My father told me a story of when he was a tank driver for the Canadian Armed Forces. He and two of his friends took a tank out for a weekend tour of the base. He received no reprimand for his actions as his friends were the CSM and the RSM, the two highest ranking NCOs in the regiment. When taking a joyride, it's good to have friends in high places and right beside you.
Terrific episode! As you were telling your story I was reminded of Marvin Heemeyer, the man who modified a bulldozer and went on a rampage through Granby, CO. A bit more of a tragic story, but you have to admire the man’s chutzpah.
He also found out why tankers really do not like driving through houses and buildings despite how much its done in movies and promotional videos. Before he shot himself the killdozer fell into a basement of a building he tried to drive it through. The floors of most buildings are not designed to carry the weight of tanks, either purpose made or home made.
I've got one for you. . . My little town in central Texas has an annual fall festival, and in 1984 the Army brought some equipment up from Fort Hood to display for recruiting purposes. Included was a mobile surface-to-air missile launcher and an M1 Abrams tank. The M1 had only recently been introduced and was considered a marvel at the time. However, as festivities carried on into the night, some of the soldiers became drunk and were then convinced to take the M1 out for a little spin. This was far from a "rampage" and more of a true joy ride, as they simply roamed around the rural county's back roads. However, the speed and relative silence of the M1 made it quite difficult for the Army and local law enforcement to locate for several hours. By the time they responded to any phoned-in reports, the tank would have long since moved on. It was, of course, eventually recovered, and without any significant damage that I was ever aware of. The annual festival has continued since that time, but I don't believe the US Army has ever again participated.
I was stationed at NORAD when this took place NORAD is basically across the street (HWY 115) from Ft Carson. I was an Air Force Security Policeman at the time. Ft Carson MP's called our dispatch and asked us if we had seen Clyde? Our security controller asked "Who is Clyde"? He was then told Clyde was an M-109 Self Propelled Gun. We kept an eye out until we were called back and updated that Clyde was north bound on 25 towards Denver. Story brings back memories!
in UK a young soldier who'd just passed his tracked vehicles driving test was so proud that he drove the vehicle to his home to show his mother.... the army obviously were not thrilled with this but i don't think he got too severely punished. .. About a year a go a former Captain was charged with illegally acquiring about 20 tanks purchased around Europe. he'd falsely claimed he was acting on behalf of the Household Cavalry... sellers thought the tanks were for the Queen.. They weren't, it was his private collection. "The investigation began when UK Border Agency Officers were alerted to the importation of a Leopard Bergepanzer Tank and a Saladin Armoured Vehicle at Marchwood Port, Southampton" .. pretty hard to sneak them in i guess ?
The old classic when the CVRT family came out . Speeding! Don't be ridculous! You can't be done for speeding in a tank! The stated top speed was about 50 mph, but, well boys will be boys!
I witnessed the aftermath of a tank rampage in the spring of 1973 on post at Fort Knox, KY. At the time Fort Knox was the Armor training school. I was there for Advanced Individual Training (AIT) as an armor crewman. It was on a Friday night, one of the other companies in my battalion was graduating when a man imbibed to excess and became a problem at the EM Club. The MPs were called and excessive force applied to collar the individual. When sprung by the CO of his company the drunk told the MPs "I'm coming back and I'm bring my friend." What he didn't tell the MPs was that his "friend" was a 56 ton Main Battle Tank. The M-60A1 that was taken was used to crush 6-7 civilian autos after being "liberated" from the tank park. this soldier then drove it across the post looking for the Provost Marshal's office, unfortunately large red brick buildings look very similar to a drunk when viewed through the vision periscopes of the drivers compartment and he drove into the main Post Exchange. Seeing his error, he reversed, drove down the road and indeed found the Provost Marshal's office complex and again crashed into a building. No one was hurt during this joy ride. I, along with many other soldiers, had guard duty over this tank. it was covered with a tarp but still had merchandise from the PX on the exterior. The tank was not total unscathed having the front fenders smashed off, the bustle rack on the back of the turret crush flat, and the headlight pods sheared off. Aside from the cosmetic damage the vehicle was perfectly serviceable. The soldier was arrested and Court Marshalled. The legal action took place after I graduated and was posted to West Germany so I'm not sure what the outcome was, but, rumours from men arriving to my company who were at Fort Knox during the verdict reported that the soldier was found not guilty based on temporary insanity when it was proven that the MPs caused head trauma with a sap. It's interesting to see how flat a car is after getting run over by a tank. You are very correct in noting that bullets, big or small, are not the only weapons available to a tank crew. Because this rampage was limited to an Army post it is probable that the civilian news never reported on it, or if noted was provided only the minimal information. Thanks for all of the interesting and informative videos.
"There's still one more weapon we haven't used--" "The tracks! Driver, target crunchies, one o'clock, advance and correct!" --Ian from Forgotten Weapons and The Chieftain, during their video firing every weapon aboard a late-model Sherman
I remember reading about it in the Army Times , Drugs and draftees were a real problem and since this was a Drunk trooper pissed at the MP's the Older Officers could relate to I think it's why he got off with what he got and not harder . Bill
About the same time in 73 or 74 a Staff Sergeant reenlisted, I believe if memory serves me right it was Led Ward barracks in Germany the NCO was coming out of the field from a F.T.X of 30 days , came back to the housing quarters and found his wife, ran off with another solder with his reenlistment bonus, from there he commander a M60 main battle tank went thru the post front gate then started crushing cars, I can't remember how many Germans civilians were killed,, but he still in Leavenworth makeing big ones into little ones.
In 1982 a US soldier took a M60 for a joyride through Mannheim, Germany. Fortunately no civilians were killed, only casualty was the soldier when he drove the tank of a bridge.
I was in a mobile USAF command unit in 1987 when the Fort Carson joyride happened. From that point on all vehicles in mobility yard had their steering wheels chained and locked even if the yard itself was inside a fenced, locked and patrolled compound. As the threat of one of our own driving a five ton truck though the base in a rage was now something firmly inplanted in the minds of the base leadership.
My Dad told me of an incident on his base which had B-26 Marauders being prepped for transfers to other bases. Many mechanic enlisted men would often be tasked with starting them up and taxying them to hangers for maintenance etc. One Sgt. mistook the throttle for the landing gear up level and lowered the plane with a resounding crash. When some other mechanics scrambled on board to see if he was ok, one looking at the expression on his face said: "Well, you never did like being a Sgt anyway.". My Dad said this is one reason you never stand under a plane or near a propeller, unless you are loading bombs or fuel cause in that case if something goes wrong it won't matter, you won't get demoted.
I never stole a tank, but when I was about seven years old my grandmother left me on a playground in Bainbridge, GA, which was next door to what I think was the local National Guard Armory. In those days there was a Tank Company from the 121st Infantry Regiment assigned to them. They had what I think were M103 heavy tanks (120mm guns) parked there unattended. I started climbing on them and discovered a hatch had been left unsecured. As a result I was able to crawl around inside the vehicle and pretend I was Sgt Saunders from the TV series Combat!. I found it very roomy, but I was probably no more than four feet tall at the time. Ten years later I was marching in our high school ROTC unit behind a couple of these massive beasts as we paraded down the main street of the Florida state capitol. I believe these 60 ton monsters belonged to the 8th Tank Battalion (4th Marine Div) of the Tallahassee Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center in Tallahassee, FL and were about to be retired.
funny you should mention sgt saunders and combat. i watched an episode last night for the first time in years, it was the one where he took on a lone tank.
