Category: Historical Articles

Romanian tanks (in detail): TACAM R-2

~ davidblader ~ 15 Comments

Hello, everyone. Welcome to a new historical article!

Before we start, I have to introduce myself since I am new at TAP, and this is my first post. My name is David (davidblader in WoT) and I will be posting articles on combat vehicles from the World War II era. I will start with the ”Romanian tanks (in detail)” series since I am Romanian, so I’ve studied about my country’s vehicles more than about any other ones. I plan to post about vehicles from other countries too in the future. Also, I know that many of the vehicles I will make articles about have already been described on TAP, but in my articles, I will try going into detail as much as I can, instead of only mentioning the most important things (I won’t cover vehicles which already have similar articles).

So let’s begin!

The TACAM R-2 (Tun Anticar pe Afet Mobil R-2) was one of the tank destroyers produced by the Kingdom of Romania during World War II. To describe it shortly, it was a combination of the Panzer 35(t)’s hull (called R-2 in Romanian service), the Soviet 76.2mm ZiS-3 gun and a 10-17mm thick cabin for protecting the crew. It was similar to the German Marder series.

Frontal view of a TACAM R-2. Credit for image: Tanks Encyclopedia

Continue reading “Romanian tanks (in detail): TACAM R-2” →

Advertisements

Toilets and Modern Tanks

~ Sebastianul ~ 4 Comments

Source: Quora

Is there a toilet in modern tanks like the M-1 Abrams or the Challenger 2?

M1 Abrams:

„Some background first: I was a M1 tanker during the Gulf War and served from 1989 to 1997. I spent all of my time on M1IPs and M1A1s. So now on to the question.

No, there is no toilet in a tank. The simple reason is that the tank was built to fight so every space in the tank is there to support that purpose. A toilet would take up a lot of space in the hull or turret which would change the characteristics of the tank: weight, height, carrying space. So while it’s an excellent suggestion from a crew comfort point-of-view it just isn’t practical.

Your only hope is to have a bottle to wiz in, or to hope that there will be a long enough stop to hop out and take care of business.

And yes, I know of tankers who had to piss themselves because the unit just couldn’t stop!”

Challenger 2:

„The Brits win this one. As someone actually training to use the Best of British armour, I can confirm the Challenger 2 has a toilet under the Loader’s seat. It flushes the waste out under the tank, and can be used when hatches are closed. Now you understand why the Brits have the best modern Main Battle Tank. Other than the excellent tea making faculties.

Incidentally, our Warrior troop carrier also has a toilet in the troop compartment, but that only has a bag that sits and stinks up the tank. So while the option is there, I’m sure the lads sharing the tight space with you would much prefer you hold it in.

Some of the first fighting vehicles to have toilets were actually old bombers from World War 2, so why it took us this long to get one in an armoured fighting vehicle I couldn’t say. But here you gotta give to the UK. We may not have the massive defence budget of the US, but we’re the ones who can operate a radio inside a tank while relieving our bowels in a sanitary fashion. Suck on that one Uncle Sam.”

History Spotlight: Dogs of War

~ Sebastianul ~ 4 Comments

Source: NA WoT Portal

A Soldier’s Best Friend in Diverse Roles

Man is not the only snarling beast to take the field during times of war. In 1942 the American Kennel Association with the help of another group named Dogs for Defense began a campaign to have the American people volunteer their canine companions for active duty.

Dogs have been a part of nearly every military in history, but prior to this movement the U.S. forces had not developed this resource on such a large scale (though they did have some dogs already in service). The U.S. would train 10,000 dogs for duty during WWII, which paled in comparison to the 200,000 dogs Germany is thought to have trained by the time America entered World War II.

The American volunteer response was so swift that by March of that same year the Quartermaster Corps began inducting dogs as service animals. Their training was completed at numerous special camps across the U.S. There was some initial difficulty in structuring how and where these dogs received their training, but they were eventually schooled for duty as Sentry, Scout/Reconnaissance, Sled/Pack, Messenger, or Mine Detection dogs.

Continue reading “History Spotlight: Dogs of War” →

Operation Barbarossa 1941.

~ Sebastianul ~ 29 Comments
This article was created by  on Imgur and is reposted here with his permission.
A German infantryman walks toward the body of a killed Soviet soldier and a burning BT-7 light tank in the southern Soviet Union in in 1941, during the early days of Operation Barbarossa. Operation Barbarossa (Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the German codename for Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, which commenced on June 22, 1941. It was to be the turning point for the fortunes of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, in that the failure of Operation Barbarossa arguably resulted in the eventual overall defeat of Nazi Germany. The Eastern Front, which was opened by Operation Barbarossa, would become the biggest theater of war in World War II, with some of the largest and most brutal battles, terrible loss of life, and miserable conditions for Russians and Germans alike.

Continue reading “Operation Barbarossa 1941.” →

WoT: 20 Obscure Tank Facts

~ Veroxx ~ 18 Comments

Taken from the official WoT NA portal

A selection of the most obscure bits of knowledge – because you can never know too much about tanks.

1. The Word “Tank”

During World War I, the British “Landships Committee” changed their title to keep their new vehicles secret and not so obvious. They went with “water carriers” and “tanks.” That’s also why tanks have so many “nautical” component names, such as bow, hatch, hull, and sponson.

2. Owner’s Manuals

Much like today’s electronics or Swedish furniture, every Tiger and Panther came with an owner’s manual peppered with cartoony illustrations.

Continue reading “WoT: 20 Obscure Tank Facts” →

Tanks on the maps around the world. The Gold of Klondike

~ Veroxx ~ 6 Comments

Source: WoT RU portal

Do you hear the wind rocking piles in the frozen wastelands of industrial areas? This is the place where desperate adventurers and decent fathers of the family lost illusions, experienced tragedies or became fantastically rich and met happiness in the mines.

Rifts over the mouth of the river, stone hills and forest plots – the expanse of the map with many options for traveling and secluded places with a good overview gives a large set of combinations for all types of equipment. Let’s see what is hidden in the mysterious “Klondike” and move to North America during the “gold rush.”

You are waiting for six points on the map “Klondike” and five short stories about conquering Alaska.

Kennecott Mine (Alaska)

Continue reading “Tanks on the maps around the world. The Gold of Klondike” →