Four years ago, Brad Pitt and the crew of “Fury” gave American movie audiences a look at the realities of warfare during World War II from a perspective few had ever seen:
A battle-hardened tank crew completing their missions and surviving the brutally violent closing days of World War II in Europe.
But even that cinema grittiness was a Hollywood version of tanks in combat.
A video making the rounds internet is a look at the real thing. Taken amid fighting in the Donbass section of Ukraitne, it shows a Ukrainian soldier suddenly called into action as a firefighter when a rocket-propelled grenade hits his tank, according to Funker530.
It all begins when the soldier pops up out of the tank to begin making a video. He shows a nearby treeline being fired upon by a gunner in the tank.
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Gunfire can be heard in between the rounds fired from the tank. Then when the tank begins to move, all Hades breaks loose:
Funker530 explains what happened next, “The shaped charge RPG warhead likely penetrated the vehicle’s armor and ignited a fire on the inside of the APC. The solder drops the camera and begins emptying bottles of drinking water onto the flames in hopes of extinguishing the blaze before it cooks off the internally stored ammunition compartments.”
“Meanwhile, the vehicle commander and driver keep the armored personnel carrier moving to get it out of the kill zone.” And that is real life.
Do you believe tanks are still good tools for combat?
There are no Hollywood extras or stuntmen. There are no do-overs and no backup tanks to take over when something goes wrong or damage occurs.
It’s just real soldiers being tasked with wearing multiple helmets to keep their equipment operational and in the battle — and themselves alive.
And there is a lot more to maintaining a tank than there is to a gun.
The Inetres website goes into some detail as to the important role of (U.S.) tank platoons and the dangers they face. Bear in mind that tanks are noisy, so it is highly unlikely they can enter a battlezone undetected. This makes their job “to close with and destroy the enemy” all the more hazardous.
But their presence is important, because “the platoon’s ability to move, shoot, communicate, and provide armored protection is a decisive factor on the modern battlefield. It moves, attacks, defends, and performs other essential tasks to support the company team or troop mission.”
And about the multiple hats the soldiers must wear when serving in a tank? “Tanks require extensive maintenance, proficient operators, and skilled mechanics, as well as daily resupply of large quantities of bulky petroleum products such as fuel, oil, and grease.”
The role of armor rarely gets the respect it deserves from Hollywood and the popular culture. But in the real world, it’s the dangerous, potent element of armed force on the ground that can make the difference between victory and defeat.
And as this video from Ukraine shows, it attracts the fury of war like nothing else.
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via Conservative Tribune
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