TAAAANNNKKKK BOOOOYYYY!!!!!

The saying is: We are tank; If we lose mobility, we are bunker; If we lose main gun, we are machine gun nest; If we lose machine gun, we are pillbox; If we are destroyed, we become tomb for brothers.

American tankers "DEATH BEFORE DISMOUNT " lol just ribbing yah guys . i do the same to my mortar man brother . HIGH HELL ANGLE or something like that . Can you guess my ol MOS Bang bang

How does a pillbox fit into this saying?

@@XDWX when a tank runs out of gas, and is still armed, it becomes a steel pill box.

Helos too. General rule: if your helicopter doesn't have a fault, it's about to have a fault 😄

You said it. Just some of the things that broke on my tank in the six years I was a crewman... Radios (multiple) Brakes won't lock Brakes won't unlock Ballistic computer busts and puts 99 mils of superelevation on a sabot round Transmission frags itself Shift linkage falls apart .50 spontaneously switches from low to high rate of fire and back again .50 feed jam Coax feed break Coax firing circuit breaks Magnetic break fails in the locked position (aka cadillacs engaged, moving the controls traverses without grasping the handles) Doghouse door jams Sprocket stud strips Snapped torsion bar (both #1s at the same time) Hydraulic line blows and sprays FRH all over the crew compartment End connector busts Integral pin busts Center guild busts Heater exhaust leak Crew compartment exhaust fan busts Purge pump busts And probably a lot more that I'm forgetting... And yet in spite of all of that, I still loved that hog. She was my home.

@@flankspeed “it’s only a problem if it STOPS leaking!”

@@maingun07 that sounds about right 😂. When the radio broke, I didn't even try to fix it. Only the gods know what to do with em

@@maingun07 wow... interesting insight. And thank you for your service.

High five comrade. For me, as a Brit, it was our FOURTH Afghan war. "We're sure to get it right this time.... right guys?"

@@kristiangustafson4130 : Working with Brits, Aussies, Kiwis, and Canucks was one of the few positives I took away from Afghanistan.

I'm sorry you guys had to act out the inept, unjust plans of our "leaders"

@@kristiangustafson4130 In comparison to the amount of wars you fought with France between 1066 and 1815, you barely made acquaintance with Afghanistan.

Absolutely! Well said.

I had never even heard of this movie before.

Yes, I was just thinking that.

I've probably watched this movie a half dozen times over the years. First time was maybe early '90s. Great story, well done, technically.

I've just commented that or once I wish he'd recommend a film I've never seen

Thanks for the great little detail.

Another fact because it was filmed in Israel is that the tank in the movie is an actual soviet tank (a t-55) captured during the wars with their neighbours. Most movies at the time would have just mocked up American tanks as russian tanks like red dawn.

The one made by Bondarchuk? Damn, it's not a good movie! The fight at the end is pure fiction and what actually happened there was much more interesting. It was so bad that actual people who fought on that hill campaigned against the movie.

@@JohnDoe-cz5yz Which one was that? Are you talking about Sergei Bondarchuk?

The funny bit most actual afgan Mujahideen in the conflict against the sovijet were Tajiks which mostly live in the North and the Pashtuns are in the south and classed mostly as Taliban.

It is a real T-55 modified (by the Israelis) to replace the Soviet 100mm gun with a western 105mm gun.

Shieeet no kidding I love this movie never I mind thought this would be considered school material.

I've recommended this movie dozens of times, but never run into anyone who's ever seen it. The ending...the dude getting stoned to death by women... Tough way to go.

I've seen this film a half dozen times and I'll see it another half dozen. Fantastic

@@JohnSmith-mk1rj "When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains, And the women come out to cut up what remains, Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains An' go to your Gawd like a soldier." Rudyard Kipling. There's a reason they call it the Graveyard of Empires

I used to teach IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) classes in the US Army in the 1980's. Stumbling on this movie a while back was a real treat because it showed a lot of the equipment in more detail than our own training aids did.

Not to mention tactical was pretty legit too.

Yeah, that Pashtu code of honour is great. Really is. I mean they don't have a near 300 year history of being bandits causing misery and hell. Absolute peachy guys. When they behead a captured Soviet pilot they give him a slap up last meal first. And as for the Arabs like Bin Laden who were fighting there, have you ever heard a bad thing about the guy?

