Marine Takes Short Trip in Iraqi Tank

AP ^ | April 14, 2003

[Dark Wing]

A "Boys and their toys" ping!

[El Gato]

Hold muh beer alert?

Nope, a "Hold muh Condoleezza Alert maybe. :)

[El Gato]

Only would have been a "Hold Muh Beer" alert if he'd tried the autoloader....been known to amputate arms

While trying to "load" the gunner into the breech, as I understand it. I think the Russians have finally given up on the thing. At least I seem to remember reading that somewhere or other. :)

[El Gato]

I don't know if it is different in the T-72, but I once tried to get in the drivers seat of a T-60. No figgen way and I was 5'10, 160. The thing must of been driven by munchkins.

You were way beyond the specs for a Soviet tanker. Which, IIRC, cut off at about 5'6" or thereabouts. Lots of "short" genes in the former Soviet Union I guess, particularly Georgians and "Mongols".

[green team 1999]

good posting,thanks.

[algol]

Reduced food intake as a kid will do that too. It's just the opposite here these days, I swear half the (male) kids at the local high school are taller than me, and I'm 6 ft.

[Billthedrill]

"No, Captain, that is not carry-on luggage. You'll have to check your tank like everyone else."

[bonesmccoy]

Actually, mechanically speaking, the female body has a higher center of gravity than male bodies. So, it is possible that a particularly muscular female of Eastern European extraction could lift and huck a round better than males, provided they could get the momentum working for them.

[July 4th]

Yeah, nutrition is a big part of it. But it also didn't help that a great many of the Russians who were seen to excel were often tall, and eliminated in the Purges.

[MHGinTN]

I'd be willing to bet, not one Soldier over there calls his rifle 'Hillary' or 'Bill' ... unless it jams frequently despite frequent cleaning.

[exit82]

Because of the extreme disgust X-42 registers with me, I can't resist the following comment:

"I named my rifle Bill Clinton, because every time I pass a sink, it shoots."

It also shoots at fat chicks"

Thank you--feeling much better now.

[rmlew]

Anyone else remember the scene from Goldeneye where Bond drives a T-72 through Moscow?

[SENTINEL]

[briant]

There weren't any U.S. troops other than his own unit in the area, so there was no danger of his being mistaken for a renegade Iraqi.

But Schmitt confined his driving to the grove, out of fear that if he drove the tank farther into the neighborhood he would get shot by Marines.

When I first saw the title, I thought it would be a Darwin candidate.

[Rockpile]

"Even if they T-72 is capable of firing rounds faster than the M1-A1, it doesn't matter. The M1-A1 can kill targets from longer ranges and reliably kills its target with its first shot."

They went for a crew of three in order to man more vehicles. For instance with 600 tankers you could field 200 T72s vis-a-vis 150 with a four man crew.

Problem is that a four man crew is just plain better.

[tutstar]

ping

[Paleo Conservative]

They went for a crew of three in order to man more vehicles. For instance with 600 tankers you could field 200 T72s vis-a-vis 150 with a four man crew.

The Soviets always thought quantity was more important than quality. An M1-A1 is a much better tank. The range finder is incredibly accurate, allowing one-shot kills to be the rule rather than the exception. The lethality of M1-A1 is a great force multiplier. Even enemy fire capable of permanently disabling an M1 is survivable by the crew. The magazines are specifically designed to explode outward from the tank. A T-72 hit in the magazine will French fry the crew.

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

Sounds like social engineering. Cram the small guys in a tank because they ain't big enough to be foot-soldiers. Who knows how the Russian mind works, but some kind of twisted logic like that wouldn't suprise me.

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

I LOVED that scene!

[Squantos]

Oh Yeah .....Aberdeen FMIG........ BTTT !!

LMAO.........Man that talks to his rifle....."apologizes" to his rifle, for cheatin on her with a tank is too kewl !!

Stay Safe ...Great Story !