You can literally see the flood of memories coursing through The Chieftain's veins as he reacquaints himself with the Abrams. This bloke is the real deal.....
I visited my old ship (USS Midway) after she became a museum ship, and the first thing that hit me at the top of the gangplank was the smell. Some combination of paint, grease, sweat, fuel, who knows what ... there was a second or two where I was really confused about when I was.
@@TheSchultinator I'd pay real money to see a group of tanks performing a charge like that. (With a screaming sword wielding officer at the commanders hatch of course)
When I dug a tank ditch for an Abrams I told the TC that i was more impressed with their tank than my dozer. He invited me inside and being a smaller guy I fit just fine in the turret. He let me take control of the gun and took me on a nice tour of the inside. Probably one of the coolest moments of my army career. I have the video of the tank and the ditch on my channel.
>A video where The Chieftain has a mid-life crisis for half the video while he rambles somewhat about the Abrams This is the reason why I subscribed to this channel
Your understanding of the word "sociopath" is sketchy. He often comes off as spartan, stoic, certainly, those are non synonymous with sociopath, just sayin'..
I remember sitting in my Stryker watching this on my last field problem before I left active duty and not understanding how being in a vehicle you spent so much time in could affect someone like that. Until a couple days ago when I got to show my girlfriend around what had once been my second home. I got to sit in the driver's seat and it was like I was an 18 year old kid who was more terrified of my VC than the enemy all over again. I would point out something and just break into a 30 minute story about it. It's a weird feeling that I now fully understand.
You can really tell he enjoyed this. Just look at the amount of times he luaghed and smiled as he reminisced about the crew and the tank. You can tell he really had fun doing this
I love how this video starts by him casually talking about how a full sized rifle round missed his head by a few inches. He calmly reminisces about how close some guy came to shooting him in the face. This guy is a legend lmao.
My dads told me a lotta stories like that. Says if you cant get that dark humour or "squadie humour",where you can laugh at and downplay these things, you would go mad very fast.
@@looinrims From what I heard it gives you a huge adrenaline rush and euphoria - fits my experience, because mad laughing was my own reaction to nearly dying. Was being nearly run over by a car at high speeds working as a bicycle messenger. Misjudged the aproach speed of the car, I was to blame. He missed me by maybe 2-3 meters. Best time of my life. :) BTW: Basically all Winston quotes are 100% correct observations on life. Dude had it figured out, I adore him. Greetings from Germany
I can totally understand how a vehicle could bring back such memories. I'm 57 years old and I served on both the M60a3 and the M1A1 tanks, and I could vividly remember the majority of the things on both vehicles. For 10 years of my life I lived and breathed tank life. Those were the days, and I miss them.
I am a Brit and served in the British Army of the Rhine first as section commander on an AFV 432 and then as a section commander in the Recce platoon using a Scimitar. I am now 66 years old, around 5 years ago I was in Las Vegas and decided to have a range day with my brother. We turned up at the range a little early, our instructor ex-US Army told us to wait and suggested we look around the armoured vehicle display they had. We duly did and came across a couple of AFV 432 and a Scimitar we spent ages going over them, it was as if we had just done it the day before. The instructor came across to find us and we spent the next 1 to 2 hours going over our vehicles. Turns out he had been in Germany around the same time on M60s. We missed the start of our range time, did we care did he care not a jot. It was a great 2 hours just telling tall tales and reminiscing. We went out for a meal and drink with him and his friends that night. I can't say our wives were impressed because they must have been bored rigid listening to our bullshit.
7:35 [Irish man named after a British tank that drives an American tank discovers how Americans operate with firearms] "BUT, WAIT, THERE'S MORE!" (A literal Ginsu moment when they also give them bayonets) Honestly, it's almost humorous (well, surely, not at the time) how much stuff they expect tankers to be able to cram into a tank that wasn't designed to have in the first place. Give it time and tankers will be the first ones that learn how to fold space time in order to cram extra shit inside the tank.
To be fair, given it's an A1, it was probably put there in the early-to-mid 1990s and the Marines just kept redoing it because Top told them in no uncertain terms that they weren't allowed to draw dicks on the cannon (which must've really confused said Marines when they had any writing implement) and they had no idea what else to write/draw.
@@DiggingForFacts I'll rarely stand up for the Marines but for this I'll take exception. The crew of this tank lost their TC in 2007 to an IED. The turret was pulled and the hull languished in Quantico for a while. When the turret you see here was put on, it didn't have the markings on it. Shortly after we shot the video with the crew here in the museum, the gunner (I think it was the gunner) noticed that the name was missing. So he came back and put the name on the tank again, just as it was in 2007. Great group of guys, and it definitely wasn't done closed-fist with a crayon. ;)
Do you know the only difference between a fairy tale and a war story? A fairy tale starts: "Once upon a time... A war story starts: "Now this is no shit..."
When he talked about almost getting his arm chopped off and he mentions going out to take a break it reminds me how the Chieftain is just so remarkably human and isn't ashamed to admit it. I love this man.
That sudden look as the memory shoots forward and you're lost in it for a moment. Then the sadness upon the realization that it is indeed just a memory of days past.
As a former M1 tanker I have to agree the memories never go away. Even though the movie Fury was set in WWII the sentiment is the same "Best job in the world"
Any job in the Army.. 15+ years RCEME. Cold, wet, working all night in cramped quarters (heater in a Leo 1 anyone) , knees shot, neck fused... Still, Best job I ever had... Smile of recognition on my face as I see Chieftain travel back in time...
Chieftan, start a series where you talk to crew members from the various different countries and tanks. Interview them in the tanks they served in, just like you, they will start remembering all the stories as you move about the tank and talk about the various systems. The different stories and perspectives about the tanks and crew experiences need to get recorded or they will likely get lost to history. Just like this video, it is infinitely interesting to hear how you spent your down time as well as action stories and all the mods you came up with along the way.
There's a RUclips channel like what your describing, but only for aircraft. Aircrew Interview is the name. Check it out, great stories of great men and their aircraft. It's beautiful honestly.
Watching you with this tank brought back memories of watching my dad when he got his hands on a water cooled Browning for the first time in many years after the Pacific. He had that same look in his eyes as if the intervening years had simply melted away and he was 23 again, thanks,
A water cooled Browning? The last time they used those was in WWI, as far as I am aware. M1917. Air cooled M1919 was standard by WWII, and had been for 20 years. Unless you mean the M2 .50 shipboard AA gun.
So Chieftain are you going to start doing a story time as well? I'd love to hear how you got one over on the Army and got through the height restriction.
Getting a waiver isn't that hard depending on whether it's a "life or limb" issue or not. We had an F-4 RIO that was 6'6" or so (call sign "Too Tall"), way over the limit. He got waivered even though he was at risk of losing his legs from the knee down if he had to eject. He also spent 8 months on the boat stooped over. The overheads are at about 5'8" in most spaces, if you're taller you have to bend a lot or risk concussion. I've also got a friend who couldn't get a waiver for A-4s since scooters have tiny cockpits.
I was deemed non-rated because my sitting height was to much- - it was 42"/107cm and the height of the widget on the seat that breaks the canopy if it doesn't eject before you is 38"/96.5. That meant if I were to eject and the canopy did not separate, the canopy would likely break my head or neck. In the wisdom of the Air Force, I could fly helicopters (they have no ejection and more room), but my vision was not good enough.
When women first were cadets at the Air Force Academy, I remember sitting at a dining table in Mitchel Hall when a female gymnast marched up to me and asked permission to join the table (late). I was looking slightly down into her eyes.
