Other [Issue 34] 13 Surprising Facts: Real Tanks

[S.C.Y.T.H.E 1,072]

 

 

1.  In real life, there is no health bar. Surprising, huh?

 

2. Armor thickness and penetration. Tanks are covered with a layer of strong metal. This metal protects the tank from enemy tank rounds and bullets. The goal of this armor is to prevent the round (bullet) from penetrating the armor and entering the tank. The thicker the armor, the harder it is to penetrate the tank. Most real tanks have much more armor on the front of the tank than on the back. This armor can be very thick, several inches. In many tanks, the armor is more than seven inches thick. Bullets from normal guns would bounce off tank armor like ping-pong balls.

 

3. Armor Angling. Tanks are all about protection. Protection from bullets and tank rounds. There is another strategy to increase the effectiveness of tank armor besides just adding more layers: Set the armor at an angle. This is vastly effective, and is similar to increasing armor thickness, yet you do not need as much armor allowing the tank to be lighter. Imaging you throw a ball at a wall. Imaging the tank round hitting angled armor in slow motion. All of its forward momentum won’t be used to penetrate the armor. Instead it hits the armor and ricochets at an angle, using its energy to continue moving forward without going through the armor. The lower the angle, the more effective it is. Hunter has angled armor. This diagram illustrate how armor angling works: 

 

 

4. In modern tank rounds, there are no explosives. The round is simply designed to hit armor at a high speed and penetrate. The tank armor will shatter, resulting in shrapnel. There is no need for explosives. Paradoxically, low armored tanks sometimes have an advantage. If a powerful tank round hits the low armored tank, it will simply pass through the light armor and not injure the crew. This light armor creates less shrapnel, and the tank round will not ricochet around inside of the tank.

 

5. There is a difference between a destroyed tank and a knocked-out tank. In this game, as soon as a tank’s health bar is fully depleted, the tank will explode. In actuality, tanks are hardier than they seem. The main way a tank is rendered dysfunctional is when the crew is dead. Shrapnel, well placed rounds, and fire lead to the death of the crew. But when the crew is dead, the tank is often times still drivable. When a tank is knocked out, it no longer is fighting. When a tank is destroyed, it is no longer usable whatsoever.

 

6. The Crew. You may think that you are the tank. However, actual tanks are controlled by a crew of about four people (depending on the tank). The normal positions are: Commander (bosses everyone around) Gunner (fires and aims the cannon when the Commander tells him to do so) Driver (Drives the tank) Loader (Loads the cannon). Imagine being stuffed inside a tank with four or five other people for hours at a time in a metal box, constantly worrying about being blown into smithereens…

 

7. Tanks can get infested with rats. Particularly in German Panzers, many tanks became infested with rats during World War II. Watch V-Log Episode 30 for more information.

 

8. Tanks are expensive. Most modern tanks cost about $5 Million USD. This is a very hefty sum. The most expensive tank, the French AMX-56 Leclerc (which is still in service), costs $27 Million USD. So maybe a couple hundred thousand crystals for an M3 isn’t so bad a price after all…

 

9. There are lots of tanks. During World War II, where the most tanks were used, over 120, 000 tanks were produced by both sides. There are over half a million tanks still existing the world right now. But... there are probably many more virtual tanks than real. In this game alone, there are at least 20 million users. That's 20 million Hunter/Smokys in this game alone.

 

10. Tanks are old. Armored vehicles have been used since World War I, almost one hundred years ago. The french build Renault FT is considered the first real tank, and was built in 1917, 97 years ago. Leonardo Da Vinci made designs for a tank-like armored vehicle way back in the 1400s!

 

11.. Some tanks can float. Yes, floating tanks with nearly boat-like designs have been used even before WW2. The British created the amphibious Vickers-Carden-Loyd in the 1930s. ‘Donald Duck’ tanks were used quite frequently during WW2. These DD tanks were essentially floating versions of commonly used tanks. They proved quite useful during D Day. 

 

12.. Tanks are fast. Modern Main Battle Tanks have an average speed of 45 mph, or 72 kmh. Suffice it to say, this is much faster than a Mammoth or Titan. In fact, I would guess that this is similar to the speed of Hornet or Wasp.

 

13. Tanks are heavy. The average tank weighs 60 tonnes. That's 120,000 pounds or 54,000 kilograms. This is thirty times heavier than the average automobile. In real life, you wouldn't see tanks being flipped by enemy weapons. You would very rarely see tanks going airborne, or parkouring on top of buildings. Most of all, you wouldn't see tanks landing on top of each other or falling long distances without being crushed. 

Edited July 29, 2017 by Hexed

[samuelmanasseh 35]

would be nice if it had demo pics, still GOOD JOB. :D

[Penguin40 1,714]

Wow. Amazing facts about real tanks. Good job.

[RamzanTheGreat 471]

Amazing facts.... A Job Weldone...  ;) ;)

[Reeco9 1,567]

Some interesting facts here, good job.

