It’s time for the Q&A 27 thread.
Added 2023-01-05 11:37:40 +0000 UTCPost here!
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In modern conflict; what are the advantages and disadvantages of HESH and why were the British so long wedded to it?
Con_of_Class
2023-05-21 02:55:19 +0000 UTCDoes U.S. doctrine normally emphasize the platoon or the company as the main fighting element for tanks and mechinf? 4 tanks are harder to lead as a singular unit within a company-sized assault than are 3, but can be split into elements when the plt is engaging in tasks on its own. In Sweden, we run 3-tank platoons because we always fight in companies. Also, with the move toward the new U.S army mechinf coy with 2 plts of 6 Bradleys, why not make it 4 plts of 3 instead?
Sebastian Craenen
2023-05-03 16:10:54 +0000 UTCGiven the GBAD situation in Ukraine essentially curtailing/neutering air power, do you think the NATO armies will realise that assumption is the mother of all screw ups and assuming they will have friendly skies and thus no need for AA assets be finally rectified. Or would the NATO air forces not be concerned with the Russian GBAD systems like S400? (Feel free to bring this up with Perun if you feel it’s appropriate)
Iron Akela
2023-03-18 18:23:20 +0000 UTCDo you have any idea about original German sources classifying the Panther? A lot of people tend to argue that they would call it a medium or a heavy but it generally devolves to the classic "Source?" and dead-end. I would assume that it was tactically a medium tank and that any classification as heavy refers to weight such as U.S. Army Engineer bridging capacity. Do you have anything definitive?
Knight
2023-02-26 20:53:52 +0000 UTCGreetings! 1) What is your opinion on Cold War and post Cold War French tanks (upsides/downsides, questionable ideas), and the "cheese-eating surrendermonkey" mantra? 2) On a lighter note: As you said in your "ought one commission" video, one must delegate tasks. Have you had tasks you found to be particularly hard (or easy) to delegate either because you didn't trust the person with or because you enjoyed said task?
piritskenyer
2023-02-04 19:30:51 +0000 UTCYou have previously time the tale of how General Devers and a galaxy of generals crashed in neutral Ireland in 1943. In reality they were only held briefly before being released to some protests from Germany. If they had in fact been interned for the duration, would your speculate as to who would have taken over their duties and what impact it would have had on US tank development from that point onwards?
Oisin Creaner
2023-02-02 20:40:11 +0000 UTCIf it isn't too late: How do you manage a logistics situation like you see in Ukraine without putting all your logistics people on some sort of self harm watch list, especially now that they are getting heavier equipment?
Grim
2023-01-22 13:45:10 +0000 UTCIn tank video games, autocannons seems to have a significant advantage against the single shot ones, my theory is that an untrained and unorganized force or unit is more effective with autocannons. Can this transfer to the real world ? or is it totally wrong ? have you any exemples to prove or refute that theory ?
Aelis
2023-01-21 18:02:26 +0000 UTCWhy did the Soviets put a fixed hull machine gun on the T 54/55
USAUSA
2023-01-17 04:44:49 +0000 UTCHello Chieftain hope you are doing well, ok so Question 1. What type of suspension do the Merkava tanks use, to me the version used on the mk3 and mk4 tanks look a lot like Christie suspension which does not make any sense, what changes did the Israelis' do to it to make it beater apart from mounting it to the outside of the tank instead of inside? Question 2. had the invention of effective high velocity heat shells occurred early or even before WW2 do you think that heavy tanks like the Tiger or Panther would have happened considering how vulnerable they could be to the US 75mm gun which if looking at cold war examples a 75mm heat shell could have been able penetrated up to 250mm or so of armor which is kind of insane when you think about it! Se example the M41 walker bulldog receiving a heat shell called M496 which could penetrate 250mm
fdxr
2023-01-10 23:03:33 +0000 UTCQuestion 1. In the MPF video, you asked if the MPF had track commonality with the Bradley. What factors go into determining just how well the tracks of one vehicle would work for another? It seems like most countries would want to have a few common tracks for various AFVs in order to ease logistics. Question 2. On the note of tracks, what music do you enjoy?