Boredom can be deadly. Shortly after I got out in mid-95, my unit had a serious 'training accident'. An E5 on a Bradley had told a couple of spanking-new E1s that the 25mm round was 'safe' until it had traveled some distance from the barrel after being fired. Something he told the privates led them to believe that it couldn't be fired outside the gun. Sooo.. These two cherries grab a 25mm round, go out back of the M2, and set it off. One held the shell while the other took a hammer and screwdriver to the primer. One of them lost an arm, the other lost both hands. The sergeant was courtmartialed the next day and the two privates were chaptered out on medical. They were very lucky they weren't killed outright. Two object lessons here are: _boredom can be deadly_ and _be very careful what you tell a noob. They're going to field-test and see for themselves._
@@slateslavens the Sergeant really shouldn't have been court martialed. I know hes supposed to watch over his squad but he cant watch them 24/7 like they are infants (i hear soldiers act like it sometimes but thats not the point). That will follow him his entire life
I disagree. On a field exercise; or more importantly, a deployment, the sergeant's job is _exactly_ to watch over privates as if they are infants. When you combine the curiosity of a brand-new infantryman with the privates specifically testing what the sergeant had told them literally moments before, the outcome is all but inevitable. Yes, these pranks go on all the time in the army. I recall numerous times we sent privates, ignorant NCOs and even a few new officers out hunting for things like 'squelch grease' and 'lock washer keys', but an E5 serving on a Bradley crew for his entire military career should have absolutely known better.He should have known that a gun is a gun is a gun. A cartridge for _any_ gun is extremely dangerous when set off outside of the breech of the gun it is intended to be used in. There is absolutely nothing to contain the explosion/burn of the powder inside the casing. You wouldn't be stupid enough to set a fire cracker off in your hand, so why a 25mm shell?Yes, the cherries should have known better too if they had given half a second's thought to it, and doing so is honestly why it hadn't happened before. That said, the cherries just spent eight to eleven weeks being taught to a take an senior NCO at their word.All around, this was a learning experience for the entire post. The privates involved will spend the rest of their lives living with the consequences of 'not thinking shit through'. The NCO involved, along with all of his contemporaries, will give a moments pause before they ply a 'prank' on another soldier, especially one subordinate to them.
@@slateslavens I think the E5 meant that the warhead won't prime for HE shells before some distance, while the freshmen took it too literally, and decided that spanking a live round is a good idea
TheKaisTzar It’d be the worst. David Fletcher is excellent and scholarly. Lindybeige is a chauvinist hack who would tell you that the M1 Abrams was inspired by the L7 cannon, and that the Soviets never attacked NATO because they were afraid of the Bren gun.
'Ah! And if you look carefully; you can see this magnificent specimen in his home environment. Despite his great height you'll note the grace with which he moves around the confines of his lair...'
Never served in a tank, I was an infantry shmuck. I will always remember when we were working with tanks (part of what got me into them). Some mix up occurred and they got to the meet up before us. The tanks just went ahead and started the operation and had been operating for about an hour before we arrived and they had already killed over 100 enemy combatants!!!
Fascinating! My son was a tanker (2/37 Armor) and I have a photo of him with a shotgun. However, he said they turned in their pistols and everyone got a carbine or rifle. The rifle was referred to as a musket. He was in Iraq for 15 months and for the last few months was attached to a Marine Corps unit. They also had Navy bomb disposal people. Being armor, he took his training at Ft. Knox, which was the same place the both my father and I took our basic training.
Sadly, the brass eventually caught on to the tactic of securing "unauthorized" items in vehicles before heading Stateside. By the time my unit headed back, all of the vehicles were sent directly to the manufacturers to be refurbished (and everyone was clearly informed that they wouldn't be getting the same vehicle back "so don't bother").
They must have gotten lazier in recent years. When we came back from Iraq in 1991 they had customs officers going over every little nook and cranny of our vehicles - opening everything they could open, fishing around in blind spots and fuel tanks with coat hangers, inspecting everything that got loaded onto them before loading it. Not sure how they'd miss an entire storage area!
It's really interesting to watch you telling us about tanks. In other circumstances we could watch at each other through gun sights, which, I'm glad, didn't happen. Greetings from Russia=)
Absolutely. Had it happened, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be around to watch this video, considering I'm sitting right in the middle of Germany. I've been working with a Russian guy for a couple of years now and we got along great, but to think that, had I been born earlier, I might have been drafted and ordered to shoot him (or fellow Germans) . . . I guess it would be great if we had leaders who'd try to not fuck it all up for us.
It's something civilians and gamers don't get. The tank is your home, your crew is like family. Its not something you do for 8 hours and then go home. We would go for days without getting off the tank. And you got to know your crew intimately. I don't know if guys in different branches had the same commeradery.
I can relate-albeit in a different vehicle. As a combat engineer my 'home' was an M113A3. Sharing that thing with your 7-8 man squad was pretty cramped-but we managed. The idea of 'personal space' does not exist. All the times I'd see guys snoring away with their heads rolled over onto the other guy's shoulder...no worries. I felt deluxe when I was picked to drive our platoon commander around-it was just me and him with a whole command vehicle to ourselves and it felt great.
No, it'd be a Browning M1919, which was made just in time for WWI to end before it could be mass-produced and instead it was jammed into pretty much every US armoured vehicle and used as the US's light/medium machine gun until the M60 came out
I took my son when he was 9 to the Royal Artillery museum in Woolwich and I too was shocked to see the actual piece of equipment I worked with for 3 and a bit years sat there in all its glory . Am I a museum piece too I wondered , naw push me and find out methinks 😂 . 15 years later my son is a Irish Guardsman and has been for some years now . He’s already been to Iraq , Falkland Isles , Kenya twice , Thailand , Norway , did the last Trooping of The Colours for Her Majesty the late Queen Elizabeth , the state funeral too oh and did 2 years at Harrogate Military College . Saw your eyes well up there Chieftain and it’s nothing to be ashamed of . Thank you for your service .
War Thunder is currently implementing a mechanic where the loading speed depends on if you have ammunition in your ready rack or not (and if you're not in combat for a while, the loader will start to move ammunition from other storage to the ready rack). A nice feature I think =)
I only have two Abrams stories. Was doing a patrol on Pendleton crossing a road cut and heard a faint whine, we got out of the road into the bushes and an M1 came around the corner not 50 yds away, only then did we hear the mechanical track noises. That turbine is ghost quiet from the front. As it passed a few feet away the heat went from the normal oppressive to briefly frightening. My second involved my team "leading" an assault in Humvees (so-called "mounted reconnaisance") in 29 Palms. As we came out of the canyon after clearing for observers and ambush, hitting the lake bed with the things floored, we get a call from Bn to "get out of the fucking way, we're coming through." We veer off into the desert and an Abrams goes by balls out followed by LAVs and more tanks. At that point we were doing "mounted Recon follow in trail, watching taillights disappear in the distance." I liked the Desert Rat stuff, but not as part of an assaulting armored force, not equipped for that.
As fast as we were willing to drive them at night while navigating a sandy desert track yes. Daylight across the flats? I dunno, Humvees aren't built for speed. The tanks are fast.
An M1 has a road speed of 40ish mph. The off road is like 25. If you're a WoT player that 70 and 40 kph respectively with about 24 power to weight. It really can move surprisingly fast for a 50 ton vehicle
M. Carberry Jesus. I forgot. I was out at Ft. Irwin back in the mid 90s with 24th ID, 2/7 Inf Bn as an M2 Turret mech. It was after dark on the live fire range with the satellite dish array in it. I was called forward to 'repair' an M2 turret taken out by OpFor. I was a back-seater in a turtle-back humvee and we were 'killed' just as we pulled up alongside the 'dead' M2. Now, understand that I did my reserve time _before_ going active duty as a 12B combat engineer and was snatched up by the scout platoon as soon as they found that out. I loved it. So I'm out on this live fire range as a 'KIA' in an unarmored humvee. I think I was a PFC at the time. The driver and Lt in the front were out cold and I was dozing a bit when someone called in a copperhead on a BRDM, or BMP or somesuch - I don't remember exactly. The grid they gave was dead on for our location. So I leaned waaay over and start slapping the Lt around to wake him up to check fire. He was pissed at me, of course, for 'manhandling' him, and had no idea what was going on. Once I got him to call in a check fire, I explained what was going on and the dude turned dead white. If he hadn't cooperated or woke up, I was planning on jumping under the Bradley beside us. I know it doesn't sound like much, but my hands are shaking typing this. I don't know how long it was between the call for the fire mission and him radioing the check fire, but I was sure it wasn't going to be in time. He wasn't my Lt. I don't even remember what unit he was from, but he was attached to us and the BMO stuck me and my gear in his humvee. He already didn't like me - we'd butted heads earlier that exercise after going out to fix a TOW launcher on the scout leader's track. I had fixed the launcher in short order and we left to return to the assembly area, and I crashed in the back. We were only a few clicks out so I expected we'd be back in twenty minutes or so. It was late evening, IIRC. I woke up _hours_ later. We were still driving around the desert looking for the AA. The two idiots - the Spc and the Lt were arguing where it was, and about where they were. I just looked around at the mountains, tapped the driver on the shoulder and said - "that way, about four k's". The Lt turned beet red and started chewing my ass about how I couldn't possibly wake up from a dead sleep and know exactly where we were. I pointed again and told the driver "Go". he went. We got back well after full dark. We should have had our asses chewed, as driving after dark on Ft. Irwin was strictly forbidden at the time. Everything was weird though. Everything was 'off' at the AA. People were quiet and subdued, all the leadership from E6 and up were holed up in the command tent. It turned out that the battalion commander had order the scouts forward after dark to surprise OpFor. In the dark, two of the scouts' lead Bradleys had gone over the edge of a thirty foot deep wadi and landed on their lids. The two track commanders and gunners were dead, having been chest-high out of their hatches, and the rest of the crews were left sucking Halon for the better part of thirty minutes while rescue crews tried to get them out. Situations like this were specifically why driving was forbidden after dark. NVGs gave no depth perception, especially as crews got tired. I believe the battalion commander was sacked pretty much on-the-spot, but my recollection of that part is sketchy. These are just training mishaps. I can't even imagine what goes down in combat. Thank you, to all service members, for your sacrifice. Les Berg
I watch this and I have so many regrets and wish I had not gotten sick. I wanted to join the tank core, I was in college and I wanted to be a TC but I got fibromyalgia so that was the end of that. I never even got to ride in a tank. Now in the end I am disabled, my wife left, divorced me taking the kids, and I am in pain all of the time being often unable to walk. Watching this video I wonder what could have been and wish things had been different. I really wish I could have at least had the chance to ride in one and maybe fire the guns just once to see what a cannon that large going off was like. I wish I had know the feeling of having brothers in arms and having memories of them. I have lost all of my friends except one that I made later. I feel so alone having watched this and dream of what could have been. Nice video I really did enjoy it and it gave me a look into what life could have been like making me smile dreaming of a life that never was.
