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Made in 1943 as part of the "Fighting Men" series, CRACK THAT TANK explains the tactics an infantryman can use to disable or destroy an enemy tank. Vulnerabilities of the tank include its track, which can be destroyed with a grenade, mine or a shell. A disabled tank is a sitting duck. A "closed" or buttoned-up tank is vulnerable because its crew cannot see the battlefield well, just through slits and periscopes. Taking out vision slits and periscopes can make a tank blind. Infantry that is well hidden is difficult for a tank crew to see or attack. Interestingly, most of the direct destruction of enemy tanks seen in the film, is accomplished by artillery, air strikes, and American tanks. The bazooka, designed in 1942, is not seen in the film but 22mm rifle-fired grenades are employed at the 9:00 mark. Molotov cocktails are also shown being used at the 9:30 mark.
The 22mm rifle grenade is inserted over the firing mechanism on the front of rifles that are equipped with the appropriate launcher, either in the form of an integral flash suppressor or a detachable adapter. As with most rifle grenades, it is propelled by a blank cartridge inserted into the chamber of the rifle. 22mm grenade types range from powerful anti-tank rounds to simple finned tubes with a fragmentation hand grenade attached to the end.
The first rifles to utilize the 22mm grenade were the American M1903 Springfield, M1 Garand and M1 Carbine, all of which required an adapter (the M1, M7, and M8 grenade launchers, respectively). After the formation of NATO, the 22mm grenade was adopted as its standard rifle grenade. Many NATO small arms, such as the Belgian FN FAL, West German Heckler & Koch G3, French MAS-36/51, MAS-49/56 and FAMAS, British SA80, and American M16/M4 are equipped to launch 22mm grenades without an adapter. Some non-NATO firearms, such as the Yugoslavian SKS and Spanish CETME (which predated Spain's entry into NATO) are also compatible with 22mm rifle grenades, and Israel employed a 22mm adapter for the Mauser K98k rifle.
The German tank most often seen in the film appears to be an American tank that's been modified for the role, possibly an M2 Medium Tank. The type was built prior to the war and never used in combat, but strictly for training purposes.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFi...
29 сен 2024
