Life Inside a Panzer - Tank Life Part 1 - WW2 Special

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ธ.ค. 2024
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    The German Panzers are high on the list of the most feared and respected weapon systems of the Second World War. Much of their effectiveness however did not simply stem from technical or tactical superiority, but was achieved through rigorous training and the tight camaraderie of their crews. Days, weeks, or even months on end, the men operating a Panzer would stay together, maintaining the tank, and training for the battle to come. Through summer and winter, heat and snow, mud and rain, the tank would become their home.
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ความคิดเห็น • 481

  • @WorldWarTwo
    @WorldWarTwo  2 ปีที่แล้ว +49

    Get World of Tanks now! tanks.ly/3TbhucH - use invite code TANKMANIA to get access to tanks, credits, and 7 days of premium access.

    • @QuizmasterLaw
      @QuizmasterLaw 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      "If only we had an autoloader..."
      trivia! chort is russian for devil and trup is russian for corpse
      next time someone talks about troops: Remember.

    • @PhillyPhanVinny
      @PhillyPhanVinny 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I still can't wait for you guys to cover the small arms and planes of each nations in WW2 like this. I know how busy you guys are though. So I do understand if I need to wait until after the weekly WW2 episodes and the War against Humanity episodes have ended. Since I do assume you guys will still be supporting this channel after the weekly episodes of the war have ended. I really liked how you guys covered the small arms for the Great War channel and I think coverage of the small arms of WW2 will be so much better. I think this because the small arms each country used in WW2 varied so much country by country. I know you guys know there are tons of YT gun channels that you could work with but just like here in this episode, you guys showed you can cover topics like tanks without bringing in a specialist like the excellent Chieftain every time you need to talk about tanks. Same goes for airplanes as well. I know you guys are not piolets but you guys could still cover the airplanes of WW2 without needing to bring in a specialist as well I think. Keep up the great work guys!

    • @pagodebregaeforro2803
      @pagodebregaeforro2803 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Cool!

    • @nsaex583
      @nsaex583 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Dude, where you been? Also, I’d like to work for thee

    • @floydvaughn9666
      @floydvaughn9666 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      ? Where is Part 2?

  • @doctorthrax2076
    @doctorthrax2076 2 ปีที่แล้ว +439

    I read in a British war memoir called "Troop Leader" that crew cohesion was taken very seriously. If two crewmates did not get along, one of them would be transferred to a different crew. People always shifted around either due to casualties or animosity. It's interesting to see the tank not as a machine, but as the weapon whose effectiveness depended on the tireless work of a group of men who need to be on the same wavelength.

    • @J0113
      @J0113 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Indeed. I imagine it's got to be a spiritual experience. Going to war like that.

    • @HiyoruMikiyazoya
      @HiyoruMikiyazoya 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      100%. Wehraboo dipshits are usually oblivious to the fact that the Wehrmacht's real strength was command and tactical cohesion and almost nothing to do with their actual equipment.

    • @JagerLange
      @JagerLange 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Is that the Bill Bellamy book? If so then I can second that one, a very good memoir for British armour and comradeship (or "matesness" as I think Richard Holmes once put it).

    • @pagodebregaeforro2803
      @pagodebregaeforro2803 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@J0113 it can be, it can go spiritual in a blink of an eye...

    • @bencejuhasz6459
      @bencejuhasz6459 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@JagerLange It is Bellamy's book.

  • @AbbyNormL
    @AbbyNormL 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    The comment about tank crews listening to their tanks to find issues rang the old memory bell in my head. I served in a US fast attack submarine in the 1970-80s. After a period of time, just by the sounds the submarine was making, we could tell how fast we were going, if any piece of equipment was shutdown for some reason or if a piece of equipment was in the early stages of a malfunction. I was a nuclear trained electrician and my job was to control and monitor everything from the turbine generators to small motors. We recorded information such as temperatures and pressures once an hour. We got to the point where we could tell what some operating temperatures were supposed to be just by how fast we were going or which pieces of equipment were in operation. We could scan a bank of meters and tell if anything was abnormal just by looking at a row of meters and seeing one that was out of normal position. As we were in the engine room, we could look at a seawater pump’s suction pressure and tell how deep we were (44 psi per 100 feet). When you operated something long enough, it really could talk to you.

  • @georgiabowhunter
    @georgiabowhunter 2 ปีที่แล้ว +82

    I was a US tanker on a M1A1 for ten years including a tour in Iraqi. The technology has increased but the life of a tanker hasn’t changed much at all. Your tank is your home, car, office and life.

    • @Pharaoh22
      @Pharaoh22 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      or coffin

  • @danesorensen1775
    @danesorensen1775 2 ปีที่แล้ว +103

    All the problems of operating a bulldozer, an artillery piece, a ham radio set, and a scout camping trip, all at once.

    • @christophercarlone9945
      @christophercarlone9945 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Well said!