You are not alone, bud. In college, I was in Army ROTC and was looking forward to being an Infantry officer. I completed airborne school after my second year of the program and was looking forward to attending Ranger school after my graduation and commission. I was looking forward to being an officer in a Ranger or Paratrooper unit, or at least Air Assault. But, after my third year the program and just a few weeks before I was to set off for NALC, I was robbed at gunpoint and then shot in the neck while leaving a grocery store. The bullet hit my spine and left me with a diagnosis of quadriplegia and paralysis from the neck downward. All the guys that I spent many days and nights training with went on to pursue their officer careers, and I have not heard from any of them in many years. A few of them came to see me in the hospital, but after that, yeah… It is tough. Really tough. But, my only consolation is a continuing desire to move forward and be "something." I keep trying to learn new things, pursue different interests, and try to pursue some semblance of success and a "life." After 13 years, I finally got my first job post-injury with the local PD as an analyst, only to lose it a little over a year later (after a fire alarm incident, they saw me as a liability and wanted to get rid of me; so, they contrived some BS excuse to get the chief to sign off on my termination, sparing them from EEOC intervention). After another year of surgery, therapy, and recovery, I am back to throwing my resumes against the wall and seeing what sticks. So far, no takers, and I am back to stacking rejection and "we regret to inform you…" letters like they are trophies. I seem to get several every week, and at this point, it just makes me chuckle every time. I just wanted to throw my story to you to let you know that you are not alone. Interestingly, yours is the first story that I have come across that is, at least, somewhat similar to mine - similar aspirations and type of injury. But, we got to find some reason to keep moving forward. I just threw my name in the hat for law school. Will I get in? Well, let's see: I could only apply to ONE school, the school in my city, and I am competing against a ton of applications from 20-somethings who are a hell of a lot smarter than I am… lol.. But, hey, you do not know unless you try, right? Right… Besides, I could always use another "trophy." Stay strong, brother
@@zion653 Hey man, I just saw this comment by chance. I would be happy to help any way that I can. I graduated law school a few years ago so if you need help or advice in that realm just send me a pm. Good luck to you brother, sometimes it takes awhile to find something meaningful in our lives.
@@zion653 Fuck your story is grim mate, all the best and keep on keeping on. Did they catch the prick that shot you and if so what sentence did he get?
Yes I was one of the tall Tankers 6'4 1/2" . The hardest position for me to serve in was the Gunner and did that for 5 years, until I got promoted to SSG Tank Commander, knee pain was one of the main reasons for getting out of that Gunner's seat.
This is the best Chieftain video yet. You can see the love and reverence in his face the entire time. The moment where he was lost thinking about his crew was the best moment in this channels history.
Man I've been watching all the old stuff. It's a pleasure to see the fond memories of a real tanker talking about tank stuff. You sir are welcome to ramble on in my house any day of the week
I got kicked out of the house when I was 16 (going to school was such a bore) and signed up for the Army (RA) on my 17th birthday in 1971. I really really wanted to be a tanker, so I got a guarantee for 11 Armor, not knowing that 11E was not the only Armor MOS. After basic my orders for school said 11D, whatever that was (Recon / Calvary ) and spent the first part of my hitch in gun jeeps in the ground troop of an Air Cav squadron, and 2 years in M114A1E1's in Bamberg playing speedbump for the Soviets. Turned out to be a lot more interesting than being a tanker, when ever someone was needed for ANY type of job they used us, so we got out of the motorpool a lot more often than the line animals. But I still never got to be in an operating tank. This video makes up for that more than anything else I've experienced. I bet the comment about the wind detector would be for exactly the situation as when my sisters would send my outside to find the waldorf for the salad when I was a sprout. Thanks (as you might guess from the avatar, my gamer name is Shorttimer)
Cool, another Armadillo. 72 to 74, first HHC 3/35 but then they spun off Recon along with Mortars, Redeye section, and Bridge Layer and put us in CSC (Combat Support Company. Had the cut section of fence all the cabbies knew as Gate 2 1/2 ever get patched?
I am so glad that guy missed you Chief you really are the most knowledgeable person alive today regarding historic tanks and that is really something. If it wasn't you i don't know if anyone would have done what you have done for those interested in armored warfare in the historical community. Your service and what you do today is really great. Thank you for your hard work and I am very glad you took the time to talk about someone who wasn't as lucky as you to escape their brush with death and I am happy to see the museum is so accommodating to his family and battle brothers.
The best episode there will ever be on this channel, both thanks to your personal insights and the flood of memories flooding back. Thank you so much for sharing the intimate moment. I've had maybe a taste of the same commeradier, with bands in the past, and with my team on trading floors, but obviously an order of magnitude or more removed from a year straight involving life and death experiences. What I'd personally like to see is a walkthrough of your own good self at some point: how you came to tanking, how apparently you came to the US Army as an Irishman; didn't know that was possible. And you might as well spill the beans on getting into tanks at your height. I simply can't see how an army would be built to allow such a thing.
I read a story about an M1 that was on operations in Germany; they hadn't secured their antennas and drove under a low-hanging power line near a small town and everything bad happened, including tripping the HALON system.
When a halon bottle pops, it goes off like a blast. The first thing you notice after the initial shock is that your voice is 3 octaves lower after that you unass the tank before you pass out.
Am I the only one who is sitting here watching him talk about the TC position of the Abrams, and how everything is in reach of his excessively long arms, and how the hatch is perfectly eye level for his excessive hatch if he sits on the seat back and think “despite being over the maximum height limit for the tank, it’s almost like god built him to be an Abrams tank commander”
I served on the 105 version. No bustle racks. Also no azimuth wheel. Then when they did put a bustle rack on, not nearly big enough. The rear mounted APU. Guess my unit was lucky, nobody tore one off.
"Hi, guys. Thanks for tuning in to another video of Inside the Chieftain's Hatch dot com. I am Chieftain, and I am here at the American Heritage Museum taking look at some of the vehicles they are going to be showing at their exhibition in April, 2019. What we are looking at today is a Tank, Combat, Full-tracked, 120mm Gun, M1A1, General Abrams..."
Just curious if the you think the area below the gun and above the driver's hatch is a shot trap? The abrams has a great angled design up front, but I always wondered about that gap under the barrel.
Tanks fire at each other at thousands of meters now, a tank at 10X at that range just looks like a rectangle, hitting it anywhere in particular is difficult, it's why tank crews are trained to hit center of mass, aiming for weakspots is a video game thing.
Yes, its technically a shot trap but since tanks sling APFSDS all the time any more and at massively long ranges most of the time... its not really considered a problem.
Watched this along side a buddy who was an M1 Driver and it took an hour to get through as we paused for him to explain every part right before you did. Also, he nearly died laughing when you mentioned warming the crosswind sensor.
that was great, really enjoy these talks with the personal connection and the great stories, please do more as I know you will. I'm making no judgements about Irishmen having a tendency of spinning a good yarn.
Crosswind sensor warmup...the BOOM test for the main gun, or my favorite, making sure the turret is screwed on right when you pick your tank up from the depot...
@@petesheppard1709 I'd heard it takes 42 turns clockwise to get the turret on, then you back it off 21 turns so it can traverse back and forth without a stop in one direction or screwing the turret clean off in the other direction...
