Cazzie]

First of all, great shots Bjoern, enjoyed the perspective. :ernae:

But hey, Helldiver, TARPS, c'mon ya Navy swabs, these airborne and armor brats are pulling rank on us sea legs! :d

Caz

[txnetcop]

See what you started Bjoern...:173go1:
Ted
Ahh what the heck... AIRBORNE! Can't stop, GOTTA GO, ALL THE WAY!!! Might as well add a little go juice to the fire LOL

[Matt Wynn]

surrounded..... Always, Weapon at the ready scanning your sectors.... Always, facing your enemy man to man..... hardcore! it's easy to be confident in war when you're sat in a nearly impenetrable metal box, to jump out of a plane, in the dark with nearly 200lbs of kit strapped to you takes real nerves... as 'Montgomery of El Alamein' once said...

"They are firstly, all volunteers and are then toughened by hard physical training. As a result they have that infectious optimism and that offensive eagerness which comes from physical well being. They have jumped from the air and by doing so have conquered fear.

Their duty lies in the van of battle; they are proud of this honour and have never failed in any task. They have the highest standards in all things whether it is skills in battle or smartness in the execution of all peacetime duties. They have shown themselves to be as tenacious and determined in defence as they are courageous in attack. They are in fact, men apart - every man an Emperor.

Of all the factors, which make for success in battle, the spirit of the warrior is the most decisive. That spirit will be found in full measure in the men who wear the Maroon Beret."

Ted reckon that should fuel it some more?.... the Armoured Farmers... them lot just ain't right... :icon_lol: can't beat a bit of inter-unit joking :icon_lol:

[txnetcop]

I hope we can keep the inter-service rivalry fun, but hey were are the navy, marine and airforce guys??? I still can't believe they would turn a future engineering student loose with a loaded tank LOL!

[safn1949]

I spent 2 weeks with you guys once,mind you it was in gas powered M-48's so it was a day or 2 ago.:d

[Cazzie]

I love the rivalry Ted, always fun unless some jerk gets out-of-hand, you got those in the branches of the armed services of the world, regardless of race, creed, or religion.

But most of them wear olive and khaki. :d:running:

Caz

[Matt Wynn]

But most of them wear olive and khaki. :d:running:

Caz

Navy wears white, more or less flags of surrender uniform :icon_lol:

[safn1949]

surrounded..... Always, Weapon at the ready scanning your sectors.... Always, facing your enemy man to man..... hardcore! it's easy to be confident in war when you're sat in a nearly impenetrable metal box, to jump out of a plane, in the dark with nearly 200lbs of kit strapped to you takes real nerves... as 'Montgomery of El Alamein' once said...

"They are firstly, all volunteers and are then toughened by hard physical training. As a result they have that infectious optimism and that offensive eagerness which comes from physical well being. They have jumped from the air and by doing so have conquered fear.

Their duty lies in the van of battle; they are proud of this honour and have never failed in any task. They have the highest standards in all things whether it is skills in battle or smartness in the execution of all peacetime duties. They have shown themselves to be as tenacious and determined in defence as they are courageous in attack. They are in fact, men apart - every man an Emperor.

Of all the factors, which make for success in battle, the spirit of the warrior is the most decisive. That spirit will be found in full measure in the men who wear the Maroon Beret."

Ted reckon that should fuel it some more?.... the Armoured Farmers... them lot just ain't right... :icon_lol: can't beat a bit of inter-unit joking :icon_lol:

See,I have to follow the advice of my drill Sgt,SSG Upchurch,a fine man who said "the only thing that falls from the sky is birdcrap and fools".He was a vet of the 82nd Airborne in Nam.
:d (Navy? Oh yea,the guy's who deliver the supplies,thanks fella's.)
http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/yy289/safn1949/th_m60a1.jpg (http://s800.photobucket.com/albums/yy289/safn1949/?action=view&current=m60a1.jpg)

[Matt Wynn]

See,I have to follow the advice of my drill Sgt,SSG Upchurch,a fine man who said "the only thing that falls from the sky is birdcrap and fools".He was a vet of the 82nd Airborne in Nam.
:d (Navy? Oh yea,the guy's who deliver the supplies,thanks fella's.)
][/URL]

Funny you should say that, one of the nicknames of the Parachute regiment is 'Birdsh*t', and if i hear another tanker call us infantry guys 'Speedbumps' or 'crunchies'.... :icon_lol:

[HouseHobbit]

I have spent many hours wrapped in the steel of my M-60 tank, and in M-577's, M-113's and a dozen other allied and Russian armor..

