Testing German Anti-Tank Tactics - T-34 vs Axe

Jumping on a T-34/85 for science. In this video I jump on a T-34/85 and show one of the more bold German anti-tank tactics for the infantry in early war, a maneuver I call the "Super Mariö Ostfront", which required the use of an axe. Then I talk with Francis Pulham on why this maneuver was even more problematic in real-life due to a different type of T-34 and of course movement and other elements that were not present.
Cover design by vonKickass. Cover idea by Florian Wittig & MHV.
Francis' book:
Amazon: www.amazon.com/T-34-Shock-Sov...
Fonthill: www.fonthill.media/products/t-34
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our brains
00:00 Warning
00:12 Intro
00:49 Jumping the T-34/85
01:17 Louvres
01:52 Back on the Back
02:04 Early T-34 Rear
03:29 German Training Films
03:49 Other Problems
05:10 Know your Enemy
06:29 Soviet Defense vs Infantry
08:19 Rear Mounted MG
09:11 Remarks about Tactics
#antitank #tactics #testing

[@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized]

Follow Francis: twitter.com/tankie_frankie and facebook.com/groups/1755880351298133 Francis' book: Amazon: www.amazon.com/T-34-Shock-Soviet-Legend-Pictures/dp/1781558469 Fonthill: www.fonthill.media/products/t-34

[@wordofswords5386]

Most people see Tankie as someone who supports operation Z. He should probably adjust his name.

[@Syndr1]

Oh My, dont let The Chieftain see you. Fun video thank you. Remember when Ukraine was filling Petrol ⛽️ bottles.

[@saml7610]

"don't do this at home" ahhhhh thanks for the warning, I was considering trying this on my T-34

[@foedspaghetti3290]

Omg, my grandfather would be complaining about how you are not fit for the Wehrmacht.

[@looinrims]

I mean lots of African warlords have em

[@SirDarthDragon]

Also they lacked the note that this might not apply to other (soviet) tanks

[@Jreth]

*puts axe down* Well shit...😑

[@foedspaghetti3290]

@@Jreth Don’t worry, it’s ok if it’s somebody else’s T-34 in another driveway.

[@TheLoyalOfficer]

"No tanks were harmed during the filming of this video." Excellent!

[@ldmitruk]

Probably not many harmed with the axe either, except for paint scratches.

[@Lykyk]

Spoiled the video though.

[@Rami-ll2bq]

this is racism! no one cares about baby tomahawks missing their dady? or beautiful lady machete is widowed!🤣

[@m_erimel5255]

I almost not clicked on the video because he was pulling out an axe on a t 34 85 (which is probably my favorite WW2 tank). But when I saw this message I was really relieved. 🤣

[@nikopursiainen9097]

"You have my NLAW." "You have my Javelin." "You have my axe."

[@herptek]

Don't forget the important contributions of the mighty wooden log, the iron rod or the crowbar.

[@minhducnguyen9276]

"But there's no ATGM called axe" Raytheon, GM, Lockheed Martin: "There will be soon"

[@adventuresofkubrin]

i have ka52 u run u die bye

[@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785]

R.I.P. Gimli the Dwarf....

[@ED-es2qv]

I would have clicked on anything you attack with an axe. Make this a series.

[@FltCaptAlan]

Bismack's "SQUIRLL!!!" moment with the plane got a good chuckle out of me

[@fancyultrafresh3264]

Thank you for this breakdown, I now have more peace of mind for when I face a T-34.

[@MikaelKKarlsson]

- If you get one or more krauts on the back of your tank, apply the Crazy Ivan maneuver.

[@willw8011]

Imagine not having air support, like some common barbarian.

[@lolmao500]

@@willw8011 Common barbarian you mean like the russian army 2022?

[@willw8011]

@@lolmao500 Germans never stopped to think about their situation during the war. When jumping on a moving tank with an axe seems like a good tactic, then logical people would know the war is lost and should be ended. The same type of thing also applies to Russia 2022. 300,000 poorly trained and equipped Ivans getting cut down by western artillery and machine guns will not improve Russia's situation.