​@@Norvik_-ug3ge Yeah, they're savages, every last one of them, and I'm really glad that the American government didn't give them a lot of weapons and money. Oh, damn! Wait a minute . . . . I don't follow your point. Without having the courage to just say what you mean, you appear to be sarcastically suggesting that my praise of the research is incorrect because no Afghan, not a single one, would ever live up to their own ideals, and therefore, the movie was flawed for not presenting the Afghans as complete savages at every moment. Is that your point? Can you say it directly, or are you just going to dance around the point? Anyway, I'm sure that you can anticipate my objection: the point is pure nonsense and rank bigotry. If you're saying something else, for example, that you wanted a movie about savage Afghans or would find a movie about savage Afghans to be more appropriate, well, go find one to review or go make your own movie. The tone of your remarks makes me think that you didn't even watch the movie. I was reviewing the movie, not whatever is happening in your head. In the actual movie, the credits start after an excerpt from a poem by Rudyard Kipling, an excerpt talking about Afghan women combing plains after a battle to mutilate and kill incapacitated enemy soldiers, and the film ends shortly after a group of Afghan women stone the tank commander to death. Along the way, the same women attempt to stone the main character to death, and one rebel is thwarted in one attempt to use a knife to murder a tanker who had surrendered and another attempt to shoot the main character as the main character is rescued by a Soviet helicopter. The movie doesn't seem to be all sunshine and rainbows with regard to the Afghans. My review didn't heap praise on the Afghans. In fact, in my review, I praised the choice to subtitle the Afghans as a means to other them and to have the Soviet soldiers speak English as a way to help an American audience to identify with the Soviets, who were enemies of America but not aliens. Anyway, I don't know who you think that you're writing, but I don't have any love for Afghanistan or Afghans. Going all the way back to the nineties, I thought that America made a terrible mistake in Afghanistan. I used to read the BBC News online in horror as Afghanistan descended into brutality. I sent friends articles about the early days of the Taliban, things like their plans to make minority Hindus wear distinctive garments ostensibly to prevent harassment by virtue police. I sent friends articles on the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas. I was in Hungary on the night before the terrorist attacks in 2001, and I watched the breaking news of the Taliban and al-Qaeda assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud, one of the holdouts against Taliban rule. Why did I pay such close attention to the developments in Afghanistan if I don't have a special interest in Afghanistan? I paid attention for the same reason that I paid attention to the Russian invasion of Chechnya and the developments in Bosnia where Elijah Izetbegovic played identity politics with Islam and flirted with forming an Islamic republic in a Balkan state where Muslims were a mere plurality. I paid attention because I agreed with the comments of Putin at the time, that there was an arc of instability stretching from the Philippines to Algeria. (He was referring to Islamism.) I paid attention because I consider Islam to be a brutal, dangerous conquest ideology that cannot help but produce brutally violent extremists, and the developments across central Asia and the Balkans had convinced me that we had been on the wrong side in Afghanistan. Despite a harsh view of Islam and serious concerns about the basic human decency of devout Muslims, I still don't have an opinion that cannot be conditioned on additional information, a position like you appear to have, and well, I can remain sane while watching a movie and actually comment on the craft and the substance without foaming at the mouth about the subjects of the film even when I am suspicious of the entire class of people from which the subjects are drawn.

I remember seeing this in the 80s too. I liked that they spoke with American accents. Why would they speak their native language with an accent?

I saw this film in the 90's. It's because of this film I thought it would not work out well when the US went into Afghanistan. It does a great job explaining why it is so difficult to control Afghanistan militarily.

Exactly same story as the one above. Excellent movie!!

It's not called the graveyard of empire for nothing

i saw it probably 20 years ago or more, i think i might have rented it on vhs. really good movie.

Not only is he a great actor, but he's particularly believable as a Russian, which is an issue in a lot of Hollywood movies! The most blatant example that comes to my mind is Atomic Blonde - decent flick, but the "Russians" are so obviously Scandinavian actors it takes you out of the film.

