The FReeper Foxhole's TreadHead Tuesday - Soviet T-54/T-55 Series Tank

To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf

"Right's All 'Bout TRUTH!!"
(To be sung to the Who's "Gettin' In Tune")

Right's seekin' yer Vote 'cuz the LeftWing's Hell!!
Sosh'list Whore'd Right's slayin'...
Right shall defend our hard-earned FReedoms!!
DemRATS are just evil Traitors!!

Folks, Right's 'bout Truth...Righteous Truth!!
Right's 'bout Truth...now, Right's gonna prove...
DemRATS're FOOLS!!
Fight DemRAT FOOLS!!
Smite Bill Klintoon!!

Righteous throng is inspired, as Reagan would say...
"We don't want Big Guv'ment!!"
And when we hear all Left's LIES, DemRATS love Tyranny...
Left loathes self-empowerment!!

Right's FReepin' fer Truth...Right's 'bout Truth!!
Fight fer Truth...the Right's all 'bout Truth!!
RightWing's 'bout Truth!! (RightWing's 'bout Truth)
RightWing is Good!! (RightWing is Good)
Right's all 'bout Truth!!

Fight 'til Guv'ment's shackles are shed...
We're FReepin' 'til Lib'ralism's dead!!
Mudboy's bangin' on his new piano...
Right's FReepin' fer Truth and we shan't be mellow!!
(FReepin' fer Truth and we shan't be mellow)
FReepin' fer Truth 'cuz RATS' vision's narrow!!
(FReepin' fer Truth 'cuz RATS' vision's narrow)
Yeah, Right's FReepin' fer Truth 'cuz the Left loves Traitors!!
(FReepin' fer Truth 'cuz the Left loves Traitors)

Right's seekin' yer Vote 'cuz the LeftWing's Hell...
And RATS' Power is reelin'!!
We're 'bout Liberty...reject fear from your hearts...
FReedom is appealing!!

Nation, we're YOU...Reject RATS' fools!!
Nation, need you...Reject Left's Fools!!...
Nation, we're YOU!!

Mudboy Slim

81 posted on 07/27/2004 1:02:07 PM PDT by Mudboy Slim (RE-IMPEACH Osama bil Clinton!!)

What! Someone stole my idea!!!

82 posted on 07/27/2004 1:20:16 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Tell A Veteran you're voting for Kerry (See what happens))

83 posted on 07/27/2004 1:21:26 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Tell A Veteran you're voting for Kerry (See what happens))

Good afternoon, sir...MUD

84 posted on 07/27/2004 1:26:14 PM PDT by Mudboy Slim (RE-IMPEACH Osama bil Clinton!!)

Air Power
Republic F-105 "Thunderchief" (aka "Thud")

The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was the first supersonic tactical fighter-bomber developed from scratch. Apart from being the biggest single-seat, single-engine combat aircraft in history, the F-105 was notable for its large internal bomb bay and unique swept-forward engine inlets in the wing roots. The wing was highly swept and incorporated low-speed ailerons and high-speed spoilers for lateral control, and a droop-snoot leading edge.

Known as "the Thud", this greatest of all single-engine combat jets bore a huge burden throughout the Vietnam War, and was a deadly and effective tactical fighter-bomber. A supersonic jet, the Thud is characterized by two unique systems: it is the only jet fighter to refuel from a side-fuselage boom, and was the first jet fighter to employ a Vulcan 20mm "Gatling Gun" cannon. The D-model made more air strikes against North Vietnam than any other US aircraft, and also suffered more losses. During the war, the versatile Thud was also credited with 25 MiG kills.

The F-105 evolved from a project begun in 1951 by Republic Aviation at Farmingdale NY to develop a supersonic tactical fighter-bomber to replace the F-84F. The massive F-105 was intended primarily for nuclear strike missions. Designed from the outset as a fighter-bomber for long-range interdiction missions, the Republic F-105 Thunderchief was a large, heavy aircraft with Mach 2 performance. A unique feature for a fighter was the internal bomb bay intended to house a nuclear weapon.