[@user-if3fj6uf3s]

You do realise that Russia has an overwhelming advantage in artillery overall? Also those poorly trained Ivans for the most part are veterans of chechen wars of 08.08.08 war? Also funny thing is, there is full scale production of suicide drones which came in effect not that long ago, Ukraine side of the net is collectivly trying to brainstorm how to deal with them, so far the tactic is similar to arabic wedding (counter productive to the extreme)

[@techpriest5452]

@@user-if3fj6uf3s by full scale production you mean you buy them from iraq🤣

[@lolmao500]

Imagine attacking a moving T-34 by jumping on it with an axe. Hardcore if you survive lol

[@datadavis]

When the subhuman hordes are advancing the ubermensch start moving!

[@williamzk9083]

Germans were a lot tougher back then. The things they did: digging a trench and waiting for a tank to drive over the top of you to attach grenades, Running on to a T-34 rear deck with an axe et. All done unarmed.

[@Leon_der_Luftige]

@@williamzk9083 everyone was tougher back then because there weren't as many desk jobs. Stop making this some weird nazi glorifying romance.

[@tobiasholm4886]

At the rate it's going maybe we'll see some footage of a Ukrainan soldier knockin' some of them bad boys out when they are out of storage lol

[@mabeSc]

@@williamzk9083 I see a Wehraboo, wait, maybe 2, is it 3 already?

[@iberiksoderblom]

Chris and planes, it's like a dog and squirrels 🤣

[@MonkeyJedi99]

SQUIRREL!

[@SirAntoniousBlock]

Dude has ADD. 😂

[@theplanesguy6162]

What is that plane though

[@martijn9568]

@@theplanesguy6162 It looked a bit like a Swordfish, but it could have also been a De Havilland Tiger Moth. Both planes have a very slight wing sweep for proper balance.

[@noobepro_7146]

The hidden advantage of the slope armor, make enemy harder to climb lol

[@brealistic3542]

Fact is because the commander also was the gunner in the early T34 he was so overloaded with work he barely could control his tank ! The early t34s had very limited outside vision and also a very critical overhang of the back of the turret that the Germans used to place their teller mines in and blow the turret clean off ! 😛

[@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785]

Yeah, that's what the history books say, but I'm sure that probably only happened on a couple dozen or so occasions out of the thousands of T-34s produced and destroyed. But it's in the Manual!

[@wordofswords5386]

"Super Mario Ostfront" 😂😂

[@cv990a4]

You need a halberd or a billhook or some other kind of medieval weapon on a long handle to break through the louver from the ground - then toss the grenade in. Such weapons, unfortunately, were no longer a standard issue for the Wehrmacht by WWII.

[@SirAntoniousBlock]

Or you could instruct your seconds to deliver a card to his seconds requesting a time and place.

[@datadavis]

Ww2 wasnt known for gentlemanly warfare, that's true

[@julianshepherd2038]

​@@datadavis it was dreadful, the Nazis didn't even stop for tea!

[@TheRetu81]

Alternative way. Tie blocks of TNT around a German stick hand grenade and throw the whole thing on the engine deck or under a track. 4 kg should be enough, 6kg of TNT if you want to be extra sure.

[@cv990a4]

@@datadavis I don't want to burst your bubble, but in the times known for gentlemanly warfare, life was actually nasty, brutal and short.

[@UnintentionalSubmarine]

When Pullham mentioned grabbing the exhaust shrouds I winced a little and thought "that couldn't have been fun", and now I learn they used gloves, which in turn just makes the entire climbing exercise that much harder. slippery hobnailed boots (attested to the times infantry had to walk on ship decks), insulating gloves on a badly angled grip and very little to actually catch your feet on. Were the guys that were intended to do this former circus artists or something (I would have said free climbers, but was that a thing back then?)?

[@MrHodoAstartes]

40s insulation gloves would be made from asbestos.

