The Neglected Tank Crew Member: Training the Tank Loader

SSG Johnson, the tank commander of B32, war sixth in line tojire on Range 11 7, Z W I I, Grafenwoehr. His gunner had just finished assisting the commo sergeant with installing and checking his jump radio. Going over the engagements andjire comma& in his head, Johnson wondered how well SPC Moore would perjbm as loader during his qualification run. SPC Moore was the driver for B21 and had never trained with Johnson'screw. With the impending large scale PCS/ETS of many tank crew members from USAREUR upon their return from Operation Desert Storm, most armor battalions will go into their next gunnery densities with less than 50 percent of their tank crews stabilized from their last gunnery. As any tank commander will tell you, the least stabilized position is the loader's. SPC Mo'ore climbed aboard the tank just as the range OIC called SSG Johnson to change over to the jiring frequency. Moore plugged in his CVC, made sure that he could talk and hear everyone over the intercom, and opened the ammo door to check on the placement of the rounds in the ready ammo compartment. As the door closed, Moore called over to his new TC and said "Let's put some bullets downrange! " Johnson looked at Moore, saw a slim, tall soldier who was breathing hard from his runfiom the debriejing tent, and thought "Well, at least he's fired up, and he took the initiative to check things on his own. " As most tank commanders will tell you, it is rare that they get to keep ARMOR - 21 the same loader across a number of gunnery densities. They will also tell you that the loader will make or break your engagement times. The loader must be able to fit his agility, strength, timing, and technique within the "rhythm" that the tank crew has established. If the loader is out of synch with the crew, then the crew is out of synch. With that in mind, training the loader should be paramount in the minds of tank commanders. But it's not. SSG Johnson positioned his tank at firing point I, lane 2, as instructed by C92, his TCElTevaluator on the radio. "B32, this is 0 2, battlecarry Sabot and give me a ready report, over." Johnson knew that the engagement would be nvo moving tanks. "Battlccmry Sabot and give me a crew report," said Johnson oyer the intercom. SPC Moore opened the ammo door and began to extract a Sabot round. he did so, SSG Johnson saw that his loader seemed to struggle with the round once it cleared the rack Placing the round on the loading tray, Moore pushed the round with ajlick of his arm. Ihe round trawled three quarters of the way into the chamber before it wobbled and stopped. Moore reached o wand pushed the round into the chamber. "Sabot W e d, loader ready," announced Moore, "Tac Idle on, driver ready," said PFC Wilson. Ihe gunner, SGT Raez, ensured Sabot was i&, checked his logic switch on the laser rangefinder for last return, and began his scan of the range. "Sabot i n d d, gunner ready." Johnson took all of this in and smiled to himse& "Not bad," he thought, and took one last look at the guar& and safeties. "C92, this is

With the increase in weight of that the 120-mm cartridge, upper body strength is an important factor in training the loader. By incorporating a two- or three-day-a-week weight training program, your loaders will not only improve their abilities to bandle the 120-mm cartridge, but will also increase their AFTT scores in the push-up event. Vary the program by placing your loaders in a circle and have them pass a 120-mm dummy round, first at chest level, then overhead, between themselves. This enables them to develop confidence in handling the round, besides building strength and agility. Put this program under the supervision of a junior sergeant and use it as a leadership development tool. Results can be readily seen and evaluated. "Driver, move out," announced Johnson to begin the engagement. WiLson brought the tank up through the gears and steadied out at about I7 mph. Raa was scanning the full width of the range through his thermal in smooth, steady traverses when he yelled, "Two moving tanks direct front!" Johnson dropped down to the X ' s atension while at the same time announcing, "Gunner, Sabot, two moving tanks, nearest tank" Raez switched the gun select switch to main. While watching Ran track and get a good lay on the first tank, Johnson heard Moore announce "Up" to indicate that the path of recoil and the turret was clear for firing. Ran lased to the target. A range of 1480 with no multiple returns appeared in the

GPS.

