“Reading about Patton’s WW2 team, they were like race car pit crews when it came to tank repair.”
Recalled from an uncle/tank commander’s tale telling: “Generally, a tank battle would be three or four tanks on each side, would range over three or four square miles, and would last three or four days. We’d hide from their bigger guns, only coming out to irritate them with our little guns. After a few days their tanks would break down or run out of fuel. They’d light them on fire and walk home. When our tanks broke down, they’d be fixed on the spot.”
I’m reading a neat book by Brig Gen Al Irzyk (”He Rode Up Front for Patton”)
His tank was hit in the turret from behind by an AP round in the Bastogne battle. The round cracked the structure but failed to penetrate, and the maintenance crew welded it up overnight, and he was back in it the next day. Impressive.