Silvio Manuel Posted September 12, 2002 Share Posted September 12, 2002 This was on another thread, it's quite interesting: interview w/ Soviet Sherman/Matilda/T-34 tank commander [ September 12, 2002, 11:57 AM: Message edited by: Silvio Manuel ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shosties Posted September 12, 2002 Share Posted September 12, 2002 Me I guess. Dimitri Loza remembers. The top level URL is easy to remember: iremember.ru There are several other Red Army tankers interviewed whose transcripts can be read on the site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvio Manuel Posted September 12, 2002 Author Share Posted September 12, 2002 Thanks, I've edited the thread. It's a great interview, I love that he thrived and survived thru the whole long war, and rose to the rank that he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shosties Posted September 12, 2002 Share Posted September 12, 2002 Some good excerpts regarding the Lend Lease M4: - Dmitriy Fedorovich, on which American tanks did you fight? - On Shermans. We called them "Emchas", from M4 [in Russian, em chetyrye]. Initially they had the short main gun, and later they began to arrive with the long gun and muzzle brake. On the front slope armor there was a travel lock for securing the barrel during road marches. The main gun was quite long. Overall, this was a good vehicle but, as with any tank, it had its pluses and minuses. When someone says to me that this was a bad tank, I respond, "Excuse me!" One cannot say that this was a bad tank. Bad as compared to what?... - It is considered noteworthy that the Sherman was very well appointed on the inside. Was this true? - It was true. These are not just words! They were beautiful! For us then this was something. As they say now, "Euro-repair"! This was some kind of European picture! In the first place, it was painted beautifully. Secondly, the seats were comfortable, covered with some kind of remarkable special artificial leather. If a tank was knocked out or damaged, then if it was left unguarded literally for just several minutes the infantry would strip out all this upholstery. It made excellent boots! Simply beautiful!... - Dmitriy Fedorovich, our tankers who fought on the British Churchills pointed out the weak heater in the crew compartment as a deficiency. The standard electric heater was inadequate for the conditions of the Russian winter. How was the Sherman equipped in this regard? - The Sherman had two engines connected by a coupling joint. This was both good and bad. There were cases when one of these motors was disabled in battle. Then the coupling joint could be disengaged from the crew compartment and the tank could crawl away from the fight on one engine. On the other hand, there were powerful fans located above both engines. We used to say, "Open your mouth and the wind came out your ass!" How the hell could we get warm? There were such strong drafts of air! Perhaps there was heat coming from the engines, but I will not tell you that it was warm. When we halted, we immediately covered the engine compartment with our tarpaulin. Then it stayed warm in the tank for several hours; we slept in the tank. Not for nothing did the Americans give us fleece-lined coveralls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soddball Posted September 12, 2002 Share Posted September 12, 2002 Yes, excellent read. Here's a couple of choice bits which I found particularly interesting: - What did you consider the most dangerous opponent? A cannon? A tank? An airplane? - They were all dangerous until the first round was fired. But in general, the antitank cannons were the most dangerous. They were very difficult to distinguish and defeat. The artillerymen dug them in so that their barrels literally were laying on the ground. You could see only several centimeters of their gun shield. The cannon fired. It was a good thing if it had a muzzle brake and dust was kicked up! But if it was winter or raining, what then? Significant, I think, that rain or winter affects gun visibility. Do we know if it's possible to model something as vague as this, and if so whether it has been or not? - What kind of rounds did you carry in the tank? - Armor-piercing and high explosive. There was nothing else. The ratio was approximately one-third HE and two-thirds AP. Significant again, I think, for scenarios involving the Sherman (76mm in this chap's case) if this was true for the army as a whole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted September 12, 2002 Share Posted September 12, 2002 Originally posted by Shosties4th: On the other hand, there were powerful fans located above both engines. We used to say, "Open your mouth and the wind came out your ass!" How the hell could we get warm? There were such strong drafts of air! Perhaps there was heat coming from the engines, but I will not tell you that it was warm.On the other hand, this feature was much appreciated by crews in the desert. I expect it was also useful in clearing fumes from the interior. Michael [ September 12, 2002, 04:05 PM: Message edited by: Michael emrys ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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