• Pardon the dust while the boys rebuild the site.

    The board will be in a state of disarray as I get things sorted out, for a little while at least.

    The new incarnation is using Xenforo as the system software. It is much like what we are used to, with a few differences. I will see about making a FAQ to help point out the differences for the members.

     

    One IMPORTANT difference for all of us old timers is that the 'mail' system is replaced with what are called 'conversations'/

    There is no 'Inbox' or 'Out box' or 'Sent' folders anymore.

    Think of Conversations as private 'threads' or topics that don't exist in a forum, that you start with another member. NOTE: Conversations can include more than one member if you or someone else in the conversaion, likes.
    Takes a little getting used to but I am sure you all can get a hang of it.

     

    Only a slightly modified default default Xenforo style is available for now. Once the new SAG style is ready it will be available.

    All existing users should be able to login with their usernames and passwords once the site goes up.

     

    If anyone has difficulties logging in please contact me at sixthvanguard@gmail.com.

     

    Thank you for your support and patience. I know it has been a loooong road.

Death Trap

G

General Specific

Battalion Commander
I thought it would be interresting to see what vehicle in your opinion would you have been horrified to travel in, serve or otherwise crew during the war IF you had the option. Any Army/ Airforce or Navy, any branch of service for any country for any reason (Safety concearns, target of oppertunity, etc...).

Mine would have to be a U-Boat or Submarine. An interresting idea, but I must say that tight spaces and I don't mix well, that and I have yet to find me sea legs. Many a times I have looked for them while on short voyages, but never did find them. Did develope a new love for consume soup though. Same consistency going down as back up. :lol:
 
I have to agree - a submarine has got to be the worst "death trap" of all. I'm sure being the tail-gunner on a bomber was not a good place to be either, and I believe the death rate among fighter pilots was the worst of any branch of service, but for some reason, at least having the option of bailing out makes it a lot more palatable than being trapped in a submarine.

Then there's the Sherman, affectionately dubbed the "Ronson" for how well they brewed up....

K.
 
There is a quote in the movie To Hell And Back when the tanker says the sherman isn't much protection when up against a tiger and Audey Murphy says... "how much protection do you think these dog tags give" or to those words... lol
My German sub vet Edgar was very lucky when 3 out of 4 submariners never came back....
 
Harold,
I saw a map once that showed a thumbtack where all U-Boat went down in the Atlantic. I was astonished at the number of thumbtacks on the map!!! I worked with a bunch of U.S. Navy bubbleheads and all of them were just a little "unusual" LOL! But onn the other hand, if I could have only one vessel in my navy it would be the submarine, quiet and deadly.
 
Ball Turret gunner on a B-17 or B-24, unable to get out of the turret before a wheels up crash landing.
 
Doesn't the ball gunner get into the ball turret after take off and gets out before landing? I believe the ball turret has to be rotated downward before the hatch can be opened so the gunner can get in and out.
 
That's correct. They get into the turret after takeoff and out of it before landings. Many times, due to damage, they were not able to get out, due to battle damage, etc.
That would be one of my worst fears as a ball turret gunner.
 
I'd have to go with being trapped in any naval vessel while sinking. I hear subs at great depth , death is very quick due to the pressure implosion. Sherman tank (RONSON), burning to death; any aircraft especially bombers like in Memphis Bell being pinned to the wall by centrifugal effect in a tail spin, or jumping from a plane and your chute doesn't open. I would think any death that is slow and painful is worse than being quickly dispatched.
 
What a wonderful cheery thread. Submariners are strange because you have to be strange to want to be locked inside a relatively small pipe for days, or months, on end with a bunch of other weirdos. There is almost no place to get away from other crew members and the noise is constant. If you can't completely put the idea of claustrophobia out of your mind, you can't cope. You have to forget about the fact that a small mistake can mean instant death for nearly 100 of your shipmates. But you rely on the fact that those same shipmates are highly trained to prevent that from happening. it is a mental balancing act for sure.
 
Speaking of squids a gentleman that lives down the block was served on the sub the U.S.S. Kingfish during WWII.I do agree I would hate to be trapped on one of those things
 
One of those 'snach landrovers' as used in Northern Ireland particually as I've heard they are using them in Irag and/or Afganistan and have little (or no) armour (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNATCH_Land_Rover)
 
Any vehicle that is a fire trap, drowning, falling, they are quick deaths imo, getting burned alive is my big fear.....or eaten alive by any type of wild animal :shock:
 
Sherman DD Tank on D-Day. Something just wrong about that idea. No way man not for me. Oh ya hit the shore and go up in flames.... :shock:
 
How about piloting a P39 at any time in the Pacific? I remember one quote as the P39 being superlative at flying, "...low and slow circles".
 
mutt71";p="126834 said:
Ball Turret gunner on a B-17 or B-24, unable to get out of the turret before a wheels up crash landing.
Click to expand...
on the b17 ya, the b24 was capable of having the turret retrack back up into the fusalage.

all i can say is thay all had balls of steal to fight with the best equipment the US could offer up at the time. probably be the sub for me too...
 
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