You can see the difference between the strategic level and the combat level. Also there are common beliefs like the average age of soldiers in WW2 was 26, in Vietnam it was 19. Only 24% survived the war unscathed. The most dangerous were the first and last five trips. This might sound simple, but when it's a moving target under the pressure of explosions, shouting and the roar of the . by JamesL 13 Nov 2009, 17:23, Post The stunning pictures show allied and Nazi tank crews as they took part in the final stages of World War Two. Bomber operations were extremely stressful and frequently perilous, with a random chance of death or horrific injury. The Yakushev family and a specialist in renovation, Alexander Mikalutski, are the first. The vast majority of aircrew were in their late teens or early twenties. So, the Sherman may have had a lot of things going for it, but it never had a focus of keeping the occupants alive, because there was always more. Vladimir was trained as mechanic. He shipped off to the Pacific and was wounded in 1942 at the Battle of Guadalcanal, and for his efforts was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Russia continues to face high casualties and various setbacks a year into the war. by Inselaffe 17 Nov 2009, 18:53, Post If an aircraft flying over land was critically damaged, aircrew would have to bail out. If you want to change one spare part in a German tank you have to dismantle half of the machine, says Vladimir. It could fly across bridges.. Ella Kanahele killed the pilot by bashing his head in with a rock. Founded in 1999. Descriptions of the crews seems to indicate that their rides would get shot up but leave the crews more-or-less intact for the most part. The Germans didnt have that luxury. During its recovery, eight unexploded shells were taken from it. Almost 10,000 aircrew from Bomber Command became POWs. As relative losses reduced and crew experience increased things started to improve . The long barreled German 75mm had a very high velocity allowing Panthers to kill Shermans at a full kilometer. The KV-1 was feared by the Germans because its armour was too thick for their standard shells. Vladimir Yakushev recollects a unique discovery when they recovered a German Panzer III medium tank which fell into swamps in Vitebsk region. It will cover the responsibilities of each crew member. In August 1941 the crew of the Soviet tank commander Kolobanov in a KV-1 knocked out 22 German tanks within 30 minutes after setting an ambush near the city of Leningrad. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. The life expectancy for newly enlisted Spitfire pilots during the Battle of Britain was only around four weeks. When he was 17, he formally joined the Marines. Then there are mine clearers sent by the Ministry of Defence; they clear the area of mines, while ammunition is removed and destroyed. Initially the German high command was interested in a heavy breakthrough tank. The conditions are extremely difficult in hot weather: they have to work in thick jackets and hats even when it is 30C because of clouds of insects. The Winchester 350 Legend is built with hunters and sport shooters in mind, 350 Legend is versatile on the range and in the deer woods. He was fed and given a party. However, since there is already a vast amount of material published on the subject, Im only going to share the Cliff Notes. But the tank was still stuck and they had to blow it up. British forces felt that if they continually shelled Berlin, it would be demoralizing to the Germans. They use metal detectors and feel into the mire with special 8m-long (26ft) probes. Gruelling life of tank crews battling to win Second World War brought to life in powerful colour photographs The stunning pictures show allied and Nazi tank crews as they took part in the. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. "The rounds we fired from the C2 weighed about 40 lbs," Albert told us. The box contained enough concentrated food to last for 48 hours, or for seven days if they were flying over Germany. Where do these tanks go, after they have been restored? Keep in mind though, thats the production capacity of the entire US against the equivalent of one of its larger states. For example at the start of the war German tank driver training was very thorough for new recruits; whereas the level of training continued to be a problem for the Red Army well into 1942[3]. The battle involved about 2,000 tanks from both sides, including this KV-1. Chances of survival varied during a tour, depending on factors such as inexperience, fatigue, type of aircraft flown and target. Insect repellents do not help in marshes. David Fortier is with Paul Pluff of Ruger at 2022 Roundtable checking out Ruger's SFAR - Small Frame AR. They often spend nights near the marshes in a van. During the whole war, 51% of aircrew were killed on operations, 12% were killed or wounded in non-operational accidents and 13% became prisoners