[@berryreading4809]

A ton of Pervitin would help alot more than a pair of gloves 😬... But then they would be stripping the copper wiring out of every tank they destroyed 😂

[@Seraphus87]

Almost looks like Bernhard had a "Hold my beer!" moment 😆

[@DuelJ007]

love the camera-man, has the right priorities!

[@robertmills8640]

I think some of the early AT manuals were more for morale purposes rather than real tactical advice 😁

[@mrvn000]

I should say fantasy purposes.

[@ChaplainDMK]

And apparently inspired Half Life; - Jam turret ring with crowbar - Break machinegun barrel with crowbar - Open hatches with crowbar - Beat the crew with the crowbar

[@caralho5237]

@@ChaplainDMK Shifting the gears with a crowbar is realistic for the soviets

[@ldmitruk]

Boy, the Germans sure had some fun ways to attack tanks, magnetic mines, axes, and crowbars. All of which required getting close and personal with the tank and required balls of steel, bravery or just plain "I don't give a 💩 about living anymore" attitude.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Their fault, really, for not using the "knock politely and challenge the commander to a civilized duel" method.

[@looinrims]

Should’ve used the frag grenade taped to a Jerry can of fuel method

[@cm275]

Wait until you see what the Japanese resorted to.

[@julianshepherd2038]

nazism was a death cult

[@ldmitruk]

@@MonkeyJedi99 I challenge you to throwing axes at dawn.

[@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle]

Alternative tactic. Leap on back deck. Aim panzerfaust at engine. Pull trigger.

[@kokofan50]

And hope you have the toon force on your side

[@marcoherrmann1820]

But wouldn't you also be harmed vy the impact of the Hit?

[@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle]

@@marcoherrmann1820 yes! I was making a joke lol

[@marcoherrmann1820]

@@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle Ah okay.😅

[@colbunkmust]

Obviously, your mistake was not using period 1940 hob-nail jack-boots which obviously would provide way more grip than modern rubberized soles /s

[@Usmodlover]

The more one considers this tactic the more one wonders what the ratio of broken ankles to immobilized T-34s would be 😂

[@jasontrauger8515]

🤣Your "super mario" jump reminds me of when I do that first few box jumps. I know that I can easily do the jump. But it is a 100% guarantee that, halfway through that first jump, I question whether I'm going to make it or face plant.

[@romanian_panzerwagen]

there is nothing more enjoyable than seeing an austrian brethren go back to his roots

[@nvelsen1975]

When the Army Group middle wrote in their manual that the effect of the T34 are 'mostly psychological', they probably didn't imagine those included making Austrian historians feel old. 😉

[@TheGoodShepherd117]

I don’t know what I was expecting… but it wasn’t that! 🤣 As soon as I saw the title of the video that is all I could think.

[@himoffthequakeroatbox4320]

Q: Can you destroy a tank with an axe? A: If the axe is big enough, yes. Now I know what the rear gun on some Soviet tank turrets is for.

[@tbmike23]

During ww2 most of the soviet tanks armor was overheated by as much as 4x during heat treatment as a matter of doctrine, which made the armor highly brittle, and prone to major failures from a variety of hits from nearly any caliber, or alcohol bottle.

[@brianreddeman951]

My eyes! Have to say jumping into the engine deck of a moving is something conductive to a long lifespan. Imagine trying that on something like a modern tank like an Abrams. 🤪

[@globalcitizen8321]

Short answer: liquified soldier ( due to gas turbine engine in the case of an Abrams MBT)

[@snapper_maelstrom7960]

Without even starting the full video I can only imagine a soviet t.c. peaking out and just giving the axe wielding wehrmacht soldier the ol' tokarev special

[@americanpatriot2422]

Outstanding video and presentation.

[@VosperCDN]

Aside from not trying this at home (darn), thinking Bernhard looking a bit like a German version of Oddball.

[@danielstickney2400]

Several interwar tanks had rear mounted turret machine guns instead of coaxial machine guns because space or design made a coax impractical. But the gun wasn't just for shooting to the rear because the turret rotates. Spot some Infantry in the open? spin the machine gun to the front. It didn't work out in practice but no one had much real world experience in those days.