Drive me closer, I need to unload half the weapons made by mankind on them. I would have though the M4 and your sidearms would have been perfectly sufficient. What did they think you'd be doing? Boarding actions?
More like if the tank got knocked out, or they set up a camp around their tank. A buddy of mine was an abrams tanker, and he told me that they built a makeshift outpost out of their abrams. (Tied camo netting to it and basically made a tent)
@@ScottKenny1978 more like “we need infantry but don’t want to have extra but do want them so we’re forcing you to be infantry since you have legs and a rifle”
@@looinrims that too. I mean, having a gun for each hatch on the turret is good. IIRC, the Israelis put a .50 coax, .50 on the TC's hatch, Mk19 on the loader's hatch, and FN MAG on the gunner's hatch (or Mk19 on the gunner's hatch and MAG on the loader's). Downside is that the hatches are open so crew is exposed to use them. But giving the tank crew all the same guns as an Infantry fireteam is a terrible idea. They're tankers, they are not trained as infantry!!!!
What a fantastic story and video. You could feel The Chieftain going back in time. It was heartbreaking to hear about the TC. Another true hero in my prayers. I can not imagine how the crew felt when they saw their second home again.
That bit about the cross wind sensor was too funny. It reminded me of my carrier days. Once, while in port, I sent a couple junior airmen onto the flight deck to calibrate the plat camera (black and white video feed you've seen of planes landing at sea on a carrier.) It was so funny watching my junior sailors on the flight deck, pointing and flashing the island with a flash light. XD
The Chieftain's favorite things to look for in a tank:
1. Track tension
2. Crew comfort, mostly for tall people
As a 6'3", former 19K...all I can say is, "Thank God for the CVC helmets!!!" Saved my skull more than a few times inside of there!
You can literally see the flood of memories coursing through The Chieftain's veins as he reacquaints himself with the Abrams. This bloke is the real deal.....
especially after he talks about listening to music or books with his buddies
Yeah this was a nice and very humanising video
oof. Yeah, he held his own as a tanker, for sure.
I don't blame him for tearing up, that life is an adventure and it forges some strong bonds.
I visited my old ship (USS Midway) after she became a museum ship, and the first thing that hit me at the top of the gangplank was the smell. Some combination of paint, grease, sweat, fuel, who knows what ... there was a second or two where I was really confused about when I was.
"Here, have a bayonet."
"Um, I've got a tank."
Marine Corps: "And here is your bayonet."
Harrier Pilot: "How shit do you think I am?"
Reminds me of an old 40k meme:
*"Drive me closer! I want to hit them with my sword!"*
@@Taisto-Perkele Does it count as a bayonet charge if the bayonet is 1.5 meters long, 10cm wide, and stuck on the end of a tank cannon?
@@TheSchultinator I'd pay real money to see a group of tanks performing a charge like that. (With a screaming sword wielding officer at the commanders hatch of course)
@@Taisto-Perkele Hahaha!
When I dug a tank ditch for an Abrams I told the TC that i was more impressed with their tank than my dozer. He invited me inside and being a smaller guy I fit just fine in the turret. He let me take control of the gun and took me on a nice tour of the inside. Probably one of the coolest moments of my army career. I have the video of the tank and the ditch on my channel.
Awesome! so rare for a poster to actually deliver :) Very cool
Dope story, thanks for sharing man 👌
My coolest moment, other than firing a 105-mm howitzer at a moving target, was a visit to the inside of an M114 scout vehicle. Totally unauthorized.
as tankers we always loved our 12b's the only mos that did their job without expecting us to help them or do it for them.
Damn you weren't exaggerating, awesome video, thank you!
>A video where The Chieftain has a mid-life crisis for half the video while he rambles somewhat about the Abrams
This is the reason why I subscribed to this channel
Such a sweet guy, the moment around 25:15 when Chieftain reminisces about his old crew and his eyes tear up a bit. You know he's a good fellow.
I miss my crew too. OUTLAWS 4!
No, I was actually curious whether or not he was a sociopath until he teared up right then.
those few seconds broke my heart really quite badly. i wish there was something i could do for these guys
He's so humble...
Your understanding of the word "sociopath" is sketchy. He often comes off as spartan, stoic, certainly, those are non synonymous with sociopath, just sayin'..
I remember sitting in my Stryker watching this on my last field problem before I left active duty and not understanding how being in a vehicle you spent so much time in could affect someone like that. Until a couple days ago when I got to show my girlfriend around what had once been my second home. I got to sit in the driver's seat and it was like I was an 18 year old kid who was more terrified of my VC than the enemy all over again. I would point out something and just break into a 30 minute story about it. It's a weird feeling that I now fully understand.
Yeah, it's interesting how it affects you.
@@TheChieftainsHatch I've heard this tank is unstoppable did any crew members died in the abrams tank?
You never forget your vehicle
@@thegreat1548messed up question to ask mate…
He definitely had some significant emotional events in his tank.
It’s the US Army, it would frankly be unamerican to not give you a shotgun.
No such thing as too much daka
It'd be unamerican to not give them more dakka than they'd ever need.
they need a vulcan minigun
The US Army has always been a big fan of when in doubt, MOAR DAKKA!
@@adamdubin1276 reminds me of the M48 reaper. A M48 armed with two fifty cals. A Vulcan gatling gun stripped from a down jet.
You can really tell he enjoyed this. Just look at the amount of times he luaghed and smiled as he reminisced about the crew and the tank. You can tell he really had fun doing this
He was very emotional at moments too. That was touching.
I dismounted off my last M1 in March of '86 and I've missed them ever since. It's a tanker thing.
Yes, I too watched the video.
I love how this video starts by him casually talking about how a full sized rifle round missed his head by a few inches. He calmly reminisces about how close some guy came to shooting him in the face. This guy is a legend lmao.
Everybody in the military has their close calls. If it upsets you, you are in the wrong business.
Not to downplay him, but it's not exactly a rare case. Not an unusual reaction either.
My dads told me a lotta stories like that. Says if you cant get that dark humour or "squadie humour",where you can laugh at and downplay these things, you would go mad very fast.
did you know he's also tall? he never mentions it, but he's tall
@@jb613jb ..you haven't been around him long enough or met him personally lol..
"Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result." -- Winston Churchill
I don’t know, being shot at with inconclusive results seems a bit more pants shattering
@@looinrims From what I heard it gives you a huge adrenaline rush and euphoria - fits my experience, because mad laughing was my own reaction to nearly dying. Was being nearly run over by a car at high speeds working as a bicycle messenger. Misjudged the aproach speed of the car, I was to blame. He missed me by maybe 2-3 meters.
Best time of my life. :)
BTW: Basically all Winston quotes are 100% correct observations on life. Dude had it figured out, I adore him.
Greetings from Germany
You named your tank "The Barely Legal" when you were in service? Bravo.
Christian Dudka I’m pretty sure it was just “Barely Legal” which is just as humorous
LilStoops I honestly wouldn’t care. If they were that nit picky to be upset about the name of my tank they are looking for something to complain about
@@LilStoops probably not a lot. One of the tanks in my company is named atm
Christian Dudka now add loli at the end.
@@JerzeyBoy or a Kanna Kamui sticker on the sides
“Drive me closer! I want to hit them with my sword!”
LOL, Charge !!!!
You said it wrong it's "Drive me closer I want to beat them with my shotgun!"
Beat me to it. Ave Imperator!
**proceeds to get run over by his own Baneblade**
Fix bayonets men!
I can totally understand how a vehicle could bring back such memories. I'm 57 years old and I served on both the M60a3 and the M1A1 tanks, and I could vividly remember the majority of the things on both vehicles. For 10 years of my life I lived and breathed tank life. Those were the days, and I miss them.
I am a Brit and served in the British Army of the Rhine first as section commander on an AFV 432 and then as a section commander in the Recce platoon using a Scimitar. I am now 66 years old, around 5 years ago I was in Las Vegas and decided to have a range day with my brother. We turned up at the range a little early, our instructor ex-US Army told us to wait and suggested we look around the armoured vehicle display they had. We duly did and came across a couple of AFV 432 and a Scimitar we spent ages going over them, it was as if we had just done it the day before. The instructor came across to find us and we spent the next 1 to 2 hours going over our vehicles. Turns out he had been in Germany around the same time on M60s. We missed the start of our range time, did we care did he care not a jot. It was a great 2 hours just telling tall tales and reminiscing. We went out for a meal and drink with him and his friends that night. I can't say our wives were impressed because they must have been bored rigid listening to our bullshit.