@@danielponiatowski7368 That's a great episode. My favorite scene was when he was hanging onto the turret for dear life as the tank chassis and turret swung back and forth trying to knock him off.
@@Paladin1873 we started watching that as little kids, i was so young i couldnt pronounce rick jason and thought saunders was holding a 45 at a weird angle in the opening credits. as kids a friend had found us an armoured vehicle to play in, a staghound, turret rotated an everything. i dont know if you guys did this in the USA but here farmers and loggers would buy surplus tanks after the war to use until we got on our feet. you would often come across a lee/grant or such left at the edge of a field.
@@Paladin1873 oh hey, always meant to ask what ROTC stood for, guessing its somthing like reserve officer training corp. did the ATC myself, air training corp, for a few years. it was set up to train under age kids in the basics before they joined the military proper and went off to train in canada or such with the air empire training scheme during the war. last plane i flew in was an old C-47, the pilot took it low between the hills and up the vallies which was pretty awesome from the astrodrome. anyhoo have a good one man, cheers.🇦🇺
@@danielponiatowski7368 Yes, ROTC stands for Reserve Officer Training Corps. The Army, Navy, and Air Force each have their own ROTC programs which are broken into two types. The first is Junior ROTC, which operates in many high schools, grades 9 - 12, with students typically being ages 14 - 18. The second is Senior ROTC, which is a college level program that offers a commission as a 2nd lieutenant or ensign (Navy) to those who successfully complete it. In both programs the members are called cadets, except in the Navy/Marine program where they are addressed as midshipmen. It is typical for a state funded college or university to have one or more service Senior ROTC programs on or near campus. Some private colleges also run Senior ROTC programs. I went to Georgia Tech and we had all three service programs. I was in Air Force ROTC. In high school I was in the Army Junior ROTC program (typically high schools only offer one service program option). There is no service commitment for those who participate in Junior ROTC. For those who join Senior ROTC, the service commitment does not begin until the last two years of the program, so an individual can opt out of the program at any point prior to that. Any member who fails college or drops out of Senior ROTC during the last two years of the program is subject to induction into that service as an enlisted member for up to four years.
I remember the event in Kearny Mesa San Diego, California area when the highway patrol and the San Diego Police Department.had to stop that guy that stole a National Guard M60 tank. If it wasn't for the ex-military experience one of the officers had, he would have never been able to stop the guy and the tank and shoot him in order to stop him. And then I hear from one of the people replying that they were also going to call a cobra helicopter up from Camp Pendleton to come in and shoot the tank if they couldn't stop it. As always excellent work Mr history guy. History deserves to be remembered.
Aboard ship in the Navy in San Diego when this happened. The off watch guys got to watch it on TV. Thankfully, the nuts doing this kind of thing are rare.
It was a San Diego Police Officer that was a former Marine Corps tanker that shot him. If the suspect had spun the turret, he could have knocked the officers off and severely injured them. The city was in the process of getting a Cobra Attack helicopter from Camp Pendleton to destroy the tank. Now that would have been incredible.
@@ralphalvarez5465 OK that explains how there was someone thinking fast to take advantage of the situation. It seemed by slim chance the tank got stuck. I remember the incident and police/CHP said admitting helpless on how to stop a tank. I was also thinking just launch a Cobra and fire a Hellfire missile. Apparently the military doesn't typically have such weapons systems in a "ready to go" mode, it takes time to assemble the pieces and get things ready.
Working as a Ground Equipment Contractor for the USMC during the Gulf War they would bus us out to the middle of nowhere, we'd each jump in a truck, tank, LAV, or AAV and drive it back to Jubail, Saudi Arabia for repairs, staging and eventually back loading onto the Marine's Prepositioning ships to be staged in Squadrons around the world ready to go into battle wherever and whenever the Marines were needed. On this particular day we came up on a pair of LARC-V's, a very large amphibious truck used by the Beach Masters during landings. The modern version of the WWII DUKW's. The Foreman asked who was qualified to run these and my buddy and I both jumped up and exited the bus. As the bus drove away, we looked at each other and in unison asked, "So you'll check me out on this?". Coming to the realization neither of us had a CLUE of how to start let alone operate the DUCKS, we spent a good half hour rummaging around trying to work it out. Eventually we got them going, and never said a word about the mix up on qualifications back at base. Later on, due to "Our Expertise" on such things, we were volunteered to launch a couple of AAV's (Amtrak's) into the harbor to round up a barge that had gotten loose. Again, no such experience, but we could wing it as good as anyone, I guess. I was rather satisfied when the AAV plunged below the water as I drove it off the pier and popped back up again like a cork. Even got to try my hand at driving the M1 Abrhams tanks down to the staging areas. Glad I wasn't involved in loading them onboard, their jet exhaust wound up melting some of the overhead lighting fixtures and it was a real mess. Good times in service of the country. When 9/11 happened, I went from Contractor to Soldier. SSG. U.S. Army (Medically Retired) Infantry / Sniper / SOF Intel (SOT-A), multiple tours
Great stories! What is the coolest vehicle that the public never really thinks of that you got to drive? (Probably the amphibious one, but just curious what more neat kit you got to test out)
@@extragoogleaccount6061 Thanks, I liked driving the LAV's the most, they're fast and being wheeled much easy to maneuver. Sadly, I never got to take one into the water. The most fun I've had in a military 'vehicle' is riding around Fort Chaffee Arkansas in the back of one of the last Huey helicopters still in service. It was during 2nd phase of ARNG Sniper School, we went out as a 4-man team for the FTX (Field Training Exercise) decked out in ghillies. The pilot was flying "nap of the Earth", with our feet dangling out above the skids. They'd set us down in an LZ, we'd scoot off to interdict a key target (Snipe someone in particular) then move quickly to make the pickup at a different LZ. We did 4 missions that way in a single day, each one of us taking a turn as Shooter, Spotter or Security. During the AAR (After Action Review) my target asked who shot him, and why. I stood, told him I had identified him, and when he stood still, I took the shot (blank rounds). He then complimented me on waiting for the right time, as I happened to shoot him while he was relieving himself on the side of the road. That was a good day.
The memories we all share of our time in the service are priceless. I'm 69 now and look back at my time in the Army as a wonderful experience and wouldn't trade the memories for anything in the world. Thanks for sharing yours.
I was involved in the recovery of the stolen M60 tank the troubled soldier stole in Germany and drove it over the side of the Manheim bridge. It landed upside down at near ninety degrees to the bank. The muddy river bottom and the fact that navy divers cut a hole in the bottom allowing it to fill with water made it very difficult.
