Chieftain's Q&A 28: Scouts, Strykers, Something Something is Worse Than You Think.

[@jliller]

"How many mines does it take to make a minefield?" "None. Just put up a sign." I got a good laugh out of that. Never heard it before.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

It's completely true though, because it has to be searched to call the bluff.

[@infernosgaming8942]

@@SonsOfLorgaror better yet, bring forward mine clearing equipment, which can be targeted.

[@tbeller80]

I think Guderian mentioned in his memoir that they realized they could split mines 50/50 with fakes because the effect on US mine clearing was the same.

[@johnfisk811]

The hessian screen across the road also makes them halt and deploy. Like any obstacle even a false one benefits from being covered by fire. Even a little. If infantry is deployed to check then a single machine gun with occasional effective bursts will delay the infantry reporting. If some poor sod in a vehicle is volunteered to drive forwards a single hit on it will delay deployment further. The purpose is not to stop or draw down the advancing enemy but to delay them and briefly pin them in place for indirect attack or ambush.

[@shaider1982]

From the old non-fiction book by Tom Clancy, the naval version would be a press-release.

[@cmck472]

Regarding meetings - a Consultant (Surgeon) I used to work with used to say "Any meeting that takes more than 20 minutes isn't a meeting, it's a group therapy session. She had a good point! Her other method was to say on arrival "I have to be somewhere by X", and if things were dragging on, stand up at X and say "I have to go". After a few times, the message got across...

[@alanwatts5445]

I had a commander who removed all the chairs from the conference room. Staff meetings started moving very fast after that.

[@cmck472]

@@alanwatts5445 one ITU I knew of many years ago used to see how fast one could hand over a patient while giving all relevant information. The practice was discontinued after a chap sat down and gave a handover of “John Doe, 67, head injury, cream-crackered”, stood up and walked off. It was generally reckoned a two-word handover was unbeatable.

[@Surefirechip]

I would 100% be ok with sponsorships so long as they are time stamped in the video. It need not be said be careful with who you accept sponsorships from but otherwise take that bag you deserve it for the great content you put out.

[@lostalone9320]

The Chieftain - Brought to you by the M256 120mm tank gun. If you can find a smoother bore main gun, you buy it.

[@john_in_phoenix]

It would be ideal if he could get a beer sponsorship!

[@ssgadamjunemann]

Just as long as not Bud Light

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

Thank you for the shout out! The books are on the way :)

[@michaelkarnerfors9545]

Strange tank battle: that time an American AA unit came accross Tigers being loaded onto flatcars (yes, it is _that_ engagement, mentioned in _that_ video). They started raking the Tigers with the 37mm and .50 guns, thus preventing the Tiger crews from entering and firing back. Ref: Steve Zaloga, "Pershing v. Tiger: Germany 1945" , chapter "Tigers in the west"

[@Ruija27]

Timestamps: 0:00 Admin 3:23 Opinion on Boxer vs Stryker 7:12 Strangest/weirdest tank battle in history 7:37 Tank damage, repair or write-off 10:05 MBT classification 11:26 Which is more realistic, Girls und Panzer or World of Tanks? 11:45 Best and worst filming location for the Chieftain 12:31 M10 and the fate of the M1128 MGS 13:54 Tank and anti-tank deception 15:42 Brigades giving way to the division once again? 17:07 Favorite NA diesel locomotive 18:04 Why were tank destroyers used in urban combat? 19:24 Causes for Ukrainian losses to mines? 21:01 Lack of training for new equipment 22:55 The Schofield tank 25:00 Ideas from foreign militaries for the US to consider 26:43 Amphibious capabilities for a Bradley replacement? 29:39 Are 200 Zeroes A Lot? 29:59 Sherman Calliope 30:50 Solid side skirts 32:11 The tactical zig-zag 33:17 Tank turrets on US naval vessels 34:19 Commonalities in vehicle design 34:46 "Borrowing" vehicle designs 35:07 Autoloader out of ammo 35:22 Crewman height limit 36:00 Ajax vs Boxer 36:36 Good tank simulator games 37:31 Lack of dedicated tank engines 40:51 Soviet/Russian correlation of forces and means 41:22 Drone swarm defenses for a battalion 42:09 Why no ACAV for Europe? 42:40 Salvage or destroy an M1 43:16 Status of Stryker Dragoon 45:13 MPF and M1A3 conflicting niches? 46:48 Most overrated WW2 tank 47:03 Ukrainian airborne T-80 47:30 French vs Russian autoloader 47:40 Why only M48 in Vietnam? 48:02 Pros and cons of HESH 49:01 Soviet opinion of Valentine 49:53 Initial omission of muzzle brake on 76mm 52:03 ARSV program 56:29 Designing a future US recon vehicle 58:19 Aberdeen Soviet test reports 58:46 Rarity of infrared countermeasures 59:34 Belleville washer suspension 1:01:22 Soviet rear-facing MG 1:02:05 US Army equivalent to Constant Peg 1:03:13 Autoloader types and unmanned turrets

[@G_Flash84625]

Thank you for doing god's work ^.^

[@jackbiliny2435]

Thanks bro 🙂🙂

[@Paciat]

Thank you Donald Duck.

