British inflatable tank blown away

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2002-10-29 07:12pm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2367313.stm

They really need to invest in fiberglass.

Post by **Kuja** » 2002-10-29 07:25pm

ROTFLMAO!

This is why the Brits needed us in WWII....

Raptor 597 · Post by **Raptor 597** » 2002-10-29 07:28pm

Hahaha thats too damn funny

Have they ever heard of using real tanks and blanks in. guns & flare shells?

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2002-10-29 07:33pm

Are they afraid that some foreign nationals would steal their tank design from the inflatable ^_^

The British are a pretty weird country if they would mount a search just for an inflatable:mrgreen:

Off-topic : Did you know that german scientists invented transparent aluminum a month or so ago?

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2002-10-29 10:10pm

It's probably in some guy's backyard by now.

Hell, I would love to have that thing in front of my apartment. Hehe, keep people from parking the red zone right in front. Bastards.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2002-10-29 10:24pm

Inflatable tanks like these have been around for a long time. Sometimes used for training, sometimes used for deception.

I think its funny that that Brits ask for it back. In the USA you would just have to check Ebay to see if somone found it.

Post by **weemadando** » 2002-10-29 10:48pm

I want to park one of those in the street outside my house and slowly push it towards the Defense force HQ and barracks a block from my place. Watch the panic baby.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2002-10-29 10:51pm

weemadando wrote:I want to park one of those in the street outside my house and slowly push it towards the Defense force HQ and barracks a block from my place. Watch the panic baby.

Don't forget to have a good-sized stereo playing tank sounds.

Post by **weemadando** » 2002-10-29 11:02pm

No, can't forget that, or a smoke machine for the exhaust...

RayCav of ASVS · Post by **RayCav of ASVS** » 2002-10-29 11:11pm

Of course....

Gather 'round kids, and I'll tell you the story about how one day in Ft. Hood someone lost a REAL tank!

It happened one day in the 60's or 70's at Ft. Hood, TX.

The Army likes to keep track of things. Cases, pistols, knives...if you loose them, standard procedure is to join hands and sweep the entire premise.

So when three soldiers suddenly showed up at base one day....

"Sir, we lost something!"

"Aww shit, whose knife did you loose?"

"Um, sir, we lost something a bit bigger..."

"A pistol?"

"Bigger, sir!"

"A freakin ammo case?"

"Bigger, sir!"

"Then what the fuck did you loose, soldier?!"

"A 40+ ton M-48 Patton Main Battle Tank, sir!"

"Gee whiz holy fuck how the hell did you lose that?"

Well, it turns out that these guys were just driving around at night (and I heard they were also drunk), and since this predated thermal imaging they didn't see the really big honking cliff

The commander supposedly ducked his head in just in time to avoid being decapitated.

They searched for this tank for days, maybe weeks, even getting to the point where they did join hands and swept the premise to find this thing. Finally, a lucky recon flight caught the tank hidden by the shadows in the ravine.

Oh, and you didn't hear this story from me

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2002-10-29 11:20pm

Recently the Marines found a tank half buried in the mud. I forgot which base, but the thing was a flamethrowing Sherman. They are not sure how it got there and why it had been abandoned.

IRG CommandoJoe · Post by **IRG CommandoJoe** » 2002-10-29 11:21pm

Well, it turns out that these guys were just driving around at night (and I heard they were also drunk), and since this predated thermal imaging they didn't see the really big honking cliff The commander supposedly ducked his head in just in time to avoid being decapitated.

Uhh...what? How would he be decapitated from a cliff? And how did the guys inside it survive the drop off the cliff? Could you clear this up please?

RayCav of ASVS · Post by **RayCav of ASVS** » 2002-10-29 11:24pm

IRG CommandoJoe wrote:
Well, it turns out that these guys were just driving around at night (and I heard they were also drunk), and since this predated thermal imaging they didn't see the really big honking cliff The commander supposedly ducked his head in just in time to avoid being decapitated.
Uhh...what? How would he be decapitated from a cliff? And how did the guys inside it survive the drop off the cliff? Could you clear this up please?

He fell down from a ravine, to be more precise

kinda like this

__=----
====
00000 pretend there's a hole here

---------===-----------
000000= = <--------right here, he nearly decapiated himself
0000000= =
0000000= =
0000000= =

plus it was a very short fall, basically just barely big enough to swallow the tank and do a good job hiding it so you can only really get a peek at it at high noon.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2002-10-29 11:31pm

Reminds me of a story from Germany in the 1980's. US and NATO tank units often trained by traveling around on little used back roads, most of them dirt. They'd drive around in companies and platoon and fight each other with laser gear, never leaving the back road to avoid damaging property and crops.

However often they had to cross more significant paved roads that got regular traffic. One night an M1A1 at the back of a column was crossing one such road. Along came an 18-wheeler, which happened to slam into the broadside of the tank at about 35 mph. The tank was buttoned up like it would be on a NBC battlefield and the crew while feeling a slight shudder but continued on into the night.

The truck was wrecked beyond repair and the driver nearly killed. But the connection only made when the tank crew noticed the scrapes and dents on the side skirts in the morning!

IRG CommandoJoe · Post by **IRG CommandoJoe** » 2002-10-29 11:33pm

LOL But how could the tank crew not hear a truck slamming into it?!?!?!