I remember that one, I was stationed at Bad Kissingen from 1981 to 1983. Some crazy stuff happened there that no one stateside knew about. I remember that the tank was carrying a combat load and had the firing mechanism for the main gun. The guy supposedly turned the gun and backed off the bridge. Thanks for filling in the story on the recovery of the tank.
Thanks...I really enjoyed reliving this adventure with you! I was one of my most interesting experiences as an Army Public Affairs Officer, and one that continues to be brought up at cocktail parties with friends.
My father was in the Corp, stationed at Pendleton, and my mother and I lived in a beach-side bungalow in Oceanside. This was 1967 or so. One night a drunk Marine managed to steal a M116 Husky (amphibius cargo carrier), navigated it across the bay and drove it up onto the beach and then drove it through the retaining wall and onto the frontage street right in front of our bungalow. It sounded like a jet plane was landing on the roof!
I was stationed at Fort Carson in ‘87. I remember watching the news about the M-109 joyride. Motor pool guard soon became part of the many duties we had to enjoy.
A self propelled howitzer was stolen from Fort Sill and driven around Lawton Ok in the summer of’82. My mother sent me the local paper with the story. I wish I still had that copy.
I spent the very hot summer of 1981 at Fort Sill for basic training & 13B training. There was a story told then of someone taking a 109 on a joy ride years before. So maybe there was 2 "joy rides"?
I had a soldier in my unit in Illesheim Germany steal an M88 recovery vehicle and take a joyride through the post and then out around the countryside. It was his last night before heading back to the USA and there was some alcohol involved. I heard the MP at the gate stood in front with his M1911 pistol and then decided that it was not a good idea to try to stop the M88 (driver's hatch was closed so shooting would have done nothing anyway). The guy did some damage to the "cognac poles" on the narrow roads with the police following him. Eventually he threw a track and that's what stopped him. Needless to say, he didn't get to go home the next day.
I was assigned to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Armored Divisions in my 8 years of Army service, including 9 months driving Armored Personnel Carriers and a Sheridan tank in Vietnam. I had heard about the mentioned rampage in West Germany and other similar incidents including a GI ramming an M-60 main gun tube into a German Discoteque because he became jealous of the Go-Go girl's multiple affections. In civilian life I volunteered with our local Civil Air Patrol when my two boys joined as cadets. One training event for the Cadets was week-long training at Ft. Indiantown Gap NGTC, Annville, PA where they learned military stuff including the highlight event of firing a real M-16 rifle. This leads me to what I believe may be an interesting topic for THG. The dozen or more M-16 rifles and ammunition used for the training exercise were procured by an Army Reserve (?) Colonel from a Maryland Army Reserve Center and transported to FIG in his private vehicle and returned. This was an annual mission by this USAR Colonel, with one bizarre problem. The Colonel wasn't a Colonel, in fact, he never was enlisted in any US military service. He was simply a "wannabee". A guy, who like millions of men (mostly) who pose as a member or veteran of the military. [Almost all claim to be war heroes, Special Forces, SEALS, Army Rangers, etc. never cooks or finance personnel] He was caught sometime around 1999 after one of the training cycles for the CAP by an alert veteran questioning the misplaced/unearned medals on the non-Colonel's uniform which then snowballed into a full investigation. I have not been able to find what happened. This event is interesting in an of itself, but the tragedy of the continued falsification of heroic military service might be a topic interesting to other folks as well.
We all knew the *track* you were gonna take with that comment. I enjoy a joke if it's good enough to make my head spin, but yours got bogged-down on maneuvers....
The National Guard unit I was in, a group of soldiers took their M113 and drove it out of the training area to where our civilian vehicles were parked. Parked the M113 there. Then drove off base with their civilian vehicle and bought a couple cases of beer and other liquor. They drove back on base, loaded up the M113 with their booze, and drove back to our encampment. They were only discovered when one of their leaders found the empty beer cans and hung over soldiers. Those soldiers got in a lot of trouble, and so did much of our leadership, along with our commanding officer who was reassigned shortly afterward. His time in command was due up anyway but I think they hastened his assignment to battalion headquarters staff earlier than he might have been moved. On a side note, your first image when talking about the National Guardsman who took an M113, shows a soldier in front of an M577 command carrier. I used to have to drive one of those, even though I was a radio operator, since our commander never had a driver to drive it. It is almost an M113 just built up to run a command section with more radio mounts inside, a generator to run those radios, and a tent that attached to the back of the carrier which we would use to make our own little operations center in the field. Close enough I guess lol.
Yea you can even see the generator on top of it. I was a crewman on an M163 self propelled Vulcan that used the M113 basic chassis, we had a smaller 1.5 kw generator on the back of ours on a mount next to the ramp, it was used to power the gun system if the chassis engine was shut down, we rarely took them down and set them up though because we usually weren't in one place for too long.
In my National Guard unit there was a legend about a guy who got drunk during a drill, cut the lock off an M-109 SP Howitzer (similar to the one in your video), fired it up and proceeded to spin it around and break the barrel off by hitting the corner of the building! I'm not sure if it really happened or if was something they used to scare young privates and lieutenants into not doing anything stupid. They said he had to serve the next 24 years without pay to avoid prison.
In the late 1980s, some legend among Lance Corporals stole an A-4 Skyhawk attack jet and took it for a joyride, after a medical issue had disqualified him from pilot training. This was a man who had not a fuck to give, and so not a fuck was given. An absolute hero to Lance Corporals everywhere.
This was both entertaining and informative. In the US Army I was awarded an Expert Tracked Vehicle Driver badge and was a unit trainer and road test examiner on the M113 family of tracked vehicles equipping my units. I find 45 MPH for the tracked crane, M109 self-propelled howitzer and M113 personnel carrier a bit hard to believe because one overloaded M113 variant had trouble exceeding 16 miles per hour going downhill with a tail wind--that the M548 mounting a heavy jamming system shelter. I can't say that the "high speed chase" didn't happen, just that in my experience the armored vehicles in question were not going to top 30 MPH and may have been limited to less speed. I am biased to regard fences and locks as a means of keeping lazy people honest. That M60 tank didn't need to exit through a gate when the fence wasn't capable of stopping a tank. I heard lots of rumors of stolen tanks through a long military career. I only heard about the San Diego one but was aware of others even though I didn't have details on time, place, name of the thief, and outcome. There were multiple airplane joy rides including one where an F6F Hellcat converted to a target drone stopped responding to remote radio commands shortly after take-off and a pair of F-89s failed to bring the plane down. Even robots go joy riding, it seems. Thanks--a video presentation on stolen military airplanes would be interesting, too. Don't forget that boats can be commandeered.
Well that's nonsense, I drove both the M113 and the M163 self propelled Vulcan variant of it that weighed 3 tons more than the M113 and used to hit 45 MPH on the hardball with them, that's on a level paved or concrete road, the M113 also topped out at 45 MPH on the hardball but got there faster because it was lighter, what stopped them both from going any faster was the governor on the engine, I even had a squad leader scream at me once "Slow down!!! This thing isn't the f%&#in' Batmobile!!!". Your unit must have had the worst mechanics in the Army if that's all the faster your's went, even our operators and training manuals said top speed on the hardball was 45 MPH, every one I ever drove would hit 45 MPH on the hardball as long as the engine wasn't pooched.