Got my jump wings, and jumped 29 times..
I still to this day can't work out why a man has to leave a perfectly good flying aircraft..
I HATED JUMPING, Hobbits do Bounch well, but not from height..

All who are combat arms, know that no matter what you are in, armor, or just in a hole in the ground.It all comes down to keeping ones self alive and your squad members safe..
So to all here that are among us, ground pounders
Bravo.. and I salute you..:salute:

To the rest either get out of the way or watch Us roll over top of you..
Hardcore Tanker and very Proud of it..

And to the navy boys and Fly Boys, Don't worry we will always keep you safe..
:icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol:

[Bjoern]

Cool stuff...tanks are always laden with such arcane hardware.
What do you do with all those X's hanging off the front?
And, are those rubber-faced tracks?

|
v


Those X's are track gousers, for increased traction on icy or muddy surfaces, I think.
Modern tracked vehicles often have rubber blocks imbedded into the tread links. Helps keep the roads from getting chewed up. And helps dampen vibration.

You're right, but even replacing every eighth rubber pad with those gousers couldn't stop a tank from skidding.
I was in tank driving school during a snowy winter and things got pretty slippery and interesting once you drove a trail for the second time.




Unless you have jump wings on your shoulder and enjoy being surrounded you can't be king ;) :icon_lol:

remember God is Airborne ;) :icon_lol:

That'd mean the G-man is a nutjob since 90% of the paras I've ever met are some. :icon_lol: ;)
(Seriously, who in the world makes their NCO eat a live frog for 20€s?!? :isadizzy:)


jokes aside Great Shots Bjoern, always great to see armour rolling in when the sh*t hits the fan :salute:We're there to save the day. :d

But then again, we'd be nothing without mechanized infantry. They keep us safe from thpose pesky RPGs after all.




<--- ex-Panzer Commander game freak from many years ago... going online with multiplayer was a kick in the pants. Horrible though when someone had a great shot at people coming in. You had to move fast and find a hiding spot to start getting a bearing on all the enemy positions...

My favourite "tank game" is BF1942 with Forgotten Hope. The single player is a bit of a letdown since the bots can see through everything, but in multiplayer you can have a great deal of fun if you know your panzer tactics. Hiding in bushes and between houses, hull-down positions, etc...
Also, the vehicles are pretty relistically modeled (for the Bf42 engine) in terms of armor and weapons. A Tiger is nearly indestructible, a Sherman is only dangerous with good tactics and in big numbers, etc...




only tank game i played was.... Armoured Fist, that was quite fun... until the choppers came in.... then i started using my ABRAMS for anti-Air amazing what a HEAT round can do to a Chopper :icon_lol:

Don't laugh, but using HEAT or SABOTs against choppers is a valid, real tactic for tanks!




I wish some one would release a mod-enabled updated version of Panzer Commander...
Combat Tank Simulator?

Well, there's still Steel Beasts for modern armor (a $120+ sim!) and the tanks in Red Orchestra are pretty cool too.




It´s the Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard, AA twin gun..

Exactly. They were officially phased out two months ago, but will be used until the new relacement AA system is ready.




I've always wondered how banged up you'd get sitting up at the top while the tank is smashing and bucking it's way through rough terrain.

Well, you technically are allowed to let infantrymen sit on the engine cover, secured with rope but then you'll lose the ability to turn the turret.
From what I've heard it isn't pretty good for your back up there, especially at high speeds.

[Bjoern]

I still can't believe they turned you lose with a tank LOL!