@@georgemcpherson8505cool story, thanks for sharing.
7:35
[Irish man named after a British tank that drives an American tank discovers how Americans operate with firearms]
"BUT, WAIT, THERE'S MORE!" (A literal Ginsu moment when they also give them bayonets)
Honestly, it's almost humorous (well, surely, not at the time) how much stuff they expect tankers to be able to cram into a tank that wasn't designed to have in the first place. Give it time and tankers will be the first ones that learn how to fold space time in order to cram extra shit inside the tank.
Followed closely by the submariners, who will use the space either for more nuclear missiles, or an extra toilet.
@@Shaun_Jones The submariners will go for the toilet, so they can have a second pantry.
Lol. Chieftain still serves is the U.S. Army
You can also tell it's a Marine Corps tank because the people driving it thought Spawn was cool
To be fair, given it's an A1, it was probably put there in the early-to-mid 1990s and the Marines just kept redoing it because Top told them in no uncertain terms that they weren't allowed to draw dicks on the cannon (which must've really confused said Marines when they had any writing implement) and they had no idea what else to write/draw.
@@matchesburn yeah but I'm willing to bet that the museum had to clean dicks off of allot of parts on the inside.
I also kinda looks like it was done with fist-gripped crayon
@@DiggingForFacts I'll rarely stand up for the Marines but for this I'll take exception. The crew of this tank lost their TC in 2007 to an IED. The turret was pulled and the hull languished in Quantico for a while. When the turret you see here was put on, it didn't have the markings on it. Shortly after we shot the video with the crew here in the museum, the gunner (I think it was the gunner) noticed that the name was missing. So he came back and put the name on the tank again, just as it was in 2007. Great group of guys, and it definitely wasn't done closed-fist with a crayon. ;)
savage
Chieftain war stories made my day
We need more of those !
Do you know the only difference between a fairy tale and a war story?
A fairy tale starts: "Once upon a time...
A war story starts: "Now this is no shit..."
When he talked about almost getting his arm chopped off and he mentions going out to take a break it reminds me how the Chieftain is just so remarkably human and isn't ashamed to admit it. I love this man.
Remarkably human.
Unlike other humans, whom are merely somewhat human.
Woah, that's human.
It's actually a good thing for the whole crew to stop and get their heads back in the game after a close call.
He had "a significant emotional event", and survived it. That's well worth taking a break and catching your breath and wits again.
Speaking of old equipment: I was an artillery gun commander and my father was 4 years old when the howizer I commanded was built.
Try helicopters the 47s were buillt in the 60s and they are still going
I was 18 when I enlisted in the army. My father was 28 when he was drafted. The old army literally was older.
Same goes to pilots of B-52s. That thing had its life extended to 2050.
25:17 Nick really liked his crew and tank
That may be the single best moment in any Chieftain video
That sudden look as the memory shoots forward and you're lost in it for a moment. Then the sadness upon the realization that it is indeed just a memory of days past.
As a former M1 tanker I have to agree the memories never go away. Even though the movie Fury was set in WWII the sentiment is the same "Best job in the world"
Any job in the Army.. 15+ years RCEME. Cold, wet, working all night in cramped quarters (heater in a Leo 1 anyone) , knees shot, neck fused... Still, Best job I ever had... Smile of recognition on my face as I see Chieftain travel back in time...
I saw it too and recognized that look of nostalgia.
Chieftan, start a series where you talk to crew members from the various different countries and tanks. Interview them in the tanks they served in, just like you, they will start remembering all the stories as you move about the tank and talk about the various systems. The different stories and perspectives about the tanks and crew experiences need to get recorded or they will likely get lost to history. Just like this video, it is infinitely interesting to hear how you spent your down time as well as action stories and all the mods you came up with along the way.
There's a RUclips channel like what your describing, but only for aircraft. Aircrew Interview is the name. Check it out, great stories of great men and their aircraft. It's beautiful honestly.
This. So much this!
Awesome Idea
This would be a fantastic project to put in the pipline for Chieftain. Not enough tanks to do this forever.
That would be awesome!
US Military: Run out of ammo? run them over! Run out of fuel? Fix bayonets!
there's nothing like re-enacting the battle of Rorke's Drift
I visualize myself hanging out of the commanders cupola swinging a Morningstar.
Watching you with this tank brought back memories of watching my dad when he got his hands on a water cooled Browning for the first time in many years after the Pacific. He had that same look in his eyes as if the intervening years had simply melted away and he was 23 again, thanks,
A water cooled Browning? The last time they used those was in WWI, as far as I am aware. M1917. Air cooled M1919 was standard by WWII, and had been for 20 years. Unless you mean the M2 .50 shipboard AA gun.
@@justforever96 They were still in service in early WW2.
@@justforever96 tell that to the nasty girls in the Philippines during the ‘dark days’ of the war
@@justforever96 The USMC still used them in the early war.
So Chieftain are you going to start doing a story time as well? I'd love to hear how you got one over on the Army and got through the height restriction.
Getting a waiver isn't that hard depending on whether it's a "life or limb" issue or not. We had an F-4 RIO that was 6'6" or so (call sign "Too Tall"), way over the limit. He got waivered even though he was at risk of losing his legs from the knee down if he had to eject.
He also spent 8 months on the boat stooped over. The overheads are at about 5'8" in most spaces, if you're taller you have to bend a lot or risk concussion.
I've also got a friend who couldn't get a waiver for A-4s since scooters have tiny cockpits.
@Harold Jones
I knew a girl who stood about 4' 5". She was waivered for being under height.
I was deemed non-rated because my sitting height was to much- - it was 42"/107cm and the height of the widget on the seat that breaks the canopy if it doesn't eject before you is 38"/96.5. That meant if I were to eject and the canopy did not separate, the canopy would likely break my head or neck. In the wisdom of the Air Force, I could fly helicopters (they have no ejection and more room), but my vision was not good enough.
When women first were cadets at the Air Force Academy, I remember sitting at a dining table in Mitchel Hall when a female gymnast marched up to me and asked permission to join the table (late). I was looking slightly down into her eyes.
Overcoming boredom is a soldier's most important skill.
Boredom can be deadly.
Shortly after I got out in mid-95, my unit had a serious 'training accident'. An E5 on a Bradley had told a couple of spanking-new E1s that the 25mm round was 'safe' until it had traveled some distance from the barrel after being fired. Something he told the privates led them to believe that it couldn't be fired outside the gun.
Sooo..
These two cherries grab a 25mm round, go out back of the M2, and set it off. One held the shell while the other took a hammer and screwdriver to the primer.
One of them lost an arm, the other lost both hands. The sergeant was courtmartialed the next day and the two privates were chaptered out on medical. They were very lucky they weren't killed outright.
Two object lessons here are:
_boredom can be deadly_
and
_be very careful what you tell a noob. They're going to field-test and see for themselves._
@@slateslavens the Sergeant really shouldn't have been court martialed. I know hes supposed to watch over his squad but he cant watch them 24/7 like they are infants (i hear soldiers act like it sometimes but thats not the point). That will follow him his entire life
I disagree. On a field exercise; or more importantly, a deployment, the sergeant's job is _exactly_ to watch over privates as if they are infants. When you combine the curiosity of a brand-new infantryman with the privates specifically testing what the sergeant had told them literally moments before, the outcome is all but inevitable.
Yes, these pranks go on all the time in the army. I recall numerous times we sent privates, ignorant NCOs and even a few new officers out hunting for things like 'squelch grease' and 'lock washer keys', but an E5 serving on a Bradley crew for his entire military career should have absolutely known better.He should have known that a gun is a gun is a gun. A cartridge for _any_ gun is extremely dangerous when set off outside of the breech of the gun it is intended to be used in. There is absolutely nothing to contain the explosion/burn of the powder inside the casing. You wouldn't be stupid enough to set a fire cracker off in your hand, so why a 25mm shell?Yes, the cherries should have known better too if they had given half a second's thought to it, and doing so is honestly why it hadn't happened before. That said, the cherries just spent eight to eleven weeks being taught to a take an senior NCO at their word.All around, this was a learning experience for the entire post. The privates involved will spend the rest of their lives living with the consequences of 'not thinking shit through'. The NCO involved, along with all of his contemporaries, will give a moments pause before they ply a 'prank' on another soldier, especially one subordinate to them.
Oh, I'd say that avoiding the sergeant-major is pretty important.
@@slateslavens I think the E5 meant that the warhead won't prime for HE shells before some distance, while the freshmen took it too literally, and decided that spanking a live round is a good idea
I want to do this!! 😭 I need a plane ticket!!