@@b.chaline4394 There's a late 80's Twilight Zone episode in which he plays a KGB officer sent to a remote Russian village. I can't remember the name of it yet it stars George Dzunda and Victoria Tennant, it involves Vampires in a small village. Highly recommended checking it out, I remember it being repeated in the early 90's and it has stuck with me over 30 years later!!

@@shaunpenne1840 thanks for the recommendation! ;)

@@shaunpenne1840 Its the Twilight Zone episode 'Red Snow"

@@b.chaline4394 No sweat!!😊

A phobia is technically an irrational fear. That fear seems entirely rational to me.

There’s a similar scene in Band of Brothers where they actually ran over a stunt man with a tank, in a way that he would survive of course. But an really visceral scene none the less.

@@williammedcalf8754 Yeah the Battle of Brecourt Manor. Was a great episode. Super visceral.

Good old VHS times, 👍

@@mmyers6441 I think I caught it on a midnight viewing on BBC2

Russian movie 9-company (9 rota) is good afgan war movie.

@@danieldz7906 well, to be honest, I friggin hate the director's manner. However, I can totally get that people see some merit in it, that's mainly a matter of taste. Historically, though... It got a lot of negative feedback from the veterans, and the war is still pretty fresh in the nation's memory, so it kinda became a synonym for a subpar theme exploitation. Still, gotta keep in mind that is local context and many war movies might be inaccurate and still be good.

Yes, brilliant movie

No Mel Gibson?

161k take at the box office is probably why

Exactly my situation. Accidentally watched it on TV years ago and loved it. Never seen it repeated since - crazy

@@WayStedYou OW. Even in the 90s, that would have been an unmitigated disaster.

"Da kaboom tank!" "Yeah...I'll kaboom the tank."

That film is a gross misrepresentation the US' and Charlie Wilson's specific involvement with funding the mujahideen. Wilson did not come up with the idea independently. Reagan actually chose him to be in charge of funding the covert war in Afghanistan. Still can't figure out why it was necessary to make up the details of this story for the film. I just can not understand why.

@@935323 Yes. It had quiet a few inaccuracies. The movie tried to portray a picture of a disinterested US and a lone warrior who made the US care. While from actual history we know, US was planning the "Afghan Trap" for the USSR and they were very much on top of it from day one. There was no need to beg the US administration to help the Mujahadeen. US was gladly "returning the favor" to the Soviets for their Vietnam role. However the movie is well made and acted. Just for that, I think it's worth a watch.

No, that movie was more bullshit lefty propaganda.

@@donaldc3884 I mean the movie was criticizing how supposedly the US didn't want to get involved in a foreign war. Hardly a leftie propaganda.

@@donaldc3884 how was that lefty propaganda? Just saw it the other week and I am very cautious and suspicious of everything media these days, but that movie didn’t trigger anything

And they pull his hand out from the tank treads, still remember that part

...dreams...you mean nightmares 😵

I'm glad I missed the shot with his body afterwards.

@@dembeckfarms that’s right! A little while after and they notice it stuck in the steel treads🤮

I remember allot of good mostly B movies airing late night during the early 2000s on cable, some were forgotten theater releases as well. It was a good time.

Best Job I Ever Had.

Kipling: "When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains, And the women come out to cut up what remains, Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains An' go to your Gawd like a soldier."

@@NorthDownReader go go go like a soldier / go go go like a soldier /go go go like a soldier / soldier of the Queen!

@@NorthDownReader Naw mate, the best line of that poem is what Kipling suggests you do with an unfaithful wife.

I remember at the time there were tales of the Afghans skinning captured soldiers alive for entertainment. Just because they considered it funny to tie a man down, skin him then send him back, sometimes without being castrated.

The wymmyn only caught the tank commander--I think the rest got out on that chopper with Constantin

It's got quite the kick

DODT 5 is more potent than DOT 3 but has a worse hangover.

that was a problem during that war, soldiers were drinking their brakes

Yeah it kinda well done but keep in mind that it has nothing to do with reality

@@inmosh lol and this movie does??

Quite enjoyed that film. A few really good gut punch 'you're really in it now, lads' moments too. It doesn't run on the pure dread of something like Kajaki but has similar undertones.

