Modern tanks are somewhat multinational – Abrams has an American engine, a German main gun, British armor, Belgian machineguns, a Canadian fire control system, and the crews carry Italian side arms. The first production tank to use a turbine engine was the Strv-103.

When escape hatches were removed from the floors of tank designs, shell casings were used for the, er, 'facilities.' Then once combustible casings came on the scene, the duty was left to MRE bags. The same modern tanks can support an MP3 player for piping tunes (or audiobooks) through the intercom system. (Though the latest model has a 'Thermal Management System' to keep the computers cool in the desert.) 8. No A/C!Īdvanced modern tanks like the Abrams don't have air conditioning for the crew. Though these motors were common in tanks by WWII, they were backup devices in many tanks (such as Germany's), or used if the engine was already warm. It's a superstitious tradition that started in WWII with the U.S. 5. Speak Not of the ApricotĪpricots are not allowed on, near, about, or within a one-mile radius of American tanks. 4. Made for Walkin'Īrtificial leather coverings from the seats of Russia's Sherman made excellent boots if the tanks were left unguarded. The name of the most dangerous Sherman in World War II. Much like today's electronics or Swedish furniture, every Tiger and Panther came with an owner's manual peppered with cartoony illustrations. They went with 'water carriers' and 'tanks.' That's also why tanks have so many 'nautical' component names, such as bow, hatch, hull, and sponson. A selection of the most obscure bits of knowledge – because you can never know too much about tanks.ĭuring World War I, the British 'Landships Committee' changed their title to keep their new vehicles secret and not so obvious.

Military tanks names