I found an intersting site that claims the Marine amphibious vehicles in use today are death traps and goes on about their faults. The Humvees were death traps from IEDs, so they overloaded the suspension with body armor to protect the occupants. Now it is reported that Iranian supplied improved IEDs are penetrating even the new armor.

The fact of combat is that if it runs and shoots, it goes into combat unless there is something better.

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Lord, let me be the person my dog thinks I am.

The US did'nt stick with P40 Tomahawks,even though it runs and shoots.

The Military Channel is showing "Tank Overhaul" at 8:00pm EST in the states....Tonight.

On gears: Gears with straight teeth are easier to make than ones that use a herringbone pattern. Manufacturing gears is a very specialized trade requiring very skilled machinists. To manufacture ones requiring involute toothing series one has to also have a set of specialized gear cutters. The tooth face also has to have a special slope / face milled onto it. Typical involute pressure angles are 14 1/2 or 20 degree faces.
Needless to say this also requires the best milling machinery with very tight tolerances in the machine. Any significant amount of backlash or whip in the machine will make the gears less than tight. With the Germans getting new machinery or even maintaining existing machinery became ever more difficult just as much else in their industry did. Hence, the problem with gearing and transmissions they had.

The Curtiss continued to manufacture the P-40 in various models well into 1944. The aircraft soldiered on right up to VJ Day in some theaters where it was used mainly as a fighter bomber.

Military Channel is airing Tank Overhaul tonight. A US Hellcat. 8:00pm est.

Hellcat one has a golden moment involving a rather elated veteran, I recommend it.


And here's one we saw at this years Bovington tankfest.

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It's only the Internet.

I liked the show. Footage from The Bulge,it looked cold in an open top tank.

On an Off topic note, where do I find smilies now?

1) Tiger 1

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"GARRY OWEN"-Traditional war-cry of the US 7th Cavalry.
"CURRAHEE"-War-cry of the US 506th PIR.
"Everybody thinks that they are going to get the chance to punch some Nazi in the face at Normandy-and those days are over, they are long gone"-Lt Chris Burnett

Forget that last post....

1) Tiger 1
2) Panther Ausf E
3) T-34
4) Hellcat
5) Crocodile
6) M4 Sherman
7) JS II
8) Wolverine
9) T-35
10) Panzer III

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"GARRY OWEN"-Traditional war-cry of the US 7th Cavalry.
"CURRAHEE"-War-cry of the US 506th PIR.
"Everybody thinks that they are going to get the chance to punch some Nazi in the face at Normandy-and those days are over, they are long gone"-Lt Chris Burnett

Here's my ten choices and they are in no order.

Tiger VI
Panther G
T-34/85
IS II
Churchill
JS II
Matilda
Comet
Pershing
M4 Sherman

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Regards, Richard

1. Panther
2. T-34/85
3. IS-3
4. IS-2
5. Tiger
6. Sherman
7. King Tiger
8. Churchill
9. ---------
10. -------- Dont think the last two matter

( During the engagement on August 13, the 71st Independent Heavy Tank Regiment's eleven IS-2s blocked an attack by fourteen Tiger IIs of the 105th Heavy Panzer Regiment. An engagement at about 700 metres (770 yd) coupled with skilled tactical handling saw four Tiger IIs destroyed for the loss of three IS-2s and seven damaged. This was a very creditable performance, although the post-battle analysis again revealed that the IS-2's armour was vulnerable up to 1,000 metres (1,100 yd) due to faulty casting. Moreover, after such engagements, General-inspector of PanzerWaffe Guderian signed an order forbidding Tigers or Panthers to engage soviet heavy IS-2 tanks in a tank duel, because they were "doomed".)

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

Surely Achilles over Wolverine?
Cheers,
Adam.

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It's only the Internet.

Well since you asked..

Peppy it means "Kill that son of a bitch Adolf!"