9th Company is visually stunning but bogged down by glory to me. I tend to prefer "Afghan Breakdown"

@@mikespike3962 Nice! That's a good film I've seen. Should also Mention "Leaving Afghanistan" 2019, which is also a pretty fun watch.

That's gratifying to hear

Fred, I think you are mistaken about Genghis Khan, who thoroughly destroyed Afghanistan's then ancient and cultured cities, and slaughtered their inhabitants. He also destroyed ancient irrigation systems, in effect 'bombing Afghanistan back to the Stone Age'. Mongol Khanates ruled the ruins until Timur the Lame, even crueller than GK, invaded in 1370, and Afghanistan remained under the rule of Timur's descendants (who included the Mughals) into the 18th century.

Alexander pretty much kicked their ass, at some point some tribesmen stole Bucephallus (his horse) and he made an announcement that if he is not to be returned asap, he will slaughter everyone. Bucephallus was back by the morning by the thieves themselves.

I particularly love Rapa Nui.

Thank you for this. If anyone else is interested, here's the link, they start talking about The Beast from 39:40 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iLhge71mnpbQdas.html

@@adamkovac90 Fascinating guy right? He's not in it for the money or the fame.

Truly it was a long-ass time ago in some oddball times on cable.

You're thinking of Stinger man-portable surface-to-air missiles (FIM-92).

Not RPGs, but rather the Stinger man-portable anti-aircraft missile system.

MANPADS like the FIM-43 Redeye and FIM-92 Stinger, but to be honest both of those were more a contributing factor to the Soviets pulling out. After all, if it was only the 'RPGs' (which are a whole other class of weapons, btw), the communist regime in Afghanistan would've folded just as quickly as the 'democratic' one last year and not held out for actually longer than the USSR had left in it :D The boring truth is that the economic (and political) situation going to shit and the lack of a sane endgame (or benefit to keep fighting) in sight did the heavy lifting on why the USSR left. Basically, it seems to've been Vietnam 2.0, but without a powerful economy to keep the living standard at home high enough to cushion the blow of a military quagmire (because why provide for yer populace, when there are newer and shinier tanks to buy :D )

@@primmakinsofis614 Correct. Was dumbing it down a bit.

@@joshrandar They did in fact do it to the americans, it was called the Vietnam (or Second Indochina) war. The sad truth is that history is one big pissing contest between the great powers, with everyone overtly or covertly trying to screw over the opposition like supporting muslim fundamentalists fighting against a secular, but communist government (Afghanistan) or supporting a despotic government as a lesser evil to a sectarian civil war (Syria), or even working with one of your sworn enemies against one of your other sworn enemies... supported by your closest allies (Iran/Israel vs Iraq/US,GB,France) with nary a thought on knock on effects down the line

@@mmyers6441 Wouldn't know, I only ever watched the first.

@@mmyers6441 Whaddya say, John?

@@bigal3055 It´s a blue light.” - „What does it do?” - „It turns blue."

Watch the movie, it explains your question.

They're defending their homeland from invaders. The fuck are you talking about?

@@s3m4jno5w4d He's talking about the fact that they were fucking barbaric you dolt. God help you if you got captured.

Eh, the Soviets probably didn’t even care about the tank that much. It’s a mere T-55 after all, those were already pretty much obsolete by the time of war.

LOL indeed. Ben Laden would say something, if he could. ;) Ah and those lovely stingers. The Hind pilots hated them and for a good reason.

@@jfb.8746 Bin Laden was self-funded, or I should say he had Daddy's Money. Massoud, Hekmatyar, et al received the bulk of CIA aid.

@@jfb.8746 That's the funny thing about Cold War insurgencies; the Viet Cong and Castro tend to be romanticized while those like the Mujahideen and the Contras (the majority of whom were peasants that had fought against Somoza, not former soldiers of his) are depicted retroactively as 'reactionaries' and American puppets. Of course, God forbid anyone fight AGAINST the Communists...

@@theduxabides9274 I'm old enough to remember all those people and I agree with you 100%.

@@theduxabides9274 It's true that OBL had daddy's money but I seem to remember that he was also logistically helped by the CIA. I could be wrong though. And didnt the Stingers go to all the moudjahideens?