Stoopid...
My man is gonna have some sore ribs... if he has any ribs left...
They should really start showing these videos on the first day of training...
Looks like there was some sort of issue with the firing mechanism. Shouldn't have shot immediately like that, right? Anyhoo, I believe you're supposed to load from the side. You know, to avoid stuff like this. That had to hurt. A lot. At least *laugh* ... at least his *laugh* ... sorry, sorry. At least his buddies got over there right away. *laugh* What the hell was that about? Dood got launched, like for real launched and they took their sweet ol' time gettin' to him. Geez.
I wonder why RH seems to enjoy so much these videos of soldiers getting hurt?
Awwwwww!
You really waste some of your time wondering that?
I can't help but feel touched...
I didn't know you cared
I laughed. Like, really laughed. Oh well.
Looks like there was some sort of issue with the firing mechanism. Shouldn't have shot immediately like that, right? Anyhoo, I believe you're supposed to load from the side. You know, to avoid stuff like this. That had to hurt. A lot. At least *laugh* ... at least his *laugh* ... sorry, sorry. At least his buddies got over there right away. *laugh* What the hell was that about? Dood got launched, like for real launched and they took their sweet ol' time gettin' to him. Geez.
When I was in the Army, we used a lanyard (short rope) to activate the firing mechanism, and yeah... you stand to the side when pulling.
However, there is a way to just use your hand, and I've seen it done... but it is dangerous as hell!
I didn't try it.
Remind me to tell you the story about how I was loading the tube and dropped the shell...
Why was the poor bastard fumbling with the breach when the round was fired?
He was probably trying to fire it by hand.
But where was the Chief?
He should have prevented that soldier from doing that.
When I was in Artillery, you didn't do anything until Chief gave the OK.
You miss it?
You sure like talking about how you used to be in the army.
You miss it?
Every day for the past 20 years...
You should hear me go on and on and on when I've been in my cups...
Why was the poor bastard fumbling with the breach when the round was fired?
He was probably trying to fire it by hand.
But where was the Chief?
He should have prevented that soldier from doing that.
When I was in Artillery, you didn't do anything until Chief gave the OK.
Maybe he was the chief?
Maybe.
I certainly hope not...
I dropped a shell in the gun one night while loading...
Boy! Was Chief pissed!!!
The idiot proof army!
Actually...
IIRC, it was cold out that night and I had a glove on one hand, the other hand being ungloved so as I could work the fuse wrenches quicker/better. And my gloved hand was wet from swabbing out the tube...
Well, I lifted the projectile, and as I went to lay it on the loading tray, it slipped from my wet, gloved hand, thudding heavily on the floor of the gun and narrowly missing the AG's feet.
Chief was mainly pissed because I coulda broke Arnolds feet...
Don't you wearmilitary issued steel capped boots?
Well, the boots aren't steel toes.
Don't you wearmilitary issued steel capped boots?
Well, the boots aren't steel toes.
What? You mean you do not wear the same boots they wear on construction sites?
Yes.
That's what I said... our boots were not steel toes.
I dunno... maybe tankers had them...
Another funny thing...
We were always stealing little things from the guns in Bravo Battery. Like, we were missing a few armor bolts, so chief had me sneak over to Bravo's gun line and remove some from their guns!
LOL!
But they did the same thing to us...
The turret was manipulated via hydraulics (with hand crank back-ups), and 6th sections hydraulic reservoir sprung a leak, spraying hydraulic fluid all over the inside of the gun... and everybody in it.
What a mess!!
I still laugh about that...
Another time, I had my M-16 leaning against the side of the 548 when Jimbo started it and took off.
Too late!
He ran right over my weapon, driving it about an inch in the Georgia sand. I thought it was ruined for sure, and I would have to pay for it!
But I picked it up, dusted it off, and it was fine.
Needed to clean the hell out of it though...
This is a 548...
And this is the gun I was a crewmember on...
www.liveleak.com/view?i=6dc_1184267131
Stoopid...
My man is gonna have some sore ribs... if he has any ribs left...
It didn't look like he was trying to manually fire the weapon. IMO, it looked as if the soldier was securing the breech after having loaded the shell; which discharged in the process. If you look at the video, the shell discharges after he pushes something on the back of the cannon (are they still called guns only when they're at sea?) forward.
There is this little shotgun shell looking thing, called the primer, that is used to ignite the gunpowder, which in turn propels the shell.
And, as I said before, there is a way to fire the cannon by hand. Just looks like he f'ed up.
The breech secures itself once closed. As a matter of fact, you DON'T want to catch your hand between the breech and the tube when it's closing... it can take your hand off quite easily.
If you look at the picture above of the breech, you will notice grooves in the tube and on the breech block. When the breech closes, it spins those groves together, locking it.
Howitzers are commonly called "guns".
Ah. Ok. I'm kinda stuck in pirate terminology when it comes to artillery.
There is this little shotgun shell looking thing, called the primer, that is used to ignite the gunpowder, which in turn propels the shell.
And, as I said before, there is a way to fire the cannon by hand. Just looks like he f'ed up.
By manually firing the gun or messed up and it discharged without him firing the gun?
The breech secures itself once closed. As a matter of fact, you DON'T want to catch your hand between the breech and the tube when it's closing... it can take your hand off quite easily.
That is often the case with heavy machinery. My mother used to work a die press (back in the 80s, before the modern safety innovations), so I'm familiar with the concept that machinery can main or be lethal.
If you look at the picture above of the breech, you will notice grooves in the tube and on the breech block. When the breech closes, it spins those groves together, locking it.
That looks like a potentially nasty situation. Speaking of breeches: I believe I saw something on the history channel about a new tank that can automatically load shells. IIRC, it was a german tank, and it fired 3 shells at different trajectories so that all three of them hit the same target at the same time. It was rather impressive. I wish I could find a video to link to.
At least I think that's what my brother said when I asked him a long time ago. I might have to ask him again. It also depends on what your job is, I think. My brother is in communications so when he was deployed with a company of engineers he was issued steel toed boots, I think, but when he was deployed with a tank company he wasn't, again I think.
But like I said, I could be way off, its been a while since I asked him questions because he doesn't like to talk too much about what he's seen or done while in Iraq so I don't ask him questions anymore out of respect.
He's a lifer working on his 12th or 13th year. Served in Bosnia back in the 90's, got out and went to college for a couple of years but when he got married he reupped and has been in ever since.
Good guy, my little brother and our family couldn't be any prouder.
Or at least, so my father explained about steelcapped shoes
Could also be because while a steelcapped shoe protects you from a brick falling on it, if you drop something heavier on it (or roll over it with a vehicle) the iron might bend, and it'll cut all your toes off instead of just breaking them.
Or at least, so my father explained about steelcapped shoes
Mythbusters did an episode about that and the boot is designed not to do that unless its completely squashed and at that point it doesn't really matter because your toes will be pulverized anyway. It takes tons and tons to squash a steel toe flat.
Good to know, thanks.That looks like a potentially nasty situation. Speaking of breeches: I believe I saw something on the history channel about a new tank that can automatically load shells. IIRC, it was a german tank, and it fired 3 shells at different trajectories so that all three of them hit the same target at the same time. It was rather impressive. I wish I could find a video to link to.
We actually had one of these in development - until Rumsfeld cancelled it due to performance issues. It was to be called the Crusader. The German gun you're thinking of is called the Panzerhaubitze 2000.