In Juli 1982 a PVT. Keefer stole a M-60 Tank and drove it trough the German City of Mannheim. He damaged a bunch of cars and injured a few people. When the police and the military stopped him on a bridge, he droved the tank into the river, killing himself.
It's certainly not just in the US this happens. Here in Norway, in 1998 a young man stole a M270 MLRS and went on a 2 hour joyride. Luckily, no one was injured. 20 years ago vehicles were stored in such ways that it was not that difficult for someone to get into where vehicles were stored and start them up. Now security is much better, and it would be possible only for people in the unit.
I remember as a youth saying to a foe while playing the Dozens. Telling this bloke." Yo mama drives a tank to the Prom ." And she was still parked outside. A bunch of people looked outside and she was still there! They had a GMC from the 60's or early 70's with the luggage box on the roof! It had the wood paneling like the Bradys station wagon
In 1973, I was stationed at Sheppard AFB, we had a situation similar to this. Sheppard is a training base, mainly aircraft maintenance ( I was going thru Telephone Maint school). There was a Student Squadron known as the 76th. With the Bicentennial coming up and the fact that they were in the new/ modern student dorms, they were a cocksure group. Their Squadron commander was Ex-spec ops and would have people do simple things, like steal all of the ashtrays from the Airman's club. Well, the students decided to up the ante. In the middle of the night, they stole a T-28 Trojan Trainer from the flightline and parked in the Squadron commanders parking spot. Originally, they tried to take an F-100 Super Sabre, but could not get thru the gate. I learned of this when SP's came into my class and arrested one of my Classmates. He had been identified as the person in the cockpit, giving orders to the others. I'm sure not only did the group of students got into trouble, but the SP's also had some explaining to do, since they had to drag the aircraft down one of the main roads to get to the squadron and no one detected it. My classmate did graduate with us.
I remember well the San Diego incident. I was in Kearney Mesa on my way home from running errands and just missed the excitement. I went through an intersection where the traffic signal was knocked down, and figured some car had hit it. Then saw more signals and light poles down as I went along, and knew it couldn't have been an ordinary accident. When I got home I turned on the news and saw the end of the chase.
- In 2006, a protester in Budapest got hold of a T-34 and started driving it around in the city centre. - In 2021, in Germany, a 84 year old man turned out to keep an old tank and loads of weapons and explosives in his backyward. He used to take his tank for a round from time to time, until the police found out.
I’ll never forget this (San Diego) as I was a teen when it happened. Seeing the tank rolling through an RV was unforgettable. Wasn’t in my area but I was less than an hour from all the drama. Man I wanted a tank after seeing that. Traffic my a$$.
I’m surprised lance didn’t mention this, but if you look at a map and trace the route of which Nelson took, its clear he was headed for an exit ramp which exited right at the very hospital that he tried to sue and failed, only to be counter sued by said hospital. Although it can’t be proven since he is dead, but It’s more likely than not that he was headed for that hospital to take out revenge
It is pretty hard to resist the desire to drive a tank. I was 17 in the Marines after boot camp and tracked vehicle repair school, I went to Okinawa and they put me to work. Within a couple of days I had done some repair on an amtrac and the Gunny said to go give it a good test. It took a minute or two for me to believe what I was hearing but I was to go drive it out on the beach and through the water for at least 20 minutes, alone, a 17 year old. I'm 65 and I remember that first test drive like it was yesterday. Ultimately I worked on tanks, amtracs and self propelled artillery and test drives never go old.
I REMEMBER READING ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER WAS A TANK DRIVER IN THE AUSTRIAN ARMY. HE GOT IN TROUBLE FOR DRAG RACING ANOTHER TANK DOWN A HILL WITH TROOPS ON THE TANKS.THEY PUT ABOUT40 MEN IN THE HOSPITAL..GOOD VIDEO SIR,TANK YOU
I was assigned to HHC 5/29 FA IN 1989. I'm surprised that I have never heard that story before. But I did discover an AK-47 in the fuel tank of one of a FISTV's fuel cells. The CID agent that arrived to retrieve it, said it was the second to have been found that day.
According to everyone I know who's operated one, the best--and primary--use of the hull ammunition stowage on an Abrams is smuggling souvenirs home from deployment, because the Customs agent inspecting the tank--and everyone else--always forgets that there *is* hull ammo stowage space...
The guy on LSD didn't steal a tank, he was trying to free the poor elephant that the army was keeping locked up in captivity against its will. He just wanted the poor creature to be free.
@@micahhammac1242 , these comments are obviously written by people who have no experience with LSD. The tank incidents THG recounts, as well as others recounted in the comments here (but which werent as widely reported, if at all), are more typical of what drunken people do. Alcohol, or meth, although completely different drugs, can spark and encourage some seriously stupid behavior.
@@goodun2974 I have experienced LSD in my youth, that's what reminded me of the tank retriever looking like a sad elephant 🐘 in need of freedom back to the wild. But thanks for the comment.
When I first got my driver's license, my Dad gave me some words of wisdom, "If you race a train to a grade crossing and it's a tie, you lose." That could also be applied to a 60-ton tank, just stay out of its way.
I was playing a round of golf and from the tee box we were able to see a local collector's pride and joy displayed in his front yard, a WW II era tank. Unusual, but really not surprising where I live. As we played back the next hole, we realized he was then driving it up and down the road in front of his house. Not stolen, but really not the sort of thing I'd like to meet on a rural road.
It was terrifying in San Diego. I was on arcade route and Warning came over the car radio I quickly spotted a pizza place I knew had a TV so I could watch it and saw the tank go right by the pizza place on the TV ! Time slowed down as the unreal scene unfolded
Hey History Guy, do you remember that tank that used to sit in Times Beach before they found dioxin there? I heard it was used in the movie “Tank” with James Garner. Apparently owned by a fellow who is a member of a vehicle collectors club in St. Louis. I tried to talk with the owner but never could find him and then the government closed Times Beach. The movie was kind of like these cases. It’s pretty funny.
When you were tasked with the "security package" upgrade for Kearny Mesa National Guard Armory in 2001 because of a stolen tank. Replaced the Cold War-era lights and added cameras, first jobsite as an apprentice electrician, was kinda cool walking around and getting to look into all the old vehicles. Place has changed a lot in the past 20 years. >__
Great stories; they put me in mind of similar incident from my childhood. My dad was stationed at Tidworth during the late 80s. One day, after he had been duty overnight, he came home and told me that one of the privates from the unit he was attached to had stolen an armoured recovery vehicle overnight. When I asked my dad why the private had done it, he told me that the guy's girlfriend had split up with him. So he got drunk and decided to go see her and stole the vehicle as a means of transport. The RMP's found him very quickly at his ex girlfriends house by following the trail of damage he had left in his wake. We want for a walk to the shops later that day, and you could clearly see where he had been. There was a frence with concrete posts that surrounded one of the camps sports fields just outside the main gate you could see where he had driven off the road and onto the field and back onto the road, (probably to a voild another vehicle). There were a number of holes in the frence and numerous tank tracks marks dug into the fields grass and those concrete posts were either in bits or had been knocked over whole with the foundation up rooted, I think there was even a road sign or two bent or leaning over to mark his passage as well. It was like that for months as well before the damage was repaired. If he had done similar things all the way to her house, it's not hard to see why the red caps found him so easily, and that's without her or her neighbours calling them or the civilan police to report a "tank" running a mock down their street. I have no idea what happened to him. I imagine he was court marshalled and at least spent some time at Colchester military prison and fined the maximum amount against his pay that was aloud under military law. He was possibly even discharged.