Thunderchild
2023-01-09 23:49:41 +0000 UTCQuestion about the US pre-positioned equipment sitting in warehouses around the world: How up-to-date is that equipment? Could it, for example, happen that a M1A2 crewman gets assigned to a pre-positioned A1?
Christian Bügenburg
2023-01-08 11:29:49 +0000 UTCIf the army is getting rid of the MGS, how can other countries deploy wheeled gun systems for years.
Mike Quinton
2023-01-07 17:33:25 +0000 UTCAs a unit commander responsible for many tanks in combat, did your “second” in the tank have more autonomy to deal with immediate/imminent threats because your situational awareness may be for the whole unit and not just the “tank” Are these concerns resolved doctrinally or by each individual commander?
Robert Henry Illston
2023-01-07 00:43:50 +0000 UTCQ&A Why do you think that a drone operator on an individual tank isn't any good? Was there ever a case in tank-combat history of information overload and consequential failure in the field of said tank(crew) or platoon?
Reichsbierminister
2023-01-06 12:03:22 +0000 UTCI think this is an excellent observation! Maybe some vehicles are inherently more modular than others. I do not know.
John Rehberger
2023-01-06 11:34:35 +0000 UTCDoes the added capability from systems that are not integral to the tank imply a need for greater modularity in the design of future vehicles (this seems like a dumb question, but I'll leave it incase anyone else was also wondering but afraid to ask)?
Adam Schindler
2023-01-06 05:55:41 +0000 UTCI was about to ask a very similar question, so I'll piggyback on this one for efficiency: how practical is it to change the tank's traction to meet conditions (i..e track on, track off, studs, no studs, different track type, et c)? Is a "jack of all trades track" a more realistic prospect than easily exchanged track to meet conditions?
Adam Schindler
2023-01-06 05:51:15 +0000 UTCSomething thats been on my mind for a bit: When was it first considered for what we would eventually call "Crew Ergonomics" for tanks and their crews? I would image it was at the same time tanks emerged, but when was it actually put in writing that crews need to be able to do their jobs well inside their vehicles? And what was the first tank to do so? 2nd question: In your video on "a poor tank, a useless tank, and the worst tank ever", you called the Sentinel's turret as the "worst turret ergonomically you've ever been in", but considering the tanks it would have pitted against, and the fact that it was a 3 man turret, was it truly that bad given what the competition was fielding at the time? Or even the standards of some other ally (France)
Teku
2023-01-06 05:20:48 +0000 UTCTank Track Assemblies While the US appears to prefer rubber tracks/track pads; M24 - T85, M60 series - T97 & T142, M1 series - T156; several foreign militaries seem to prefer metal links for their tanks. Is there a particular advantage of one type over the other and is this the result of “live track” verses “dead track” assemblies?
John Cryer
2023-01-06 03:46:53 +0000 UTCGood morning, afternoon or evening when you are reading this Mr.Chieftain, I actually had a quite different question to ask you. Could you tell more about yourself? Like what was it like to grow up in Ireland? What got you interested in military history? And why did you move to the US?
Josh Conti
2023-01-06 03:29:00 +0000 UTCChallenger for better or worse has become the UKs tank of choice for probably the next half century. Do you think challenger 3/LEP is worthwhile given Britain's draw down of its tank regiments to just 2, ammunition issues for the rifled 120 notwithstanding.
Mat Wetton
2023-01-05 18:42:39 +0000 UTCDuring World War 2 the Tiger 2 or King Tiger was considered by many the strongest true tank of the conflict. However, the vehicle had a host of issues making it not so well liked. If the tank had been given a proper engine, transmission, suspension, etc for its weight and bulk how late do you believe a reliable King Tiger could compete on the battlefield with post war tanks? My vote is likely it would do okay until the late 60's
Sean S.
2023-01-05 15:37:46 +0000 UTCWould a deception tactics similar to what's used for Patton's ghost army (WWII) or what is supposedly used by Yugoslavia during the NATO bombing campaign work against the recon assets available to ground forces (US militaryor otherwise) today? Also, you mentioned before that it's a rather dangerous assumption that the army will alway have air superiority over a combat zone. Does the army train for situations where the skies are not so friendly.
