M1 Abrams Underside

Rob Gronovius

You also learn not to open the hatches with the system on; the air pressure slams them open and if the latch does not catch to keep it in the open position, it can bounce back and bop you on the head.

That'd leave a mark....

  I have a nice mark on my chin from the drivers hatch on a 113 that was not latched open once upon a time in Holland... Clobbered me real good

mfsob

Not being a tread head, I have to ask - what was the actual purpose behind NOT having a hull hatch in the Abrams, as opposed to having one in previous tanks? Because I sure would want more than one way out ...

The Army also wanted to make the crew have to get out to pee. Kinder and gentler Army, you know.

Hey. I still get surprised by this photo popping up decades after the incident. The tank is an Abrams M1A2. It belonged to Bco, #66, 1-12 CAV, Ft Hood. This was during the turn-in of our tanks to 7 Cav. The tank gunner and driver were conducting a road test and did a pivot steer to turn around not realizing they were so close to the culvert drop off.

The gunner and driver had some bruises but no serious injuries. Since the turret was over the back deck, the both crawled out of the drivers compartment hatch. This was around 2001.

CDAT

Hey. I still get surprised by this photo popping up decades after the incident. The tank is an Abrams M1A2. It belonged to Bco, #66, 1-12 CAV, Ft Hood. This was during the turn-in of our tanks to 7 Cav. The tank gunner and driver were conducting a road test and did a pivot steer to turn around not realizing they were so close to the culvert drop off.

The gunner and driver had some bruises but no serious injuries. Since the turret was over the back deck, the both crawled out of the drivers compartment hatch. This was around 2001.

 

Someone posted it way back then just to show another modeler what the underside of an Abrams looked like.

I served in 1-12 Cav back in the 1990s. We had been 3-32 Armor and towards the end of 1993, we reflagged as 1-12 Cav and 1-32 AR reflagged to 2-12 Cav.

I PCS'd from the battalion in JAN 1996.