Matsimus rip mat
Hey it's Maximus!
Mats, what’s a good way to reach you? PM on SB forum?
Matsimus MATT RESPOND TO CHIEFTAIN GOD DAMN IT
Will you make a "inside the warrior"?
As a guy who cut his teeth on the M60, I was always impressed with the (relatively) low profile of the M1.
12 feet was a lot of tank to hide.
Hold up until you see rhe russian tanks
Yeah, the M60 is absurdly tall...
@@cursedcliff7562 until that ammo cooks off. Goodbye turret and auto loader
@@JamsheedRpgGodBossAnd the crew.
I prefer the rambles , to the more scripted videos . Thank you for sharing .
percussive maintenance,,,, love it!! British Army translation, "tool, fine adjusting, 14lb"
In layman terms: when all else fails, tap it with a hammer
"What the Brits call a 'spanner.'"
The Canadians call it the 'thumb-detecting nutfucker'.
REME screwdriver I think you mean? lol
In the Royal Navy it's an flat-headed air cooled adjustment tool.
"they have welded the bloody thing shut" You don't want to hear that one when the battle begins.
>"Let's not tell anyone about the side armor"
>Proceeds to show picture of him wearing no side armor.
GG no RE
25:27, smoke gets in your eyes. You won’t find that reading any military history books. Thanks for sharing.
Tigers in the mud, by otto carius, he does and u can feel it
@@miro5031 Hello. I will check your recommendation. Thank you.
David Fletcher looks a lot taller without his mustache.
Yes, and he sounds a lot more irish.
When worlds collide ! That would be extremely interesting.
TheKaisTzar; youtube might implode or something. but it would be worth it.
TheKaisTzar It’d be the worst. David Fletcher is excellent and scholarly. Lindybeige is a chauvinist hack who would tell you that the M1 Abrams was inspired by the L7 cannon, and that the Soviets never attacked NATO because they were afraid of the Bren gun.
David Fletcher looks like the old man from Beauty and the Beast: goo.gl/images/rvwsLw
What I love best about Chieftain is his unsubtle direct simple telling of facts, observations, and thoughts.
Absolutely!
I call that profound story telling, right to the core of the matter.
"Percussive Maintenance" Lol, I liked that one.
'Ah! And if you look carefully; you can see this magnificent specimen in his home environment.
Despite his great height you'll note the grace with which he moves around the confines of his lair...'
The chieftain has found his long lost home the M1 Abrams.
Never served in a tank, I was an infantry shmuck. I will always remember when we were working with tanks (part of what got me into them). Some mix up occurred and they got to the meet up before us. The tanks just went ahead and started the operation and had been operating for about an hour before we arrived and they had already killed over 100 enemy combatants!!!
Fascinating! My son was a tanker (2/37 Armor) and I have a photo of him with a shotgun. However, he said they turned in their pistols and everyone got a carbine or rifle. The rifle was referred to as a musket. He was in Iraq for 15 months and for the last few months was attached to a Marine Corps unit. They also had Navy bomb disposal people.
Being armor, he took his training at Ft. Knox, which was the same place the both my father and I took our basic training.
Sadly, the brass eventually caught on to the tactic of securing "unauthorized" items in vehicles before heading Stateside. By the time my unit headed back, all of the vehicles were sent directly to the manufacturers to be refurbished (and everyone was clearly informed that they wouldn't be getting the same vehicle back "so don't bother").
They must have gotten lazier in recent years. When we came back from Iraq in 1991 they had customs officers going over every little nook and cranny of our vehicles - opening everything they could open, fishing around in blind spots and fuel tanks with coat hangers, inspecting everything that got loaded onto them before loading it. Not sure how they'd miss an entire storage area!
What kind of unauthorized items, hypothetically speaking?
@@youtert Contraband stuff. Usually drugs.
Fix bayonets to the tank? A very 40k thing to do. The Komissar would be proud.
It's really interesting to watch you telling us about tanks. In other circumstances we could watch at each other through gun sights, which, I'm glad, didn't happen. Greetings from Russia=)
Absolutely. Had it happened, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be around to watch this video, considering I'm sitting right in the middle of Germany.
I've been working with a Russian guy for a couple of years now and we got along great, but to think that, had I been born earlier, I might have been drafted and ordered to shoot him (or fellow Germans) . . .
I guess it would be great if we had leaders who'd try to not fuck it all up for us.
Comment aged badly I guess.
@@p_serdiuk Well, not quite, but it is as close as it can get.
It's something civilians and gamers don't get. The tank is your home, your crew is like family. Its not something you do for 8 hours and then go home. We would go for days without getting off the tank. And you got to know your crew intimately. I don't know if guys in different branches had the same commeradery.
I think Fury comes close to showing that side of armor
ex artillery here. Gun crews were tight also. We worked hard and partied harder. Good memories.
Abn infantry here. We shared foxholes so...yeah, we were tight too.
I can relate-albeit in a different vehicle. As a combat engineer my 'home' was an M113A3. Sharing that thing with your 7-8 man squad was pretty cramped-but we managed. The idea of 'personal space' does not exist. All the times I'd see guys snoring away with their heads rolled over onto the other guy's shoulder...no worries. I felt deluxe when I was picked to drive our platoon commander around-it was just me and him with a whole command vehicle to ourselves and it felt great.
Who says gamers don't get it ?
I think Forgotten Weapons may have taken a machine gun from one of the tanks at that museum
wasn't that a 30 cal.
From what I saw, it was.
1919 model tank, machine gun for turret mounting.
I doubt they have a US built WWI tank there. also it was at an auction house.....
No, it'd be a Browning M1919, which was made just in time for WWI to end before it could be mass-produced and instead it was jammed into pretty much every US armoured vehicle and used as the US's light/medium machine gun until the M60 came out
They welded the breach of the 120 to stop Ian pulling it apart...
Skippy's List #101: I am not allowed to mount a bayonet on a crew-served weapon.
YES! I'm so happy someone else read that site
*Sad Japanese noises*
I took my son when he was 9 to the Royal Artillery museum in Woolwich and I too was shocked to see the actual piece of equipment I worked with for 3 and a bit years sat there in all its glory . Am I a museum piece too I wondered , naw push me and find out methinks 😂 . 15 years later my son is a Irish Guardsman and has been for some years now . He’s already been to Iraq , Falkland Isles , Kenya twice , Thailand , Norway , did the last Trooping of The Colours for Her Majesty the late Queen Elizabeth , the state funeral too oh and did 2 years at Harrogate Military College .
Saw your eyes well up there Chieftain and it’s nothing to be ashamed of . Thank you for your service .
War Thunder is currently implementing a mechanic where the loading speed depends on if you have ammunition in your ready rack or not (and if you're not in combat for a while, the loader will start to move ammunition from other storage to the ready rack). A nice feature I think =)
Otomatic moment :(
Sounds like somebody thought "asymmetric warfare" means one bloke with way too many small arms.
Way too many? More like just enough, but could still use more dakka
I only have two Abrams stories. Was doing a patrol on Pendleton crossing a road cut and heard a faint whine, we got out of the road into the bushes and an M1 came around the corner not 50 yds away, only then did we hear the mechanical track noises. That turbine is ghost quiet from the front. As it passed a few feet away the heat went from the normal oppressive to briefly frightening.
My second involved my team "leading" an assault in Humvees (so-called "mounted reconnaisance") in 29 Palms. As we came out of the canyon after clearing for observers and ambush, hitting the lake bed with the things floored, we get a call from Bn to "get out of the fucking way, we're coming through." We veer off into the desert and an Abrams goes by balls out followed by LAVs and more tanks. At that point we were doing "mounted Recon follow in trail, watching taillights disappear in the distance." I liked the Desert Rat stuff, but not as part of an assaulting armored force, not equipped for that.
As fast as we were willing to drive them at night while navigating a sandy desert track yes. Daylight across the flats? I dunno, Humvees aren't built for speed. The tanks are fast.
Artruis Joew, cross country they are much faster indeed.
An M1 has a road speed of 40ish mph. The off road is like 25. If you're a WoT player that 70 and 40 kph respectively with about 24 power to weight. It really can move surprisingly fast for a 50 ton vehicle
M. Carberry
Jesus.
I forgot.
I was out at Ft. Irwin back in the mid 90s with 24th ID, 2/7 Inf Bn as an M2 Turret mech. It was after dark on the live fire range with the satellite dish array in it. I was called forward to 'repair' an M2 turret taken out by OpFor. I was a back-seater in a turtle-back humvee and we were 'killed' just as we pulled up alongside the 'dead' M2.