Johnson evaluated the range in a split second and announced "Fire!" Raa yelled "On the way" and squeezed the triggers. A dull "thud" followed quickly by a rattling "clank" rwbated in the turret. Johnson was glued to the extension waiting for the obscuration to clear and did not notice that his loader had dropped the flrehafe handle into the safe position just as R a a pulled the triggers. n e ejected stub base from the first round was flrmly stuck under the fallen deflector tray. As precious secondr ticked away, Moore opened the ammo door and extracted the next sabot round for loading. Johnson yelled "Target, far tank," as the dust cleared and the near tank disappeared. Moore turned his body, his hands full of 120-mm cartridge, and attempted to bad the round. It was only then that he noticed the stuck stub base. "aft cap! aft cap!" Moore yelled, but not until 10 seconds had passed. Ihe crew's concentration was broken. Many a crew has'been pulled off the course mad at range 117 for multiple "aft cap" announcements. These crews are told to report to their maintenance teams to have their stub base deflector cables checked for the proper adjustment. After doing so, they return to the firing order and attempt to complete their m, only to encounter more "aft caps." Moving the lever to the safe position before the breech has completed recoil and counter-mil causes the stub base deflector to fall prematurely, thus catching the stub base underneath the tray before it clears the breech. This is a timing and technique problem that is prevalent among loaders. Most loaders instantly turn their backs to the breech when the gun is fired to face the ammo compartment while at the same time they put the firelsafe lever to safe. They do not see the stuck stub base until after they have removed the next round from the ready rack. Train your loaders to face the breech while opening the ammo door. They must be able to see the aft cap clear the breech before placing the firelsafe lever to safe. To train this technique, place a block of wood approximately the same size as a stub base under the tray during your loading exercises. If your loader drops the handle but fails to notice the "aft cap" he needs to work on his technique. Vary the number of times you place the black under the tray. Never train.loading technique with the breech open and 22 ARMOR - July-AUgUSt 7997 the stub base deflector in the down position. We always go into combat "battlecarried," so every round fired will leave the tray in the "up" position. Train the way you will fight! Mer clearing the stuck stub base, Johnson'screw completed the engagement, but not before his tank short-lined the next round, another "aft cap," and jinally a "target, cease fire," for a total score of 61 points. OK," people, lets shake that one ofl and get it together for the rest of the run," Johnson said, as his driver pulled into BP 2 for the next engagement. "B32, this is C92, close your ballistic doors, banlecany sabot, and give me a ready report, over." "Raez, close the doors and get ready for the battlesight engagement," Johnson said. He went through the whole sequence of events and possible actions with the crew. He wanted to make sure this one went off smooth. He received the crew report and announced "REDCON 1, to C92. Scanning out of the CWS sight, Johnson spotted the moving tank on the l@ of the range, moving right, and the stationary tank near the right range limit marker. Grabbing the E ' s override, he slid the turret to the left and yelled, "Gunner, battlesight, two t a h, stationary tank. Driver move out, gunner take over." Wilson released the brake and quickly brought the tank up the ramp to a hull-down position. "Gun tube clear, driver stop!" yelled Raa as the GAS reticle slid across the target. "Iden-tijied!" Raez said, and Johnson released the override. "Up. fire, and on the way" were heard in quick suc-' cession in the tower. As soon as the tank fired, a cloud of dust surrounded the position. "Target obscured, target obscured," Johnson screamed. Wilson immediately shifrd into reyerse and screamed down the ramp into a turret-down position. At the same time Whon took ofl SPC Moore was trying to extract the next round of sabot to load. Ihe quick takeoff and short stop knocked him off balance preventing him from extracting the round cleanly. Once the tank stopped, he again struggled with the cartridge in his h a das he tried to load. Johnson announced, "Target, moving tank, driver move out, gunner take over!" Wilson raced up the ramp again, and again Moore wasn't set. With the sabot round in his had, he was thrown into the turret ring, smashing his hand between the base of the round and the bulkhead wall separating the ammo compartments. With the pain shooting up his ann, Moore threw his weight forward, placed the round on the tray, jlicked his ann, and the round rattled halfway into the chamber and stopped. Ihe tank was exposed in the hull-down for more than 15 secod before Moore jinally announced, "Up!" Again, "fire" and "on the way" were split secomh apart, and the tank shuddered when Raez pulled the triggers. Johnson saw the. target drop, announced "Target, cease fire." Johnson slumped into the TC's seat. "Oh for two, and eight more to go," Johnson thought, and he wondered why the tanker gods were punishing him. He wasn 't a happy camper. A lack of technique and practice with SSG Johnsons' crew caused that engagement to go down the tubes. Loaders come in all sizes and shapes, and the manner in which they load, whether standing or sitting, must be taught. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. The stability advantage of the sitting technique is offset by the extra upper body strength needed to handle the round. The standing technique offers more leverage for the loader but he has to deal with a small space in which to rotate the round when turning to face the breech. Most of all, he has to be agile! If your loader insists on standing, make sure to conduct your loading exercises from a moving tank that stops at undetermined moments during the loading procedure. If your loader constantly loses his balance, causing him to miss the eight-second standard for loading a 120-mm cartridge, try the sitting technique. Make sure he adjusts the seat for height and distance from the ammo door and start practicing. Also, nothing can replace practice with the entire crew! As I said before, the crew must develop its own rhythm. Good tank commanders gauge the speed in which they issue fire commands and the command "fire" by the abilities of their crews to respond. The commands and actions of good crews happen like clockwork because each member hows the others' capabilities. Fire commands are designed to reduce confusion and coordinate the actions of the crew. All crew actions must be regulated by the capabilities of the weakest crew member. If they are not, crew coordination will be sporadic at best. Cross train all your crew members as loaders. You h o was well as I that no one is exempt from this underestimated position.

Michael F. Capobianco has been an M 2 master gunner since June of 1985. His previous assignments include company master gunner and tank commander, A Company, 2d Battalion 67th Armor, 2d Brigade, 2AD (1 983-1 986); company master gunner and platoon sergeant A Co, 2d Battalion, 67th Armor, 3d Brigade, 3AD (1986- 1989). He is presently assigned as battalion master gunner, 2-67 Armor. ARMOR - 23