Tank Hatches

[Homer]

Pull the halon handles if they’re not wired. This will only work on a few vehicles though. But you’ll get the crew out.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

When I was on active duty (the 70s-80s) I only saw thermite grenades at one point. They simply are not that common an issue.
You'd have better luck with a satchel charge and several sandbags, but the best effect you might get is dislodging the coupla, maybe.
Your best bet would most likely be to use a LAW or RPG and hit the hatch from above and allow the jet to wreck havoc on the crew.

When I was on active duty starting in 1987, we trained to use simulated thermite in AIT, to use in constructing Ranger Cocktails. In Korea at G3, however, we had thermite grenades in garrison offices and in the vehicles in the field -- to destroy the classified information and equipment we had, if capture is imminent. (Things are taken more seriously in Korea at 2X.) Never saw real thermite grenades anywhere else.

[dragoon500ly]

If memory serves me correctly, thermite grenades were supposed to be issued to the squadron commo rooms with the intent to destroy any equipment that could not be evacuated.

The various S-1/S-2/S-3/S-4 and troop headquarters would get a burn device that would be placed inside a 55-gallon barrel which would then be stuffed with essential papers and ignited.

Never did find out what the correct designation was, but when you pulled the tab, it would ignite and burn for 2-3 minutes at so many hundreds of degrees and destroy any papers as well as the garbage can.

[Homer]

Anecdotally AN-M14 TH3 thermite grenades get issued to the staff sections, artillery, and some other sensitive assets (IEW, Signal, etc) and aren’t as widespread on the line. Captured equipment normally gets blown in place with demo, put on a curb and run over with a track, or smashed/cut. Thermite may be issued to demo teams for a specific operation (air assault raid), or used as part of specialized demo (field flame expedients, dust initiator charges, etc). It’s a two pound grenade, so more likely to be set in place or tossed/dropped than thrown in the classic manner.

In a game, it’s a good piece of specialty kit to issue PCs in when they are assigned to destroy artillery or other high value equipment, or to add as part of a vehicle’s initial kit. I can see 5ID using thermite to destroy at least immobilized vehicles before attempting their breakout attempt from Kalisz.

[CDAT]

Originally Posted by Homer

Anecdotally AN-M14 TH3 thermite grenades get issued to the staff sections, artillery, and some other sensitive assets (IEW, Signal, etc) and aren’t as widespread on the line. Captured equipment normally gets blown in place with demo, put on a curb and run over with a track, or smashed/cut. Thermite may be issued to demo teams for a specific operation (air assault raid), or used as part of specialized demo (field flame expedients, dust initiator charges, etc). It’s a two pound grenade, so more likely to be set in place or tossed/dropped than thrown in the classic manner.

In a game, it’s a good piece of specialty kit to issue PCs in when they are assigned to destroy artillery or other high value equipment, or to add as part of a vehicle’s initial kit. I can see 5ID using thermite to destroy at least immobilized vehicles before attempting their breakout attempt from Kalisz.

Thermite grenades are not made to to be thrown, they are supposed to be placed (or carefully dropped a short distance).

[Homer]

Originally Posted by CDAT

Thermite grenades are not made to to be thrown, they are supposed to be placed (or carefully dropped a short distance).

Yep. That said there’s always some guy out there who values his rotator cuff less than looking cool. Of course, they’d have to be freakishly accurate to make it worthwhile. About the only toss or throw I’ve ever heard of was an acquaintance who tossed one onto a 20’x10’x12’ stack of blocks of hashish which had all been soaked in hash oil and fuel. The tossed/thrown thermite performed quite well and everybody was very mellow…

[swaghauler]

Originally Posted by CDAT

Thermite grenades are not made to to be thrown, they are supposed to be placed (or carefully dropped a short distance).

Each of our gun crews was issued a Thermite grenade to "spike" our guns with. The Section Chief carried it. We also had a couple of spools of Det Cord to blow out trees or obstacles that we carried on our Advanced Party/RSOP truck.

Special weapons had bricks of C4 and we were all taught how to use it. The coolest thing we had was this cone-shaped demo charge that would fit over the fuse on the nuke round that would COMPLETELY DESTROY the fuse and turn our nukes into dirty bombs for the Russians overrunning us.

[Homer]

Originally Posted by swaghauler

Special weapons had bricks of C4 and we were all taught how to use it. The coolest thing we had was this cone-shaped demo charge that would fit over the fuse on the nuke round that would COMPLETELY DESTROY the fuse and turn our nukes into dirty bombs for the Russians overrunning us.

Wow, yikes!