Now, understand that I did my reserve time _before_ going active duty as a 12B combat engineer and was snatched up by the scout platoon as soon as they found that out. I loved it.
So I'm out on this live fire range as a 'KIA' in an unarmored humvee. I think I was a PFC at the time. The driver and Lt in the front were out cold and I was dozing a bit when someone called in a copperhead on a BRDM, or BMP or somesuch - I don't remember exactly. The grid they gave was dead on for our location.
So I leaned waaay over and start slapping the Lt around to wake him up to check fire. He was pissed at me, of course, for 'manhandling' him, and had no idea what was going on. Once I got him to call in a check fire, I explained what was going on and the dude turned dead white.
If he hadn't cooperated or woke up, I was planning on jumping under the Bradley beside us. I know it doesn't sound like much, but my hands are shaking typing this. I don't know how long it was between the call for the fire mission and him radioing the check fire, but I was sure it wasn't going to be in time.
He wasn't my Lt. I don't even remember what unit he was from, but he was attached to us and the BMO stuck me and my gear in his humvee. He already didn't like me - we'd butted heads earlier that exercise after going out to fix a TOW launcher on the scout leader's track.
I had fixed the launcher in short order and we left to return to the assembly area, and I crashed in the back. We were only a few clicks out so I expected we'd be back in twenty minutes or so. It was late evening, IIRC.
I woke up _hours_ later. We were still driving around the desert looking for the AA. The two idiots - the Spc and the Lt were arguing where it was, and about where they were. I just looked around at the mountains, tapped the driver on the shoulder and said - "that way, about four k's".
The Lt turned beet red and started chewing my ass about how I couldn't possibly wake up from a dead sleep and know exactly where we were. I pointed again and told the driver "Go". he went. We got back well after full dark. We should have had our asses chewed, as driving after dark on Ft. Irwin was strictly forbidden at the time.
Everything was weird though. Everything was 'off' at the AA. People were quiet and subdued, all the leadership from E6 and up were holed up in the command tent.
It turned out that the battalion commander had order the scouts forward after dark to surprise OpFor. In the dark, two of the scouts' lead Bradleys had gone over the edge of a thirty foot deep wadi and landed on their lids. The two track commanders and gunners were dead, having been chest-high out of their hatches, and the rest of the crews were left sucking Halon for the better part of thirty minutes while rescue crews tried to get them out.
Situations like this were specifically why driving was forbidden after dark. NVGs gave no depth perception, especially as crews got tired. I believe the battalion commander was sacked pretty much on-the-spot, but my recollection of that part is sketchy.
These are just training mishaps. I can't even imagine what goes down in combat.
Thank you, to all service members, for your sacrifice.
Les Berg
Whispering Death
I watch this and I have so many regrets and wish I had not gotten sick. I wanted to join the tank core, I was in college and I wanted to be a TC but I got fibromyalgia so that was the end of that.
I never even got to ride in a tank. Now in the end I am disabled, my wife left, divorced me taking the kids, and I am in pain all of the time being often unable to walk.
Watching this video I wonder what could have been and wish things had been different. I really wish I could have at least had the chance to ride in one and maybe fire the guns just once to see what a cannon that large going off was like. I wish I had know the feeling of having brothers in arms and having memories of them. I have lost all of my friends except one that I made later. I feel so alone having watched this and dream of what could have been.
Nice video I really did enjoy it and it gave me a look into what life could have been like making me smile dreaming of a life that never was.
You are not alone, bud. In college, I was in Army ROTC and was looking forward to being an Infantry officer. I completed airborne school after my second year of the program and was looking forward to attending Ranger school after my graduation and commission. I was looking forward to being an officer in a Ranger or Paratrooper unit, or at least Air Assault. But, after my third year the program and just a few weeks before I was to set off for NALC, I was robbed at gunpoint and then shot in the neck while leaving a grocery store. The bullet hit my spine and left me with a diagnosis of quadriplegia and paralysis from the neck downward.
All the guys that I spent many days and nights training with went on to pursue their officer careers, and I have not heard from any of them in many years. A few of them came to see me in the hospital, but after that, yeah… It is tough. Really tough. But, my only consolation is a continuing desire to move forward and be "something." I keep trying to learn new things, pursue different interests, and try to pursue some semblance of success and a "life." After 13 years, I finally got my first job post-injury with the local PD as an analyst, only to lose it a little over a year later (after a fire alarm incident, they saw me as a liability and wanted to get rid of me; so, they contrived some BS excuse to get the chief to sign off on my termination, sparing them from EEOC intervention). After another year of surgery, therapy, and recovery, I am back to throwing my resumes against the wall and seeing what sticks. So far, no takers, and I am back to stacking rejection and "we regret to inform you…" letters like they are trophies. I seem to get several every week, and at this point, it just makes me chuckle every time.
I just wanted to throw my story to you to let you know that you are not alone. Interestingly, yours is the first story that I have come across that is, at least, somewhat similar to mine - similar aspirations and type of injury. But, we got to find some reason to keep moving forward. I just threw my name in the hat for law school. Will I get in? Well, let's see: I could only apply to ONE school, the school in my city, and I am competing against a ton of applications from 20-somethings who are a hell of a lot smarter than I am… lol.. But, hey, you do not know unless you try, right? Right…
Besides, I could always use another "trophy."
Stay strong, brother
@@zion653 Hey man, I just saw this comment by chance. I would be happy to help any way that I can. I graduated law school a few years ago so if you need help or advice in that realm just send me a pm. Good luck to you brother, sometimes it takes awhile to find something meaningful in our lives.
@@zion653 Fuck your story is grim mate, all the best and keep on keeping on. Did they catch the prick that shot you and if so what sentence did he get?
Yes I was one of the tall Tankers 6'4 1/2" . The hardest position for me to serve in was the Gunner and did that for 5 years, until I got promoted to SSG Tank Commander, knee pain was one of the main reasons for getting out of that Gunner's seat.
Oh yeah!!!!
This is the best Chieftain video yet. You can see the love and reverence in his face the entire time. The moment where he was lost thinking about his crew was the best moment in this channels history.
A sabre taped on the gun tube can be a life saver when you have no ammo left and the enemy tank has a dagger taped to the gun, however
Thank you for your service Nicholas, M1 crew and the deceased TC. RIP. Semper Fi.
Man I've been watching all the old stuff. It's a pleasure to see the fond memories of a real tanker talking about tank stuff. You sir are welcome to ramble on in my house any day of the week
I got kicked out of the house when I was 16 (going to school was such a bore) and signed up for the Army (RA) on my 17th birthday in 1971. I really really wanted to be a tanker, so I got a guarantee for 11 Armor, not knowing that 11E was not the only Armor MOS.
After basic my orders for school said 11D, whatever that was (Recon / Calvary ) and spent the first part of my hitch in gun jeeps in the ground troop of an Air Cav squadron, and 2 years in M114A1E1's in Bamberg playing speedbump for the Soviets.
Turned out to be a lot more interesting than being a tanker, when ever someone was needed for ANY type of job they used us, so we got out of the motorpool a lot more often than the line animals. But I still never got to be in an operating tank.
This video makes up for that more than anything else I've experienced. I bet the comment about the wind detector would be for exactly the situation as when my sisters would send my outside to find the waldorf for the salad when I was a sprout.
Thanks
(as you might guess from the avatar, my gamer name is Shorttimer)
Tony, when were you in Bamberg. I was with C co. 3/35 from 74 to 77.
Cool, another Armadillo.
72 to 74, first HHC 3/35 but then they spun off Recon along with Mortars, Redeye section, and Bridge Layer and put us in CSC (Combat Support Company.
Had the cut section of fence all the cabbies knew as Gate 2 1/2 ever get patched?
@@shorttimer874 when I left in 77, it was still there. 3/35 has a facebook page.
at least Wargaming is giving us a free abrams(video)
*you already have a tank that can do lots of stuff*
I believe this is one of his videos done on his own time with his own equipment. Note no annoying background music.
Boo hiss
Tier 15 tank pls lol
I am so glad that guy missed you Chief you really are the most knowledgeable person alive today regarding historic tanks and that is really something. If it wasn't you i don't know if anyone would have done what you have done for those interested in armored warfare in the historical community. Your service and what you do today is really great. Thank you for your hard work and I am very glad you took the time to talk about someone who wasn't as lucky as you to escape their brush with death and I am happy to see the museum is so accommodating to his family and battle brothers.
I’m pretty glad as well, all things considered
"I miss them" - bless him.
Get a man that looks and talks about the same way like Chieftain does about the Abrams
*slaps the rear* This baby right here, can fit so many rounds.