[@matthayward7889]

Doing gods work 👌

[@cm275]

Good man right here.

[@janwitts2688]

Scottish units in the desert war often used valentine as a battle taxi or external IFV.. as a full section could clamber onto it and be transported to the next debus point.. this proved a very satisfactory arrangement for both infantry and tankers

[@lostalone9320]

Yes, I too prefer a combat role where I don't get shot at.

[@thequeensowncameronhighlan7883]

Any references for that please ? Curiosity on my part.

[@redstar96gr57]

@@thequeensowncameronhighlan7883 en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Valentine_tank_Mk3_desert.jpg

[@WanderlustZero]

@@thequeensowncameronhighlan7883 This photo would appear to corroborate that... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine_tank#/media/File:Valentine_tank_Mk3_desert.jpg

[@cmck472]

@@thequeensowncameronhighlan7883 George McDonald Frasier, Quartered Safe Out Here talks about being carried towards an action on a Sherman in Burma.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Strangest tank on tank encounter - surely the first one, as it had never happened before and no one knew just what to do based on experience.

[@KartarNighthawk]

Villers-Bretonneuax was pretty epic

[@emergingloki]

It says something about TV documentaries that I've enjoyed just watching a man at a desk talk straight to camera for over an hour and enjoyed it more than most stuff on TV. Thank you Nick.

[@washingtonradio]

I would add, a man at a desk who knows what he is talking about rather than some talking head who is only reading a script.

[@cmck472]

Nick is an exceptional storyteller. If he had an extra few hours in his day, he should be narrating audiobooks - but I guess he has to sleep sometimes!

[@CaptainSeato]

"...more interesting video editing...' No offense, sir, but I appreciate the simplicity and straightforwardness of your self-editing.

[@ssgtmole8610]

Well, the nice thing about being an Abrams tanker when it comes to flying, is that you already have plenty of turbine time. 🤣Unfortunately, the FAA won't let you log any of that. 😁 Getting my rotary license was a lot more fun than my fixed wing, but you do have to pay attention more depending on the environment. High tension power lines are not your friend, and neither are the towers they are suspended from. Settling with power, or vortex ring state is correctable - you have to get out of the rough patch of air you generated. Realizing you are in this condition is key. Reading about it in the NTSB report after the crash is too late. 😮🙃 Happy flying! ✈

[@Archie2c]

The Kelly's Heros Reference was Gold.

[@tacomas9602]

Time stamp sir?

[@olpaint71]

For the question at 33:17, there was the experimental mounting of a modifed M551 Sheridan turret on the USS Flagstaff (PGH-1). There are photos on the Navsource website.

[@ZaphodHarkonnen]

The Germans also prototyped a 155mm artillery piece on a naval vessel. One of the biggest problems is that army vehicles aren’t really designed to handle the oceanic environment. All that salt water is not good for steel. :P So they need to tweak things to minimise unprotected steel.

[@AtomicBabel]

The 30mm turret from the USMC Advanced Amphibious Assault vehicle is currently also employed on San Antonio Class LPDs, LCS's and some Military Sea Lift Command Ships.

[@quentinking4351]

On "Decoys and Fakery"--My dad was US Army in late 70s. During desert warfare training, acting as OPFOR, they chained bus hulks from the target range sideways between 2 M113s to make a big dust cloud whilst the actual attack circled around and managed to enter the "good guys" rear unchallenged. The opening attack was grenade simulators into the command tent. The graders were merciless.

[@neilmorrison7356]

When I was in the British Army on 80s and early 90s withdrawal in contact was one of the favourite problems set for Lieutenant to Captains exam. The absolute favourite was reserve demolition for I believe both practical and historic reasons.

[@generic_luke]

Regarding 2:00, If youre looking for a nice casual DCS server, Tactical DCS is a great spot. The name is a bit misleading. Its pretty laid-back, with a focus on learning. There are a few courses run there every now and then too. Basic flight, basic rotary, specific airframe courses, etc. Bunch of casual events too. Links can be found online, but I can share one if needed. Its a great group, cant recommend it enough.

[@DarkestVampire92]

I'd recommend looking into sending Cobi an email, the polish company producing "quasi Lego" kits of basically every tank under the sun, many aircraft, ships, etc. They did sponsorships with Wargaming and with the Tank Museum, i'm sure they'd be all too happy to work with you, and the fans would be all too happy to have a 1/32 scale Chieftain lookalike as a minifigure :P

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

The M4 Sherman had a stabilizer for the gun. My dad loved it. Many didn't understand how to use it

[@RobertFielder-zt5rz]

Reference use of Soviet/Warsaw Pact vehicles as OPFOR: I was an O/C at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Ft Chaffee/Little Rock AFB, AR from 90-93. Our OPFOR (at the time, 1-509 PIB, later 2d Cav Rgt when moved to Polk in 93) used VISMOD M551 Sheridans and other ground vehicles to replicate T72s and BRDMs, but the REAL thing was the use of an Mi8 Hip helicopter for OPFOR airmobile insertions. I vaguely recall that there was also an AN-something single- or twin-engine prop plane used, again by the OPFOR, for aerial resupply and POSSIBLY small scale airborne drops. Good Q&A today Chieftain! RLTW

[@bharn253]

The airplane was a soviet cub. I served with the OPFOR at Ft Polk and Irwin. Fun Times and Good Training!