[@kimjanek646]

T-34s carried like 20 F1 Fragmenation grenades. Pretty good close range defense against infantry :D

[@wordofswords5386]

So did the crewman just chuck them out the hatch or what?

[@kimjanek646]

@@wordofswords5386 yes 🙂

[@LAHFaust]

I was going to ask why the Soviets didn't just have another tank 'scratch their back,' (have another tank rake yours with MG fire) which is basically global doctrine now. But then I remembered that early T-34s didn't have radios. Whoops.

[@paladindanse2989]

No but they had eyes. You see enemy soldiers on THIER back scratch it!

[@LAHFaust]

@@paladindanse2989 listen here you synth so-and-so.... But seriously, visibility is so garbage in even a modern tank that if you can see a friendly tank, you're not covering your sector. Why radios are so important, 2 might not be able to see 1 cos of the narrow FOV of the optics, but 1 can hop on comms and be like "hey 2, I got feet on me, scratch my back" 2 is now going to shift attention.

[@rustyshaklford9557]

I wouldn't be confident that the dogshit-grade armor they used wouldn't be penetrated by mg fire.

[@vivaprez]

just finished a real bad day at work, i was shitty, but then i saw that intro🤣🤣🤣cheers🍺👍🏽

[@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized]

glad it helped!

[@redranjer]

the "testing" part seemed a little clickbait, but its cool to see how these things worked

[@Fetishmale]

Very good point on 05:35 also something I have heard several time before, that all Americans called all German tanks Tigers (they were not) and all German guns or even incoming artillery were 88 mm (they were not)

[@somerandomguy3551]

I like how this channel put a timeline

[@Flamechr]

Looking forward to the molotov, sturmpistol and magnet mine trial 😄. Could be awesome

[@hansvonmannschaft9062]

Wait - How did this video end up in the *_"not Visualized"_* channel? Mein Gott! We had the helms, the tank, the Austrian, a stand-in for the Russian... we were just missing the axe!

[@leoarc1061]

"The [louvers'] control rods are too high" That wouldn't stop the driver from operating them. Two simple cables and wheel would work fine. Aircraft have all sorts of rod operated devices in all sorts of locations away from the cockpit. It would make it more complex to produce, perhaps, but there aren't engineering limitations preventing it.

[@ycplum7062]

I was thinking that if you had a two-handed axe, like the ones for chopping down trees, you can run up behind it, chop into th emesh and the drag yourself up the handle. That or hold on with one hand while you toss a grenade through the mess. Of course, the tank would need to be moving kind of slow for you to disengage the axe.

[@Testimony_Of_JTF]

That look in your face lmao. You loved this, I hope I can see a T-34 some day

[@foedspaghetti3290]

Lol, available soon in the Ukraine!!

[@blackmantis3130]

@@foedspaghetti3290 Ukraine has museums and storage filled t-34s

[@foedspaghetti3290]

@@blackmantis3130, available soon on the battlefield!!

[@blackmantis3130]

@@foedspaghetti3290 actually there's a vid of a supposedly Ukrainian t-34 tank

[@seanmalloy7249]

The 'rear facing' machine gun had another use, which may have been the intended primary use. When engaging soft targets that would not be vulnerable to an HE round from the tank's main gun, you can spin the turret around and use the machine gun in the flexible mount on the back of the turret. This let you shoot at infantry that were not in the firing arc of the bow machine gun.

[@matthayward7889]

Why not just use the coaxial MG?

[@seanmalloy7249]

@@matthayward7889 The coaxial machine gun is slaved to the main gun, so that to swing it side to side, you have to turn the turret, and to aim it up and down, you have to raise and lower the main gun. The ball mount at the back of the turret gives you a more flexible weapon. For some purposes, the coaxial machine gun is appropriate -- fixed to the trunnions of the main gun, it's more stable, for example -- but it is a more ponderous weapon if you need to adjust your aim rapidly.