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

1) Sherman firefly (I know its a bit pecific but its the only sherman i like)
2)Churchill
3)JS3
4)T34
5)Panzer 5 ausf G
6)Tiger 1
7)Matilda 2
8)Comet
9)JS2
10)KV1

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I know there are not many german tanks but i think that it was the simplicity of the allied tanks that proved to overcome the more complicated german tanks.

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My top 10

Tiger I
panther
IS-2
T-34
Panzer IV
churchill
sherman firefly
sherman
cromwell
pershing

1. King Tiger
2. IS II
3. Panther
4. Tiger
5. T34/85
6. Kv/85
7. Firefly(Brit, Can, Pol)
8. Churchill...based upon AVREs
9. PzIVG/H
10. M24 Chaffee...I love this thing.

I'm going on 1 v 1 or even squad vs squad, what I'd rather be serving in if I had to.

No offense, but to list the M4 Sherman is like saying the Sioux warrior was superior to the Cavalryman because he over-whelmed the latter by sheer numbers.

I love the T34/76c too, but one on one it also didn't stand up to the PzIVG/H.

The T34/76c would also rank above the M4 Sherman if it was a top 20 list instead.

A few things with your list...the Tiger II wasn't really the best tank (too heavy, maintenance, cost etc), but I understand why you listed it. It could destroy any tank, and no King Tiger's frontal Armour was ever pierced during the war. The Tiger was better than the Panther (for psychological reasons as well as gun etc). And the Churchill AVRE shouldn't have been on the list (it was a Bunker buster, not a tank). The Churchill MK VII should have been in it's place, It had more Armour than the Tiger! Only bad thing is the gun (only 75mm). Agree entirely with the rest of the list.

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"One might as well try to charge at a wall."-Napoleon, regarding the British Infantry.

You might find this interesting.

During the engagement on August 13, the 71st Independent Heavy Tank Regiment's eleven IS-2s blocked an attack by fourteen Tiger IIs of the 105th Heavy Panzer Regiment. An engagement at about 700 metres (770 yd) coupled with skilled tactical handling saw four Tiger IIs destroyed for the loss of three IS-2s and seven damaged. This was a very creditable performance, although the post-battle analysis again revealed that the IS-2's armour was vulnerable up to 1,000 metres (1,100 yd) due to faulty casting. Moreover, after such engagements, General-inspector of PanzerWaffe Guderian signed an order forbidding Tigers or Panthers to engage soviet heavy IS-2 tanks in a tank duel, because they were "doomed".

And in regards to the Panther's gun,

The key feature of the weapon was its astounding muzzle velocity that enabled phenomenal accuracy and remarkable penetration capabilities. When the 7.5 cm KwK 42 entered service with the Panther in 1943 it could penetrate more armor than any of the enemy's antitank or tank guns. In this respect it was in fact even more powerful than the Tiger's famous 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 when using APCBC-HE rounds, though not with the APCR variety. With either ammo type, the 7.5 cm KwK 42 performed less favorably than the 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 as ranged increased, due to the faster loss of velocity imparted on the lighter projectile by air drag. Also, being of a smaller calibre, it fired a weaker HE shell.

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

I find it hard to say that the Sherman was a rotten tank, but the Firefly was a top tank. The Sioux was a superior combatant in many ways. The numbers and the weapontry were the virtue of the calvary.

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Lord, let me be the person my dog thinks I am.

German tank ace Hermann Bixx finished the war in a Jagdpanther and faced a Soviet 'heavy'. If I remember, the heavy blew Bixx's gun off.
Will have to find that book.

I think This relates to the subject, but my pet hate is people think the Tiger had no vices, the Sherman was a piece of scrap metal etc.
I know a guy who (like most kids these days(not including me, of course!)) thought there where only two German tanks, The Panzer and th Tiger (even though the Tiger was a Panzer!)

OK, I feel better now I have let that out.

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"One might as well try to charge at a wall."-Napoleon, regarding the British Infantry.