In 1986, I watched a Sherman tank driving north on what is now I-69E in Brownsville, Texas. You could hear it coming from a LONG way off, and it was just moving right along with traffic.
I was active duty with the California Army National Guard in a sister unit to one of the units located at the Armory and Organizational Maintenance Shop on Mesa College Drive in San Diego. Because of Sean Nelson, my life, and that of many California National Guard members became frustrating, ironic, and a huge pain in the ass for a number of years afterwards. I can tell you emphatically that we did NOT remove the vehicle batteries. Being that almost all our vehicles had more than 1 battery, and they were arranged and wired to provide 24 volts of power for the vehicle systems. So we did take off one of the battery cables that attached the batteries, so the vehicles could not be started without first reinstalling that cable. In addition to that, all gates had to be locked at all times except when authorized personell were actively moving in or out the gate(s), and/or the gates were manned and guarded. And all vehicles had chains installed or other devices that would prevent anyone from being able to steer a vehicle unless unlocked. And those were locked at all times, or those responsible could face disciplinary charges. The biggest problem was all the added wear and tear on the battery cables and the battery terminal posts. Being made of lead they were soft metals that were easily bent and gouged by the repeated removal and reinstallation on the cables on the batteries. The posts would become warped, cracked, and just plain worn out, and often reduced the batteryefficiency, or wouldn't recharge properly, so we had a lot of dead battery issues. And sometimes it was the battery cable not being attached snugly and draining the battery prematurely. It added at least 10 minutes to any efforts to get the unit out the gates for go on a training mission. Someone would have to get all the log books and keys, sign out the vehicles, obtain the correct battery cable, correctly attach it, etc. You get the idea. And life was like that for years thereafter. So we had more vehicle down time, added maintenance costs, more required manpower to get vehicles ready for a mission, more tasks to accomplish before departing. It was no fun at all. But we had to do what we had to do. Thank you for listening.
Back in the 50s or 60s the M4 Sherman on the parade ground at my alma mater, The Citadel was driven onto the quad of one of the barracks 1 night by a cadet who snuck out and brought the tank to running condition. It was returned and filled with concrete.
An "honorable" mention, I recall a story of another individual building a tank from a bulldozer? and then going on a rampage in his town too... over a property dispute.
Two corrections: 1) a self-propelled howitzer is not a tank, and 2) a 26 year-old Veteran does not have the 20 years time in service required to retire.
That was the last M-60A3 I worked on at Ft. Irwin with my MST Team in the MATES. SSG Hendrix was the Soldier at the Gate that attempted to stop him. He also crushed the Recruiters Dodge Aries K Car. I was told the Tank was headed to Turkey 🇹🇷, Military Aid.
In the late 60's, a Marine stole a landing vehicle, from Camp Pendelton California, drove it out into the surf and then went south. I can't remember where it came ashore. It was either in Oceanside or Carlsbad. Anyway, the marine drove it by my house in Carlsbad and was finally stopped out by the Carlsbad Lagoon. He did more damage to the roads than to anything else. He might have been killed (if memory serves). You probably know many more stories like this, but this was history worth remembering.
Another case of a stolen tank was during the 2006 Budapest riots where a Soviet T-34 was driven by the protesters. It stopped only because it ran out of gas!
Not entirely accurate. It was driven by a former Hungarian tanker who got it working (it was on display). He stopped the tank cause he didn’t want to run over any of the protesters that were crowding around him as he moved.
how lucky was that woman in the back of her van while a tank drives over the front, she should of got a lotto ticket that week. imagine that, her life must have flashed before her eyes
@@bobmiller7502 Google a pic of one, they're enormous. The driver sits so high, he never even saw our car behind him, and he backed right over us. We were very lucky.
It doesn't have to be a tank to go on a rampage. In 2008 a guy in Grandby Colorado built his own "tank" from a bulldozer that he had clad with sheeting made from sheets of 1/2 in steel plating with concrete poured in between them. Apparently, the guy had worked for months in his garage before rampaging through the town for hours. He had built in remote cameras and two assault rifles. The guy went on a rampage, destroying local businesses and the police station. He only stopped because his engine finally failed, at which point he took his own life. According to the news reports, it took authorities several hours to cut into the vehicle to retrieve the body (after 7 million dollars of damage had been done). The story is on youTube.
My Dad told me about these. They used to call them “Tank Retrievers”. He remembers them vividly because he was the butt of jokes because of one. While he was in service in Germany, he had managed to get his three-quarter ton truck stuck in the mud. They had to call for one of these. Apparently nobody had a Jeep with a winch. 😂
Never saw a M-151 Jeep with a winch. Some M37 3/4 ton trucks had engine driven winches. Look up M-88 Tank Retriever to see the big brother of the one mentioned in this video.
We could have used one of those "tank retrievers" when I worked for a construction and trucking company specializing in excavation and grading. Dumptrucks and loaders would get stuck periodically, and we had an excavator operator who was known for getting stuck in muddy pits, like when we were dredging and mucking out a silt-filled pond.
In the late 1960s, a USMC landing craft was stolen from Camp Pendleton, and driven for several miles thru the streets of Oceanside, CA. I have never heard anything more about that incident.
Auto-captioning software works poorly; the voice-to-text software in my phone is even worse. Anyway, the people who blame LSD for incidents caused by stoned or intoxicated people probably don't know much about or have no personal experience with hallucinogenics. Alcohol or meth are far more likely components of intentionally-mechanized rampage and destruction. Rarely is the dedicated test specifically for LSD given, because it's expensive, and because it's sometimes subject to false positives from opiates and antidepressants. (I bet that the soldier in question wasn't tested specifically for that drug alone; did they even have a specific test when this incident occurred?). Instead, a combination test that looks for a half-dozen or more substances is typically ordered. By the way, LSD itself actually clears from the bloodstream in 24 hours, though it can stay in hair for 90 days ---- as can many other drugs....
I enjoy your usual amusement and sense of irony but your dry as a martini wit was on full display on this one. I cherish this series and its unabashed love of knowledge and the relevance of things past to present day. Should you ever run for national office, you would have my vote. I've never thought about driving a tank, but now it sounds like it would be beyond fun under proper circumstances. Cheers.
