Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: M56 Scorpion Part 1

Part 1 of the two-part tour of the M56 Self Propelled Anti-Tank gun.

Discussion forum, NA:

[mattthew]

No need to explain yourself mate. As a member of the army in Australia and in particular the artillery, I find all the attention to detail with maintenance very interesting.

[VDVSHakal]

As a tanker (driver) and a historical vehicle enthusiast I'm so glad you make these videos. I love seeing the different approaches to vehicle designs by different countries throughout the years. Seeing the interiors of the vehicles and going over the driver maintenance aspect of these vehicles really makes it real, when you're out in the field the tank is your home. The material you cover is often overlooked or hard to find and I'm glad you do your videos in the format you do.
Thank you!

[MrMenefrego]

The M56 saw combat service with U.S. forces in the Vietnam War. It was deployed with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, which was the only Airborne Brigade deployed with the M56,  where it was used mainly in a direct fire-support role. Its function as an air-mobile, self-propelled, anti-tank vehicle.

[wigon]

Keep on showing all the technical details please.  A bit of info on the battle history is great also, but all of the fantastic technical details really makes me appreciate the engineering that went into the vehicle design as well as the skill of the crews who manned these tanks and the mechanics who kept these vehicles ready for battle.

That being said, I can't believe that they didn't armor this vehicle.  Wow!  Sadly the U.S. Army Airborne forces STILL don't have a capable air-deployable light tank to replace the old M551 Sheridan.  Meanwhile the Russians have a BMD based 120mm mortar/assault gun system and now, as well, have the new 125mm Sprut light tank capable of destroying most MBT's (while also serving as an assault gun for airborne infantry fire support).
We have the MGS Stryker system, but it leaves much to be desired (and does not meet the requirements as an airborne light tank).  It also only has a 105mm cannon which unlike the Sprut, can not defeat Russian tanks equipped with ERA. It's designed more as an infantry support vehicle.  Even at that job, it's lack of being able to use a short-length barrel means that it 's difficult to use in narrow alley ways in a MOUT environment without accidentally damaging the barrel on obstacles (houses, telephone poles, compound walls, etc...).       

For all the money the U.S. military spends, we waste a tremendous amount of money and lag way behind Russia in many areas.  Meanwhile Russia has rapidly caught up in terms of technology in their latest armored vehicles (to include active ATGM/RPG suppression systems that we still haven't fielded yet).   
It's kinda depressing.

[jwhite]

I like you talking the work that goes into keeping these vehicles running.

[ZGryphon]

"... And used to protect airheads!" Which is presumably why it's near Los Angeles. Boom! Thank you very much, I'm here all week.

[NanoWombat]

Another interesting review Nick :) . I have say that it is the technical details which make this series so great, keep it up!

[markyasaitis]

Don't care about what others say, I enjoy all the little details you add to your videos. Being an old tank man myself, crewed M-60's myself for the Marine Corps, your vids are great.

[GadgetPonyGal]

Personally I like all the small little details about caring for the vehicles. The guns and combat history are something you can learn about anywhere, but learning about the vehicle itself is something you don't often get to do. It also gives you an appreciation of just how much work crews had to do outside of actually fighting. Not to mention I also like hearing things like "plenty of sleeping space on this one, " or "the TC could kick the gunner in the back of the head, " and other things like that. I know this comment is over a year late, but I'm still enjoying learning all this from you, even though I don't play WoT.

[ComfortsSpecter]

Man

Old Chieftain’s Hatch intro go quite harder than Hell


Beautiful

[thomson]

I, personally, love all those little details you give us. It really helps to understand how complicated those machines are and how much it takes to keep them up and running.

[McHammered]

In response to your detour: I love that your videos cover technical bits on these tanks. These details give character to the tank being seen, and they give insight to what it must be like to actually live with these things. I've worked on a tank at museum, and the technicality of it blew me away. Thank you for sharing these details.

[DandalfKorwin]

The attention given to manufacture and basic vehicle operation and is key in these videos I reckon. Great video Chieftain.

[jimcameron]

I loved the detour at 8:12. Two related points come to mind. First, the discussion on arty and the disconnect from actual aiming and firing systems. The details concerning how people figured out the challenges of lobbing a shell five miles is fascinating. Second, as a personal quest, I want to learn more about the experiences of TD crews in the larger Soviet models. How, for instance, did they have any ear drums left? The ISU 152 - truly amazing looking - but what about the health condition of the crew inside the steel box that housed the monster gun? What was the blast like? I think it would have been an awful contraption at the quietest of times. Great videos!

[Maus]

I liked the commentary like it always has been. You can read the common shit about "how awesome the gun was" and "how it performed in combat" pretty much anywhere the vehicle is mentioned online, but it isn't often you get an opportunity to hear let alone see the intricacies of keeping the vehicles running.

[packr]

Finally, it's been a while since the last Inside the Hatch.

[Wladislav]

I think the technical talk is essential. Please keep doing it. Real-world application and history is important as well of course.

[SpudsMcHaggis]

Another great vid Chief. Keep up the good work and all the info that you give is great.

Cheers,

[luvr]

I love Chief's vids, but the interminable music is like water torture.

[wlewisiii]

I was a 19E on M-60A3 & A1 tanks in the 80's. I love these videos even if I do tend to remember thrown tracks and changing engine packs more than I do the days and nights on the range feeding that M-68 105mm rifle.