Re: [FT] Weapons Cost for firing every other turn

On 5/20/05, Adrian <al.ll@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:

> 2. Co-ax (next to the main gun) used for range finding.  It's much,
much
> better to fire a few tracer bullets into the distance than to use up
main
> gun ammo.  Besides, some vehicles could be destroyed with heavy mg
fire. 
> Most modern tanks tend to use lasers next to the main gun for the same
> reason.  

The coax is retained for killing soft targets.

> 3. Cupola (typically on the tank commanders turret) used for
anti-aircraft
> purposes.  Its use against infantry is tantamount to suicide since you
have
> to stand on top of and mostly out of cover of the tank making you a
very

It can generally be used against infantry while buttoned-up.

> good target for anyone with a gun.  Guderian (a very competent german
panzer
> gereral) said that a good tank commander keeps his head outside the
armour
> at all times.  Unfortunately this tends to get them killed.  The
safest
> place for the crew against infanty is inside the armour however this
makes
> them almost blind and thus open to anti-tank weaponary of the period. 

Yeah, but the Israelis find that fighting unbottoned doubles or
triples the effectiveness of the tank because of faster speed of
acquiring targets.  Hence their doctrine is also unbuttoned.  I find a
lot of BCs and TCs do this in the US Army as well.  I personally,
commanding a 1960s relic (M-113A3) have no other option, and indeed
generally prefer to be exposed from about the level of my navel up. 
That way I can SEE.

John
-- 
"Thousands of Sarmatians, Thousands of Franks, we've slain them again
and again.  We're looking for thousands of Persians."
--Vita Aureliani