General Snuffy Smith Posted June 3, 2003 Share Posted June 3, 2003 Hans, Hans, Im sorry but i dont believe your story. For one thing my grandfater who was a KV gunner, did not believe it either after i showed it to him. Im not saying that you lieing but that he may have been telling you stretches. For one thing how could a tank driver be in many battles, a penetrated tank,crawling to avoid MG fire, bail out of a tank and throughout the war never see a Axis soldier or tank, instead only hearing artillery and airstrikes. Secondly, If he used the term "Brewed up", well im sorry but my grandfather never used that term. That was strictly American slang. The word my grandfather used, which i have no idea how to spell when translated into English was something along the lines of "cracked" or the typical "knocked out". Your friends story sounds great but also like what i see on the History channel every weekend. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V Posted June 3, 2003 Share Posted June 3, 2003 Originally posted by Silvio Manuel: </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by V: </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Silvio Manuel: Thanks Hans, cool story. It gets me excited to drive the T-34 located in Minnesota, I still look fwd, now knowing that it will be cramped and noisy! A T-34 in Minnesota? Can I drive it too? Please? </font> 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiggDogg Posted June 4, 2003 Share Posted June 4, 2003 Snuffy, I don't know Hans or his Syrian born tanker acquaintence. Additionally, I have never been in combat, and I feel fortunate to have avoided such a horror. Indeed, I have read & studied much about war, but certainly not all war. Your questioning of Hans' story and your suspicions may be correct. However, the story certainly can substantially be truthful and correct. (1) In WWII, it was certainly possible for a person to be under direct enemy fire and 'never' see an enemy soldier or vehicle. If one is ducking enemy fire and is crawling like a worm to get back to safety, one may not see much of anything except the next clump of dirt in front of one's tongue. (2) Hans did quote 'brew up' from the Syrian. However, (and Hans may correct me) I suspect that 'brew up' may have been Hans' interpretation of the Syrian's words. (3) The other personal type quips and other minutea just have a correct type of ring. (4) If someone wanted to generate a more heroic ficticious type of story, certainly the Syrain could have been made a bit more 'at the front' and could have at least seen some Germans. In short, Hans's story seems substantiall truthful. Maybe, I am wrong, but maybe I am not. Cheers, Richard 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baron von Beergut Posted June 4, 2003 Share Posted June 4, 2003 Originally posted by Jaws: Nice story... b.t.w. I sawh a documentary about Kursk. And yes a Russian commander told exactly the same about mixed tank crews. He instructed his driver with ropes on his left a right arm for the direction he must drive. Reminds me of once in an M577 in Korea with no working commo one winter: I was in the TC hatch with a section of camoflage pole that I used to tap my driver on the left or right to turn or twice lightly on the top or back of his helmet to stop! This vehicle had no heat either, so I'd use a broom to stand on to keep my feet off the metal plates! Got all that fixed a week later. (HHC, 1/72 Armor about 20yrs ago) BvB 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewTF Posted June 4, 2003 Share Posted June 4, 2003 If you read Hans' follow-up post it's pretty clear that his conversation with this fellow was in Arabic, so the term "brew up" is probably a translation. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted June 4, 2003 Share Posted June 4, 2003 Originally posted by General Snuffy Smith: Hans, Hans, Im sorry but i dont believe your story. For one thing my grandfater who was a KV gunner, did not believe it either after i showed it to him. Im not saying that you lieing but that he may have been telling you stretches. For one thing how could a tank driver be in many battles, a penetrated tank,crawling to avoid MG fire, bail out of a tank and throughout the war never see a Axis soldier or tank, instead only hearing artillery and airstrikes. Who's lying now? I've read personal accounts by infantrymen who rarely saw the enemy through several campaigns, much less a guy in a tank with a single periscope to look through. None of the situations described (penetrated tank, under MG fire, etc.) are ones in which one would expect the enemy to be visible. {shrugs} Guess the History Channel doesn't teach you everything. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted June 4, 2003 Author Share Posted June 4, 2003 Gentlemen Gentlemen, I reported the story as told, it was told in a mixture of English and Arabic. Hans, Im sorry but i dont believe your story. For one thing my grandfater who was a KV gunner, did not believe it either after i showed it to him. Im not saying that you lieing but that he may have been telling you stretches. For one thing how could a tank driver be in many battles, a penetrated tank,crawling to avoid MG fire, bail out of a tank and throughout the war never see a Axis soldier or tank, instead only hearing artillery and airstrikes. I think you missed the comment that he was terribly short sighted. Secondly, If he used the term "Brewed up", well im sorry but my grandfather never used that term. My term for his throwing up his hands and making a loud sound and shaking his head while using the Arabic term, "Dahkan" That was strictly American slang. Actually I'm Anerican and its a Brit term I believe The word my grandfather used, which i have no idea how to spell when translated into English was something along the lines of "cracked" or the typical "knocked out". Your friends story sounds great but also like what i see on the History channel every weekend. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer_Meyer Posted June 4, 2003 Share Posted June 4, 2003 Wow, that is a nice sotry, thank you hans! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Snuffy Smith Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Dear all, I admit that my assumptions may simply be speculation but i must respond to the "Brewed up" comment. While it is true the the term "brewed up" is english devrived from the family that inhabitated the isle of man. American troops coined the phrase refering to the foam of english drafts and the similar looks of a tank on fire and smoking steadily. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Other Means Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 General Snuffy Smith, the english term "brewing up" as used by the british is actually what you do to make tea (stereotypical as it sounds). you build a fire, & put a metal container on it to hold water. i would surmise that the whole metal container/fire similarity is what made them use it for a burning tank. i would further surmise that it was adopted by the US rather than invented. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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