I know why they did: I'm *that* good. :d




I spent 2 weeks with you guys once,mind you it was in gas powered M-48's so it was a day or 2 ago.:d




http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/yy289/safn1949/th_m60a1.jpg (http://s800.photobucket.com/albums/yy289/safn1949/?action=view&current=m60a1.jpg)

Beautiful!

Germany used M47s and -48s as reserve MBTs until enough Leopard 2s were in service.

[CG_1976]

Yummy Armour Pops to us in the Arctic:salute:

[Bjoern]

So...here's some more...
9937993899399940

Number one is for our birdshi-..err...paras. :icon_lol:
Air-droppable, 110hp VW engine, two tons of weight and a TOW.

Number two was on transit from the barracks to the training grounds. The civilians living in the region are used to those columns. The whole area is Germany's second biggest training ground with guests from all over Europe and the world. I've had the honor to drive an egyptian general and explain what the Leopard is capable of because I was the only one on board who didn't speak english german style. :icon_lol:
The other international guests were two american SSgts on an exchange visit. The one riding in my tank, an infantryman, was audibly having fun during our demonstration ride. The other SSgt was not that impressed...because he commanded a M1A1 for a living. :icon_lol:

Numbers three and four are for our flyboys. Stone age equipment at (demonstration) work. :d

[Bjoern]

Proof that Munster (just a "u", not a "ü") is Germany's "tanker town": The german tank museum.

99429943

Left: Panther. Right: Sturmtiger (38cm mortar on Tiger I chassis)

99449945

Left: Merkava. Right: Twin cannon-armed tank hunter prototype, M47(?) and maybe a recovery M47.



There's much more. Oh, and did I forget to mention that the Panther is basically ready to drive? :d

[Jagdflieger]

Bjoern,

Danke Vielmals fuer die Fotos von Ihrer Dienstzeit. Ich muss jetzt nach Munster fahren um das Panzermuseum zu besichtigen.

Thanks for the photos of your service. I'll have to go to Munster now to see the tank museum.

Gibt es einen Koenigstiger im ersten Foto?

Is not number one a King Tiger?

Speaking of escorting foreign military officers, I once was assigned to escort a Thai special colonel (brigadier general). While I spoke Thai pretty well at the time and he spoke English about as well, our best mutual language was German. We turned a few heads while talking in German on an American army base!

[safn1949]

That's a Sherman chassis recovery vehicle,I'm almost sure an M-48A5 with 105 main gun.The twin gun looks like a Leopard 1 chassis,I blew the photo way up in paint.

It was in 1975 that I was on that M-48,the Germans were just starting to get Leopard 1's.We used the M-47 for targets,some of them in spotless condition.The 105mm heat round would go right thru them in a hurry,front slope,front of the turret or the mantle it didn't matter. Kaboom. :d

[Bjoern]

Gibt es einen Koenigstiger im ersten Foto?

Is not number one a King Tiger?

Holy heck, you're right!

Yes, it's a Tiger II, but not in driveable condition.

Geez, that's a bit embarassing now. :redf:


Anyways, here's the Panther:
10002



Speaking of escorting foreign military officers, I once was assigned to escort a Thai special colonel (brigadier general). While I spoke Thai pretty well at the time and he spoke English about as well, our best mutual language was German. We turned a few heads while talking in German on an American army base!So German is a world language after all! :icon_lol:




That's a Sherman chassis recovery vehicle,I'm almost sure an M-48A5 with 105 main gun.The twin gun looks like a Leopard 1 chassis,I blew the photo way up in paint.

Yeah, must be a Sherman indeed. Just noticed the fairly small running wheels.
Also right for the tank destroyer, the chassis looks supiciously like a Leopard 1.


It was in 1975 that I was on that M-48,the Germans were just starting to get Leopard 1's.We used the M-47 for targets,some of them in spotless condition.The 105mm heat round would go right thru them in a hurry,front slope,front of the turret or the mantle it didn't matter. Kaboom. :dIt's cool what a tank round can do. We were told a story of a SABOT that hit the commander's hatch, which was left open, on a target tank. The steel door was found a mile away from the target later on. :d

And speaking of M47s as targets...
10003

10004

Those are located in Hannover's exercise area and look pretty battered.
(Yeah, the middle vehicle is a Priest.)

