Facebook: Friends of the Tank Museum

[fred.]

Looks very much like a Crusader

I guess it just got mis-captioned

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

I agree it's a Crusader not a Churchill

[Raider4]

Photographers/caption writers are not necessarily technical experts?

[John Cook]

Photographers/caption writers are not necessarily technical experts?

No they often aren't.  This is a wartime release so it could be deception I suppose.  Anyway, here is a Churchill also from the IWM.

[Big Insect]

Blimey! You do wonder how much damage was done to the gun barrels and MGs by crashing through all that brick & mortar!
Great bit of archive footage though - stirring stuff - I almost signed-up 

[Steve J]

Very true Mark! Good for the folks back home but not if you're fighting at the front.

[fsn]

The Japanese Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank is usually thought of purely as a WW2 vehicle, but it had an unexpectedly long afterlife in China.  The Japanese had conquered large areas of China before WW2, and indeed it was the western oil embargoes resulting from these that mostly drew them into the war.  There were still significant Japanese forces in China when the atomic strikes forced the Japanese surrender, and these turned over their vehicles and weapons to whatever forces – Nationalist or Communist – they were opposing.  The result was that both sides gained numbers of these vehicles which they used against each other, and with no more advanced tanks to oppose them, the Chi-Ha's outdated armour and gun were not  as problematic as against US vehicles.  The photograph shows a communist tank unit in 1949, when the Japanese tanks made up most of the 349 tanks the Peoples' Army had in service



They look like they've all been shot by a very proficient sniper

[paulr]

The Japanese had conquered large areas of China before WW2, and indeed it was the western oil embargoes resulting from these that mostly drew them into the war.  

An 'interesting' way of describing Japan's entry into WWII

I'm sure FSN copied and pasted the caption

[fsn]

Indeed. My comments are in italics.

[fsn]

Centurion tanks during a railway move somewhere in Germany.

Why are all the turrets rotated? 

[Raider4]

Nice photo!

More room over the engine deck than at the front. Modern British MBTs always travel that way. Stops the barrel sticking out more than necessary.

[fred.]

Yes,  but I suspect the question is why are they pointing at the rear corner, rather than straight back. The only reason I can think is so that they don't overhang the back of the tank, but not sure why that would matter?

[Westmarcher]

Nearest anchor point on the flatbed?  (there's also something wrapped around the barrels of the 2nd and 3rd Cents back suggesting that is how they are secured)

[Smoking gun]

Is it so the turret bustle doesn't block the drivers hatch?

Best wishes,
Martin

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Is it so the turret bustle doesn't block the drivers hatch?

Best wishes,
Martin

Distinct possibillity there. Couyld also be where the travel lock is located.