[@bharn253]

They also had a Hind which was entertaining at observe also.

[@michaelguerin56]

I hear you about the extra cost-and greater expertise-of a professional camera man-and editor. It was also a bonus to see him trying out your ‘new worst drivers position’. I have become an S4 Patron. Keep up the good work. Cheers from NZ🇳🇿.

[@steelkittyofdoom3890]

Regarding the mounting tank turrets on ships, the german navy tested the feasibility of equiping frigates with the turret of the Panzerhaubitze 2000 in a study called MONARC. The mounting was capable of absorbing the recoil but it was deemed to costly to proof the turret against salt water.

[@builder396]

Theyre late. Russians were putting T-34 turrets on all kinds of river craft back in WWII.

[@jackdbur]

That was to give modern surface Combatant ships a gun which is useful for shore bombardment. The guns on modern ships other than the American 5" are not useful for shore bombardment. 😊

[@JK50with10]

The funniest tank engagement has got to be HMS Rodney vs a Tiger.

[@seriousmaran9414]

There were several instances of tanks being taken out by a battleship

[@ThePTBRULES]

We need to see an "Inside the Engines Cab" show now. Whats the steam locomotives version of Tensioning the Track? Oiling the running gear. "This 4-8-4 was build by Lima in 1942 for the XXX Railroad, she was in service for....."

[@mbr5742]

Oh yes. Send the Chieftain to "Back to Yesterday 2024" in Beekbergen/Netherlands. Lots of 1930-50 steam engines in operation during the event.

[@TheOdst219]

I think Hyce is a better option for that

[@jimmydesouza4375]

There are some equivalents of that, the National Railway Museum in the UK does narrated video walkarounds of trains in their collection for instance. I beleive there's a channel called Hyce who is an employee at a US railway museum who does a similar thing.

[@mbr5742]

@@jimmydesouza4375 Yes. But "my god, the boiler is not on fire" or "Can the Chieftain stoke a BR 52" would be nice...

[@ageingviking5587]

Great Q&A Chieftain . Great way to spend a Saturday morning. Thank you!

[@kiwiruna9077]

Or as in New Zealand Sunday morning

[@MrHws5mp]

On the subject of tank(ish) turrets on ships, in the 1970s, Vickers designed a thing called the Autonomous Patrol Gun, which was essentially a Centurion tank turret, complete with it's 105mm L7 gun, fire-control system and three crew, adapted for use on naval vessels. The idea was to provide a self-contained, highly accurate gun that could be used for shore-bombardment or anti-ship work, that wouldn't demand much from the parent ship in terms of power, fire-control or other external support. I've never seen a picture of it or seen more than a paragraph of text about it (nobody bought it), so I don't know if it had the stabiliser upgraded (probably) or used the Centurion's actualy armoured turret shell (probably not). It may have been insired by earlier RN work from the 1950s on guns for Coastal Forces called CFS-1 and CFS-2, at least one of which used the 20 pounder gun originally developed for Centurion. I do know there was a study of available guns in the 1960s that showed the 105mm L7 was the best way to get a kill on a torpedo boat at 6000 yards. More recently, there was a study to use the PzH2000 turret as the basis of a 155mm naval gun, and there have also been projects to mount the Swedish AMOS twin 120mm mortar on smallish boats for inshore/riverine warfare. IIRC both of these got at least as far as hardware tests on ships, though how far that went I don't know.

[@moo4boy]

For the question at 21:00, I am reminded of one of the issues with the mark 14 torpedo. The service manual for the mark 6 exploder (the detonator) was written, but not printed and distributed due to security concerns.

[@Anarcho-harambeism]

51:00. Similar reasoning behind the m4's A2 bird cage design, while the primary design hides the flash a slight bit and also helps reduce recoil, the bottom is closed off allowing for less dirt to be kicked up when firing, reducing and effect on the shooters view

[@martindice5424]

‘The Sheep is not a creature of the air’ refers to the limits of ovine aviation. I refer you to Monty Python Dear Chieftain.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Yeah, my NorthWest Country Accent isn't all that great. I tried...

[@CthulhuInc]

@@TheChieftainsHatch it wasn't a somerset accent? 😊

[@johnfisk811]

Caprine mountain mobility is a weak substitute.

[@driftertank]

"Bonsoir - ici nous avons les diagrammes modernes d'un mouton anglo-français."