RayCav of ASVS · Post by **RayCav of ASVS** » 2002-10-29 11:34pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:Reminds me of a story from Germany in the 1980's. US and NATO tank units often trained by traveling around on little used back roads, most of them dirt. They'd drive around in companies and platoon and fight each other with laser gear, never leaving the back road to avoid damaging property and crops.

However often they had to cross more significant paved roads that got regular traffic. One night an M1A1 at the back of a column was crossing one such road. Along came an 18-wheeler, which happened to slam into the broadside of the tank at about 35 mph. The tank was buttoned up like it would be on a NBC battlefield and the crew while feeling a slight shudder but continued on into the night.

The truck was wrecked beyond repair and the driver nearly killed. But the connection only made when the tank crew noticed the scrapes and dents on the side skirts in the morning!

Or howabout the time a company commander nearly died when some hillbillies ran over his jeep in their tank?

Post by **weemadando** » 2002-10-29 11:34pm

Reminds me of when a guy hi-jacked an Aus Army APC and proceeded to lead the cops around the city.

I think a bloke in America did this with an Abrams. Disappoints me that not once did he stop and use the main gun.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2002-10-29 11:36pm

weemadando wrote:Reminds me of when a guy hi-jacked an Aus Army APC and proceeded to lead the cops around the city.

I think a bloke in America did this with an Abrams. Disappoints me that not once did he stop and use the main gun.

I think it was an older model tank from a national guard reserve. And it'd probably be unammoed and he couldn't fire and drive anyway.

IRG CommandoJoe · Post by **IRG CommandoJoe** » 2002-10-29 11:38pm

No I think it was an M-60. And I don't think he had any ammunition. Remarkably, no one got killed either. It was more comical than disturbing when I saw the squad cars just following it on the highway. The tank driver was a crazy old 'Nam veteran which made it even more funny.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2002-10-29 11:42pm

No I think it was an M-60. And I don't think he had any ammunition. Remarkably, no one got killed either. It was more comical than disturbing when I saw the squad cars just following it on the highway. The tank driver was a crazy old 'Nam veteran which made it even more funny.

The cops shot and killed the guy after he lost a track. They were able to pry open the hatch on the turret. It was in Southern California, I remember watching the chase on tv. I saved the newspaper article from the next day.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2002-10-29 11:49pm

TrailerParkJawa wrote:
No I think it was an M-60. And I don't think he had any ammunition. Remarkably, no one got killed either. It was more comical than disturbing when I saw the squad cars just following it on the highway. The tank driver was a crazy old 'Nam veteran which made it even more funny.
The cops shot and killed the guy after he lost a track. They were able to pry open the hatch on the turret. It was in Southern California, I remember watching the chase on tv. I saved the newspaper article from the next day.

It was a USMC M60, and the gun was in the travel lock the whole time, he would have had to get out of the tank to unlock so he could traverse and elevate the gun. Though no ammo was onboard.

At one point the police asked the Marines to get a team ready with anti tank missiles, for use should he harm anyone. However because he was just destroying property and didn't try to run people down they decided not to start firing missiles in an urban area.

The Tank didn't throw a track but simply got hung up on a highway divider.

Course there are also several people in the world who drive tanks and APC's on the roads day to day, most types are steel legal in both the US and UK. I don't know about other countries. For several years some nut in south London was driving a Pink Scorpion but I don't think he still lives in the city.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2002-10-30 12:15am

The Tank didn't throw a track but simply got hung up on a highway divider.

Yeah, I know he hit the divider. I got a picture someplace of the tank stuck on it. I swear the one of the tracks came off at that point. But of course I now I cant find the damn clipping after organizing my office!!!

IRG CommandoJoe · Post by **IRG CommandoJoe** » 2002-10-30 12:31am

Why did they shoot and kill him? Did he attack them?

RayCav of ASVS · Post by **RayCav of ASVS** » 2002-10-30 12:38am

weemadando wrote:Reminds me of when a guy hi-jacked an Aus Army APC and proceeded to lead the cops around the city.

I think a bloke in America did this with an Abrams. Disappoints me that not once did he stop and use the main gun.

It WAS an M-60 but it didn't have any rounds in it. They were going to bring in an A-10 to take it out the uber-cool way but the fool got it stuck on a highway barrier and the cops boarded the tank and shot him.

EmperorMing · Post by **EmperorMing** » 2002-10-30 12:57am

Sea Skimmer wrote:Reminds me of a story from Germany in the 1980's. US and NATO tank units often trained by traveling around on little used back roads, most of them dirt. They'd drive around in companies and platoon and fight each other with laser gear, never leaving the back road to avoid damaging property and crops.

However often they had to cross more significant paved roads that got regular traffic. One night an M1A1 at the back of a column was crossing one such road. Along came an 18-wheeler, which happened to slam into the broadside of the tank at about 35 mph. The tank was buttoned up like it would be on a NBC battlefield and the crew while feeling a slight shudder but continued on into the night.

The truck was wrecked beyond repair and the driver nearly killed. But the connection only made when the tank crew noticed the scrapes and dents on the side skirts in the morning!

Same thing happened in my unit while I was in Germany; some guy in a BMW rear-ends the MLRS unit and the guys in front don't feel a thing...Of course, it's kind of hard to feel a 2 ton vehicle slamming into your 35 tonner...