    • @mrroofish
      @mrroofish 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      …all while somebody is trying to kill you!

    • @thomashenebry8269
      @thomashenebry8269 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      1 man wasn't expected to do all that. That's why there were crews.

    • @NeutralGuyDoubleZero
      @NeutralGuyDoubleZero ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@thomashenebry8269 Nobody said or implied that it was done by one man in the first place.

    • @guerillagorilla4423
      @guerillagorilla4423 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@thomashenebry8269 Thank you, Mister Obvious.

  • @jamesolbrisch2582
    @jamesolbrisch2582 2 ปีที่แล้ว +330

    How little things have changed, this just explained 90% of my time in the army lol

    • @Ronald98
      @Ronald98 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Out of curiosity, what's the other 10%?

    • @CollectorCarPeed
      @CollectorCarPeed 2 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      @@Ronald98 scrolling instagram

    • @713devereux
      @713devereux 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@CollectorCarPeed 😂

    • @jamesolbrisch2582
      @jamesolbrisch2582 2 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      @@Ronald98 radio operator is no longer a designated position and everyone cooks and cleans now lol 😆

    • @jamesolbrisch2582
      @jamesolbrisch2582 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@CollectorCarPeed lol no such thing when I was in. We were still using MySpace and cellphones were still rare 😆

  • @SHAd0Eheart
    @SHAd0Eheart 2 ปีที่แล้ว +140

    This would make a great sub-series, especially if you go beyond tanks (bombers, tank destroyers, PT boats, Subs, Etc…) at any rate this has instantly gone on to my favorite top ten! Thank you!

    • @jesusbauer8861
      @jesusbauer8861 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      If you wanna know how life was on a ww2 sub, just watch "Das Boot". :-)

    • @danielkaitlynhoben9164
      @danielkaitlynhoben9164 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Or read Iron Coffins by Herbert A. Werner, an excellent read. I’d love to find a book like this but written by a tank crewmen

    • @SHAd0Eheart
      @SHAd0Eheart 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I recently read “War Beneath the Sea” by Peter Padfield. It was pretty good, very in-depth on sub-warfare and how the tactics & technology varied between the belligerents.

  • @rcgunner7086
    @rcgunner7086 2 ปีที่แล้ว +190

    What a fascinating video. I was a tanker in the US Army from 1989-1997 and served on the M1 Abrams. Beyond being a bigger and more advanced tank with a smaller crew this video hits what life is like as part of a tank crew pretty well. With a couple of minor edits this could be a look inside the lives of a modern tank crew!
    One thing that you sort of missed was how each tank seems to have a personality of its own. It sounds silly, but it is pretty true. Some tanks purr like a champ (usually the newer ones) and are a dream to keep up, while others are not so... nice.. "Oh hell, what's WRONG WITH 14 (in the US Army that is pronounce as ONE-FOUR) NOW????" Over time they develop personalities with their own odd quirks (14 just isn't a morning pig- she just doesn't want to start-up at stand-to.. time to slave her off.. .AGAIN!) because of wear and tear, crew PM, and who knows what (Maybe the 40K Imperium is correct and they do have "machine spirits"!?!).
    It does sound like the more things change, the more they stay the same and that being a tanker is a universal experience. Pretty cool!

    • @sam8404
      @sam8404 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      What were your most and least favorite things about being a tanker? Or anything else you think someone should know. I've been thinking about joining up but I'm not completely sure yet, all I know is if I did I'd want to serve in a tank.

    • @Red_Four
      @Red_Four 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@sam8404 it's a hard life, but it's the best job you'll ever have.

    • @jonathansteadman7935
      @jonathansteadman7935 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      There's reports of a ghost Spitfire over Biggin Hill so maybe they do have spirits.

    • @paulmanson253
      @paulmanson253 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@sam8404 Find a way to send a direct message to Nicholas Moran and ask him that very question.

    • @sam8404
      @sam8404 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@paulmanson253 I'll try but I'd prefer to hear from multiple people, I wasn't looking for just one specific person's experience.

  • @daveybyrden3936
    @daveybyrden3936 2 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    TANKS IN THE DETAIL VIEWS:
    1:53 This is a Befehlspanzer III.
    2:02 Otto Carius is in a "Mid" version Tiger.
    2:23 As indicated, it's a Stug.III.
    2:26 This one I don't know. I believe we are seeing the driver.
    3:31 It's a Befehlstiger.
    4:03 The rear deck of an "Early" version Tiger.
    4:10 A Panzer III with a 50mmm gun. The version is "H" or earlier, because the signal lamp box is still on the roof.
    4:22 A Tiger 1 firing its KwK36. It's Tiger "100" of the 503rd, built in August 1943.
    4:35 is a Panzer IV with the "long" 75mm gun.
    6:15 The HL210 engine in a 1942 Tiger.
    10:33 is a Panther.
    11:10 A Tiger 1 firing its KwK36.
    11:20 a Tiger 1 - in fact, Tiger 131 of modern fame.