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

@@driftertank Et maintenant, une demonstratione fantastique....

[@lostalone9320]

Sadly budget cuts mean that each French division now has one guy who has to bake bread, sell garlic and perform mime all at the same time. The role of regimental Gauloises smoker is now only ceremonial, and is taken up by the senior NCO for parades and so on.

[@edwardgranger1722]

On the topic of kit not trained for and therefore not used, some Marine Corps units were issued AN/PEQ-2's in 2002 and carried them in their bags for months because they had no idea what they were or how to use them. In the anecdote I saw online, it wasn't until one sergeant returned to the unit from Ranger school who knew what they were and how they worked that they came out of their pouches. He showed them how to use them and they zeroed them shipboard on the way to Iraq with no other training or instruction.

[@high633]

I was gonna mention the same story actually. Found it rather funny and slightly sad when i first heard it.

[@just_one_opinion]

@@high633 why? usmc has been shit on since birth, being unwanted dept of navy. only thing we have are some bullshit stories of being best and toughest ra ra ra. I used the shit equipment in the 90s, we spend 8 hours erecting a lego bridge when army would run up a bridging tank and deploy same gap in 3 minutes. pathetic lack of equipment and ego bull stories make next generation so much more fodder.

[@cropathfinder]

For one of the strangest tank engagements , the cleanup operation around the bosnian border on october 9th 1995. During one of these operations an american WW2 TD either an M18 or more likely an M36 in croatian service knocked out several mode "modern" serbian tanks T55, 60 series or 72 in rapid succession in basically extreme close range combat reminiscent of kelly's heroes... it then proceeded to nearly wipe out the command staff of its own guards brigade while shooting an friendly officer who tried to "requisition" an abandoned vehicle to serve as an ambulance. It did however kill the commanding officer of the brigade who was effectively in retirement but stayed in just to oversee the final cleanup the unit was to be involved in. There is bunch of extra stuff that followed but that would be too political so i will avoid that.

[@commando4481]

where can i read more about this?

[@wurzel9671]

​@@commando4481also intrigued

[@jackdbur]

I'm guessing that there was Vodka involved?

[@RaeSyngKane]

I’m sure you’ve been contacted a million times since Ian launched it, but the Weapons & War app that he started would benefit massively from your content. I know of none of the behind the scene details, but selfishness demands I put it forward as I’ve been immensely enjoying the lack of YT ads.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Honestly, I’m not familiar with it…

[@atlashugged2591]

Piggybacking off of your deception discussion around the 15:00 mark. In World of Tanks, one of the best strategies to utilize when you find yourself outnumbered without support is to find a defensible position or chokepoint and fight as though you have more tanks behind you, even though you actually do not. Fear of what is not known with certainty is a very powerful demotivator in combat, both in-game and in real life.

[@jintsuubest9331]

Afawk, Fear of the unknown is the natural instincts of all life form with at least some intelligence.

[@grumpystranger6377]

About Poles and their amphibious capabilities requirements, as far as I can tell, they stem from the fact, that the entire Poland-Krolewiec, and a big chunk of the polish-belarussian border runs alongside Masuria, which is effectively wetlands pockmarked by a huge amount of lakes. So the idea is to have vehicles there that wouldn't need to go around every puddle that proved too deep to wade through.

[@ODST6262]

Equipment issued but not used because commanders weren't aware of it? The Canal Defense Light in WW2 is a good example. Two battalions were issued them and trained to use them, and then they turned in their CDL tanks for real tanks without using the CDL in mass.

[@AtomicBabel]

Re: Armour fighting vehicle turrets on ships. The 30mm turret from the USMC Advanced Amphibious Expeditionary fighting vehicle is currently employed on USN San Antonio Class LPDs, Littoral Combat Ships (Surface warfare mission package), and some Military Sea Lift ships.

[@seanmalloy7249]

1:02:05 -- I have also seen claims -- more with regard to Japanese tanks in WWII than to Soviet tanks -- that the purpose of the rear turret MG was so that the tank commander, when in a situation supporting infantry where the main gun would be overkill, could spin the turret around and use the rear MG on enemy troops, although given the ~19,000 awards of the Heer tank destruction badge, having German infantry engaging Soviet tanks in close combat would seem to be a more significant threat than the limited utility of a flexible MG mount in the turret.

[@panzerdeal8727]

Bill Mauldin's Willie :" I'd ruther walk. A movin' foxhole attracks th' eye." Boxer: " Hold my pint, lad.."

[@MarcRohr-s8d]

Sager drills were still taught when I was in

[@richards6431]

Always awesome when a new Chieftain video comes out!

[@D00MerJohn]

I think the modular ability of boxer might come in handy as needs for militaries change. Look at how we're now sticking 30 mm turrets on the top of Stryker as an example. If that upgrade process is made simpler with their construction that might be handy.

[@markstrauss4964]

Thanks!

[@russellweatherly9625]

On tank autoloaders. Would it be possible to combine the two types of stowage, with the projectiles in a carousel and the propellant in the bustle with blowout panels?

