The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-10-02
BY NEA Service

gunner.
BY NEA Service
Washington, Oct. 1.-THE inside of
frank, death splitting monster OF
machine warfare, is either the safest
place a soldier can find in battle
or the most dangerous.
1t is safe because the tank is in
itself a mobile fortress; dangerous
because the right defense can turn
it into a holocaust of death from
which there is no escape.
Safe or dangerous, 1t is uncom-
Portable.
The average lotion light tank is
half as roomy as an apartment
kitchenette, with a ceiling too low
to stand upright. It is occupied by
four men, with guns, instruments
and supplies for day. Slightly
heavier medium tanks carry five
men.
The men inside-a commander,
operator, gunner and radio man
wear gear akin to football helmets
as protection from the bounces.
The tankman's life is far from
happy. He knows effective anti
tank weapons have been devised.
Shells from 37-millimeter anti-tank
guns, now widely used, easily pierce
one-inch armor. On direct, close
hits 20 millimeter shells will stop a
tank.
More deadly are mine fields. If
a tank strikes a ground mine, there
will be nothing left but small bits.
A bundle of dozen hand grenades
exploded simultaneously, will demol-
ish tank.
During the Spanish Civil war,
defense forces found an even more
CHASTITY anti tank weapon. Gas
oline bombs"-a bottle of gasoline
were hurled at the tanks. The
gasoline ignited as it struck, DOOM
ing the tank crew to agonizing
death.
STOPPING TANKS
BY HAND
Even crowbar, pried into the
runners of the tank, will stop it.
provided an enemy infantryman can
get close enough.
Light tanks carry one 37-milli-
meter guns. The crew operates the
radio, drives the tank and mans the
guns through remote control, making
it possible for one or two men to
handle all the tanks artillery.
Most modern armies also use a
medium tank, weighing about 16
tons. This tank uses only one ad-
ditional crew member. 1t has two
extra machine guns. The medium
tank can tackle rough terrain more
easily; but military men are still
debating its advantages. The light
tank Is cheaper, more agile, can
travel faster-usually about 40 miles
per hour over roads.
Tanks heavier than 16 tons, used
to some degree in 1914-18, have been
abandoned for the most part. The
United States has none. The sphere
of operations of a heavy tank Is
strictly limited to trench warfare.
The French are using some lotion
monsters on the Western front.
The heavy tank can cross wide
trenches to follow up an enemy re-
treat. But it Is slow, costs more,
requires greater stores of supplies.
Tank barriers, designed to snag
tanks undercarriage, protect
European frontiers.
If a tank is caught in one of
these, the crew must abandon the
tank, set up portable machine guns
If the territory Is not lost to the
enemy, repair crews, which are
never more than 1000 yards behind
the line, will free the tank.
The business Of keeping supplies |
and ammunition available to fight
ing troops is still the army's great
est problem. For every man in a |
tank, there is at least one more just
behind the lines, ready to move up
supplies and ammunition or waiting |
to make repairs on the tank.
HALF MEN FIGHT,
OTHERS BEHIND LINES
A light tank regiment includes |
223 tanks and 1887 men. About 900 |
of the men go into actual combat |
in the tanks. The remaining 1000 |
include headquarters stats, main
VSAAoAASC SOAiPoiAlCo, AOoCLfCo nilQ L
medical men, all close behind the
scene of operations.
An average of nearly one truck
per tank moves with the battalion
carrying food, ammunition, baggage |
and repair equipment. There are 81 !
tanks in a battalion, and these are
followed up by Is III ton trucks
and 81 az ton trucks.
The supply conveys set up mobile
bases as close to the front as pos
sible-usually about 1000 yards back. |
They maintain continual contact
with supply trains which follow the
advancing army at distance of
four miles.
When tank crew sets out, it is
equipped for full day. The tank
uses about gallon of gasoline
every two miles. 1t carries 60 gall
Ions, giving cruising range of 40
miles. This Is considerably more
than a foot force can move In one
day; about as far as a mechanical |
army can move If resistance to
the advance Is light.
Each tank stocks 5000 rounds of !
ammunition per gun, considered |
more than enough for a normal !
days fighting.
Principal functions of the tank
are to demoralize the enemy, and |
TO wipe out machine gun nests.
A. a.