If you are bad at armor ID, this video will show you a simple life hack for determining a tank crew’s intentions. Mr. Tank is not your friend when you are staring down the barrel of his main gun, and the best way to conduct armor ID is to figure out which side of the tank you are looking at, and reassess your situation based on the scenario at hand. In this instance, the main gun of the tank is facing the camera man. What does that teach us?
Being in a weapons platoon that belonged to a line company taught me a number of things. One of those things is that 0351 Anti-Tank Assaultmen will spend hours of their day researching the silhouettes of armored vehicles so that they can recognize a tank from nothing more than the blurry shape of it’s turret at 1.8 kilometers. They do this research because it is their job to fully dismantle any armored threats that make it past the Battalion’s combined anti-armor teams, and into range of a line company. It is their duty to know and fully understand not only every weak spot on the armor, but also to ensure they recognize friend vs foe at a long distance. I also learned that as a machine gunner you are expected to be drunk all day every day, and mortar-men are expected to be playing spades instead of working. That’s not important though.
In the video below, a group of Syrian rebels find themselves on the dangerous end of a tank main gun. Instead of moving out of the way, they make the decision to shelter in place and record what is happening. The tank has clearly spotted them, and begins training the main gun on their position. For a brief moment, it takes a tactical pause to admire a bird flying by it, but that only slows it down for a second before it fires the first round at the rebel position. It is a terribly short round, and doesn’t impact the rebel’s position. Inshallah warfare at it’s finest. The rebels remain in place because clearly their God is protecting them.
Unfortunately for the rebels, this tank is carrying more than a single round for the main gun. It adjusts its fire, and then fires another round directly into their position. The camera cuts to black, and the screaming starts. This is where a crash course in armor ID would come in handy for the rebels, but apparently they never got the memo about Mr. Tank and the dangerous end of his main gun. Inshallah warfare doesn’t work.
Rule number one when you’re dealing with anything carrying a gun that is larger than the average man. If the end of the barrel that the round comes out of is pointing towards you on the battlefield, chances are it is not your friend. In that instance, unless you know otherwise, chances are that thing is getting ready to shoot you square in the face. If the first round misses, and is fired in your direction, that is your last chance to get the heck away from the scene of carnage that is about to unfold. Instead of staying in place and hoping that the crew cannot make the next shot, you should probably relocate to the nearest hardened structure, or just bend over and kiss yourself goodbye.
Remember kids, when Mr. Tank is aiming at you, he is not your friend. Picture…