[@jintsuubest9331]

While yes, unless you are using 2 part liquid propellant, you achieved what? Also there are many ways to design hull stowage with blowout panel.

[@coolhandab5296]

Thanks, Colonel. Agree or disagree your Q&A videos are always time well spent.

[@jasonsmith9968]

For your master’s thesis, would it be better to pick a topic you already know well, or choose a topic that would require you to do more background research? Potentially giving you a reason to study something you wouldn’t put much priority in?

[@bobo-cc1xw]

Do you want the grade or to learn? Normally the grade will do you better long term

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

I'm going for 'easiest'. It's as much a box to check on the way up. I've plenty of time to learn, but only so much time to do the thesis this year

[@aidanmattson681]

33:25 USS Flagstaff, an experimental hydrofoil, had a Sheridan turret on the bow.

[@frankgulla2335]

What a tour deforce this time. Thank you for all the answers to questions I never knew I wanted answered.

[@LordJuan4]

for the record, I totally support you taking on sponsorships. most youtube channels have sponsors and i see no reason why you shoudnt as well. channels like Drach and Forgotton Weapons do it fairly well in my opinion without impacting the content or sometimes even adding to it

[@seancallaway5204]

I was a Stryker MEV (M1133) Commander in Iraq 06-08 (with 1-14 Cav, 3rd SBCT, 2nd ID) and I won't hear a word spoken against the platform. It's fast af, modular, roomy, and...most importantly...QUIET. We earned the moniker "Ghost Soldiers" for a reason.

[@jasonyama333]

I saw some pictures of russians taking a ww2 valentine of a bog/marsh couple of years ago, was totally surprised at the huge amount of ammo they took out of it, looks like it was almost fully loaded for combat.

[@shaider1982]

54:13 Interesting that the US Army was checking out motorbikes for recon (or was that reintroducing). Electric dirt-bikes are being tested by the USMC as these would allow troops to recon a larger area even with all if their gear,

[@bharn253]

The OPFOR at Ft Irwin used motorcycles in their scout platoons in 83 when I was there. Three stories to go along with that. I watched an observer on an OH -58 try to jump off a skid to capture a bike, he missed and bounced along the desert floor spectacularly. My Platoon Sergeant was messing around US lines when a crunchie jumped up from behind a creosote bush and butt stroked him in the face. Fractured his jaw and got him captured and I watched a friend of mine drive around an American assembly area on a motorcycle for a long while everyone and his brother shot at him. MILES guns mean you don't lead the target to get a kill. Nobody figured that out. Good Training!!! Loved the NTC as OPFOR and BLUFOR. Always something fun to see and great training.

[@djd8305]

Oh, and great to have you back!

[@michaelguerin56]

In regard to the modular capability of the Boxer, it was my understanding that the principal perceived operational benefit was the ability to transfer an urgently needed module from an unserviceable chassis to a serviceable chassis, as you mentioned with your ambulance example. Such a practice would also enable base and mobile workshops to more effectively utilise their personnel and equipment in real world conditions. There is nothing more annoying than having a specialised vehicle out of service, because: either it has been run into the ground OR more likely, reported vehicle faults have been ignored, due to the vehicle being parked out the back, straight after every exercise. You will know exactly what I am talking about😁. Cheers from NZ🇳🇿. The option to have spare modules seemed to be more of a sales manager’s wet dream than a realistic purchasing option. The marketing presentations that I watched, seemed to be focused on the ability to keep urgently needed modules in use.

[@KartarNighthawk]

For weird tank battles...I came across a random reference to a purported encounter in which a US Marine LVT destroyed an IJN Ka-Mi during the fighting off Leyte. No idea if it's true or not, but if it is it would be the only known example of two amphibious tanks engaging one another at sea.

[@just_one_opinion]

jap tank had more armor, but not much more.

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

Thanks for your insights Chieftain.

[@petergerdes1094]

EW against drone swarms may be quite effective against off the shelf drones and probably even the current generation stuff but we have the tech to install enough image rec etc in the drones to let them find a target even if they lose comms (not to mention that if you use directional antennas and control them from satellite it gets much harder to jam since you are further from satellite than drone on top of inherent adv of avoiding jamming...and you never fully block comms if properly designed just drop bit rate so u could still issue very short messages)

[@jackdbur]

Hint Starlink is bringing out a smaller "personal" antenna! 😊

[@MorningGI0ry]

Haven’t figured out a thesis topic. That hits too close to home

[@engelbert42]

Boxer modularity: Maintenance is made much easier when you can separate components. As you said it's easier to keep desired modules online, but it also simplifies shipping damaged modules back to your logistics base or even the factory. With tight budgets armies don't like to buy stuff that's sitting around, but once you deploy a small portion of your fleet to some far away land they'll start saving on the logistics bill by only shipping what's necessary to keep the mission running. Loading only the chassis saves a lot on the cost of airlift, and for non time critical stuff you can send mission modules around the globe as (oversized) containers.

