RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

WW2 tanks could get so hot in the Sahara desert that crews could fry eggs on them.
In Winter, especially on the Russian steppes, they would get so cold crews could get instant frostbite from touching external parts. Now that Winter is upon us, my sympathy for that War generation goes ever deeper.
I imagine it would have been like a freezer inside too, without some sort of heating and ventilation system. Given that barrel bore- extractors didn't exist then, to prevent toxic clouds of gas entering the turret every time a shell was fired, leaving the hatches open must have been a big temptation. The vents on the turret roofs on the likes of the Tiger, or Sherman, for example don't look adequate.
The Pz IV had side hatches; but you wouldn't want those open in a firefight, nor in Russian winds that could freeze the b*lls off a buffalo.
Anyone have the lowdown on any systems used, and which tanks catered best for crews in terms of heat and fresh air? Which Tank is likely to have had the most crew friendly interior (aside from penetration by armour rounds)

I always wonder how they coped when they needed the lavatory, especially when touching external parts could give you frost bite.

I heard somewhere that taking a wee outside in a Russian winter would be very dangerous, some have had their wee freeze and freeze back up inside, imagine that

Son of a gun-ner wrote:I always wonder how they coped when they needed the lavatory, especially when touching external parts could give you frost bite.

They used captured helmets, if / when available.

Lert wrote:

Son of a gun-ner wrote:I always wonder how they coped when they needed the lavatory, especially when touching external parts could give you frost bite.

They used captured helmets, if / when available.

I'm guessing inside the tank, oh boy, imagine the smell, no, on second thoughts, do not imagine the smell

Seriously scary stuff, and the frozen doo- dahs, well...not good for the birth rate; but then nor is being pulped by an 88mm round
Russians use to dig pits under the T34s and set wee fires there to keep the tank, and themselves, in some sort of readiness. How many inadvertent accidents occurred this way, we can only guess. Without the heat, though, the oil would turn into immovable sludge in the gearboxes...

Before the wholesale introduction of the Land Rover into military service there was the Austin Champ,
It had ostensibly a full set of doors as well as a canvas roof,
The doors never fitted and were almost always left in the Stores,
Needless to say the vehicle had no heater, all that it had was a small inspection port in front of the Gear Lever which funnelled engine heat into the cab,
Of course with no doors it was a waste of time and the drivers signed onto these vehicles were permanently allocated Parkas.
The champ came into its own in the summer, All of a sudden everyone wanted a drive of one
Trust me a German winter on the Sennelager training area was probably not much different from the road to Stalingrad.
Of course you don't get used to it but we were usually close enough to a NAAFI Van or the Units catering facilities (Tea Urn) to ward off frost bite.
We were lucky enough to have a Sgt who delighted the men in the morning by inviting them to do their exercises in the snow in shorts and a PT vest before breakfast.
I would have sold my soul to be back in a Borneo Jungle after a couple of weeks in a German Winter.

But then, Shaun, that generation was definitely made of sterner stuff..and even if some of them weren't, they would never admit it..or 'emote' about it That said, they did have to go to the toilet somewhere, but in the middle of a battle like Kursk, it was probably in their trousers.
I've built two Pz IVs now, and still haven't a clue how a crew would keep warm in one of them. Was heat ducted through from the engine?

There's an interesting discussion here on the topic of not turning tank crews into popsicles. Apparently, In the Panther (and other German tanks, the comment claims), vents were fitted in the rear firewall and this was as much to keep the batteries at an even temperature as the hapless inmates.
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=195164

Was it someone on here that posted a picture recently of a land rover or jeep with a few bits of wood burning in the passenger foot well? I've seen it very recently

Son of a gun-ner wrote:Was it someone on here that posted a picture recently of a land rover or jeep with a few bits of wood burning in the passenger foot well? I've seen it very recently

It's not ringing a bell for me (or burning my ears.. , but I missed loads of threads after April this year, until October. I've just found this piece on how the Russians fared better than the Germans in the cold. Some of the arguments seem credible.
https://www.quora.com/Why-didnt-the-Rus ... zi-Germany