of war or evaders. During the main engagement on average a tank division lost in the few first days almost all tanks in inventory, however most could be repaired within a few days. Trevor Greenwood of the 9th Battalion Royal Tank Regiment gives us an insight into the fatigue and uncertainty he and his men experienced in the summer of 1944: speculation about our next move. But the tank renovators do not play favourites. The state military and industrial committee donated a self-propelled gun with similar parts, and the Belarussian Railways presented a traction engine converted from a self-propelled gun. All Rights Reserved. This made it more mobile in all conditions of terrain. Barkmann and his crew calmly took each one in turn. Not exactly high-tech. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from During the whole war, 51% of aircrew were killed on operations, 12% were killed or wounded in non-operational accidents and 13% becameprisoners of waror evaders. This is merely an attempt to give it a pertinent evaluation. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Perhaps more than any other historical event, World War II has provided fodder for Hollywood. The question is are there any official records to back this up, and also something that is specific to tank crews, excluding any other branches. It works, runs. That said, their use was mainly limited to Soviet and French tanks; and was not widely incorporated into British and American designs who preferred human loaders. From the very beginning we worked without a salary. German tanks couldnt match their opposites numerically, so they had to be more effective tank killers. The crew's equipment that was too bulky to keep inside the tank, such as blankets, tarps, musette bags, sleeping bags, ammunition bags, helmets, various changes of clothes, etc. 24%. Ben recovered and was given the Purple Heart. He enjoys sports, politics, comic books, and anything that has to do with history. His central exploits started on July 8th, 1944 in the area around Saint Lo, in the middle of hedgerow country. Soviet tanks were made to be assembled and fixed fast, because in the war time even children were welding such machines. The restoration team claims that some hulls they found were clearly made by children. Answer (1 of 12): It heavily depends. Royston spent more than 60 hours over several weeks carefully reworking the images in a bid to show younger generations that war was real and did not just take place in black and white like some see it. Its his responsibility to direct movements, give orders for engaging the enemy and decide what tactics to employ on the battlefield. It will try and cover the day-to-day routine of a tank crewmember. google-site-verification: google96b09b0c265e47f1.html . Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, there were plenty of young men eager to enlist in the military. Is there Delhi quota in Lady Hardinge Medical College? Several Americans were captured by the Japanese, tortured, killed and had their livers eaten. I have always thought it would be pretty low if I giant shell pierced the armour and exploded inside the tank but apparently a lot did survive. long-buried World War Two tanks back to life, The worlds biggest plane may have a new mission. The re-enactments also include rescued German vehicles, like this Kubelwagen, a German military jeep (Credit: Anton Skyba), At first we always drive the last restored tank, break it in, they say. Barkmann, like other panzer vets, would often dismount and get ahead of his tank to survey the area ahead. Fury shows just how vulnerable you were fighting in a Sherman tank. We want to create.. Here are six unsettling things about the war kids are not usually taught in school. They find help in archives and from older residents, some of whom were children during the war. Or, in a worst case scenario, if either the commander or the gunner was incapacitated, this could block the way and trap the loader inside.[7]. Barkmanns story is one of the more colorful, but it is not uncommon when it comes to German tank crews. The strongest frost we have ever had when sleeping in a van is -33C. Today the KV-1 has pretended to destroy two German tanks, a Panzer III and Panzer 38(t). Later that day, the Islanders found out about the attack via the radio. Going to see Fury you dont get that dreadful, nauseating smell of burnt flesh. You reach the place and then you have to crawl back. III force the Oued Maarouf River in Tunisia. One commonly misunderstood fact is that although the Panther hull armor was 80mm thick, it had an effectiveness of 138mm due to its 55 degree sloping. Many tanks lie in the vast expanses of swamp and forest in Belarus (Credit: Denis Aldokhin), There is a different problem in the summer. It weighed around 30 tons, was of similar speed, and was armed with the 75mm the Panzer MK IV would carry for the rest of the war. by Starace 13 Nov 2009, 15:14, Post "They are meant to