[@ethanmckinney203]

Because the Boxer modules are completely separated from the chassis/cab by bulkheads, you can kill the "vehicle" but the folks in the module are OK. And you could pull a damaged module off a chassis, pull an intact module of off a damaged chassis, and have one working unit while the damaged bits go back to the repair depot.

[@hopeforthebestproductions2771]

47:25 Hey! 2/11 is a fully airborne brigade! Granted 1/11 is a bunch of legs but they are getting around to becoming air assault one of these days. Also we have this fancy arctic tab which is genuinely the only organization in the active army explicitly trained and equipped for arctic operations.

[@high633]

Glad I'm not the only who was indignant/incensed at that statement. Sincerely local populous to 2/11. Still wish they kept binky the bear as the mascot though.

[@mbr5742]

The main benefit of the modular bay is that it is easier to build custom variants that use the same engine/control/drive train and therefore share most spare parts. The germans used a similar approach in their cross country MAN trucks (that share a lot of parts between 5/7/10 to. Basically the military equivalent to a 20ft container

[@minarchist1776]

I would also note that amphibious vehicles necessarily need a lot more maintenance support than regular ones. I will leave it to you to decide whether or not it is worse to have to rapidly exit the vehicle because it is on fire than to have to rapidly exit the vehicle because it is sinking due to various seals not having been properly serviced.

[@patmcgroin6916]

Regarding your train issue...I have no idea but... You could always vocalize the sounds until some other solution makes itself apparent. "WOO WOO! CHCHCHCHCH...PSSSHHHHHH...." Just make sure the wife isn't around, unless your trying to get some private time by slightly creeping her out. You do you, sir. Your numero uno dirty old Irishman fan here! Good to see you back!!! WOO WOO!!!! PS: I agree that the Panther was the 1st MBT.

[@dansmodelworx]

About that Irish locomotive shipped from London Ontario to Ireland, I had just moved to London that year and was among the many spectators who gathered to watch the locomotive be transported to the airport. Cool memories.

[@prnjrr1783]

I may have an answer to your Lionel question! I could also be completely wrong and if I am I’m sure I’ll be corrected by replies. As for the Sounds of Steam board, I have a similar loco with the same technology. Based on what I researched when I was trying to learn, once the board burns out, that’s it. No one makes replacements. You’d need to cannibalize a second locomotive to get a new board. It’s possible that the “incident” you described might be remedied by re soldering wires that got knocked loose but I haven’t seen the loco so I wouldn’t know. As for traction tires, there’s probably several model train stores out there that ship replacements. A google search of the locomotive model number and “traction tires” might suffice. With older locomotives the SKU number is often the cab number. Hope all this helps!!

[@Idaho-Cowboy]

We need to see more of your trains!

[@festusthecat]

Strangest/weirdest battle: it is a mechanized battle, not tank on tank. During the Great Emu War of 1932, the Australians were in wheeled vehicles and the commander stated if Australian armor could absorb as much munitions as emus, they'd be unstoppable. I suppose the emus were considered tracked since they leave tracks?

[@fuzzyhead878]

Almost forgot that our host was a railfan as well! Now I need to ask, what are your favorite North American STEAM locomotives?

[@phil20_20]

If I could afford to buy Belgian beer in the U.S., I'd drink a lot of beer too. 😂 Seriously, the U.S. Army should be sponsoring your channel, along with other countries' militaries. But Pilzner Urquell would be a good substitute!

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Good video. Take care sir and to you and your family Merry Christmas. Be safe.

[@karakiri283]

Just to add something about the boxer, the modularity part weight 2 to 2.5 tonnes of dead weight. Dead weight that did not exist in others 8x8s. I learned about it discussing with engineers during Eurosatory a few years back and it was a big critic of the concept. Also the armor was deemed to be poor (lot of weight being used for modularity instead of armor), they "plugged the holes" regarding armor by adding some, but this made the boxer the heaviest 8x8 and drastically decreased performances. But the modularity seem to be selling well with politicians, so i guess it has its use (even if they never buy complementary modules for it).

[@Di3Leberwurst]

@41:50 Would EW in any form work if the drones work autonomously? I would guess going from a operator to a simple "ai" wouldn't be that hard.

[@chuckw1113]

IIRC, Donn Stary’s Armored Combat in Vietnam claimed there was one M60 battalion deployed to Vietnam. He did not identify which unit it was and seemed to indicate it was in the Saigon area.

[@akizeta]

16:00-ish Is the past tense of "Powers that be" not "Powers that been"?

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Fair question

[@grabtharshammer3410]

Thank you for the Kelly's hero's reference. Brilliant!

[@williamtraynor-kean7214]

Odd tank battle, Salerno, where the Royal Navy destroyer Nubian repulsed one German tank attack almost single-handedly.

[@tarjei99]

Well, there were some US Navy light cruisers there. That was the second time the US Navy bailed the US Army out of serious trouble in Italy. I seem to remember that the British Army was better organized.