The prototype first flew on October 22, 1955, but the first production aircraft, an F-105B, was not delivered to the USAF until 1958. After winning a flyoff competition with the North American F-107 in 1956, the F-105 first entered squadron service in 1958. With the designation F-105B came an engine change to a Pratt & Whitney J75-P-3. Other changes were made in this model too, including the use of a unique type of swept-forward air intake to control the shock-wave and introduction of “area rule” on the fuselage. A total of 75 F-105Bs were built.

The F-105D all-weather strike fighter and the two-place F-105F dual-purpose trainer-fighter were also built before F-105 production (833 aircraft) ended in 1964. No "C" or "E" series were produced and "Gs" were modified "Fs" outfitted with extensive electronic countermeasure equipment. F-105G aircraft were nicknamed "Wild Weasels" and specialized in jamming enemy radar and destroying surface-to-air missile sites.

The configuration incorporated a shoulder-mounted 45 sweptback wing with airfoil thickness ratios varying from 5.5 percent at the root to 3.7 percent at the tip. Trailing-edge Fowler flaps together with leading-edge flaps were used to increase the maximum lift coefficient of the wing. Roll control was achieved by shortspan outboard ailerons assisted by upper-surface spoilers. The all-moving horizontal tail was mounted in the low position to aid in preventing pitch-up. Careful fuselage area ruling reduced the magnitude of the drag rise as the Mach number increased from subsonic to supersonic values. A most unusual feature of the aircraft are the two-dimensional variable-area supersonic inlets mounted in the wing-root position. The speed brake was an unusual petal-type arrangement that surrounded the jet nozzle.

The internal bomb bay was designed to accommodate a nuclear weapon. Not long after the F-105 became operational, however, the concept of carrying a nuclear weapon in the aircraft was discarded, and the bomb bay was used to house additional fuel. A six-barrel Vulcan 20-mm rotary cannon was carried in the aircraft, and there were provisions for 12 000 pounds of external armament including bombs, rockets, and missiles. Such a large load could be carried only on short-range missions, however, with a more normal load being 6000 pounds. Combat radius for this load varied from 600 to 800 miles depending on the amount of external fuel carried. The F-105 was provided with all the necessary electronic equipment for full all-weather capability.

Maximum Mach number of the F-105D was 2.08, or 1372 miles per hour, at an altitude of 36 090 feet; at sea level, the maximum Mach number was 1.1, or 836 miles per hour. Normal cruising speed was 584 miles per hour. Sea-level rate of climb was a spectacular 38 500 feet per minute; only 1.7 minutes were required to reach an altitude of 35 000 feet. Ferry range with no war load was 2207 miles. With a maximum gross weight of 52,838 pounds, the F-105D is by far the heaviest fighter so far considered, nearly as heavy as the 55,000-pound, four-engine B- 17 bomber of World War II.

A total of 833 F-105 aircraft were manufactured before production ended in 1964. Extensively used in ground-attack operations in Vietnam, the Thunderchief continued to serve with the USAF for a number of years following the end of the conflict. Last of the F-105's was withdrawn from the Tactical Air Command in 1980, but a few remained in service with the Air National Guard.

F-105 Thunderchief Achievements:
The F-105D could carry a heavier bomb load than a B-17 bomber.
The F-105 flew 75% of the air strikes against North Vietnam during its first four years in the war.

Specifications:
Primary Function: Fighter-bomber
Contractor: Republic
Crew: One
Unit Cost: $2,136,668
Powerplant: One Pratt & Whitney J75-P-19W jet engine with 24,499 lb. (11,111 kg) of thrust

Dimensions:
Length: 67 feet (20.4 m)
Wingspan: 34 feet 11 inches (10.6 m)
Height: 20 feet, 2 inches (6.1 m)
Weights Empty: 29,393 lb (13,330 kg) - Maximum Takeoff: 54,580 lbs. (24,752 kg) -- gross

Performance:
Speed: 1,480 mph (mach 2.24)
Ceiling: 50,000 feet (15,239 m)
Range: 2,390 miles (3,848 km)

Armaments:
One M6-1 20mm Vulcan cannon
Up to 14,000 lbs. of ordinance including conventional bombs, rocket packs, missiles, and internally or externally carried special weapons.