In April 1993 a guy with mental health issues stole an APC from an army depot in the inner suburbs of Perth, Western Australia; I mean, Perth! You'd have to look real hard to find a place more "boondocks"... Anyway, he drove it thru the CBD in early hours of the morning (back then I lived in the CBD; I actually heard it pass my place just one block away!), rammed the Central Courthouse (no significant damages, unfortunately) before attempting to smash thru Parliament House, where a few SAS guys mngd to grab him. The damnedest things always seem to happen in the unlikeliest places...this was another great vid - 'tanks for the stories!
While this vehicle wasn’t stolen from the military but rather built in his own shop Marvin Heemeyer up-armored a Komatsu bulldozer and destroyed buildings of people that wronged him. He only stopped when the dozer track fell into a basement high centering him like how that one guy got stuck on the median with the tank.
As an Army Veteran and former Tanker in the M60A3, I can tell you that ANYONE who has ever driven one can get into it, even when the primary entry hatch is locked with a padlock. Not gonna say how, but if you know, you know. Military vehicles, with the exception of those civilian vehicles repurposed for military use, NEVER need a key to start. You might need a key to unlock the chains on the steering wheel, or the padlock on a hatch, but if you can bypass those, there is a good chance you can get it running in short order. Batteries or not.
Some of us who haven't can, too. Never been in the service, but last time I saw a 60 on display as a memorial, I had to resist the urge to... y'know... and get in it. (I learned, for the record, for a friend who grew up as an Army brat, and at age 10, used the same technique to get into a gate guard one, resulting in a rather long and uncomfortable conversation between her father and the base commander...)
In 1995, my family and I lived in San Diego, within a mile or so from where the incident took place. In fact, my wife is an alum of Mesa College. The neighborhood was named FoxRun, but was soon afterward dubbed "TankRun" by us locals. As to the end of this tragic event, that poor kid was trapped, had no way of escape, the tank was high-centered on the concrete divider, and that cop did not have to shoot him. I don't know the current status of the SDPD, but back then it was virtually lawless: cowboys who'd shoot a citizen and then always get off with a verdict of "justifiable shooting", no matter what. The instances of SDPD (back then) shooting unarmed civilians are legion. In 1986, Officer Craig Peyer (CHP) murdered a 20 year old college student, Cara Knott, whom he had pulled over on a deserted stretch of HWY 395. Are ALL cops bad? No, of course not! But some are; enough to sully the reputation of the vast majority of good cops. And at that time, the SDPD was noted for that. It was commonly said that the only people in San Diego who weren't afraid of the cops were the criminals.
Logically speaking, cops get tired of repeat criminals. Judges let killers go... so, if the cops don't shoot them, they're back on the street killing more people.
@@jackdundon2261 While I understand your point, that's not what I'm referring to here. One example with which I'm personally familiar: the guy who has since become my son-in-law broke up with his previous girlfriend to date my daughter. The girl he broke up with told her brother who was the leader of a gang. He and his gang of young thugs paid us a visit one evening to express their displeasure with our daughter. But thankfully, seeing the 38 revolver in my hand reminded them of a previous elsewhere. We called SDPD and the 911 operator told me to unload my weapon or the big brave SDPD cops refused to enter my street. And we lived in a good neighborhood, not some slum. I had no idea where that gang was, or if they were coming back. When the cops finally did arrive, they phoned the gang leader and very politely informed him that WE were terrified, and asked him to not return! THIS Vietnam veteran WAS NOT terrified! Enraged, furious, but not terrified! There are other instances I could relate.
You are so full of bull your eyes are a solid brown. I was born here and I'm 73. We never had the problems collectively that L.A. had because local law enforcement chose to interact with the locals. I was blocks away from the incident at the watering hole several employees of our food service company gathered at after punching out. I was in an Ordnance M.O.S. in a Heavy Equipment Maintenance Company at Fort Knox and in Germany and was quite familiar with the M60. That tank could have killed many people traveling north if it had continued thru that K rail. That perp was given the chance to stop and he made the wrong choice.
@@lawrencetomlinson761 That guy had no way of escaping! He was cornered. And are you saying the other incidents I related were fabrications? I don't know where you lived in San Diego; we lived in Claremont at that time, near Balboa and Genesee, and I can tell you, the SDPD at that time was worse than worthless! Hopefully, that's no longer the case.
@@matthewrobinson4323 I can't really relate... you see I live in Cascadia Oregon. I lost the key to my front door 20 Years ago. And don't lock it at night. I have a 12 year old lab sleeping on the front portch. (She tells.me.if somebody is fooing around). I have a gun safe, its more of fire security. I keep a few hand guns and shotguns through-out the house. All loaded. Once in a while somebody comes up my driveway by accident in thr middle of the night.. I come strolling out, sometimes in my underwhere and shoes, with a 45 on my hip, and a 12 guage over my shoulder. -- they don't come back. I am polite, give then directions, and send them on their way. But, they don't come back. The comminutity has a reputation, "the locals don't call the cops, EVEN when the criminals beg them to". The locals chased Charles Manson out, then he went to California, and murdered Sharron tate. When antifa came down from Portland in 2019 trying to arson the county, there were roving patrols of locals. Driving all night... rumor has it they caught a couple... I watched the paper, there was no trials. Want peace, and quiet? Check out Rural Oregon.
I vividly remember the first tree we mowed down like a riding lawn mower in our M60A1 at Fort Knox Armor Officer Basic Course. Wow! I also remember when an 18 wheeler slammed into a M60A1 (with my classmates inside) while making a night road crossing. The post paper headline the next day was “Tank 1, Truck 0.” 52 tons of steel, and only a tool box was damaged while the 18 wheeler was completely destroyed, killing the driver who unfortunately ignored police warnings to stop. Tanks are awesome machines.
Guy took an Australian Army M113 APC in Perth in 1993. Poor guy was found to be suffering from schizophrenia at the time. Ran over a bunch of police cars and attacked the headquarters of the West Australian Police Service, but thankfully no one was injured.
I was in a tank company in Germany and in late 75 or early 76 a guy got the keys to the tank barn and pushed another tank out of the way and proceeded out the main gate. If I remember it, he took out the gate shack, a couple of German light poles and some other damage. They caught him when he stopped to secure the main gun, or so I was told. I had to guard him. Never heard of him again. We were confined to the base.
Would love an Episode on the life of John Bidwell.The first Wagon Train to California in 1841, The Bartleson-Bidwell trip, his relationship with John Sutter, His finding gold on the Feather river and his running for President of the USA.
Another great video, History Guy. However., as a former Marine I have a comment you might find interesting - perhaps even worth an update on your end? It is widely believed in the Corps that actor Steve McQueen stole a tank and took a joy ride into town. McQueen was actually a good Marine but he had a few "incidents". When I saw the title of your video, I was sure the McQueen story would be featured prominently. Maybe it is just a myth? By the way you are 100 percent right that the incidents you reported on are for the most part very serious. albeit with a cartoonish aspect. I think McQueen's episode was much more of a classic joyride scenario and less comitragic (but maybe not less dangerous) than the ones you included.
A high school friend did get dismissed from the marines after an incident with pot and a tank exercise where he crunched a fence and came to rest inside a building . I think the technical term was unsuitable for military life
There are fast food places near some US Army posts that have put up signs "No Tracked Vehicles Allowed In Drive Through".
