henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (04/13/91)
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) >From: Tony_Buckland@mtsg.ubc.ca >... surprised at the amount of stuff attached to the outside of tanks... > What are the tubes that look like truncated mortars for? If you're thinking of the same tubes I know about, they're launchers for smoke grenades. When tanks don't have natural obstacles to hide behind, one attractive option is laying down a smokescreen as an artificial one. >Do tankers, like infantrymen, tend to work on the principle of taking >anything along that could be useful, if it can be carried, and if so do >they just tie it on outside? Space within a tank is very limited, so anything reasonably robust gets to ride outside. Besides, every little bit of junk on the outside is one more thing that can get in the way of an incoming shell. -- And the bean-counter replied, | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology "beans are more important". | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry
swilliam@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Steve Williams) (04/16/91)
From: swilliam@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Steve Williams) >smoke grenades. When tanks don't have natural obstacles to hide behind, >one attractive option is laying down a smokescreen as an artificial one. Almost correct. The tanks are camouflaged painted to blend with the natural surroundings, or they can be covered with nets, branches, etc. Laying smokescreen can also draw the enemy's attention. It depends on how you use the smoke screen. Actually, the smoke screen is to prevent the enemy from making visual contact with the tanks. You know the old saying, "If you can't see it, you can't hit it." The old saying applies here. >Space within a tank is very limited, so anything reasonably robust gets >to ride outside. Besides, every little bit of junk on the outside is >one more thing that can get in the way of an incoming shell. No one wants to open the hatch to fire a smokescreen cartridge in the middle of a gun battle. Also, the "tubes" projecting through the turret shell makes that portion of turret vulnerable to a direct hit on that spot (absence of thick armor exactly where the tube is). Hence, the tubes are mounted outside on the turret as to preserve the turret's integrity. Steve Williams