All photos Copyright of Global Security.Organd the USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB,

85 posted on 07/27/2004 2:02:11 PM PDT by Johnny Gage (Q: Why did Wellstone's plane crash?...... FAA Ruling: Aircraft had TWO left wings.)

I heard about it, but I think that T54/T55 tanks were better than American M48/M60.

86 posted on 07/27/2004 2:37:20 PM PDT by Grzegorz 246

To: snippy_about_it

I saw "The Beast" - great movie.

"Do all tanks have an exit underneath the body?"

I'm not an expert, but I think that at least most Russian tanks have it.

87 posted on 07/27/2004 2:44:06 PM PDT by Grzegorz 246

To: Grzegorz 246

Back when I was an M60A1 tanker we didn't worry overmuch about T-55's. We were too busy stressing out over T-72's. The bad thing about T-55's was that there were so damn many of them and so few of us.

88 posted on 07/27/2004 3:23:37 PM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4 (I've lost turret power; I have my nods and my .50. Hooah. I will stay until relieved. White 2 out.)

Thanks Johnny.

Col. Jack Broughton leading a flight of four F-105 "Thuds" on a low level mission to silence AAA defending the Viet Tri power plant near Hanoi, March 12th. 1967.,

Republic F-105 Thunderchief (Thud) piloted by Capt. Charles Boyd, in action over the Red River, North Vietnam

While flying a 'Wild Weasel' mission over Vietnam, and running dangerously low on fuel, Maj. Leo Thorsness and back-seater Capt. Harold Johnson confront a Mig-17 while circling above Thorsness' downed wing-man. This action earned Thorsness the Medal of Honor, and Johnson received the Air Force Cross.

89 posted on 07/27/2004 3:42:29 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Tell A Veteran you're voting for Kerry (See what happens))

To: Cannoneer No. 4

The bad thing about T-55's was that there were so damn many of them and so few of us.

One of the reasons sthe Apche and Warthog were developed was to help overcome the superior Warsaw Pact numbers in Armor.

90 posted on 07/27/2004 3:44:59 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Tell A Veteran you're voting for Kerry (See what happens))

To: Grzegorz 246

The T54/55 had a lower silhouette and IMHO the larger road wheels were always an advantage over the American system of return rollers.

91 posted on 07/27/2004 3:47:15 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Tell A Veteran you're voting for Kerry (See what happens))

To: snippy_about_it

Escape hatches:

A view into the forward fighting compartment through the driver's (right side) escape hatch. Visible slightly right of centre is the driver's seat back and the flame gun assembly further beyond that. There is a surprising amount of room up forward, in contrast to the constricted turret space. Churchill tank.

Here is the belly escape hatch that was added to the later M5A1 hull directly behind the assistant driver's seat. As I mentioned earlier, the first Stuarts had the reputation for being death traps for the two drivers. It was next to impossible for them to get out through the early turret basket design if either driver was injured and their over-head hatches were fouled by the turret and gun. So this floor escape hatch was added as a safety design change for a quick egress in case of emergencies and it was used. The large rectangular hatch is shown here with the assistant driver's seat back removed for improved clarity. The characteristic wide tan or green seat belt webbing with steel buckles is seen, attached at the rear to the seat back bracket, but seat belts were generally removed before going into battle. By lifting the escape hatch's long release handle, the hatch would fall down and away, hinged at the rear by two pivots. The tubing seen at the far left in the photo is for adjusting the height of the seat for driving head out of the over-head hatch, the paired long springs assisting to raise the seat when adjusted. Even though the over-head hatch-mounted M6 periscopes could be rotated and pivoted up and down, the driver's view when "closed down" was very restricted, and head out driving was his preferred style whenever possible. M5A1 Stuart light tank.

