Reminiscing... looking back.

[ironglows]

  .
  Looking back to when I was 18-19 yrs old.  These bring back memories, of my old, Army days.  Tanker to be sure.  Although as tank crew members, we learned all th epositions..loader, gunner, driver, BOG and TC ..or tank commander.

  The theory was to then assign positions to those which fit each crew member best..or what they excelled at.  I was usually the gunner..

  Right away, Nicholas Moran demonstrates the gunner's position first.  Moran served as a tanker in Desert Storm, and the Abrams must be different than our tanks were, or he must have suffered some, because he is too tall (at 6'5") for a tanker !

  Six footers had to bend over when standing in our turrets, and the driver at 6', usually settle his seat just low enough, so he could 'button up'!

  I remember the white enamel interior well.  Whew!..that was some smelly paint!  ..But the white enamel interior was good for finding things when the, TC or loader's hatch were only opened a minimal amount.
 
Still, the white paint must have helped to get the tank clean, after suffering casualties..plus fluid leaks were easier to detect, as opposed to the exterior olive drab color.

  The gun tube assy weighed 2600 pounds, and recoiled so fast you could barley see it..and it only cleared the rear of the turret ring by about 1.5 inches...better stay out of the way.

  I can still smell the burned powder as it filled the turret and hull, and feel the mild concussion every time we fired...along with the vibrations and the loud chunk..chunk.. as i touched off another 90mm round.  I also had a .50 coaxial gun..right alongside the main gun tube.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCDYMou-LaU

[Bob Riebe]

https://www.reddit.com/r/MilitaryPorn/comments/cifg07/german_super_heavy_800_mm_railway_gun_schwerer/

Check the link Ironglow, you might find some pictures interesting.
Did you boys look like the Hind pilot in hot weather?

[BUGEYE]

Of all the duties in the US Army, I think tanks must be the absolute worst.
But Elvis liked it.

[ironglows]

  In the M-47, the gunner was the only one that didn't have a direct escape hatch.  He was expected to use the TC's escape hatch out the top..
  The tank commander and the loader each had an escape hatch out the top, while the driver and BOG (bow gunner..spare crew member) each had a top escape hatch and one that drops out the bottom.

  Where I lucked out as gunner, was when it was time to clean the bore of the gun tube.  I would point the tube toward the ground, and the rest of the crew (except the TC), ran a bore brush with a rammer staff, while I poured the solvent into the bore from the breech block end.
   Of course the solvent(from a 5 gallon can) ran down the bore..and along the rammer staff..nasty work..

  As far as the pressure and noise.....my hearing aids tell the story, today !  Of course, every crew member was subject to the same conditions.
  Still...there was a certain "chip on the shoulder", just because we were "tankers" !

[BUGEYE]

  In the M-47, the gunner was the only one that didn't have a direct escape hatch.  He was expected to use the TC's escape hatch out the top..
  The tank commander and the loader each had an escape hatch out the top, while the driver and BOG (bow gunner..spare crew member) each had a top escape hatch and one that drops out the bottom.

  Where I lucked out as gunner, was when it was time to clean the bore of the gun tube.  I would point the tube toward the ground, and the rest of the crew (except the TC), ran a bore brush with a rammer staff, while I poured the solvent into the bore from the breech block end.
   Of course the solvent(from a 5 gallon can) ran down the bore..and along the rammer staff..nasty work..

  As far as the pressure and noise.....my hearing aids tell the story, today !  Of course, every crew member was subject to the same conditions.
  Still...there was a certain "chip on the shoulder", just because we were "tankers" !

They probably were scared of you because they thought you were crazy.

[ironglows]

  In the M-47, the gunner was the only one that didn't have a direct escape hatch.  He was expected to use the TC's escape hatch out the top..
  The tank commander and the loader each had an escape hatch out the top, while the driver and BOG (bow gunner..spare crew member) each had a top escape hatch and one that drops out the bottom.

  Where I lucked out as gunner, was when it was time to clean the bore of the gun tube.  I would point the tube toward the ground, and the rest of the crew (except the TC), ran a bore brush with a rammer staff, while I poured the solvent into the bore from the breech block end.
   Of course the solvent(from a 5 gallon can) ran down the bore..and along the rammer staff..nasty work..

  As far as the pressure and noise.....my hearing aids tell the story, today !  Of course, every crew member was subject to the same conditions.
  Still...there was a certain "chip on the shoulder", just because we were "tankers" !

They probably were scared of you because they thought you were crazy.

  ...Now there's an angle I hadn't thought of !     

[Argent 88]

Interesting and informing IG. I always wondered what it would be like being a tanker.

[ironglows]

  One thing I forgot to mention, that was very tough on the ears.  When the gun tube is fired, it recoils back  (90mm) 14.5", and in the same motion, the breech block slams down, and ejects the spent shell to the rear floor of the turret.

   Those shells are hot when ejected..not bad in winter, but not so welcome in summer.  ..And of course, such a mass of steel takes on and exacerbates the ambient air, whether hot or cold.

    ..But that was the 1950s, and I feel quite sure that today's tanks are very different.  Perhaps some more recent tankers can comment
   
    BTW..  How about you guys who served on ships or in artillery, airborne, Air Force, Marines etc..how about sharing your experiences?