I'd really like to hear this guy's story - how he got these.
Actually, the Bradley's chain gun is not very effective vs anything other than an IFV; the front of the panther would be OK. The TOW would be another story.
The 88 or 75 could do in the Bradley with one shot.
Now, that ammo... 50+ year old ammo. Now that's a chancey thing to fire. May blow up in the gun. Burst charge may not trigger. May be underpowered by some propellant not working to spec. May not go off at all.
Isn't that an interesting option for PCs!
Let's all sing the PanzerLied!
Hmmmmmm.
"Okay, okay," Capt. Griswold said as the roaring diesel died away. "You have a boffo AT gun and a working tank. But, Herr Mayor, these guys are going to drive it? To fight it?" The tank driver slid to the floor and rejoined the formation of a dozen old men.
The Mayor, a stocky guy in his fifties, said in his accented English, "They are willing to take the chance. They have told us all our lives they would stop the Russians again given a chance."
"This is crazy, Cap," said Sgt Jones. Me and John Paul and Bix, witnesses for the rest of the platoon, stood in the doorway to the garage, muttering our agreement. Did they keep those back jump suits for fifty years? And they still fit?
"But Herr Mayor, none of them look younger than seventy! You're telling me they will fight?"
The driver began to sing:
"
Ob's stürmt oder schneit, ob die Sonne uns lacht,"
Damn if the rest didn't come in for the second line, heels of their boots pounding the beat on the garage's concrete floor. In the enclosed space, they sounded like 100 boots.
"
Der Tag glühend heiß, oder eiskalt die Nacht,
Bestaubt sind die Gesichter, doch froh ist unser Sinn, ja, unser Sinn.
Es braust unser Panzer im Sturmwind dahin!*"
They sang 3 verses like that. I don't speak much German, but long before they end, they sounded like they were twenty-five, not seventy five. And when they finished, they stood straighter and taller than when they started.
Captain Griswold was silent for a moment. "All right," he said quietly. "We'll stay. We'll help."
"Danke," said Herr Mayor.
Uncle Ted
* Translation:
Quote:
Whether it storms or snows, or the sun smiles on us,
The day burning hot, or ice cold the night.
Dusty are the faces, but our spirits are high, yes, spirits are high.
Our tank bursts through there in the stormwind [of the assault]
|
See
Panzerlied Lyrics for the whole song.
Or just watch the
movie clip from Battle of the Bulge. (Spanish translation)