  • @Andy_1961
    @Andy_1961 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Danke!

  • @taddevitt1104
    @taddevitt1104 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    I was a tanker in the U.S Army. M60A3s and M1A1s, including Desert Storm. I enjoyed learning about the similarities and differences between what the WW2 German crews dealt with. Good job! Thank you.

    • @sam8404
      @sam8404 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      What were your most and least favorite things about being a tanker? I've been thinking about joining up but I'm not sure yet, wanted to find out more about it.

  • @fazole
    @fazole 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    From Richard Von Rosen's memoirs, 2 could sleep inside a Tiger, the rest slept under it usually. When his Tiger was hit by a 76.2mm shell, the main gun was knocked off its cradle and the breech flew up suddenly pinning and fracturing his arm against the turret ceiling. So even in a Tiger, one was not impervious to a frontal hit!

  • @natebaldwin976
    @natebaldwin976 2 ปีที่แล้ว +90

    This is amazing if possible id love to hear something simmilar to this for uboats, plane crews, half track crew men and others thank you for your hard work lads :D

    • @JohnDoe-bd5sz
      @JohnDoe-bd5sz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Young fit men and 2 years / 3 months of training seems excessive.
      I mean, Russia takes 60+ year old men, with diabetes and give them 2 weeks of training before they are let lose.

    • @1aurenceveness
      @1aurenceveness 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      There was a special on uboats earlier this year, it was pretty good and I recommend it. Given with Indy’s usual engaging style

    • @sam8404
      @sam8404 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@JohnDoe-bd5sz 2 weeks if they're lucky.

    • @JohnDoe-bd5sz
      @JohnDoe-bd5sz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@sam8404 Yeah max 2 weeks of training and then they are given a rusty 1950's AK47.
      I would not fancy my chances if i were a Russian conscript.

    • @richardmeyeroff7397
      @richardmeyeroff7397 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@JohnDoe-bd5sz and many of them turn into bodies because they don't really know what is going on or what they have to do

  • @Colonel_Overkill
    @Colonel_Overkill 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Bathroom facilities is an area older tanks have a distinct advantage. Modern cases are combustible but a spent 76mm or 7.5cm brass is a pretty convenient and disposable toilet.

  • @pablononpicasso1977
    @pablononpicasso1977 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks

  • @torerson
    @torerson 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Takk!

  • @Irish37
    @Irish37 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I served as a tanker from 1989 to 1993, with the M1-series Abrams tank. In my unit in Germany, the low guy on the totem pole was the driver, not the loader. Our battalion CO wanted a turret crew with live-fire experience, in order to increase the average tank qualification score. Driving the M1 is (relatively) easy, so driver was the entry-level position. I can say with experience that a tank crew can become an effective, cohesive team even if the individual crewmen don't like each other. But affinity is definitely preferable.

    • @Franfran2424
      @Franfran2424 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yeah, that was also a thing, driving tanks back then required plenty of force to pull levers and make do with very limited visibility. Nowadays, a lot of heavy tasks are aided by machines. Exept loading, because reasons.

    • @RK-cj4oc
      @RK-cj4oc 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Franfran2424 The reason being that for now its still better.

  • @Red_Four
    @Red_Four 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Spent many a night living in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle with my crew. What you described is absolutely true with no exaggerations.

  • @lag767
    @lag767 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thanks!

  • @MrMenefrego1
    @MrMenefrego1 2 ปีที่แล้ว +33

    I didn't think it was achievable, but this channel just keeps getting better and better!

  • @Dadaan100
    @Dadaan100 ปีที่แล้ว

    What a great video! As a former light armored vehicle 25 crewman in the Marine Corps, i can tell you that this is spot on. When it comes to crew responsibilities, building a bond with the vehicle, and each other, it's true.

  • @patrickmcglynn5383
    @patrickmcglynn5383 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Best tank movie? Fury The Beast? Sahara? I'd love to see the tank version of Das Boot .

    • @oohhboy-funhouse
      @oohhboy-funhouse 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @fiddysiks Loved The Beast. So much focus on that RPG XD. The ending was so good on so many levels.

  • @johnknapp952
    @johnknapp952 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    The Loader did not "operate" the Coax MG, he would only reload it and maybe clear jams. The gunner was the one that aimed and fired it as it was tied to the main gun. One the other hand the Radio Operator was usually also the Bow Gunner and did aim and fire that gun.

    • @ME262MKI
      @ME262MKI 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Think he was referring to the MG on the roof of some tank and tank destroyers

    • @sam8404
      @sam8404 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@ME262MKI yeah I think so too, probably an error in the script nobody caught in time.

    • @daveybyrden3936
      @daveybyrden3936 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@ME262MKI Panzers didn't have a roof MG that the loader could operate. The later StuGs did.