I'd tape a sharpened broom stick along the main gun barrel.
Tankity tank tank.
it’d be blown in half after the first round
@@TBoy205 it's about sending a message XD
@@TBoy205 So you get wooden shrapnel also going downrange. I fail to see the problem! :P
HE REMINDED ME OF “THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES.”
you could have been the first tank commander in history to order "fix bayonets," missed your chance :)
I've never seen the chieftain happier than in this episode
i'd love a series where its just you talking about war stories
attaching a sword as a bayonet? why is that a bad idea? everything needs a bayonet!
@@EthanThomson get this , what about a bayonet WITH ANOTHER BAYONET DUCT TAPED TO IT
The greatest part of this video is that Nick sounds genuinely happy. It's that sort of happiness you feel when reflecting on good times.
The best episode there will ever be on this channel, both thanks to your personal insights and the flood of memories flooding back. Thank you so much for sharing the intimate moment. I've had maybe a taste of the same commeradier, with bands in the past, and with my team on trading floors, but obviously an order of magnitude or more removed from a year straight involving life and death experiences. What I'd personally like to see is a walkthrough of your own good self at some point: how you came to tanking, how apparently you came to the US Army as an Irishman; didn't know that was possible. And you might as well spill the beans on getting into tanks at your height. I simply can't see how an army would be built to allow such a thing.
That poor rheinmetall 120mm welded :((
#ThankYouATF
That'll be the cockblock.
And for no real reason, since simply removing the firing pin assembly will more than adequately safe the gun.
Like we can go down to WalMart (TM) and buy 120 SABO and HE Geoff Who likes things that work...
Looks like it would be easily rectified.
"Oh bugger, the tank is on f-"HALON DUMP.
I hated the HALON system, never bailed out of a tank so fast. The sensors were so sensitive
I read a story about an M1 that was on operations in Germany; they hadn't secured their antennas and drove under a low-hanging power line near a small town and everything bad happened, including tripping the HALON system.
When a halon bottle pops, it goes off like a blast. The first thing you notice after the initial shock is that your voice is 3 octaves lower after that you unass the tank before you pass out.
Yeah, you need to move faster for the halon than you do for the fire.
Am I the only one who is sitting here watching him talk about the TC position of the Abrams, and how everything is in reach of his excessively long arms, and how the hatch is perfectly eye level for his excessive hatch if he sits on the seat back and think “despite being over the maximum height limit for the tank, it’s almost like god built him to be an Abrams tank commander”
As an ex-Army armor crewman - and at 6 ft I can empathize with you some - thanks for the walk through down that lane, brother.
No track tensioning details? Boo! Hiss!
Nice hiss!
I served on the 105 version. No bustle racks. Also no azimuth wheel. Then when they did put a bustle rack on, not nearly big enough. The rear mounted APU. Guess my unit was lucky, nobody tore one off.
25:23 great moment
feels kicks right in the guts
F
One of your best videos ever, Chieftain! Thank you for your memories and for your service!
"Hi, guys. Thanks for tuning in to another video of Inside the Chieftain's Hatch dot com. I am Chieftain, and I am here at the American Heritage Museum taking look at some of the vehicles they are going to be showing at their exhibition in April, 2019. What we are looking at today is a Tank, Combat, Full-tracked, 120mm Gun, M1A1, General Abrams..."
you're just making me want that corssover even more...
Just curious if the you think the area below the gun and above the driver's hatch is a shot trap? The abrams has a great angled design up front, but I always wondered about that gap under the barrel.
Shot traps aint a thing anymore, modern rounds don't bounce.
Tanks fire at each other at thousands of meters now, a tank at 10X at that range just looks like a rectangle, hitting it anywhere in particular is difficult, it's why tank crews are trained to hit center of mass, aiming for weakspots is a video game thing.
Yes, its technically a shot trap but since tanks sling APFSDS all the time any more and at massively long ranges most of the time... its not really considered a problem.
3 hour long inside the hatch incoming... will watch every second of it.
Watched this along side a buddy who was an M1 Driver and it took an hour to get through as we paused for him to explain every part right before you did. Also, he nearly died laughing when you mentioned warming the crosswind sensor.
Could you explain the crosswind sector bit?
Easily one of your best videos. The emotional connection to this machine was so visible, and your little anecdotes and stories were so entertaining.
Running around in a M-60A3 was pretty damn good too ;)
Indeed it was.
The M48A2C wasn't bad either, but I do wish it had been an A3 with the diesel.
TTS was good on the a3 , Gotta give some credit to the m48a5 , good tank for its time, was my first
I did AIT on the M48A3 then four years on an original "slick" M60, "Best job I ever had"
I actually liked the TTS better than the TIS.
Bless the desighners for being detail orientated.
that was great, really enjoy these talks with the personal connection and the great stories, please do more as I know you will. I'm making no judgements about Irishmen having a tendency of spinning a good yarn.
Might be my favorite Hatch ep. Now days its like "You have a girl in your crew?"..."Thats not a girl thats my loader"
Crosswind sensor warmup...the BOOM test for the main gun, or my favorite, making sure the turret is screwed on right when you pick your tank up from the depot...
How many turns, in which direction, to unscrew the turret on your tank??
And make sure the new guy checks for armor soft spots and while he`s at it a box of grid squares and sqeulch grease!
@@SgtBones I lol'd here! Or "make sure you don't forget to take an exhaust sample!"
Reticle batteries, it works even better since you can reach around and feel a small compartment on the back of the LRF.
@@petesheppard1709 I'd heard it takes 42 turns clockwise to get the turret on, then you back it off 21 turns so it can traverse back and forth without a stop in one direction or screwing the turret clean off in the other direction...
26:38 So the Abrams Turret weight more than a freaking Panzer III !
Are you really surprised? :)
And the Tiger II's turret weighed more than a Hetzer, and probably used up more resources at that.
@@RadarLightwave
what if the Tiger turret was replaced with a hetzer?
Especially with DU armor.
So wonderful to get a tour informed by a former crewman, no less tank commander! Gotta loves some Chieftain...
Man, what a great video. You are such a blessing to the preservation of the history of these machines. Thank you for your service too.
As a guy whose gonna join the army as a 19K, that bit with the sensor is very useful. Thank you!
Drive me closer, I need to unload half the weapons made by mankind on them.
I would have though the M4 and your sidearms would have been perfectly sufficient. What did they think you'd be doing? Boarding actions?
More like if the tank got knocked out, or they set up a camp around their tank. A buddy of mine was an abrams tanker, and he told me that they built a makeshift outpost out of their abrams. (Tied camo netting to it and basically made a tent)
They were called "TWATs": Tankers without a Tank. Doing foot patrols outside the track.
@@ScottKenny1978 more like “we need infantry but don’t want to have extra but do want them so we’re forcing you to be infantry since you have legs and a rifle”
@@looinrims that too.
I mean, having a gun for each hatch on the turret is good. IIRC, the Israelis put a .50 coax, .50 on the TC's hatch, Mk19 on the loader's hatch, and FN MAG on the gunner's hatch (or Mk19 on the gunner's hatch and MAG on the loader's).
Downside is that the hatches are open so crew is exposed to use them.
But giving the tank crew all the same guns as an Infantry fireteam is a terrible idea. They're tankers, they are not trained as infantry!!!!
You always remember your fist crew. I was an M60-series tanker in the 70s and an M1A1 tanker in the late 90s. Good times.
The part when described all of the sidearms and other weapons they had to bring along was hilarious.
When you crew an M1 anything not the 120 is a sidearm
We didn't get the M249, but we DID have a case of frag grenades we kept in that same place...
I did like this unscripted talk much more than typical inside the hatch.
What a fantastic story and video. You could feel The Chieftain going back in time. It was heartbreaking to hear about the TC. Another true hero in my prayers. I can not imagine how the crew felt when they saw their second home again.
Awesome show! Thank you for taking the time to do this.
This was one of the best if not the best you have done so far! More please! and more stories!
That bit about the cross wind sensor was too funny. It reminded me of my carrier days. Once, while in port, I sent a couple junior airmen onto the flight deck to calibrate the plat camera (black and white video feed you've seen of planes landing at sea on a carrier.) It was so funny watching my junior sailors on the flight deck, pointing and flashing the island with a flash light. XD
Or sending someone out to get some prop wash
Quartermaster: "Sign for your bayonets."
Chieftain: "What? I have a tank!!"
Quartermaster: “did I fucking stutter?”
Rather good to admit some of his personal details --- just imagine him explaining the road wheels of the prams configurations.
great program, thanks!!!