Tanks

[om15]

I read The Tank War by Mark Urban earlier this year, the author is a journalist and historian with a special qualification to write this book having served as an officer in the Royal Tank Regiment.
The book is conventional enough, covering the fall of France, Western Desert, Italy and the long slog across Europe in 1944, however, in addition to the facts and descriptions of events, the author uses the personal reminiscence's', diary's, letters and family accounts to follow the course of the war for a small number of the members of 5 RTR. This book is moving as the characters are short lived in some cases and the ones that survived had increasing hard experiences.
The book is very candid in describing how the conventional discipline started to be strained, how senior officers were removed and the experienced veterans were left to carry on for themselves towards the end. The last months of the war are graphically described, the desert veterans entering Germany, their nerves in shreds, facing the superior Tiger tanks in their Sherman's, attempting to minimise their own losses by not taking prisoners the men of 5 RTR finally made it to the end.
One of the men featured was Jake Wardrop, a Glaswegian tank commander, he fought through Dunkirk, El Alamien, Scilly, and across France, the low countries and into Germany, his story is very poignant and sad, his tank was hit by a bazooka and he bailed out to be shot by a burst of machine gun fire, this only a week or so before the surrender of German forces.

http://www.spectator.co.uk/books/891382 ... -brothers/

I became very interested in the story of Jake Wardrop, and was pleased to find that his diary had been retained and eventually published, so was able to buy a copy, these two books combined are a fascinating and moving account of how ordinary civilians joined 5 RTR fought and beat the Afrika Corp and eventually on to Germany.

Highly recommended reading

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jake-Wardrops-D ... 1848685807

[Sisemen]

Wouldn't be a tankie for quids.

[Blacksheep]

I once met a German tank driver. His description of the battle at Alamein and his subsequent capture makes a mockery of all the tactical talk about the event. They had no idea what was going on and drove around randomly

"We see zer tank, we shoot zer tank. Boom! Boom!
Sometimes we shoot zer British tank (sad face)
Sometimes we shoot zer Italian tank (smiles)
und sometimes we shoot zer German tank! (roars with laughter)"

He who shoots first survives...

Evidently the battle was not well organised on the German side. My acquaintance was captured after they ran out of fuel and while being transported back to captivity his big toe was shot off by a German aircraft strafing the coulmn.

[izod tester]

Gunnery practice

http://youtu.be/vho5eTabWQI

[lasernigel]

Worked on tanks most of my Army life. We put a Chieftain down on the range at Gunnery School Lulworth.
Round fired at drivers glacis plate thinking it wouldn't penetrate as 7 inches thick. Put engine and gearbox through rear of tank. Lots of explaining done afterwards!
Is a good book on a tank in a nuke war. Based on a Chieftain will search and post.
Did trials up in Kirkcudbright on the ranges there. Sheep inside tank. Round set up to "glance" turret. All sheep dead due to brain damage. Turret is a good resonant chamber.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Had an exchange with the Tankies.
Some went down to Warminster for a firepower demo. Boom! Boom! Tankies very happy.
Took some Tankies up on FAC sorties in Hawks (I took the other sandbag in a pair as one was "ill" - they can't drink like pilots ).
Flew dry runs against their tanks manoeuvring on the Plain, then hot strafe against tank targets at Sennybridge.
Tanks sitting ducks for hairyplanes. They had no idea. No smiles at all from Tankies.
One resigned his commission a week later and took a nice, safe job at Daddy's Bank in the City.

The chieftain book is 'Chieftains' by Bob Forrest-Webb. It's on Kindle, and very good.

[Woody]

I’m going to be watching this parade later

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b ... e-48294255

[ian16th]

I’m going to be watching this parade later

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b ... e-48294255

Windsor to Sailsbury Plain, a long gallop for the 'Orses.