    • @razorback20
      @razorback20 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@daveybyrden3936 Some panzers came with a roof MG-42 on flexible mount, for close anti-air defense. But then, it was operated by the tank commander, not the loader. Though it was often removed, as it was quite helpless to repel an IL-2, a Typhoon or a P-47 and tended to impede the commander's movements

    • @daveybyrden3936
      @daveybyrden3936 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@razorback20 What do you mean by "came with"? Do you mean they were delivered new from the factory with an MG42? I challenge you to find any evidence to support that. I believe it never happened. The Panzers had the MG34, and that's what they moved up to the roof for AA use.
      (The Jagdtiger did have an MG42, I believe, but that vehicle is not a tank and the MG was not on the roof. There was also the Jagdpanzer 4 which I think did carry the MG42, but again, it's not a tank.)

  • @stevethomas760
    @stevethomas760 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    A friend's wife father (Buddy Edens) flew a P47. He had to bail out and was pretty banged up. Sitting on the ground up against a tree when a German tank rolls up. Wasn't able to run so he just sat there. The crew got out and started having lunch and offered him something to eat. Afterwards they started buttoning up the tank, he's thinking "well this is it". Tank drove away

  • @simongee8928
    @simongee8928 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    In the Wermacht, there were tank mechanics who looked after the tanks when they were in laager. But as with British crews, when the tanks were not in action, it was the poor bloody driver who had to undertake the daily and routine maintenance tasks. Thus he usually had a long day ahead of him apart from the driving before he could take a break.

  • @thagrifster594
    @thagrifster594 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    My Grandpa command M10 Wolverine Tank Destroyer in the US Army and landed on D-day. He was wounded during a engagement with Panzers in France. He made it home and is one of my hero’s. Thanks for the video Ian. Love the series.

  • @raymrowietz8059
    @raymrowietz8059 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thank you for your unbiased, accurate, and respectful description of a German tank crew.
    Some individuals presenting on TH-cam would have us believe they could only function as cohesively and effectively as they did by being strung out on methamphetamine. (Perhaps you know which A-holes I’m referring to?)
    Your description corroborates what my father told me of his experience. He cited the rigorous training, discipline and cooperation required. He spoke also of the education, the technology. Cutting edge for its time. He said they would stretch their supply of diesel fuel with fuel made from biomass. Interesting.
    He told of the dangers as well. A hit even just dimpling the hull would spall the metal and shrapnel would bounce around inside at high velocity.
    He didn’t speak much of the horror show aspect. A good hit might cremate the occupants. He’d had to deal with that task. Cleanup, interment and salvage. Gruesome and heart wrenching at the same time. They’d been friends.
    Not how I would’ve wanted to be spending my late teens. They didn’t have a choice.
    But he did value the regimen taught, and remembered the camaraderie with fondness.
    He was trained on panzerwagen and tigerwagen as driver in charge of maintenance. He served in Tunisia under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and fought in the battles of Kassarine and Sidi Bouzid. Supplies were cut off. They were ordered to scuttle all equipment, don civilian clothing, and try and go home. He said they were captured near Venice. In England they were tortured for information about the tanks by being put in ice cold water. They were then sent to America labouring as POWs in Fort Worth Texas.
    My dad was 17 in 1939. All I could think about at 17 years of age was fixing up my car and activities with pretty young ladies in the backseat of it. Many young men of those times never got to enjoy that. Many lost their lives.
    My point being, what they experienced, what they lived, deserves respect. Thanks for showing that. Thanks for sticking to the facts.

    • @daveybyrden3936
      @daveybyrden3936 ปีที่แล้ว

      Panzers did not use diesel.
      Rommel did not have Tiger tanks under his command.

    • @raymrowietz8059
      @raymrowietz8059 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Hi Davey. Appreciate your comment. They in fact did. I believe it was a Panzer V or VI that became known as a Tiger. Arriving later in the war, ‘42 or ‘43 I think. The one my father crewed on was diesel powered, though I don’t know that they all were. Regrettably he’s not here to ask his affirmation. Though there is information available through accredited sources that does confirm. If you ask the question on your search bar plenty of info appears. You’ll see tigers on location in period film footage.
      Also, a family photo album contains a photo of my dad and his crew mates on and around the tiger tank, in desert terrain. Sad, only a couple of such photos exist as German POWs were usually stripped of medals and any memorabilia. The intent was to demoralize and demean. People also sought to collect souvenirs.
      Thanks.

    • @daveybyrden3936
      @daveybyrden3936 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@raymrowietz8059 As it happens, I am linked to a group of collectors that reconstructs information about WW2 photos (e.g. we identify the place where they were taken, the unit, the date and so on).
      It's not a hobby that society finds useful, but in this case I think that I could tell you something more about your father's service if I could see that photo.