[safn1949]

Holy heck, you're right!

Yes, it's a Tiger II, but not in driveable condition.

Geez, that's a bit embarassing now. :redf:


Anyways, here's the Panther:
10002


So German is a world language after all! :icon_lol:





Yeah, must be a Sherman indeed. Just noticed the fairly small running wheels.
Also right for the tank destroyer, the chassis looks supiciously like a Leopard 1.

It's cool what a tank round can do. We were told a story of a SABOT that hit the commander's hatch, which was left open, on a target tank. The steel door was found a mile away from the target later on. :d

And speaking of M47s as targets...
10003

10004

Those are located in Hannover's exercise area and look pretty battered.
(Yeah, the middle vehicle is a Priest.)

Interesting,notice the guntube.It has suffered a catastrophic internal explosion by the looks of it and the M-47 itself has been destroyed by fire.It doesn't appear to have been used as a main gun target.There is a lack of damage to the hull and turret.We found that the turret roof would fail and blow off after about 5 solid HEAT hits.:d

[Jagdflieger]

When my son was younger, I had permission to take him to one of our anti-tank ranges. We had an old M-40A1 Recoless Rifle and lots of ammo to shoot. The old 106mm RR round had a HEP projectile which means High-Explosive-Plastic. It is made from a malable platic explosive that forms to the armor face when it hits and then a base fuse ignites it as it comes through the explosive and strikes the armor. The desired effect is to blow a scab of armor off the inside of the tank with dire effects for the crew.

At any rate, there were several old M113 APCs a kilometer or so from us. We ranged in on one facing us and my son put the HEP round right into the glacis plate. The HEP round blew most of the 6 foot (2 meter) square front plate strait up into the air for at least 500 feet before it came back down.

[Matt Wynn]

It is made from a malable platic explosive that forms to the armor face when it hits and then a base fuse ignites it as it comes through the explosive and strikes the armor. The desired effect is to blow a scab of armor off the inside of the tank with dire effects for the crew.

Gotta love a shaped Charge for blowing nice chunks off'a things, and yeah hundres if not thousands of pieces of steel zinging around the compartments would ruin your day a bit...

[Bjoern]

Interesting,notice the guntube.It has suffered a catastrophic internal explosion by the looks of it and the M-47 itself has been destroyed by fire.It doesn't appear to have been used as a main gun target.There is a lack of damage to the hull and turret.We found that the turret roof would fail and blow off after about 5 solid HEAT hits.:d

I don't know what the heaviest equipment the MP batallion in Hannover has, is but it certainly doesn't have anything larger than an APC which would mean Marders with a 20mm cannon.
Or even less than that.

Or those targets came from somewhere else where they've suffered a bit more at the hands of tank rounds.

It's a mystery...




Gotta love a shaped Charge for blowing nice chunks off'a things, and yeah hundres if not thousands of pieces of steel zinging around the compartments would ruin your day a bit...

I'd prefer getting hit by a SABOT then since it creates kind of a vaccuum effect inside the compartment which kills the crew nearly instantaneously.
Better than getting riddled by sharpnel and bleeding out while being totally conscious.

[peter12213]

Gotta love a shaped Charge for blowing nice chunks off'a things, and yeah hundres if not thousands of pieces of steel zinging around the compartments would ruin your day a bit...

the shaped charge, is a copper cone with explosive behind it that burns through the armour here..


http://www.qinetiq.com/home/newsroom/news_releases_homepage/2007/2nd_quarter/qinetiq__shell_and.Par.43210.File.tmp/Shaped%20Charge%20illustration.JPG
The HESH round or High explosive squash head as we call it is the one that hits the target and causes the scab of metal to blow off inside turning everyone into pink mush!
Here ...
http://armor.kiev.ua/ptur/weapon/ris28.jpg

Supprised you got that one wrong Matt being in the 'Army' and all that!