Escape hatch under seat. M103 Heavy Tank

Sherman, Matilda, M24 Chaffee tanks had escape hatches in the floor, usually under or behind the driver's seat. Tigers and some others had them in the side of the hull.

There was an escape hatch under the driver seat of the M60A1 tank. Most of us tied the handle closed, since we weren't expecting to have to evacuate the tank in this manner, and the hatches had a habit of falling out. They weighed a couple of hundred pounds and were a b*tch to get back in place. Fact 2: In the rainy winter weather of Kentucky, if you drive ten tanks over a piece of ground every day for a few weeks, you can create a mirey muck with the consistency of modelling clay. Stack them together: Tank drops escape hatch. Young instructor has trainee crew pick it up and throw it in the storage rack on the rear of the turret with the intent of reinstalling it at lunch. Driver training continues. Tank comes off a little knoll into a ditch full of the afore-mentioned mud. The nose pitches downward. The mud moves, most of it outward, but A BUNCH squirts up through the escape hatch port, into the driver compartment, and surrounds the poor driver. They had to dig him out. He was unhurt, but cold, wet, muddy, and several shades of blue. It took shovels to get the poor kid out of there.

Those driver's escape hatches were a huge pain in the butt. We found it worthwhile to carry a hydraulic jack so nobody had to bench press it back up.

92 posted on 07/27/2004 3:56:03 PM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4 (I've lost turret power; I have my nods and my .50. Hooah. I will stay until relieved. White 2 out.)

Yep. I was a nugget learning to drive a tank when the first A-10 came to Fort Knox. It did a dry run on us.

I was peripherally involved in a Joint Air Attack Team operation some Cobras from 4-7 CAV and some A-10's out of Suwon (or Kunsan it was 22 years ago) ran at Nightmare Range. The thing I remember best about that was Slicky Boy hit the Forward Arming and Refuel Point and stole everybody's winter flight jackets with the furry hoods.

93 posted on 07/27/2004 4:12:29 PM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4 (I've lost turret power; I have my nods and my .50. Hooah. I will stay until relieved. White 2 out.)

To: colorado tanker

Do you recall something about the loader on a T-55 had to be a strong left handed midget? Also the turret had no floor and they could get their legs cut off if the turret swund and they weren't paying attention? And the maximum allowable hieght of a Soviet tanker was 5'4"?

94 posted on 07/27/2004 4:16:39 PM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4 (I've lost turret power; I have my nods and my .50. Hooah. I will stay until relieved. White 2 out.)

To: Cannoneer No. 4

LOL! Yep, I remember. I sat in the driver's seat once. Manual transmission and hard to shift. So, basically the driver had to be a 5'4" midget with arms like tree trunks that would touch his feet.

95 posted on 07/27/2004 4:39:11 PM PDT by colorado tanker (shove it!)

To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf

"I'm ready for my photo-op in the T-55 . . . er . . . I mean M60.
Do you feel safer now?"

96 posted on 07/27/2004 4:58:23 PM PDT by w_over_w (No one remembers who came in second, unless you remind them. ~Al Gore~)

To: colorado tanker

The Soviet tanker is not 10 feet tall. He is only 5'4".

But your 105mm APFSDS bounces off his front slope

97 posted on 07/27/2004 5:02:39 PM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4 (I've lost turret power; I have my nods and my .50. Hooah. I will stay until relieved. White 2 out.)

To: Cannoneer No. 4

Thanks for the info on tank escape hatches. I thought the Chaffee had one but couldn't remember for sure.

98 posted on 07/27/2004 5:49:57 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Tell A Veteran you're voting for Kerry (See what happens))

To: Cannoneer No. 4

Do you recall something about the loader on a T-55 had to be a strong left handed midget?

I heard that it was true of a few Soviet designs.

99 posted on 07/27/2004 5:51:17 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Tell A Veteran you're voting for Kerry (See what happens))

Evening w_over_w.

He couldn't look dorkier if he tried.

100 posted on 07/27/2004 5:52:12 PM PDT by SAMWolf (Tell A Veteran you're voting for Kerry (See what happens))

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