[@LD-wm7jm]

You should come to more events MHV, my group would love to meet you

[@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized]

Sorry, unlikely to gonna happen, they are extremely time consuming and also quite expensive as well.

[@LD-wm7jm]

@@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized if you get in touch with shows you may be able to get a press pass, failing that you could book in as a reenactor like presumably Francis did?

[@LD-wm7jm]

@@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized are there any events in Austria?

[@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized]

@@LD-wm7jm expensive for going there etc. I actually was a speaker at we have ways fest.

[@markaxworthy2508]

No specific instances of the axe/crowbar tactics being effective?

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

Where I grew up, I had a neighbor that killed a N. Korean tank by throwing a grenade down a hatch. I image the US Marines used much the same tactics as the Wehrmacht against the same vehicles.

[@50043211]

In an urban environment? Sure, if you are athletic enough, why not, if you are crazy or desperate enough. In an open field? No way!

[@edward9674]

Thanks for the video! I will make use of it the next time i am attacked by a T-34.

[@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785]

I'm thinking that maybe attacking a rear turret ball mounted machine gun(as on the KV1) was not so much intended to break the barrel, but rather send the butt end of the gun up into the commander's face, which would not be pleasant.(edit: although the TC would probably have the better leverage, so maybe I'm wrong, and it was intended to shatter a cold brittle barrel or bend a hot barrel) Also, with limited machine guns available, the commander would likely have to first pull the coaxial gun or maybe even the bow gun and then place it into the rear turret mount before firing. Also, also....using a revolver instead of a semiautomatic out of the rear pistol port makes sense because there would be no hot brass getting ejected which could ricochet off the inside rear of the turret into the tank commander's eyes. Does any of that make sense?

[@genericpersonx333]

Important observation for viewers to note: Mr. MHV is actually quite representative of many German soldiers in 1941-42, being well over the age of eighteen with a little salt and pepper in his hair. The Wehrmacht in 1941 actually had a very large number of men aged 37-45 already in uniform because they were the last generation of Germans with military training before the Treaty of Versailles came into effect and denied Germany a proper pool of reservists. In order to provide experience and leadership for the millions of young recruits being rushed into uniform in 1935-1942, the Wehrmacht specifically mobilized fit men who had trained in the Imperial German military before 1919. As Robert Citino has put it, many a photo of Germans going into the Soviet Union in 1941 remind one of a high school football team, with a lot of skinny boys following a mature man, the players following their coach, or in this case, the privates following their sergeants.

[@melliteshastur4417]

I guess that you'd have to be phenomenally strong to damage a steel canon enough for its next shell to jam in it, I can barely imagine it being feasable in fact

[@Gaming_Badger]

In the video shown It a T 34 variant, the T 34 85 to be exact, But In the story it was stated that it was the first variants of the T 34 Gen

[@anotheralpharius2056]

your issue of getting onto the tank could easily be solved by asking one of the soviets sitting on it for a hand

[@davidbrennan660]

Two pocket grenade pouch ? The Tankests were the ones that used the three pocket pouches to store grenades in the vehicle, that is why you find so many of the darn things still.

[@jeffkeith637]

“When attacked by T-34/76 ausf. D take the squad crowbar …” not great reading before bed.

[@TheEvilJade]

Could they not just block the two exhaust ports with a large wad of cloth? . Also I have seen modern tanks destroyed just by a grenade down the main gun. Could you test a German stick grenade ( not live ) if you can jam it to the bend in the pipes?

[@Pystro]

Here's the thing: Tank engines produce enough gas pressure to push a tank forwards; admittedly only after going through a transmission. But I bet all that exploding gasoline business produces enough pressure to blow out anything that is casually stuffed into the pipes. To permanently block the pipes, you'd probably need something purpose-made (like a wooden cork) that you can properly lock into the exhaust pipes. And even if you do manage to stall the engine (it would not even permanently destroy it), you would only have immobilized the tank, while all of its other systems (weapons) and the crew remain perfectly operational.