My father told me a story of when he was a tank driver for the Canadian Armed Forces. He and two of his friends took a tank out for a weekend tour of the base. He received no reprimand for his actions as his friends were the CSM and the RSM, the two highest ranking NCOs in the regiment. When taking a joyride, it's good to have friends in high places and right beside you.
Terrific episode!
As you were telling your story I was reminded of Marvin Heemeyer, the man who modified a bulldozer and went on a rampage through Granby, CO. A bit more of a tragic story, but you have to admire the man’s chutzpah.
"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." - Marvin Heemeyer, probably
Killdozer!!!
He also found out why tankers really do not like driving through houses and buildings despite how much its done in movies and promotional videos. Before he shot himself the killdozer fell into a basement of a building he tried to drive it through. The floors of most buildings are not designed to carry the weight of tanks, either purpose made or home made.
I just recently learned of that story this week, the Marvin Heemeyer rampage. It's amazing what he did in transforming his vehicle into a bulldozer.
RIP Marvin.
I've got one for you. . . My little town in central Texas has an annual fall festival, and in 1984 the Army brought some equipment up from Fort Hood to display for recruiting purposes. Included was a mobile surface-to-air missile launcher and an M1 Abrams tank. The M1 had only recently been introduced and was considered a marvel at the time. However, as festivities carried on into the night, some of the soldiers became drunk and were then convinced to take the M1 out for a little spin. This was far from a "rampage" and more of a true joy ride, as they simply roamed around the rural county's back roads. However, the speed and relative silence of the M1 made it quite difficult for the Army and local law enforcement to locate for several hours. By the time they responded to any phoned-in reports, the tank would have long since moved on. It was, of course, eventually recovered, and without any significant damage that I was ever aware of. The annual festival has continued since that time, but I don't believe the US Army has ever again participated.
I was stationed at NORAD when this took place NORAD is basically across the street (HWY 115) from Ft Carson. I was an Air Force Security Policeman at the time. Ft Carson MP's called our dispatch and asked us if we had seen Clyde? Our security controller asked "Who is Clyde"? He was then told Clyde was an M-109 Self Propelled Gun. We kept an eye out until we were called back and updated that Clyde was north bound on 25 towards Denver. Story brings back memories!
I remember that. I was with A co. 1/10th Infantry (Mech). 5/29 Field Artillery was up the street towards the B Street Gate by I-25 and Academy Blvd.
"You might think that the Army would have learned it's lesson..."
Spoken like someone unfamiliar with the Big Green Machine.
Rofl.
or government agencies in general...
"Tradition"
@@JoshuaTootell Bureaucrats in green uniforms. Kind of like weeds without a war to fight.
in UK a young soldier who'd just passed his tracked vehicles driving test was so proud that he drove the vehicle to his home to show his mother.... the army obviously were not thrilled with this but i don't think he got too severely punished. .. About a year a go a former Captain was charged with illegally acquiring about 20 tanks purchased around Europe. he'd falsely claimed he was acting on behalf of the Household Cavalry... sellers thought the tanks were for the Queen.. They weren't, it was his private collection. "The investigation began when UK Border Agency Officers were alerted to the importation of a Leopard Bergepanzer Tank and a Saladin Armoured Vehicle at Marchwood Port, Southampton" .. pretty hard to sneak them in i guess ?
Did he drive them through to the UK via the Chunnel? 🤔😁
My father was stationed at Marchwood as an exchange soldier.
What’s the problem, it’s for a collection.
need a lot of vasaline to plug one of them
The old classic when the CVRT family came out . Speeding! Don't be ridculous! You can't be done for speeding in a tank! The stated top speed was about 50 mph, but, well boys will be boys!
I witnessed the aftermath of a tank rampage in the spring of 1973 on post at Fort Knox, KY. At the time Fort Knox was the Armor training school. I was there for Advanced Individual Training (AIT) as an armor crewman. It was on a Friday night, one of the other companies in my battalion was graduating when a man imbibed to excess and became a problem at the EM Club. The MPs were called and excessive force applied to collar the individual. When sprung by the CO of his company the drunk told the MPs "I'm coming back and I'm bring my friend." What he didn't tell the MPs was that his "friend" was a 56 ton Main Battle Tank. The M-60A1 that was taken was used to crush 6-7 civilian autos after being "liberated" from the tank park. this soldier then drove it across the post looking for the Provost Marshal's office, unfortunately large red brick buildings look very similar to a drunk when viewed through the vision periscopes of the drivers compartment and he drove into the main Post Exchange. Seeing his error, he reversed, drove down the road and indeed found the Provost Marshal's office complex and again crashed into a building. No one was hurt during this joy ride.
I, along with many other soldiers, had guard duty over this tank. it was covered with a tarp but still had merchandise from the PX on the exterior. The tank was not total unscathed having the front fenders smashed off, the bustle rack on the back of the turret crush flat, and the headlight pods sheared off. Aside from the cosmetic damage the vehicle was perfectly serviceable.
The soldier was arrested and Court Marshalled. The legal action took place after I graduated and was posted to West Germany so I'm not sure what the outcome was, but, rumours from men arriving to my company who were at Fort Knox during the verdict reported that the soldier was found not guilty based on temporary insanity when it was proven that the MPs caused head trauma with a sap. It's interesting to see how flat a car is after getting run over by a tank. You are very correct in noting that bullets, big or small, are not the only weapons available to a tank crew.
Because this rampage was limited to an Army post it is probable that the civilian news never reported on it, or if noted was provided only the minimal information.
Thanks for all of the interesting and informative videos.
Interesting....I was there for OSUT (granted, 17 years later) and never knew about this.
"There's still one more weapon we haven't used--" "The tracks! Driver, target crunchies, one o'clock, advance and correct!" --Ian from Forgotten Weapons and The Chieftain, during their video firing every weapon aboard a late-model Sherman
I remember reading about it in the Army Times , Drugs and draftees were a real problem and since this was a Drunk trooper pissed at the MP's the Older Officers could relate to I think it's why he got off with what he got and not harder . Bill
About the same time in 73 or 74 a Staff Sergeant reenlisted, I believe if memory serves me right it was Led Ward barracks in Germany the NCO was coming out of the field from a F.T.X of 30 days , came back to the housing quarters and found his wife, ran off with another solder with his reenlistment bonus, from there he commander a M60 main battle tank went thru the post front gate then started crushing cars, I can't remember how many Germans civilians were killed,, but he still in Leavenworth makeing big ones into little ones.
In 1982 a US soldier took a M60 for a joyride through Mannheim, Germany. Fortunately no civilians were killed, only casualty was the soldier when he drove the tank of a bridge.
I was in a mobile USAF command unit in 1987 when the Fort Carson joyride happened. From that point on all vehicles in mobility yard had their steering wheels chained and locked even if the yard itself was inside a fenced, locked and patrolled compound. As the threat of one of our own driving a five ton truck though the base in a rage was now something firmly inplanted in the minds of the base leadership.