[@lostalone9320]

Situations like that remind us all how big a difference there is between the weakest ships and the strongest land units. The "fearsome" 88mm anti tank gun fires 10kg shells. The "wimpy" 4.7" QF guns on a British Tribal class fire a 22kg shell, and fire them faster and further. Oh and the Destroyer has 8 of them.

[@joebrennan2086]

I believe some German tanks once fought a Russian light cruiser in Southern Russia

[@piritskenyer]

Boulogne-sur-mer, 1940, evacuation. A Pz IV of the 7th Panzer decided it would be a good idea to engage a RN destroyer evacuating troops from the pier. In fairness, they did set a fire on the stern, however destroyers seldom travel alone. And so it was that another RN destroyer started shooting at the tank using her 4.7" (120mm) naval guns. The tank was described as "cartwheeling" upon being direct impacted by a naval shell.

[@adodgygeeza]

​@@lostalone9320 it's mostly a factor of range, a ship generally struggles to hit a point target like a tank and can't go hull down or similar. Whereas a tank if it finds a ship in range can target specific parts of the vessel. In the practice ships very rarely get into the range of direct fire weapons. In 1982, some RMs beat off a corvette with a Charles Gustaf.

[@rickypalacios1554]

If you live in near Austin Texas. Kings Hobby on north lamar just north of 183. They have trains or at least can help you find something.

[@bryce4724]

there are some isses with the boxer, eg in terms of the modularity, they should have doubled the connection pins as they are at max capacity with the current weight limits of the pins meaning as we go on in time less moduals can actually be used without having to go back for further modification or downgrading some of the capability for being able to be used in the pins

[@buscadiamantes1232]

"36:36 Good tank simulator games", for whoever asked this, "Steel Fury Kharkov 1942" is also a great game. You might want to mod it, but the mods that are around (and surprisingly updated for such an old game) are pretty damn good.

[@MrHws5mp]

On the subject of recce vehicles, a 1984 Jane's that I have lists a number of CVR(T)-derived vehicle concepts submitted by Alvis to two American studies: Mobile Protected Weapon System (MPWS) and Mobile Protected Gun System (MPGS). Originally MPWS was USMC and MPGS was US Army, but the two services agreed to merge the two programmes. These are all based on the stretched CVR(T) chassis, which had six road wheels compared to five for the mainstreal CVR(T) series, and did go into limited production as the Stormer APC variant. The variant with a lower, Scorpion-style hull and a two-man turret was called "Sagitar": 1. Sagitar chassis with a Scorpion 90 turret, fitted with a Cockerill 90mm Mk.III gun. 2. Sagitar chassis fitted with a new turret similar to Scorpion but with a square planform and vertical sides. This was armed with the Scorpion's 76mm L23A1 gun, and an external twin TOW launcher on one side. My impression is that you could probably fit another one on the other side if you wanted to. 3. Sagitar chassis fitted with a different new turret armed with the ARES 75mm automatic gun. 4. Sagitar chassis fitted with a different new turret armed with a 105mm low pressure gun, either from Royal Ordnance or Rheinmetall.

[@oxxysaurus]

Great intro and video. Don't worry about the sponsor thing if it's needed.

[@b2tall239]

With regards to tank turrets on US Navy vessels, a variation of the Navy's river monitors used in Vietnam had a 105mm howitzer in a T172 turret. This was the same turret used on the LVTH-6 tracked, armored landing vehicle. Not sure if that qualifies as a "tank" but it's close.

[@ComradePenguinski]

On dealing with drone swarms: I wouldn't be surprised if something along the lines of (miniaturized) Flak cannons were to make a comeback. Cant really fly a small drone through a cloud of metal fragment too easily.

[@culture-nature-mobility7867]

Is there such thing as a best/worst protected position in a tank? Which position is statistically the one with the highest rate of survival/lowest rate of death or injury?

[@leepalmer1210]

The tank maintainer back at the depot.

[@felicitylongis3605]

Another great Q&A! And thank you for the quote! I'm sure you did Graham proud.

[@Stone5883]

Wait, the British figured out how to make briefings brief? Someone figure out how they've done this, we need this technology.

[@Nderak]

glad to hear from you again

[@larsmathiesen8999]

I would say that the most wierd engagement would be between a Dominican L/60L and a US Marine M50 Ontos during the Dominican Civil War. A M48 Patton also engaged a L/60L. But at least I figure that the L/60L's Madsen 20mm would be able to penetrate the Ontos 13mm amour. (the Ontos is just so wierd. Imagine the safty distance behind its 6 105mm recoilless rifles ?? I know that your main task as a 84mm Carl Gustav loader is to check behind to ensure that nobody get KFC'ed :) )

[@TexasSpectre]

You'd think that, then you'd see the steep angles of the Ontos' armor. The upper front 13mm plate is sloped at 71 degrees back from vertical! Gives it an effective almost 40mm thickness from a dead on shot from the front. A modern M53 20mm API round fired from an M61 Vulcan can only penetrate 6.3mm of vertical armor. M56A3 HEI rounds can only blast through 12.5mm. Even allowing for the older cannon to have better performance for various reasons, it was going to struggle to get through that level of armor and it was likely to ricochet when hitting such an angled plate anyway. You're right, Ontos is a really weird and deceptive little beast with a monster alpha strike on tap.

