What Makes a Successful Tank Crew?

Absolutely! And it applies to all aspects of the military, then and now. When I was in boot camp for the US Navy, they placed very heavy emphasis on teamwork. Without teamwork, military operations are, for the most part, totally impossible.

 

I agree but if I had to pick the most inmportant two jobs, driver and commander a retarded driver willnot know what there dning so he could kill the crew by accident and a strong driver commander realtionship id needed if they need to make a hasty retreat

 

I expect that pulling maintanance is one of the most important aspects of crewing a tank. Each and every crew member is part-mechanic. NOT just the driver.
I have yet to hear anyone mention the loader?!
That main-gun reload-time is every bit as important as the gunner's accuracy. That lad also had to switch between AP and HE. Given an ambush, the wrong load-out might prove fatal. The time to reload is a vital component of survivability.
I agree that a good commander is essential as he is giving the orders, making decisions in the crew's behalf. An accurate gunner is likewise apt to ensure the crew's safety.
A good driver who can take directives and understands presenting the heaviest armor-plate to the enemy, keeping the tracks on... and who will not be knocking the crew's heads around in the turret with jerky. erratic driving style...

Tim

 

Wrong load-out - not necessarily. Depends upon target and range. WWII tankie's aphorism was "when in doubt, HE up the spout" a good smack with 75 HE was often preferred by the firing tank - one reason for the popularity of the Sherman was its ability to fire HE, the AP (compared to the 6pr) wasn't that hot.
Oli

 

Oli:
In my mind I was thinking of a "tank vs tank" scenario. Troops, soft-skins, or an AT gun would naturally dictate a round of HE.
If one found himself in a position to take a Tiger 1"in the arse" I dare say the loader would be reaching for an AP-round.
My point being a good loader compliments a fine-crew.
Interesting comment nonetheless... perhaps I didn't make myself clear on that one. Thanks.

Tim

 

In the early 1960's I was the TC of an M-60 MBT. God knows it was far superior to any WW II tanks, but, compared to today's highly automated tanks such as the M1, we were relatively close to War II tankers. The only answer to the question is teamwork. For example, in tank gunnery, the TC had to pick up the target, lay the gun onto it, determine the range to the target and watch for other targets while the gunner was engaging. The gunner had to listen to the fire command, input the correct type of ammo into the ballistic computer, and then hit the bloody target twice. In the flickering light of a parachute flare, neither using the range finder nor laying the gun was a snap. The loader not only had to keep the main gun fed with the correct ammo and keep the ejects out of the turret ring, but he also had to keep the coax MG happy. The driver had to be able to bring the tank to a smooth stop once he received the command (a fast stop caused the tank to rock, making target acquisition difficult). From the appearance of the target, you had 8 seconds to get the first round off. A well trained tank crew, rifle squad or bird dog is a thing of beauty. I have experienced all three, thank God. Was tank gunnery stressful? Yes! Did I love it? Yes!! I'd give at least my left one, and maybe my right one, too, to do it all again. Gunnery is just one example. Tactics is the same sort of thing -team work. Maintenance is the same. When we had a bitch of a job to do on our tank, such as changing track, I was just one of the crew, even after I became a company commander.

 

Yeah, sorry. I knew what you meant but AFAIK British policy was a round in the breach if you were in "indian country", and that round was HE. The phrase "if in doubt..." is an old tankie saying from WWII, not my invention.
It would do very well for troops, soft skin and AT guns, and in WWII most tanks weren't totally invulnerable to a 75mm round. The 75 on the Grant was welcomed because it fired an HE round capable of doing serious damage to Pzkpfw IIIs and IVs, at longer ranges than the 37 in the turret - must have stuck.
But you don't want to go bimbling down a road with an empty breach and HE was better than AP for "unkown" targets. If he didn't bugger off from an HE hit it might give you chance to load AP.
Have you read Warrior for the Working Day by Peter Elstob? Probably not available now, but it's a "novelised" account of Elstob's experiences after D-Day. When he gets command of his own tank and they get a FNG gunner the first thing he asks him is "what do you do if we're going down the road and a panzer takes a shot at you and misses?"
The gunner starts giving him chapter and verse about looking for the muzzle flash and calling for an AP round...
at which point Elstob cuts him off with "no, you abandon tank with the rest of the crew and let the Sherman behind us take care of him. If the panzer missed it was only by a couple of feet at most and he KNOWS where we are, we don't know where he is. The tank behind us might have spotted him, so let him shoot. If you start looking to return fire the panzer will have his second round into us before you see him".
Not quite the way it's portrayed in other books and films, is it?
Discretion is the better part of valour. Might lose the tank, but the crew can get another one.
Oli