Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!emory!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: graper@BRL.MIL (MTSD/FIO) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: RE: M1s towing trailers Message-ID: <1990Dec3.052021.4084@cbnews.att.com> Date: 3 Dec 90 05:20:21 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 18 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Graper Brad P (MTSD/FIO) AAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHH! NO NO NO! Tanks don't ever,vere,vere,oops,ever toe...tow trailers into battle. In fact, tanks don't usuall tow trailer at al.. sorry about the typos, folks.... [mod.note: Not quite true. The Churchill Crocodile, for instance, often towed a trailer full of fuel for its flamethrower. - Bill ] they are probably towing them because Army units do not have enough trucks to tow all their trailer at one time. All Army manuever battalions have, habitually, more trailers than trucks. Or at least more than the number of operable trucks. Most. or many battalions never have all the trucks they are authorized. You see, you're authorized more trucks for wartime than for peacetime. But you never get the wartime ones. Anyways, they're most likely towing the trailers because they wanted to get all their trailers moved at on time. The towing pintle on a tank is there to allow him to recover and tow another armored vehicle if necessary. You can recover another tank with your tow cables and tow hooks, but towing another tank any distance is not a real good idea without a towbar, which the recovery vehicle crew throws at you as they pass by on their way to recover some body else's tank. Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com