[@larsmathiesen8999]

​@@TexasSpectre You are probably right about this. And because the Ontos is a small sneaky TD the L/60L wound probaly not have seen the weird thing before the significant emotional event occurred ;)

[@TexasSpectre]

@@larsmathiesen8999 To be fair to the L/60L crew, even if they'd seen it they likely had no clue what the heck that strange looking thing with the weird pipe racks on each side was.

[@FrontlineChief]

I completely feel you on the DCS VRS issue ahaha. For a casual server experience that still has some solid action, I'd recommend trying out the Flashpoint Levant server. Its 80's themed PvE on the Syria Map, so air threats are ai MiG-21's, MiG-19's, MiG-23's, and MiG-29's (only when the campaign gets late-game). Its got quite a bit of Anti-Ship missions available for the Viggen, and Strike missions when anti-shipping runs out!

[@Dennis-vh8tz]

Regarding future armoured reconnaissance/cavalry vehicles, and considering the size and weight of Ajax, Boxer, etc, it seems to me that a Booker hull with new turret, carrying a 30mm auto-cannon and additional sensors, instead of the 105mm would be worth considering. Pair with a dedicated, and relatively light, APC for dismounts. Splitting the IFV into a pair of individually lighter vehicles, a light tank and APC, seems to me to be an obvious way to increase mobility. Optionally reinforce each platoon with a standard Booker for some bunker busting HE firepower.

[@MayaHaddad-u6n]

What about building more Wiesel's?

[@alanwatts5445]

I know that you were trying to cover a lot of questions in a short period of time, but I think the question about Constant Peg and vizmods could have a larger explanation. In several training areas, but especially at the National Training Center (NTC/ Fort Irwin, CA) The Army visually modified (vizmods) a lot of otherwise surplus vehicles (like the M551 Sheridan) to resemble Soviet vehicles. They were also equipped with Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) gear so that they could shoot at and be shot by units rotating through the training areas. At the NTC there were Brigade on Brigade engagements. Probably the NTC and Hohenfels could get their own video.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

That's the KVT-1, Sheridan and OSV I mentioned at the end. Actually, I am going back to NTC to do some specific videoing on what they get up to over there next month.

[@birdmonster4586]

Heyo, For the Boxer it can fit inside a C-130J-30 but you're absolutely at the upper limits and it would need to be in 2 pieces like the A-400. I don't believe we (Australia) ever actually did the testing for that during the LAND 400 Phase 2 Program when the Boxer was competing against the Patria 35. The air transportability trials we did were around Canberra using C-17s so far as I understand it. But the RAAF has just recently ordered enough C-130J-30s to double it's fleet, and we're pushing hard on Amphibious transport power as well. So it might be the case that the Boxer is theoretically transportable with a C-130, but not desirable. As such the ADF is making sure it has enough other Transport options, by freeing up C-17 and using amphibious transport where possible. You also mentioned Motorbikes being proposed for the Bradley. I've seen that the Australian Army was testing E-bikes alongside out new Boxers.

[@Garth738]

Regarding Navel Vessels using tank turrets: (Sort Of). LVT-A1 used a Stuart turret with the 37mm for fire support, (Bunker Busting). When this proved inadequate, M8 turrets with the 75mm gun were used with varying results.

[@echoredfour]

Great Q and A. Few good historical facts i didn’t know. Workhorse!!!

[@larryjohnson7591]

Now that was just a ton of information. I do feel smarter. Thanks Chief.

[@freshfresh5205]

Latest company of heroes 3 official skin for the m18 hellcat has side skirts. Considering coh is set in ww2 and I have only ever seen full side skirts (makes the m18 look like it had panther side skirts all the way across) on modernised post war m18s. Did hellcats in ww2 ever fight with side skirts?

[@FirehawkSHD]

1:50 Try Falcon BMS chief, its steel beast of the skies and dirt cheap (you only need falcon 4.0 which is only like $5 on steam)

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

I have Falcon 4.0 Allied Force, as I recall, but haven’t played it in a whiles

[@eliwatson7936]

Given a reasonably comprehensive systems upgrade package (sensors, ammunition, machine guns, minor engine upgrades, etc.), what is the oldest tank, in your opinion, that could be competitive on a modern battlefield? Not top of the line, just good enough to not be a total waste. My answer would probably be Centurion, especially later models with the 105, but I’ve heard opinions ranging from T-54 to Pershing.

[@DeanAdventure]

I was in 2nd Stryker Cavalry. I lived in one of those damned uncomfortable things for a year on the front lines of Afghanistan.

[@georgemarino5327]

I always enjoy these, Keep them coming