Sface
2023-01-05 13:24:34 +0000 UTCHave you or are you considering writing a second book? Also, what ever happened with the World of Tanks reprints of Hunnicutt’s books? Were there others planned or was the intention to only do Firepower?
Caleb Engelhardt
2023-01-05 12:21:06 +0000 UTCYou implied in a recent MHV video that thermal imaging equipment is a significant difference-maker on the battlefield. How good is modern thermal imaging? For example can you tell the difference between different types of tanks (T-64 vs T-72)? Or is everything just a light-green-on-dark-green blob? BTW I've seen thermal imaging pics online, but are not sure if they are credible or not. Thanks!
John Rehberger
2023-01-05 12:19:47 +0000 UTCI missed Q&A 26 because I'm a dip. Please do call me a dipstick in the video. 1) Since wheeled vehicles are once again entering the arena of discussion, I thought now would be a good time to ask about steel wheels, like the 4 inner wheels on the Panhard EBR. It seems that a majority (all, to my memory, but tell me if I'm wrong) of modern wheeled vehicles have full rubber-tyred running gear - but it seems to me that there might be room for wheels which are reinforced with steel - like a skeletonized inner frame with the rubber of the tyre outside, or entirely steel wheels with rubber grousers. Is it a matter of weight, cost, or a combination of both? 2) Having seen your appearance on MHV talking about how a T-55/T-62 with thermal imaging equipment would be generally superior to a T-72 sans aforementioned, I'll now posit the question - would an infantry fighting vehicle with an autocannon (BMP-2/M, M2/3 Bradley, Puma (this is a joke), or others) and thermal imaging equipment be preferable to an MBT without thermal imagers, or is it a matter of apples and oranges? 3) Do you see room for a return to SPAAs with fast-tracking, fast-firing autocannons, considering the glowing reports of Gepard's service from Ukrainian officials regarding the effectiveness of the Gepards both in terms of racking up Cargo 200 numbers, as well as in an anti-drone role? Maybe it's time to bring out the old Shilkas and give them slightly modernised FCS?
Kazuki K.
2023-01-05 11:58:42 +0000 UTCIn what I feel is becoming a tradition of much-too-long questions: We know that in World War II, as compared to other major armor-producing nations such as the US, UK, and Germany, the Soviets seemed to take a rather conservative approach to producing self-propelled artillery for the (ostensibly) indirect fire role. Whereas a variety of assault guns and tank destroyers were produced that brought big guns right up to the front lines, their self-propelled indirect fire assets seem mostly limited to rocket weapons and the rare leftovers from the interwar period, most of which were either lost to or left behind after the desperate fighting to stop the eastward advance of Axis forces. In the postwar period, large tube artillery remained, yet self-propelled mountings were mostly limited to either more advanced multiple rocket launchers, tactical ballistic missiles such as the 2K1, or strategic artillery such as the 2B1 or 2A3. It would take all the way until the 1970s to see the deployment of what we would consider "conventional" self-propelled artillery assets such as Gvozdika and Akatsiya. Even stranger, to me at least, is the fact that at this point, the Soviets seem to become quite keen on such weapons, and would subsequently produce an impressive array of self-propelled artillery platforms ranging from 100mm weapons all the way up to 240mm weapons; mounting just about any artillery piece they could on it's own propulsion. So what changed here? What was the shift that led the WWII force which was almost devoid of self-propelled tube artillery (again, in the indirect-fire oriented sense) to a force which boasted an array of guns to cover just about any battlefield requirement? Was the former condition one of strict technological or resource limitations on wartime soviet industry, acting in spite of a desire to field such weapons? Or was the need simply not seen/recognized until well after the war had ended? Also: What's your opinion on the AGS program? Was it's cancellation a mistake that left a capability gap the Army has spent a great deal of time and money trying to fill since, or was it a case of serendipitous budgeting that allowed the Army to hold off on the procurement of a light armored assault platform until technology could mature further?
Felicity Longis
2023-01-05 11:52:38 +0000 UTCWhat do you think about the israeli Nagmachon ?
Bonbonvert
2023-01-05 11:50:25 +0000 UTCCan you elaborate on the german heavy Tank Doctrine in WWII?
Alexander H.
2023-01-05 11:44:00 +0000 UTC
