Evening star., 1941-06-20

s7''''''''' @s'aaszss% own chauffeur,
McLemOre. Sergt. James B.
Raiford.
The route he chose for our ride
was one of the official testing
grounds of this crack panZer unit.
I can best describe this terrain by
saying that if the Dakota bad lands
were dropped nearby they would
probably be mistaken for a formal
garden.
The tank chosen was a standard
121a ton bronco, carrying a crew OF
four and mounting a .37-millimeter
cannon and numerous machine
guns. Powered by an alrplane mo-
tor, it is capable of travelling better
than so miles per hour.
The seat assigned me was the as
sistant drivers. smack up front and
commanding a sweeping view OK
enough dust to spoil the shine on
all the shoes in the world. Before
I clambered into my solid steel
perch officers dressed me in crash
helmet, dust visor, goggles and res
pirator. thought this a bit show
offy. Later I was to wish they had
draped me in a diving bell.
1t was hot in the tank. The ther-
mometer stood at nearly 100 and
pistol ports afforded little ventila-
tion. Sergt. Raiford crawled IN
from the front and an officer took
his stand in the turret.
They warmed up the motor and
then Sergt. Raiford slipped 1t IN
gear. Look out, there's a tree right
in front of u.s." yelled as the tank
lunged forward.
I wasn't lying either. Directly in
our path was a majestic pine that
must have been sheltering squirrels
for so years. 1t will shelter them no
more.
The tank, gaining speed, hit 1t
body blow, snapped it as easily as II
it had been a bread stick, and rolled
on over it as i>fell The crash was
scarcely distinguishable above the
roar of the motor and screech Of
the gears as Sergt. Raiford gave his
mount the gun.
For the next few minutes the
tank acted as if it were hungry, and
that the first pine had whetted its
appetite for trees. Through the
woods the steel mastodon tore.
challenging and licking anything
that blocked its path. I scarcely
felt the impact when sapplings and
small stumps we're ground under,
but the larger trees put up fight
that made it tough for me to stay
put on my seat.
And staying put is very important
when you're inside tank. The
very softest material in tank is
steel and when you jostle against
it you invariably come out second
best, but there comes time when
staying secure is impossible. That
is when you leave the fairly level
ground and start charging up and
down embellishments, cliffs and on
the sides of hills.
The tank stands first on one end
and then the other. 1t tilts until
you swear it's going over and it
bucks and rears and shivers like
something in torture but always it
plunges on. somehow righting itself.
/ x* " y"
During the part of the ride l
tested the vulnerability of the in
side of the tank to the limit. One
second I would crash against the
steel windshield. The next would
bounce to the ammunition boxes
and then to the radio set.
If there had been single flaw
in its construction my flying body
would have brought it out.
Through it all the perfectly
trained, hardened crew rode as II
they we're going down the Lincoln
Highway in a limousine. Sergt.
Raiford never for moment lost
control of his steering levers and
the commanding officer, who was
standing up, gave orders by tapping
the driver on top of the head with
his foot.
The radioman calmly tinkered
with his apparatus, though why he
didn't send out an SOS or two on
that last cliff will forever remain
mystery to me.
After 10 minutes of riding the
heat was terrific and the dust unbe-
lievable. The ride ended with
climb up a bank that mule
couldn't have made with the aid OF
an Alpinestock, but the tank, out to
please, bent over backward to make
it, and did.
This is where I came in," I
thought to myself as l rolled to-
ward the open turret.
Lets have a lot of EN- on our
side, please"
When it was all over I knew why
the Army wants tanks and more
tanks. Having learned at first
hand what a tank can do to its oc-
cupants, I could easily imagine the
havoc 1t could raise with an enemy.
distributed by McNausht Syndicate, Incl