    • @raymrowietz8059
      @raymrowietz8059 ปีที่แล้ว

      Hello again. Unfortunately I don’t have access to that photo. My father had collected photographs and photographed a whole history of my family from Germany through their migration to Canada in ‘54, up until his death in ‘96. It contained many interesting photos. Even included a pilgrimage he made with my mother after the wall came down in ‘89 in which they traveled to many of the places he’d been in the war years.
      It’s a damn shame but a greedy sibling has taken and hidden away that portion of the estate following my mothers death.
      It’s a loss of one’s own history. Sorry.

  • @xaviervilloing6636
    @xaviervilloing6636 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    2:40 I believe there was a certain man named Schrute, who was a very good Assistant Tank Manager...

  • @daveybyrden3936
    @daveybyrden3936 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    For Part 2, I hope you take us inside some Panzers and explain the typical equipment that the crew would use.

  • @stonedtowel
    @stonedtowel 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I had no clue Guderian shorted panzer school by such a high %. Seeing as he was one of the Germans to recognize not only the importance of a gun but it’s engine, transmission, ect. I thought he’d be in the opposite boat trying to keep training as detailed as possible. Maybe two years is a bit long but 3 months minimum seems exceptionally rushed. Granted Germans had no business underestimating so many nations so it’s not like 3 months or 2 years would have changed the war much still I find it strange on Guderian’s part.

    • @Franfran2424
      @Franfran2424 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Guderian 1940 vs Guderian 1943. War had turned difficult, the original elite tank crew were now dead.

  • @frank.koenig
    @frank.koenig 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is the best documentary about this subject on the internet! As an ex-tanker, it is like back in the times... Very good job!

  • @Lance-Urbanian-MNB
    @Lance-Urbanian-MNB ปีที่แล้ว

    This has got to be one of the best special episodes ever!
    Absolutely excellently presented.
    The technical and humane insights are superbly told.
    Video and picture plays are magnificent.
    Awesome work Indi and co.

  • @williamzk9083
    @williamzk9083 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I remember seeing German war films of Afrika Korps tank crews cracking eggs on their Tiger tank and the eggs sizzling away and cooking within a minute. Early Tiger Tanks had air conditioning but it was soon deleted as an economy measure.
    -German Infantry Squads were often all school friends. They were drafted as a group. I wonder if that patterns stayed with the tanks.

    • @daveybyrden3936
      @daveybyrden3936 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      The Afrikakorps didn't have Tiger tanks. The film you're referring to, shows a Panzer II.

    • @LowEnd31st
      @LowEnd31st 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@daveybyrden3936 youre wrong, there were tigers in Africa in ww2

    • @daveybyrden3936
      @daveybyrden3936 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@LowEnd31st Yes, a total of 31 Tigers served in Africa, but they didn't belong to the Akrikakorps.

  • @naveenraj2008eee
    @naveenraj2008eee 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Hi Indy
    Lots of details and about tank crew.
    Thanks

  • @Hotsoup_
    @Hotsoup_ 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Happy Birthday tomorrow, Indy!!

  • @daanflier6166
    @daanflier6166 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    2.41
    Dwight: assistant tank commander
    Jim: assistant to the tank commander

    • @sam8404
      @sam8404 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Oh that's low.

  • @thomaseggle8886
    @thomaseggle8886 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This is fantastic....really hope you do many more of these type of videos of daily life for different troops and vehicles...well done!

  • @NightStalkerSoC
    @NightStalkerSoC 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Interesting use of the Toulon fleet scuttle picture ! Hopefuly you'll cover this event in depth when you get on that !

  • @danielmurray9030
    @danielmurray9030 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    These special episodes really are the best part of this WW2 series. It really gives an insight into the humanity and the lives of the soldiers on both sides. You see they were people just like us.

  • @fite-4-ever876
    @fite-4-ever876 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    3:16 thats what pervitin is for

  • @Jargolf86
    @Jargolf86 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    A Wonderfull Video Guys, i am very pleased!
    This detailed View on WW2 German Tank Crew Life is up to 99% correct, and it is to this very Day! Of course i was not a Tanker, but a Panzergrenadier. So i worked very close with Tankers together, because one depends on the other in Modern (or even WW2) Warfare.
    Thank you very much for this great Content, and please by the love of God, continue!

    • @sam8404
      @sam8404 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Panzergrenadiers are kind of like support right? Like they ride into battle with the tanks and dismount to fight? Did you ever see any combat?

    • @Jargolf86
      @Jargolf86 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@sam8404 yes and yes.

    • @sam8404
      @sam8404 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Jargolf86 yes to combat too? Got any interesting stories from your time in the service?

    • @Jargolf86
      @Jargolf86 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@sam8404 that was the second yes.
      And i have, but sorry, i dont like to share them now and here.
      YT Comments are no good Place for serious Things out my past that really affect me to this Day.
      Have a nice Day :)

    • @Victorseafog
      @Victorseafog 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      What is the 1% that is incorrect?

  • @thunderK5
    @thunderK5 2 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    Having the man right below the unit commander ready to assume command was a German Army goal for all combat arms, both to create better leaders and to be able to replace casualties.