[@frankbarnwell____]

That hurt, for sure. Ultimate sacrifice for... omg. Thank you, your hosts, everyone liking 👍 this. Awesome Mad Max that commie!

[@rwcuts2585]

"dont try this at home" "damn it bro. it would have been epic if i did it on my Tiger II tank"

[@kimjanek646]

You just stick the axe into the mesh and pull yourself onto the engine deck :P

[@foedspaghetti3290]

Agreed. Seems obvious. If the grill comes off as you pull yourself up, all the better.

[@greyareaRK1]

Something special about an englishman with a posh accent driving a soviet tank. 'I say, rise up comrades and crush ole borgy, eh what?!'

[@hiredmurderer6228]

Got the T-34,where could i get the axe?

[@nowthenzen]

"There is a wardrobe malfunction" watching the entire thing on slow mo!

[@Karelwolfpup]

I commend you on suffering for your art, Bernhard ^w^

[@PositionLight]

I think your jeans are too tight for that maneuver.

[@markhaynal1969]

Pretty sure it was a Soviet cook who was famous for being the axe berserker.

[@blixtkrig]

Nice welds on the turret 😂

[@terrancecoard388]

I noticed Chris because I caught claustrophobia when he climbed into the "cockpit" of the T-34. Would not want to go into battle in a tank.

[@looinrims]

Join the us army, your tank will not be made for you to die in

[@MrDDiRusso]

THERE WERE TWO FISH IN A TANK. ONE SAYS TO THE OTHER "DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DRIVE THIS THING?"

[@qpacman2]

Axing the real questions.

[@charlesphillips4575]

There are some less insane ideas in the Männer gegen Panzer series of videos elsewhere on KZbin.

[@captainhurricane5705]

Now we know why German tanks came with grenade launchers.

[@RonJohn63]

1:01 You just burned your hand. (EDIT: I'd never seen or read anything on how Jerry climbed onto T-34s.)

[@MilitaryHistoryNotVisualized]

I forgot to mention that they likely would have worn gloves.

[@grantamos6299]

"That hurt, for sure". LMAO

[@commanderfreakkz5688]

This tactic familiar to the chef were he saw a light german tank and use his axe to damage the machine gun. When the gun damage, he start covering the tank and the Germans thought they were surrounded by a lot of Russians so they came out but they saw only one person and then the chef capture 3 of the Germans.

[@jan-eric-schacht]

Vielleicht nicht der beste Weg zum Panzervernichtungsabzeichen, aber eine Chance auf ein Verwundetenabzeichen...

[@mabbrey]

great vid don't think id wanna be in any off their boots

[@JPGoertz]

Excellent! Why did the Germans not do this more often...? Axes should have been available!

[@randyhavard6084]

I think I'll follow your advice and not try jumping on the back of a T-34. I would have broken my shin bone or had a massive bruise on my leg.

[@SeanDTanker]

Fun fact:A Soviet Soldier Who actualy won a Fight between a Panzer Crew only using an axe The Panzer crew Surrendered since they thought it was a bigger force than They imagined but in reality it was just someoen screaming "GET THE GRENADES"

[@Thoradim]

putting your hand on the exhaust pipes, will make you take your hand off because its going to burn your hands most of the "how to" pamphlets and instructions are made by a, people sitting in an office never ever getting shot at b, even if it was possible to follow instructions it always assumed best case scenarios

[@vsyokhoroshoy]

Try to shoot the Cromwell newrby,it will still be ok,t34 gun only deal 180HP of damage

[@janctrnacty1215]

Also as Wehrmacht soldier you would be wearing slippery leather sole boots, not modern rubber sole ones.

