Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Christmas Dinner with the Seaforth Highlanders, Ortona, Dec. 25th, 1943:
Picture of the day
- Thread starter jwhc
- Start date
What are the regs in Canada for the tank gun? Would guess a deactivation would be mandatory before importation.... :/ Nice history lesson btw. I'm a DREV (now DRDC) contractor, it's nice to learn what this agency has done in the past... If only politician would let us do something worthy instead of changing their mind each month...
Hi Beauebon the T72s saw there first use by Trials and Evaluations in Gagetown for the filming of footage to be used in the Eryx Video Gunnery System (EVIGS) and then Tow VIGS. When they came over we did not have a clue what went where or what any of the tools that came did to keep things running. Essentially the Germans had just opened the commanders hatch and dumped in "stuff". Sorting through the "stuff" was interesting and after awhile using the good books and common sense I got a handle on what was tool or a part, or a part of a tool. The T72 dipstick is a hex shaped rod about a metre long that has hash marks and is in cyrillic script, essentially it is one dipstick that checks 12 things, so I called UNB and got in touch with the German/Russian school there. A professor came out one weekend and we translated anything that needed doing such as data plates with warnings or instructions and that cool dipstick. Note all data plates where in cyrillic, even though it was a East German tank.
During the Leopard Mid Life Extension trials (run by Capt Martin of T&E Gagetown) it was my sad duty to prep a T72 for use as a target for the 105/120mm gun upgrade and more so the ammunition brought in by various manufacturers for hoped for sales to Canada. I picked the poorest running tank, defueled it, cut off anything that would contaminate impact data such as lights, bins, smoke grenade dischargers and had it towed to the range. The Leopard would fire through bristol board yaw cards and the manufacturerers would go down and see what their ammunition results where, with great care for them to NOT see what competitors ammo did on target. Watching the super high speed was amazing, but what was more amazing was how well the "Dolly Parton" armour on the turret front was at stopping a 105/120mm, everyone thought so highly that the rounds would just whistle straight through the tank. Lets just say there was some stunned disbelief when everyone went downrange to check damage. When I fired (up to that point all rounds where fired by a computer so the cameras caught the round in flight and impact) I fired center of mass to turret, with the T72 gun barrel at postive elevation I had my "Radley Walters" moment and the round struck the fume extractor and was deflected downwards onto the hull top directly behind the drivers hatch. Had the T72 been ammo loaded the carousel and its ready ammo would have "brewed up". I will backtrack abit here, the interiors spaces of a T72 tank are reserved for fuel and ammo, the space for a crew must have been an afterthough, there are fuel cells/tanks and ammo storage spots EVERYHERE inside the tank, hence a hit on a T72 if it gets inside is a sure kill. The subsequent two rounds I fired center of mass and caught the tank at the upper hull. Anyways the tank is a good vehicle, robust beyond belief, cramped as hell and super workman like. It is also a "low end tank" as the Soviet doctrine was to equip higher end units (like a "Guards" unit) with T80 or T64 and lower end units with older, lower end tanks like T72.
During the Leopard Mid Life Extension trials (run by Capt Martin of T&E Gagetown) it was my sad duty to prep a T72 for use as a target for the 105/120mm gun upgrade and more so the ammunition brought in by various manufacturers for hoped for sales to Canada. I picked the poorest running tank, defueled it, cut off anything that would contaminate impact data such as lights, bins, smoke grenade dischargers and had it towed to the range. The Leopard would fire through bristol board yaw cards and the manufacturerers would go down and see what their ammunition results where, with great care for them to NOT see what competitors ammo did on target. Watching the super high speed was amazing, but what was more amazing was how well the "Dolly Parton" armour on the turret front was at stopping a 105/120mm, everyone thought so highly that the rounds would just whistle straight through the tank. Lets just say there was some stunned disbelief when everyone went downrange to check damage. When I fired (up to that point all rounds where fired by a computer so the cameras caught the round in flight and impact) I fired center of mass to turret, with the T72 gun barrel at postive elevation I had my "Radley Walters" moment and the round struck the fume extractor and was deflected downwards onto the hull top directly behind the drivers hatch. Had the T72 been ammo loaded the carousel and its ready ammo would have "brewed up". I will backtrack abit here, the interiors spaces of a T72 tank are reserved for fuel and ammo, the space for a crew must have been an afterthough, there are fuel cells/tanks and ammo storage spots EVERYHERE inside the tank, hence a hit on a T72 if it gets inside is a sure kill. The subsequent two rounds I fired center of mass and caught the tank at the upper hull. Anyways the tank is a good vehicle, robust beyond belief, cramped as hell and super workman like. It is also a "low end tank" as the Soviet doctrine was to equip higher end units (like a "Guards" unit) with T80 or T64 and lower end units with older, lower end tanks like T72.