    • @oldesertguy9616
      @oldesertguy9616 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      One of the things that I was taught in the Cold War Marine Corps was that even a Lance Corporal or PFC might end up leading a squad or platoon. They stressed that Soviet doctrine was that, should a commander be killed, the Soviets would wait for another commander. No idea if that was completely accurate, but that's what we were told.

    • @Franfran2424
      @Franfran2424 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ​@@oldesertguy9616 That was incorrect. Soviet doctrine had commanders, and subcommanders who were expected to take their place if needed.
      It's literally in US Field Manuals about the soviet army. FM-100-2-3 for example

    • @oldesertguy9616
      @oldesertguy9616 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@Franfran2424 I know you're right, but that was what we were told. They didn't give E-4's a lot of intel.

  • @jasonvega9942
    @jasonvega9942 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    very insightful. great share thank you

  • @robertshoemaker6204
    @robertshoemaker6204 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Indy great to see you again haven't seem you for several years...when you doing WW1 series....my father was a tank commander in a M3 in North Africa for Patton....wow he had stories ....Shoe in SW Oregon.

  • @aww2historian
    @aww2historian 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    We've been waiting for this one, Chief! Please do more!

  • @marcosvillegashernandez9539
    @marcosvillegashernandez9539 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I have a taste of German tank. The mark 4 was an efficient well made tank.and difficult to repair...maintenance was hard because of intricate machinery but is worthy to keep running

  • @user-ix3en1zd7n
    @user-ix3en1zd7n 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Wow the loader used the coaxial MG ? Given its position being right of the Kannon sure it makes sense I just never would have thought that ,always seemed like it was the gunners role ,also the radio man's job is also hull gunner . So he's a busy lad

    • @sam8404
      @sam8404 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Honestly I'm not sure Indy is correct on that point. Some modern tanks have a remote control machine gun that is operated from inside by the loader (in addition to the coax controlled by the gunner) so he may have gotten it confused with that.
      It wouldn't make sense for the loader to operate the coaxial because the gunner is the one who controllers where the turret is aiming, that would be super inefficient. Also the loader would usually be the one responsible for reloading the coax so that may have thrown Indy off too.

    • @daveybyrden3936
      @daveybyrden3936 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      The loader was responsible for swapping the ammunition bags on the coaxial MG. If it jammed, he was responsible for fixing it. But he played no part in firing or aiming it.

  • @ToddSauve
    @ToddSauve 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Oh Indy! That is a sharp tie and I covet it with a capital I!
    Of course these tank episodes are very interesting and no matter how attentive a tank commander is sometimes it is sheer good luck that keep him and his crew alive. Such was the case with Michael Wittmann when he went to work on a British armoured unit in Villers Bocage. As he was proceeding through the town with his Tiger, he passed by an open courtyard with a driveway. He didn't even look to see if there was anything in it. If he had he would have felt faint instantly because right there, with its cannon pointed right at him, was a Cromwell tank only a few dozen feet away! Fortunately for him the gunner of the Cromwell had felt the intense call of nature and been allowed to leave the tank to attend to his needs. Precisely at the wrong moment. The tank commander should have handed him an empty tank round and told him to pee in that but he didn't and Wittmann escaped with his life. 🤷‍♂

    • @mikepette4422
      @mikepette4422 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      on the other hand even at close range and to the side there was no guarantee a 75 was going to penetrate a Tiger I mostly likely yes but not 100% and who knows maybe both those crews got off lucky ( I can't recall what happened to the cromwell after this incident ) Wittman kind of cleaned up in the village but didn't destroy every enemy tank.

    • @ToddSauve
      @ToddSauve 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@mikepette4422 Not looking to his left cost Wittmann and his crew their lives on August 8, 1944 at Gaumsnil, in Normandy. A Canadian Sherman put an armour piercing round through his Tiger's left rear engine ventilation opening and it entered the ammunition storage and blew the turret right off. The whole crew died right then and there.

    • @ToddSauve
      @ToddSauve 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@mikepette4422 And Wittmann lost his Tiger in Villers Bocage when a British 6 pounder anti tank gun put a round through the side of it and wrecked the drive train. Wittmann and his crew had to walk some kilometers until they found their own lines. I think the Germans were able to recover his tank later on.

    • @sam8404
      @sam8404 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I can relate to Wittmann, I die that way a lot in War Thunder. Pesky campers.

    • @sam8404
      @sam8404 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@mikepette4422 wasn't there 60mm armor on the side? Seems like it would be able to pen it. Also you don't always need a full penetration to take out a tank.

  • @mattosullivan9687
    @mattosullivan9687 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I read that the Germans had tank crews that were all the same blood type so they could do transfusions

  • @osher7788
    @osher7788 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    barely nothing changed lol
    this is how service in the armor corps is, besides having a radio man.

  • @evigeies
    @evigeies 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Very very informative. Thank you!!