[@paladindanse2989]

Ah Attack Pattern SUICIDE! Cheif Miles O'Brien

[@emperorjulian2159]

Did I hear right or proove me wrong - the event is called "We haf vays" of course with famous German accent? 😉

[@tomhenry897]

What about the infantry following behind

[@kimjanek646]

They didn't have tank tactics developed in the early stages of the war :P

[@Usmodlover]

4:55

[@redaethel4619]

Even today tanks will sometimes get out of formation and be alone and unsupported, and that’s with radios everywhere which was not the case back then. But… you need a stationary/slow moving tank that is totally alone for this to not be instant death before you even start trying to climb it. No wonder the panzerfaust was such a huge deal when it came out.

[@spoonwithoutleg]

One thing: it's hardened steel, buts it's brittle, if you smack it, it's gonna bend. So, if it brittle, or flexible? Brittle things are chipping away. Not to mention effects of shooting effects of shooting to adjust that hardened part. Nice vid.

[@bigsarge2085]

👍

[@avus-kw2f213]

8:00 I see you’re still trying to pretend you aren’t the same person

[@emperorofsparta410]

"Don't try this at home" Dang it i was gonna jump on my tiger tank parked in my Garage ... fr bro where should i get a tank from to "try this at HOME"

[@shawnflynn1713]

Get your ass on that damn tank sir!

[@volodimirsci]

Those dudes who offer to attack tanks hand-to-hand with axes are either crazy, or consider us, the audience, to be idiots.

[@Willindor]

Uhh during WW2 it was meth that was used not crack

[@SirAntoniousBlock]

You'd definitely have to be on something to chase a T-34 with an axe.

[@kleinweichkleinweich]

let's grab a crow bar, a few grenades and an axe what could possibly go wrong?

[@lordexvar1754]

germans: soviets are asiatic horde who charge machine guns with unarmed infantry until we run out of ammo! also germans: gives a 12 year old a grenade and an axe to take out a tank

[@Fredrik6555]

I miss the blown up t34 Russian scrap

[@davidlindsey6111]

Seems like it’s be easier to climb up the side

[@davidbrennan660]

A viable Anti Tank capability is to be in couraged.........

[@gmanawesome5773]

UNLISH NO TANK WERE HARM.

[@SirAntoniousBlock]

I dunno, I'm not convinced it would be easy to run behind a T-34 bounding over snow drifts at 50 klms/h, grabbing the red hot exhaust covers then climbing aboard and hacking it to bits with an axe or hitting the barrel repeatedly with a crowbar would be that effective. 🤨

[@calessel3139]

I don't think there would be any chance of success under those circumstances. The tank would have to have been stopped or disabled in order to have this tactic work at all.

[@SirAntoniousBlock]

@@calessel3139 Of course it's all mad, even Chris got bored and started filming an airplane. 😆

[@xFlow150]

Think about urban warfare before the panzerfaust was introduced. It's way more difficult for a tank to maneuver quickly in a rubble strewn urban area. If the tank is not supported by infantry and the attackers are in hiding and let the tank pass, the tactic could be used. The platoon mates smoke up the tank and a soldier storms the back while the crew is blind. This seems much more plausible than utilizing this tactic while the tank is in the open and being able to step on the gas the moment the crew notices infantry attacking it from behind.

[@SirAntoniousBlock]

@@xFlow150 Of course when a tank is bogged down or disabled its another matter, surely firing into a pistol port would achieve better results? WW2 tanks are not very well armoured on the bottom as it was seen as less vulnerable, there are accounts from pilots of allied ground attack aircraft who claimed they tried to aim _under_ a tank on a sealed road, and if successful the tracers would ricochet up through the floor doing great damage.

[@xFlow150]

@@SirAntoniousBlock From the context of what is said in the video, it's safe to assume that the axe and grenade method was used before such anti-tank methods were trialed and tested. Also, it's mentioned that it was in the manual of, what I assume, the Wehrmacht. Thus, the context is that the tactic is to be used when you have no other options to take out a tank. I highly doubt the tactic was recommended if the platoon or force in question had any other tools to their disposal that could disable their tank other than grenades. From the context the tactic is to be used in a very specific scenario. By the way, firing into a pistol port? The port is controller by the tank crew not the attackers, so that seems highly unlikely to be successful.