Facebook: Friends of the Tank Museum

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

I had the same thought Mark

[Westmarcher]

Perhaps (because tanks wouldn't usually be deployed singly?). But could it also be because the tank is likely to attract a fair amount of enemy fire?

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

They did, so were provided with "Elephant Hides" to protect them from it. Normally there would be a troop of 3 on a position.

[steve_holmes_11]

Pathe, not the Tank Museum.

Churchill AVREs placing a fascine, and launching a "flying dustbin".
Gives a good impression of the velocity and trajectory for the 'bin.

Maybe second thoughts for those who use them as a potent anti-tank round.

[paulr]

I wouldn't want to be near that when it went bang

[fsn]

Love it.

[toxicpixie]

That ammo seems like a long way from the photo'd Centurion ... bit of a yomp if the fighting hots up or is it the ammo for the tank that is behind us, out of shot?

I'm guessing any closer and it's very much in likely area of any errant incoming mortar or artillery rounds... trade off of "safety" versus usability. Not to mention as others suggest it's probably covering multiple tanks and is about as close to all of them as possible...

[Westmarcher]

.... and if you run out of ammo, wouldn't you just drive the tank back to the ammo dump?

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

.... and if you run out of ammo, wouldn't you just drive the tank back to the ammo dump?

Generally no, it's bought up to the tank in softskin vehicles.

[Westmarcher]

That ammo seems like a long way from the photo'd Centurion ... bit of a yomp if the fighting hots up ....

Generally no, it's bought up to the tank in softskin vehicles.

Quite a short distance to make the effort to load the ammo on to the soft skinned vehicle, then drive it round the road and up to the tank so that the crew (and soft skinned vehicle crew?) can then unload the truck(?) and ("if the fighting hots up") replenish the tank under fire.  Also, if you decide to reverse the tank down the access road instead, considering the short distance, wouldn't it be better to simply continue the short distance to the dump and save loading time? 

Signed - a civvy conscript. 

[fsn]

THE CHURCHILL TANK (INFANTRY TANK Mk IV).
Heavily camouflaged Churchill tanks of 6th Guards Tank Brigade in a cornfield in Normandy, July/August 1944.
Note the censored brigade marking on the front of the nearest Churchill.
The turret of a M3 Stuart light tank can also be seen midway along the line of vehicles.

[toxicpixie]

Are those guys on foot in US uniforms?

[fsn]

Probably. The 6th Guards worked with US forces for a while.

[fsn]

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060014989

[T13A]

Hi

Are those guys on foot in US uniforms?

I don't think so, they seem to waring what we used to call 'denims' and the RAC WWII tank helmet:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAC_helmet

Cheers Paul