  • @j.4332
    @j.4332 ปีที่แล้ว

    In WW2 my Dad served in the British tank force,from 1941-43 he was in N Africa.I believe his first action was Alam Halfa,in an M3 Grant.Then Alamein in an M4,and on to Sicily.Then transferred to UK and was then part of a Cromwell unit,through Normandy,and Europe,until ending in Hamburg.He was in 46th RTR,Royal Scots Greys and 3rd CLY,(later 3/4 CLY).Plus some time on relief driving supplies around by truck.

  • @ocudagledam
    @ocudagledam 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    The poor loader was/is very much the least in that group. As The Chieftain once explained, under the "right" circumstances, a tank crew will check whether the air has become breathable again by using the loader as a human guinea pig and having him temporarily remove his gas mask and than waiting to see if something happens to him. That is the official procedure.

    • @daveybyrden3936
      @daveybyrden3936 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I don't recognise that scenario at all. Gas masks woen inside a Panzer? They were carried in case of WW1-style gas attacks that never came. I've not heard of any cases where they were needed during normal operation.

  • @gianniverschueren870
    @gianniverschueren870 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    This looks more like a quilt than a tie. AND I LOVE IT!! 4.5/5, slightly brighter colours would have pushed this one into perfection range

    • @Bagster321
      @Bagster321 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Always a happy sight seeing you're still reviewing the ties.

    • @gianniverschueren870
      @gianniverschueren870 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Bagster321 A man does his best

  • @Valdagast
    @Valdagast 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    How often would tank crews simply steal provisions from the surrounding countryside? I imagine it must have been common on the Eastern front.

    • @sam8404
      @sam8404 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I'd imagine they did it very often.

    • @goranmrdakovic1298
      @goranmrdakovic1298 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yeah,when line "buy or exchange food with local population" definitely needs some caveats for Eastern Europe.

  • @afvet52
    @afvet52 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Good Job Indy Neidell!!!!!

  • @joezephyr
    @joezephyr 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Indy fabulous again! One of your best ever since June of 1914!

  • @garreTTU2023
    @garreTTU2023 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Did they never make the sequel? Shame, this was an awesome idea

  • @thomasvontom
    @thomasvontom 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Yep. It took sometime for the allies to catch up in mobile warfare doctrine.

  • @georgewilliams8448
    @georgewilliams8448 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank you for another interesting, informative and well presented video. I look forward to every video produced by Time Ghost Army as I have never seen a bad one!

  • @Ttavoc
    @Ttavoc 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I cant stand World of Tanks but as long as they give you Money to continue your work I am absolutely fine with them :) Thank you for the video!

  • @hughmarloweverest1684
    @hughmarloweverest1684 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you.

  • @fourtyfivefudd
    @fourtyfivefudd 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Do more do more! Of all the episodes I’ve ever watched, as long as I’ve watched Indy himself even on other channels, this is my absolute favorite video idea he’s ever done. It’s so much fun to picture what he’s saying and imagine myself in all the rolls he explains. It puts me in the mood to watch a good tank movie like Fury or T-34

  • @RumHam5570
    @RumHam5570 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    2:40 Panzer Dwight

    • @Shre_k__
      @Shre_k__ 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      If it were reddit, that's a gold right there 🥇 r/accidentaloffice

  • @flatlander3526
    @flatlander3526 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Another great and eductional episode Indy and crew! Keep up the great work. 👍

  • @thomaskositzki9424
    @thomaskositzki9424 ปีที่แล้ว

    03:19 For anyone who doidn't notice: that Tiger in the drink has at least five (!!!) 76mm and two tank rifle impacts that didn't penetrate!
    Guess that's also the reason it ended up in that river or lake...

    • @daveybyrden3936
      @daveybyrden3936 ปีที่แล้ว

      It got stuck in the river during a training excercise. The goal was to pull a Tiger out of a river.

  • @notmenotme614
    @notmenotme614 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    9:10 I'm impressed they could make a crane out of 3 pine poles lashed together into a tripod

  • @hannahskipper2764
    @hannahskipper2764 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Wow, what a neat episode! I love ones like this.

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Thanks Hannah, glad you enjoyed it!

  • @mohammedsaysrashid3587
    @mohammedsaysrashid3587 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    A wonderful introducing of crucified situation of tanks crews inside tank...thanks

  • @darryllavender7908
    @darryllavender7908 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Excellent and informative show! Great job as always!

  • @Peterishd
    @Peterishd 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    God I love this channel. Thanks for all the great quality content you keep producing!

  • @66kbm
    @66kbm ปีที่แล้ว +1

    First thing, damn good video guys, pay attention to the sound/volume. FV4005 with Mr Hewes, he will give you the best running mk 13 hull available. So happy to see a Mr Hewes, Tank Museum Bovington and...other external suppliers of info and parts for both the original and reproduced items to be acknowledged.

