Shorter Half sent me an e-mail with the following attachment. I didn't bother forwarding text of the e-mail because it set off my bull-shitomer to some degree, and SH's commentary essentially makes it irrelevant.
Now, I do not believe the claim that this is actual combat footage – looks like a standard firing range test to me, with a remote controlled tank. It IS fully armed though, given the results. For one, even Syrians are smart enough to run with the commander’s hatch open so he can observe what is going on, ESPECIALLY the lead tank. For two, if the crew HAD buttoned up in anticipation of incoming fire (you pretty much only button up in anticipation of small arms, artillery, or NBC – Nuclear, Biological, Chemical – attacks; buttoning up against antitank weapons is useless, and buttoning up may well keep you from seeing the shooter in time to return fire before it’s too late), they would have the main gun constantly traversing, because the only good visibility they would have would be its sights.
But a cool demonstration of why light infantry call tankers and mech infantry “crispy critters” (while they call us “squishies”, “crunchies”, or “track grease”). “Armor – making Graves Registration’s job easier since 1918. Tilt track, sift ashes for dog tags.”
This is what tankers call a “brew-up”.
*Tankers don't like apricots.
Treadheads. Bah.
ReplyDeleteNote that the Syrians did and do use Sov/Russian tracks, and Russian doctrine calls for the tank commander to remain buttoned up. Which made the outcome of the battle of 73 Easting all the more pre-ordained. ("Shamoom come, you no fight" my @$$!)
WV: "vices" HA!
I swear I saw this test footage from a different angle years ago, long before the current fracas. Clearly a test.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the e-mail chain saying it is?
The e-mail said:
ReplyDeleteWhat you are about to watch is an actual event. Our forces filmed this in actual time. What you are about to see is a fully armored Syrian tank being hit by an Israeli laser-guided, steel-penetrating, phosphorous-filled "hand held" rocket. The rocket is small, very portable and is a tightly controlled weapon, each one is accounted for when they are checked out and back in. There must be no fewer than 2 soldiers present to verify the use, one must be a senior officer with a minimum of 10 years military service. (Sorry, the name and program is kept secret.)
This tank was headed for one of Israel's settlements, there were four more tanks one mile to the rear of this tank. (They turned around before getting to this area.)
You can hear the ammunition going off after the initial strike. No tank member survived this event. this event did not make the news, it is an everyday event for our forces and we do not "embed" news sources with our armed forces like the Americans do. This is for our survival, not for "news" entertainment!
GOD BLESS AMERICA
That's an old video. I've been watching it since the '70s. I believe it's an M4 tank hit by either a Dragon or TOW missile.
ReplyDeletePawpaw,
ReplyDeleteLooks more like the old Patton chassis than a Sherman (the M46, M47, M48, and M60 tanks were ALL Patton tanks, as each represents only an evolutionary change -- and teh M46 was an evolutionary - really just a bug fix - development of the M26 Pershing!)
I'm guessing it's an M47 with a modified turret, as the US used up over 700 of them as remote targets for missiles in the 1970s. But it could be a VISMOD M551 Sheridan -- a lot of those got smoked as targets, too.
Missile looks more like a TOW than a Dragon, given the range, speed, and lack of the POP - POP - POP of the sustainer and steering motors that you generally can hear from a Dragon (TOWs have a constant burn sustainer and fin steering, Dragons fired single use, instant burn motors that both shoved it forward, but also corrected flight).