British or commonwealth officers recovering a body from a German PzKpfw III, in the North African theater.
SpiderSchwein
Um. Why is this tagged ‘nostalgia’?
admdelta
Dying in a tank seems like it would be one of the worst ways to go.
Does anybody know stats on survival rates of tank crew members compared to infantry soldiers during the war?
CondorLane
Tank recovery was my great Grandad’s job in the war – they’d basically climb in, move the body parts aside and find out if it could be salvaged. My Grandad (also a British soldier) was the only person he ever spoke to about it.
I can’t imagine what it must have been like to live with those experiences your entire life.
Matthew_Baker1942
It’s a Panzer IV anywhere from a D to an F1 which was the last that had the short barrel 7.5cm KwK L/24. I don’t know Panzer IV’s well enough to tell which Ausfuehrung just from the photo. But [here](http://ww2today.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/burnt-out-german-tank-1.jpg) is another photo from the side where the Commonwealth are inspecting the damage (what looks like at AT round so probably a 2lb or a 6lb gun).
The body might be the driver as it seems thy’re pulling him out of the left hatch in the hull but other sources say radio operator which would’ve been the next seat over. It could be either one really, depending on the damage to the tank and what hatches they could get open to pull the bodies out. Nasty business.
Other sources say North Africa March, 1942.
Akumetsu33
This kind of thing always fascinated me because all through civilized history anybody gets killed or anything get destroyed, there HAS to be someone cleaning it afterwards, no matter how messy or gory.
My grandfather was a D-Day vet, and was one of those guys whose military service defined him for the rest of his life. When I enlisted I expected him to be happy that I had “joined the family business”, but he wept when he found out. He sat me down and told me about coming across a burnt out Sherman where the crew had basically been turned into mummies from the fire.
After I got back from Iraq he ended up sharing some other stuff that had happened to him that I’d never heard about, but the first place his mind went when he thought about his grandson in a war were those “mummies”.
haggur
If you visit the war cemeteries in Normandy you find gravestones with a list of names on it for one common grave and it’s normally a tank crew. Not a good way to go 🙁
Guess they didn’t bother with cremation afterwards then…
Unco_Slam
Why don’t soldiers have shorts anymore? I think I would love me some kevlar shorts.
liminoid_lion
Did he make it??
Robbie-Tsunami
Does/has this ever happened to an Abrams tank? Im pretty sure modern tankers just have to deal with IEDs and such but is there any fear of them getting burned up in the tank? I’ve never heard of it happening, not that I’ve looked seriously for details.
Alsojames
Holy shit, what the fuck hit that tank?
LaoBa
British or commonwealth officers recovering a body from a German PzKpfw III, in the North African theater.
SpiderSchwein
Um. Why is this tagged ‘nostalgia’?
admdelta
Dying in a tank seems like it would be one of the worst ways to go.
Does anybody know stats on survival rates of tank crew members compared to infantry soldiers during the war?
CondorLane
Tank recovery was my great Grandad’s job in the war – they’d basically climb in, move the body parts aside and find out if it could be salvaged. My Grandad (also a British soldier) was the only person he ever spoke to about it.
I can’t imagine what it must have been like to live with those experiences your entire life.
Matthew_Baker1942
It’s a Panzer IV anywhere from a D to an F1 which was the last that had the short barrel 7.5cm KwK L/24. I don’t know Panzer IV’s well enough to tell which Ausfuehrung just from the photo. But [here](http://ww2today.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/burnt-out-german-tank-1.jpg) is another photo from the side where the Commonwealth are inspecting the damage (what looks like at AT round so probably a 2lb or a 6lb gun).
The body might be the driver as it seems thy’re pulling him out of the left hatch in the hull but other sources say radio operator which would’ve been the next seat over. It could be either one really, depending on the damage to the tank and what hatches they could get open to pull the bodies out. Nasty business.
Other sources say North Africa March, 1942.
Akumetsu33
This kind of thing always fascinated me because all through civilized history anybody gets killed or anything get destroyed, there HAS to be someone cleaning it afterwards, no matter how messy or gory.
Verax86
Reminds me of this [https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/dont-photograph-people-like-mom-will-think-war-see-tv-gulf-war-1991/](https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/dont-photograph-people-like-mom-will-think-war-see-tv-gulf-war-1991/) I believe the complete photo said something in chalk underneath that said if I don’t photograph this people like my mom will this war is what they see of TV.
InfamousConcern
My grandfather was a D-Day vet, and was one of those guys whose military service defined him for the rest of his life. When I enlisted I expected him to be happy that I had “joined the family business”, but he wept when he found out. He sat me down and told me about coming across a burnt out Sherman where the crew had basically been turned into mummies from the fire.
After I got back from Iraq he ended up sharing some other stuff that had happened to him that I’d never heard about, but the first place his mind went when he thought about his grandson in a war were those “mummies”.
haggur
If you visit the war cemeteries in Normandy you find gravestones with a list of names on it for one common grave and it’s normally a tank crew. Not a good way to go 🙁
Crowe410
NSFL warning here’s a [similar video](https://youtu.be/BXB_tBgq6Rc) of the crew of a Sherman being recovered
hardarseman
Guess they didn’t bother with cremation afterwards then…
Unco_Slam
Why don’t soldiers have shorts anymore? I think I would love me some kevlar shorts.
liminoid_lion
Did he make it??
Robbie-Tsunami
Does/has this ever happened to an Abrams tank? Im pretty sure modern tankers just have to deal with IEDs and such but is there any fear of them getting burned up in the tank? I’ve never heard of it happening, not that I’ve looked seriously for details.