  • @luispt77
    @luispt77 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    It took a lot of courage to willingly fight inside tanks during ww2. Though I still think the worse by far were submarines.

    • @Riceball01
      @Riceball01 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      But at the same time, most tankers would not want to be infantry, they can't take the ide of going to combat without all of that steel around them.

  • @bmartin7961
    @bmartin7961 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    You present this as if you have witnessed it close hand. Good job Sir, thank you :)

  • @justforever96
    @justforever96 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    and there is no "internal radio". that would be an intercom, and it is fully wired. no point in using radio with all of its many drawbacks when you can run a wire four feet to the person you want to speak to.

    • @daveybyrden3936
      @daveybyrden3936 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Or use a voice tube, in some cases.

  • @divarachelenvy
    @divarachelenvy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    A very involved job indeed.

  • @criso6164
    @criso6164 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Very interesting, would be curious to know how far the approach and training differed (if at all) for the various different nations. Also, think the use of sponsors for these extra episodes is well done, complimentary but not intrusive to the content . 👍

  • @657449
    @657449 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I was a tank crewman from 1968 to 1971. Served in Vietnam and then West Germany. Training sucked. So did the attitude of many of my fellow soldiers. There were snow flakes then also.

  • @turdgoblin6113
    @turdgoblin6113 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Man, I absolutely love all the videos you do!! Been watching for a very long time! And knowing that you are a fellow pennsylvanian is awesome! Keep up the good work my dude!

  • @cliverockability3829
    @cliverockability3829 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    That was great. So much detail in such a short video! Very engaging style, clear, precise...great presenter, great presentation. And of course, a very interesting subject. See you again

  • @diquadhumungersaur492
    @diquadhumungersaur492 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    great idea sending drivers to factories to learn how tank is manufactured etc..

  • @JVsMusicalSoundscapes
    @JVsMusicalSoundscapes 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is very interesting. Thank you.

  • @americanpatriot2422
    @americanpatriot2422 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Outstanding video and presentation.
    Thank you for a lot of information I did not know.

  • @Gmtar
    @Gmtar 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This was so well researched. Brilliant, very interesting.

  • @anthonygray333
    @anthonygray333 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Best job I ever had!

  • @bghyst
    @bghyst 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Love this new “Life Inside a Tank” segment! Please do more of these!

    • @WorldWarTwo
      @WorldWarTwo  2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thanks Mark, glad you liked it!

  • @bobmetcalfe9640
    @bobmetcalfe9640 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I once taught World War II to year 13 students. We used to make a yearly trip to the National Army Museum. They let those of us who wanted to climb into a tank although we had to wear cotton gloves. Once that hatches down you can't see a damn thing. I would have been paranoid within a few weeks.

  • @zerogravy7446
    @zerogravy7446 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Would be super interested in more of these about other types of tanks

  • @komabot5285
    @komabot5285 ปีที่แล้ว

    You could mention the "Tigerfibel" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigerfibel There where also such "Fibels"? for Panther tanks and BF-109, if I remember right. Very interesting to read and a lot to learn : How to test the ground for a Tiger? Take a comrade on your back and stand on one foot. If you dont sink in you can drive a Tiger over it,too.

  • @66kbm
    @66kbm ปีที่แล้ว

    After watching this again it occurs to me that the Sofa interviews were done in a 1970/80 mock up "Pads" quarters furniture? Or is my memory not all it should be.

  • @robertmason5676
    @robertmason5676 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    excellent job ! in depth and informative. I enjoyed this posting . Thank You

  • @oneshotme
    @oneshotme 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

  • @adamadkins9210
    @adamadkins9210 ปีที่แล้ว

    At 6:03, is the branch in the muzzle an improvised bore / chamber flag?

  • @jeffsmith2022
    @jeffsmith2022 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Well done, Indy...

  • @davidseely1534
    @davidseely1534 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    how many times was the Tiger hit at 3:18 ? I count 6 and it still looks like it is combat ready.

  • @gizmophoto3577
    @gizmophoto3577 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Sadly, I am sure that panzertruppen didn’t always buy or trade for food with the local population.

    • @sunil_de6856
      @sunil_de6856 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Well technically they traded food for lead

  • @malleus_malemaleficarus
    @malleus_malemaleficarus 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for the great info!

  • @user-ix3en1zd7n
    @user-ix3en1zd7n 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    6:38 what in the world is that vehicle in the background? Naval ship or an armored Train ? Surly that's not some sorta tank???

    • @keithlaycock9059
      @keithlaycock9059 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      It's one of the three Suffren-class cruisers that were scuttled at Toulon as the Germans arrived to seize the French naval base in 1942. This particular ship is most likely the Colbert.

  • @karolorendorz3919
    @karolorendorz3919 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Greeting all. There's been a lot books Indy has mentioned - I'd love to catch up with it. Do you mind share a list?
    Chrees!

  • @timonatt
    @timonatt 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you, this was very interesting!