show life of the tanks and crews in war working with the army in battle.". by Delta Tank 24 Dec 2009, 22:33, Post One of the toughest jobs in a tank crew is that of the gunner. Many thanks to Tut.by for allowing use of their photos of the tank recovery. Victims benefitted from the pioneering techniques introduced byArchibald McIndoe, civilian consultant plastic surgeon to the RAF, at his hospital inEast Grinstead. A short two page topic which has a good bit of info about this topic. Yet it was a luxury the Allies could afford. The Tank can be very marginally considered a science-fiction film it is set around a NASA habitat experiment designed for future Mars habitation something like this has not happened in real life so far, although it could very easily do so meaning that it does not exactly involve the speculative science that science . One example, a KV-1, was lifted up in November 2015 near Senno, in the Vitebsk region of Belarus. The other two crew members died, but Bush was rescued by a nearby United States submarine. Ayer incorporated this and other details he learned from veterans into the movie, like that every fifth bullet . The real skill lies in aiming, and getting your target locked onto sight. The restored KV-1 leaves the hangar to take part in a re-enactment. Panther 424 lasted 22 days in combat conditions, and kept its crew alive in spite of being damaged several times, and receiving multiple hits. The German, who stood seven-feet, three-inches tall, traveled the country and was billed as the giant from the Rhineland. His work with the circus also took him to Paris and New York, but once he returned to Germany, he was drafted into the Army. The crew (four or five or six) would sleep under a waterproof tarpaulin, in a row alongside their tank.. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. But to get to the point you may have to go five kilometres through marshes or snow. According to the vets, the life expectancy of a tank crew member was only six weeks. So, lets compare the Panther to what many consider to actually be the best tank of the war, the American M4 Sherman. That is not to say that it wasnt a dangerous job. The prisoner pleads for his life and shows both of them a photo of his wife and children. Older locals said the vehicle had sunk into soft ground near a spring, but nobody knew the exact location. Esprit de corps, that intangible quality that kept people together during the horrors and terrors of battle, was crucial in those metal boxes. The Germans were especially good at it. They were sustained by parcels of food, medicine and other comforts sent by the Red Cross. Other Navy pilots shot down during the operation werent so lucky. Those landing in occupied countries had more chance of evading capture. Others though have seen it as yet another waste of valuable resources by the German Army, and an example of why they lost. 76mm armed M4s would then be mixed in with units of 75mm armed M4s to provide a bit more firepower. This was a particularly straining job, particularly as the commander also had to maintain links with the squadron leader and execute order, whilst directing his own crew. He used another Panther to recover four Panthers cut off from German forces, and also rescued some captured German soldiers. We even ate the German chocolate from this tank, says Mikalutski. It does not store any personal data. by Author August 15, 2022 six weeksHis goal was to depict the reality of what it was like to be in the armored divisions fighting in World War II the life expectancy of a tank crew was six weeks. Now, a dedicated team of salvagers scour marsh and forest to find these forgotten reminders of World War Two. by Pips 21 Nov 2009, 03:16, Post The family, the Yakushevs are the most famous tank-hunters in Belarus. But it doesnt match, says Vladimir. #1 spidge RAAF RESEARCHER I had read that the life expectancy of a Sherman tank crewman in a pitched battle was about 40-50 minutes. The biggest number of tanks are left in the Stalin Line museum complex. I was once told a story by a World War II veteran who served as a radio operator in one of the British Army tank regiments. It was there German tanks first came up against the heavily armored British Matildas IIs against which their 20mm and 37mm guns had proven useless. Fury as an individual tank identity was a fictional one, but the type of tank M4A3E8 Sherman, Easy Eight, is a real WWII tank and they do exist even today. A US 1st Army study found that of tank crew casualities, the ratio was roughly one quarter were killed to three-quarters wounded. Some of them settle on plinths as monuments (practically every Belarusian town has one), while some become museum exhibits in Belarus or Russia. You were always far safer inside your tank than anywhere else. Bushs guilt about his survival had a profound effect on him. What you wont find is any reference to, well, you-know-what. Something went wrong, please try again later. It