Christmas Dinner with the Seaforth Highlanders, Ortona, Dec. 25th, 1943:
How did the guys get in, and out, of the middle?
By this stage of their European tour, the survivors are all very adept at the crucial military skill of crawling. Especially if there's hot food and a bottle of beer at the end of the very short tunnel...
I doubt they crawled, in just lift one end up of a board swing it over and the inside men walk in. What is very poignant is the companies/platoons rotated off the line to attend this supper and no doubt some of the men shown in this famous picture where killed in action within a day, or following days of it taken
I'm back, full on ahead !! New day new picture 
cheers to all who have been behind me its has been an awful 10-12 months, BUT I am not letting it get me down, I apologize to the those that wanted to help. Just needed "MY" time I appreciate everyone on this forum, you guys have been great But enough sappy stuff lets get to the Military pics
Cheers and Happy New Year Everyone !!!!
Joe
cheers to all who have been behind me its has been an awful 10-12 months, BUT I am not letting it get me down, I apologize to the those that wanted to help. Just needed "MY" time I appreciate everyone on this forum, you guys have been great But enough sappy stuff lets get to the Military pics 
Cheers and Happy New Year Everyone !!!!
Joe
- Location
- Beaverlodge, Alberta
Glad to have you back Joe! Here's to a better 2014!
I'm back, full on ahead !! New day new picture
Cheers and Happy New Year Everyone !!!!
Joe
The Germans knew a good thing when they saw it. The Panzerschrek was a direct copy of the US Bazooka and packed a big enough punch for the new at the time Russian T34 tanks, with its sloping armor. The Panzerfaust came along later and in many ways was preferred to the Panzerschrek because it was half the weight and that shaped charge was devastating at closer ranges.
The Bazooka, Panzershrek and later RPG7s al Law rocket launchers all had a couple of nasty failings. One, the back blast was a bugger to say the least. Two, they all need at least 30 yards/meters for their fuses to set. It is very disconcerting to watch a rocket ricochet off the side of what you shot it at. Especially if it's your last one of if there are grenadiers accompanying the vehicle to protect it. Usually leads to a nasty ending for the rocket man.
I did not know that. Could you explain more, please?
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Glad to have you back, Joe. Keep swinging!
The Brandenburg Gate has seen a LOT of history, including the cute lil' Comrade Traffic Warden. Here's Monty out for a stroll with some mates. Wonder what Buddy's laughing about back there:
Hey, Igor - look at the neat camera I "found"...
Berlin ended up pretty thoroughly polished off by the end of things. It's remarkable how they've rebuilt.
No problem. A lot of people see the big honking spring and think the thing is there to slam forward and send the round to the target. The body of a PIAT round consists of a steel tube with fins and the explosive head. Inside the steel tube towards the front of the tube is a charge, When the PIAT gun is fired the large spring travels forward and the "spigot" at the face of the spring goes inside the tube, travels inside till it fires a charge. It is the charge inside the round that propels the round forward, gases from the charge firing pushes on the face of the spigot forcing it rearwards (plus absorbing recoil of firing) where it is recocked and ready to fire subsequent rounds.
The one good thing about this type of firing is a PIAT can be fired from a closed space like inside a room or building and there would be no over pressure.
The one good thing about this type of firing is a PIAT can be fired from a closed space like inside a room or building and there would be no over pressure.
it works like a cross between a mortar and a sten gun, the piat bomb is basicly a shaped charge mortar bomb
