Post
by Guest9999 » Sat Mar 13, 2021 4:16 pm
Thanks LL that is the gun. Just never saw any with those anti-aircraft targeting scopes.
(After writing the text below, I feel some deja vu. Sorry if I wrote about this on K440 earlier. Missed UNTAC by a few months so fewer memories to comb through.)
Another thing I noticed about the T54 and most other tanks I come across, was that the mud guards were almost universally well mangled, or totally torn off. Now, Cambodians can keep blue plastic tape looking brand new beneath the door handles of 5 year old Toyota Camrys, but give them a tank, and they'll have the fenders ripped off first bloody battle. Maybe tanks corps would look after equipment better if organized around 'owner-operators'? (Ha, ha) But seriously, why bother with mud guards if their useful life is so short?
Also, playing inside an immobilized but fully locked and loaded T54 (I think there were 3 of them), in the centre of Pailin more or less where the provincial hall is now, 100m from where E Chean built his house, perhaps January '97, I couldn't help feeling sorry for the gunners. It LOOKED like the hot empty main gun shell casings would have popped out, hit an iron deflector, then skittered around on the uneven 'floor' of the tank, while they were actively stifling the terror battle and jamming a new shell into the breech. I'm sure I would have pissed myself. Anyone have any experience in these kind of old rough and ready tanks during action?
And, recall seeing bombed out heavily armoured amphibious APC's high in the mountains, (high, high) in Eastern Xekong Province Laos. I couldn't get my head around it. The effort it must have taken to haul those up there. All the while dealing with bombing runs day and night. Sheeeeeit!
Almost as difficult as having to wear a mask every time I go out. Well, pretty hard core, but somehow I'll manage.