M1A2 Abrams - Best Tank Video Ever!

A Tank Commanders first person view of multiple training scenarios combined on the M1A2 SEP V2.The Circle X Crew of 3rd Platoon Chaos/Barbarian Company 1-68 AR. From Table VI Gunnery, CLFX to Section lead training. Visuals of entering, loading firing, maneuvering and utilization of the smoke grenade launcher to retrograding. Ranges from Grafenwöehr Germany to Tapa Estonia. Please give it a “Like” and share this video if you enjoyed watching.

[sappert]

I was in the field years ago. It was cold as hell and one of these tanks showed up. The TC got out and told us that we could all gather behind his tank and he’d keep the engine running so we could get warm. Very cool of him. This was at Fort Lewis Washington sometime around 00-01. Thanks a lot my brother. I never forgot it.

[Bogieking]

I was a driver on the "original" M1 in West Germany in 1980-82. The firing system has certainly changed since then lol. Would've loved to have that tech back then!

[evananderberg]

I remember being in Germany last year and I was driving the CO around and mind you I’m infantry- he asked the tankers if I could hop in and fire a sabot and they said hell yeah!! I’m still close with that captain to this day, he is a huge help in my career

[timpifer]

As an old tanker, I love it. Brings back old memories.

[mouse]

I got out 2 years ago and being a tanker was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The job sucked a lot, but doing Gunnery made the entire job worth it. Thanks for sharing, got me to relive some of my best memories.

[cpttankerjoe]

Remember. The .50 cal and .50BMG is older than any tank. John Browning really hit it out of the park with the M2 and .50 BMG.

[Nakpanduri]

One of the very few times the video description was accurate. Best tank video I've ever seen. I was not privileged to serve and at 6'4", I'd never have made a tanker but this certainly makes it look like fun. (I'm sure not nearly as fun in actual battle.) Thank you for taking time from your lives to serve guys. I appreciate it.

[UmbrellaWatch]

As a 55B from Mechanized Cav back in the day.. This was badass!!!! Thank you for letting me remember.

[kentuckycrittercamera]

God this brings back memories, I was a tanker from 1986-2015. I served on the M60A1, M1IP, M1A1HA and M1A1 HC, and finally the M1A2 SEP, after that I was done with my PSG time and was a staff puke then a First Sergeant (for 6 companies) Best job I ever had.

[lebelge]

I love this video, first time a see an actual look at a tank leader operating the optics and how the screen looks. greetings from belgium :)

[donaldmarwitz]

This is the best video ever. Closest thing to being there. Amazing, thank you. And thank you for your service!!!

[Tankznstuff]

My dad told me a story about keeping warm from the tank engines in the field. The infantry would get behind the tank and would spin around like a rotisserie chicken so they didn’t get burned. He also told me that the best place to sleep was on the engine on a cold night.

[Military_Archive]

Amazing footage indeed. Thanks for sharing👍

[alkhmyst]

This Navy vet has a ton of respect for anybody who would go to war inside a machine that's as much of a target for missiles as a tank is on the modern battlefield. Similar to being on a surface ship, in a tank there's nowhere to hide. Many of the worst service-connected injuries I see at my local VA hospital are from combat vets who served in armored units.

[akshatrai]

Wow, as an Indian, I am simply amazed by the rank design. Props to the American engineers, they have truly performed themselves out of this world!

[Blackhorseveteran]

Brings back memories hearing that replenisher going off all the time. I was on M60-A3 in 11th Cav Germany..OORAH !! And Blackhorse Sir.!!

[culloden]

Was showing my daughter this video and explaining what I did. Lots of memories. Thank you

[JustinSeara]

wow, firing the main gun is way more hectic than I thought it would be. There is A LOT going on. I can see how a tight team can be so important. Hats off to all the tankers out there

[TrangleC]

Thanks for sharing.
I have been a military nerd and fanboy my whole life, but as I got older and learned more about it all, my interests changed and evolved in 2 main ways:
A: I got more interested in the "less sexy" aspects, organizational stuff, the infrastructure and supplies and the elements that keep the "sexy" stuff like the MBTs and the fighter jets running, like recovery vehicles, maintenance and the such.
B: I got less interested in the raw stats of machines and more in what it is like to be a soldier using and living with those machines.

Long story short, that is why I appreciate videos like this one a lot.

Still, there is so much I haven't learned yet, despite scouring the internet for a long time, like how accommodations for tank crews work, for example.
Would the tank platoon or company carry its own tents with it for the crews to sleep in, in a "Operation Desert War" or World War 3 type scenario, when you can't rely on large, prepared, fortified bases, or would that be job of the battalion?

Are there spare crew men to replace wounded or fatigued tankers?
I know the French tank forces, when they introduced auto loaders to their Leclerc tanks and thus technically didn't need the human loaders anymore, still didn't get rid of the 4th crew man, but the companies ferry them after the tanks in armored personnel carriers, so they can still help with maintenance, camouflage and all the other work tank crews have to do.
That always seemed smart to me.
I also know that German tank battalions in WW2 carried spare crew men with them and even had their own handymen like cobblers, tailors, gun smiths and even a plumber.
I guess in case the battalion resides in a building and the toilets are clogged?
An amusing thought, but perhaps more common than I think?

I know that US tank companies contain 2 cargo trucks, one attached to the Field Maintenance Team and one to company HQ, but I don't know what that truck transports for the company.

I also don't really know how the 2 HQ tanks interact with the regular tank platoons.
Do they form their own 2-tank platoon in combat, or do they attach themselves to one of the platoons?
Do they lead from the front or stay back as reserve to help out in case of one of the 2 platoons getting in trouble or is that up to the company commander's digression?

You know, stuff like that.

[kungfury]

I was in a light infantry unit, and we were training down in Ft Polk. We had just came out of the woods after a fight with opfor onto a road after dark and an M1A2 came out at another location just down from us onto the road. Hearing that thing rumble and shake the road was awesome.