Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: M47 Patton II Part 2 

Comment from an ex tanker, the breech operating handle was operated by the tank commander not the loader, he would usually use his foot to push down on the handle because of the powerful spring that was needed to lift the 90 pound breech block into firing position.

Interesting about the rangefinders. My main interest is naval history and there was quite the debate around which type of rangefinder should equip ships of the 2 World Wars. Can't speak for the US Navy but the Germans chose stereoscopic and the British coincidence. For the Germans the advantage was the ability to find a range quickly and accurately but the equipment was tiring to use over a period of time and accuracy deteriorated in a prolonged action. The British coincidence rangefinders took longer to get a range but held it better for longer. Unfortunately for the Royal Navy, most actions were quite fleeting and the advantage lay with the one who got off his most accurate shots early - witness HMS Hood and the Battle of Jutland

Love this guy’s videos!

The dome light in that vehicle was used in nearly every american armored vehicle from 1950 to 2010. It has a dim blue or red light and a bright white light that requires you to push in a pin to prevent accidental activation. The bulbs are all on rubber shock isolators.

Do M 48 please ☺

I have always disliked this tank because it ruined " The Battle of the Bulge" (film) for me .But truth be told, that was one of the movie's lesser problems .

The rain gutter on the turret side is to deflect rain off the driver by the looks of it, straight down the neck otherwise l

Like these videos. Just wished that they did not use so long of a stock linking between shots. also wished they would give more about where these tanks are in the comments.

@Chieftain, you mentioned the control switches, magneto, and so forth. One switch you mentioned was boost...what does it do?

I'm confused about an ammo selector switch in manually serviced tank guns. Surely you just shout at the loader?

The Patton tank was used as a German tank in the movie ... wait for it ... "Patton"

No Tanker Boots this time?

Sleep, on a night run the bow gunner/ asst driver took a nap

I fail to see how the belly hatch would compromise the integrity of the armour. It ain't getting shot at cause well belly ya know. I mean sure it's a weak spot if you're driving over an anti tank mine. But I mean if you're driving over an anti tank mine aren't you going to be having a bad day regardless of whether or not you have a couple of hatches in the belly of the tank?

The main gun ammunition is very small!

Moar STOWAGE!

How the hell did you became a tanker if you are 1.96 meters? I'm 1.96 and i don't fit in small cars!

6.5 ft = 198cm 6ft 5in = 195.5