Edited May 1, 2015 by Reeco9

[jazz20 1,181]

Wait....so you can be working in a tank and there would be like a whole colony of rats living with you???  :blink:

[Darren4Turbo 4,913]

Good one  ;) 

[greyat 2,972]

4. In modern tank rounds, there are no explosives. The round is simply designed to hit armor at a high speed and penetrate. The tank armor will shatter, resulting in shrapnel. There is no need for explosives. Paradoxically, low armored tanks sometimes have an advantage. If a powerful tank round hits the low armored tank, it will simply pass through the light armor and not injure the crew. This light armor creates less shrapnel, and the tank round will not ricochet around inside of the tank. 

HEAT rounds are still a thing, albeit less used...

[NewbieCake 3,067]

Excuse me while I go hire an exterminator to clean my Hunter.  :ph34r:

[lukey0 27,543]

Nice, a few interesting facts I didn't know about. 

[liverpoolaum 811]

nice

[T.O.T.A.L.W.A.R 581]

Nice

[r_brieken0 0]

Forgot the honeycomb structure on mbt 's, and you might explain what an armour piercing sabot is. By the way tanki is very far away of being a realistic game when, even on the largest maps, smoky and railgun, who are short barelled, mostly 75mm or 90mm guns, compared to a standard 120 mm or 125mm smoothbore (the russian T-90) shaft  and are shooting as far and are as lethal as a shaft.... :lol:  Just think about initial velocity, wheight of  rounds and  kinetic forces. :huh:    Therefore should the game be considered as flawed. :blush:  Perhaps should our  "Yvans" ask Towaritch Wladimir to go to the 5th guard division in Siberia and have a look at them or even better to have a look :rolleyes:  at the new T-99 s(cheduled to enter service in 2015) at uralvagoznavod (omsk). should be nice to have that mbt in tanki on line.

[T.O.R_Snap 118]

As an also World of Tanks player (not saying it's better, they can't really be compared) I knew pretty much all these facts already :D.

Nice article anyway.

[Rad-Powered 1,694]

Knew most of this  B) but a great topic nethertheless! 

[genak138 950]

8. Tanks are expensive. Most modern tanks cost about $5 Million USD. This is a very hefty sum. The most expensive tank, the French AMX-56 Leclerc (which is still in service), costs $27 Million USD. So maybe a couple hundred thousand crystals for an M3 isn’t so bad a price after all…

Until you take into account the fact that a crystal is probably worth a couple hundred USD.... :ph34r:

[Adm.tang 14]

And, you cant flip a sideways tank back up with its gun

 

[Shellfire_tanki 1,820]

Very interesting, let me tell you I am a great fan of real life tanks, and I only knew about 3/4 of those!

Wevy well done.

[Rad-Powered 1,694]

 

 

4. In modern tank rounds, there are no explosives. The round is simply designed to hit armor at a high speed and penetrate. The tank armor will shatter, resulting in shrapnel. There is no need for explosives. Paradoxically, low armored tanks sometimes have an advantage. If a powerful tank round hits the low armored tank, it will simply pass through the light armor and not injure the crew. This light armor creates less shrapnel, and the tank round will not ricochet around inside of the tank.

 

 

 

What about HESH ammunition? High Explosive Squash Head. 

[Truthteller 4,204]

Well done interesting!

[SicTransitGloria 76]

1. *LE GASP*

2. "We didn't penetrate their armor!" Face it, you read it in the dude's voice.

I know this because I play World of Tanks. There's also angling of the tank, hulled-down positions and side-scraping. Also, modern tanks can have Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) which explodes when hit and prevents damage (albeit only once before needing to be replaced).

There's a few exceptions, most notably High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) and High Explosive Squash Head (HESH).

Destroying a tank's tracks and rendering it immobile is a particularly easy way to deal with a tank. While it can still shoot and bounce shots, it can now be easily flanked or even ignored.

If you play WoT like me, you'll also be familiar with the Radio Operator. We don't have them so much anymore, but they were particularly important in Hitler's invasion of France.

Rats love small dank spaces. It's no wonder they'd inhabit a tank.

Sorry, you can't pick a tank up at a local garage sale.

When you consider all the tank games out there (Tanki, WoT, War Thunder, etc.) yeah, virtual tanks easily outnumber the real ones.

I wouldn't call da Vinci's design a real tank, as it would have none of the endurance or cross-country mobility of a tank. Also, no turret.

The Duplex Drive (DD) tank is not the same tank as the Vicker-Carden-Lloyd. The DD tank was a modified Sherman with a waterproofed underbelly, cloth skirt for a hull, and two propellers to drive through the water. It had...mixed results on D-Day.

The Ripsaw light tank can actually hit 95 mph and has a 0-60 time of 3 seconds. Fun fact: it doesn't carry any people.

Please keep in mind that "tonne" =/= "ton". In pounds, 60 tonnes is closer to 132,000 lbs.

[Quarks 2,255]

WAIT, you mean there is no health bar in real life!!!! I'm screwed. :o  :o  :o

[TygrCZ 12]

And, you cant flip a sideways tank back up with its gun

 

How... Just... How the hell could that even happen...  :huh:

[m6ttetu 288]

Well done interesting!

[Shaver_General 0]

Interesting facts, man! I love how there are WoT players here, too. (I'm considering that game.) 

 

Interesting Fact: You can buy your own real life tank from a collector or from a licensed dealer. EXARMYVEHICLES and Mortar Investments are dealers who sell used tanks and other former military vehicles. But, you may need to check associated laws before you can legally drive one down the road in your country!