certainly had many excellent qualities, and a good crew could get the most out of it, but in the end sheer numbers and a lack of fuel did them in. As well as moving the tank, he also had to double up as a mechanic. In the extreme close quarters of the tank, the interplay between the crew members was incredibly important. Now the renovated tank is in the Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Minsk. Tank commander Sgt. Recruits were generally sourced through conscription. The KV-1 has joined an array of tanks at the Stalin Line museum restored by the team (Credit: Anton Skyba), When you have a good job, you dont need holidays, they joke. Camouflage net and a length of chain or rope. It is not just shells that see the light of day. Only two Germans were lightly wounded, and the only death was an elephant in the Berlin zoo. The incredible pictures were brought to life by Royston Leonard, 55, an electrician from Wales, who took the time to carefully colourise the photographs, highlighting the true occurrence of the war and the weapons used. In his book. Vladimir Yakushev says the crew wont trust others to drive the tanks not after the hard work they have put in (Credit: Anton Skyba). The KV-1 was a well-regarded vehicle, almost impervious to anti-tank weapons of the day; and it was armed with a powerful 76mm gun that could knock out any tank in German service. The Yakushevs BT-7 is the only working example left in the world (Credit: Anton Skyba). The US 3rd Armored Division would arrive in Normandy with 232 M4 Shermans, and suffer a loss rate of 580% by V-E Day. During training, they were allocated their main tasks based on rudimentary skills they revealed: radio operator, driver, or gunner. Yes, Germany produced only 6,000+ Panthers verses the 50,000+ Sherman M4 models. Subscriber Services. Based on their recent combat experience a request was put in for newer tank designs. Out on operation, the driver didnt have access to the tools, personnel or parts necessary to remedy damage taken during battle. "The pictures show the long journey to victory after D Day and the hard life of the tank crews, two of the photos show pictures from north Africa from the early part of the war," he said. Not all tanks are built the same. He wasnt overseas for long when he set off on a mission to attack a Japanese installation in Chichijima. The Yakushevs are not the only tank hunters in Belarus. On paper, the Panther holds an advantage in almost every category. Yoshio Harada, the only Japanese immigrant on the island, acted as a translator. But we had worked in Poisk for nine years and only received a salary for one year. Ayer, a veteran himself, committed himself to making a World War II film unlike any other with Fury, which opens October 17. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. This gun was just over 17 feet long. What was the lifespan of a tank in WW2? There are a couple of different statistics that show how dangerous it was to be a pilot during WWII and all of them are startling. I thought the majority of the "wet ammo storage" Shermans went to the Russians? It did need a few field repairs in between the exchanges of fire. So now were dedicating a series to help you escape. These machines became the donors for the tank. Increased incidence of burns and traumatic amputations. The KV-1 that they found needed five months of restoration. "There are hesh (high explosive squash head), sabot (big ass anti-armor dart), white phosphorus smoke, canister (like a huge shotgun shell), and heat (high explosive rounds.) Here is a snip from a U.S. Army website discussing WWII tank injuries.. Huge battles were fought, leaving the land strewn with dead bodies and ruined machines. It was difficult to see the enemy. He was absolutely right the BT-7 was discovered 10 metres (33ft) away from the current spring. Now, this story will likely not end the debate. Is rejection sensitive dysphoria only in ADHD? As just one of many Eastern Front veterans, he had to understand the limitations of his foe use them to his advantage. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. I think this is question a lot of people have, and I'm sure it gained some popularity after the release of Fury in 2014, but I've never come across a definitive answer in my research. Since then, Vladimir and his sons have taken dozens of armoured vehicles and almost every one has been restored to working condition. Isnt that the only measure we need from this machine? Also, most of the surviving Panthers were scrapped at the end of the war, and had no chance of further refits, so this is a moot point to claim. Food was always scarce and of poor quality, camps were cold in winter and often overcrowded. Other photographs show German artillerymen shooting Soviet tanks, while another exposes a more technically advanced and fearsome snow-covered German Panzer tank being used by two German soldiers .

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