My Dad told me of an incident on his base which had B-26 Marauders being prepped for transfers to other bases. Many mechanic enlisted men would often be tasked with starting them up and taxying them to hangers for maintenance etc. One Sgt. mistook the throttle for the landing gear up level and lowered the plane with a resounding crash. When some other mechanics scrambled on board to see if he was ok, one looking at the expression on his face said: "Well, you never did like being a Sgt anyway.". My Dad said this is one reason you never stand under a plane or near a propeller, unless you are loading bombs or fuel cause in that case if something goes wrong it won't matter, you won't get demoted.
I never stole a tank, but when I was about seven years old my grandmother left me on a playground in Bainbridge, GA, which was next door to what I think was the local National Guard Armory. In those days there was a Tank Company from the 121st Infantry Regiment assigned to them. They had what I think were M103 heavy tanks (120mm guns) parked there unattended. I started climbing on them and discovered a hatch had been left unsecured. As a result I was able to crawl around inside the vehicle and pretend I was Sgt Saunders from the TV series Combat!. I found it very roomy, but I was probably no more than four feet tall at the time. Ten years later I was marching in our high school ROTC unit behind a couple of these massive beasts as we paraded down the main street of the Florida state capitol. I believe these 60 ton monsters belonged to the 8th Tank Battalion (4th Marine Div) of the Tallahassee Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center in Tallahassee, FL and were about to be retired.
funny you should mention sgt saunders and combat. i watched an episode last night for the first time in years, it was the one where he took on a lone tank.
@@danielponiatowski7368 That's a great episode. My favorite scene was when he was hanging onto the turret for dear life as the tank chassis and turret swung back and forth trying to knock him off.
@@Paladin1873 we started watching that as little kids, i was so young i couldnt pronounce rick jason and thought saunders was holding a 45 at a weird angle in the opening credits. as kids a friend had found us an armoured vehicle to play in, a staghound, turret rotated an everything. i dont know if you guys did this in the USA but here farmers and loggers would buy surplus tanks after the war to use until we got on our feet. you would often come across a lee/grant or such left at the edge of a field.
@@Paladin1873 oh hey, always meant to ask what ROTC stood for, guessing its somthing like reserve officer training corp. did the ATC myself, air training corp, for a few years. it was set up to train under age kids in the basics before they joined the military proper and went off to train in canada or such with the air empire training scheme during the war. last plane i flew in was an old C-47, the pilot took it low between the hills and up the vallies which was pretty awesome from the astrodrome. anyhoo have a good one man, cheers.🇦🇺
@@danielponiatowski7368 Yes, ROTC stands for Reserve Officer Training Corps. The Army, Navy, and Air Force each have their own ROTC programs which are broken into two types. The first is Junior ROTC, which operates in many high schools, grades 9 - 12, with students typically being ages 14 - 18. The second is Senior ROTC, which is a college level program that offers a commission as a 2nd lieutenant or ensign (Navy) to those who successfully complete it. In both programs the members are called cadets, except in the Navy/Marine program where they are addressed as midshipmen. It is typical for a state funded college or university to have one or more service Senior ROTC programs on or near campus. Some private colleges also run Senior ROTC programs. I went to Georgia Tech and we had all three service programs. I was in Air Force ROTC. In high school I was in the Army Junior ROTC program (typically high schools only offer one service program option). There is no service commitment for those who participate in Junior ROTC. For those who join Senior ROTC, the service commitment does not begin until the last two years of the program, so an individual can opt out of the program at any point prior to that. Any member who fails college or drops out of Senior ROTC during the last two years of the program is subject to induction into that service as an enlisted member for up to four years.
Your video and reading a stories from the many vets and ex-vets in the comments bring much joy.
I am sick today with the stomach flu
Get well soon!
so hard-core. Love, love, love the history that was in the news that day and needs to be remembered.
I remember the event in Kearny Mesa San Diego, California area when the highway patrol and the San Diego Police Department.had to stop that guy that stole a National Guard M60 tank. If it wasn't for the ex-military experience one of the officers had, he would have never been able to stop the guy
and the tank and shoot him in order to stop him. And then I hear from one of the people replying that they were also going to call a cobra helicopter up from Camp Pendleton to come in and shoot the tank if they couldn't stop it. As always excellent work Mr history guy. History deserves to be remembered.
I remember watching that stolen tank when I was a kid when I was from San Diego.
Aboard ship in the Navy in San Diego when this happened. The off watch guys got to watch it on TV. Thankfully, the nuts doing this kind of thing are rare.
This was prime time easy coast, I remember it well.
It was a San Diego Police Officer that was a former Marine Corps tanker that shot him. If the suspect had spun the turret, he could have knocked the officers off and severely injured them. The city was in the process of getting a Cobra Attack helicopter from Camp Pendleton to destroy the tank. Now that would have been incredible.
@@ralphalvarez5465 OK that explains how there was someone thinking fast to take advantage of the situation. It seemed by slim chance the tank got stuck. I remember the incident and police/CHP said admitting helpless on how to stop a tank. I was also thinking just launch a Cobra and fire a Hellfire missile. Apparently the military doesn't typically have such weapons systems in a "ready to go" mode, it takes time to assemble the pieces and get things ready.
Working as a Ground Equipment Contractor for the USMC during the Gulf War they would bus us out to the middle of nowhere, we'd each jump in a truck, tank, LAV, or AAV and drive it back to Jubail, Saudi Arabia for repairs, staging and eventually back loading onto the Marine's Prepositioning ships to be staged in Squadrons around the world ready to go into battle wherever and whenever the Marines were needed.
On this particular day we came up on a pair of LARC-V's, a very large amphibious truck used by the Beach Masters during landings. The modern version of the WWII DUKW's.
The Foreman asked who was qualified to run these and my buddy and I both jumped up and exited the bus. As the bus drove away, we looked at each other and in unison asked, "So you'll check me out on this?". Coming to the realization neither of us had a CLUE of how to start let alone operate the DUCKS, we spent a good half hour rummaging around trying to work it out.
Eventually we got them going, and never said a word about the mix up on qualifications back at base. Later on, due to "Our Expertise" on such things, we were volunteered to launch a couple of AAV's (Amtrak's) into the harbor to round up a barge that had gotten loose. Again, no such experience, but we could wing it as good as anyone, I guess. I was rather satisfied when the AAV plunged below the water as I drove it off the pier and popped back up again like a cork.
Even got to try my hand at driving the M1 Abrhams tanks down to the staging areas. Glad I wasn't involved in loading them onboard, their jet exhaust wound up melting some of the overhead lighting fixtures and it was a real mess.
Good times in service of the country. When 9/11 happened, I went from Contractor to Soldier.
SSG. U.S. Army (Medically Retired) Infantry / Sniper / SOF Intel (SOT-A), multiple tours
Great stories! What is the coolest vehicle that the public never really thinks of that you got to drive? (Probably the amphibious one, but just curious what more neat kit you got to test out)
That your service and sacrifice.
@@extragoogleaccount6061 Thanks, I liked driving the LAV's the most, they're fast and being wheeled much easy to maneuver. Sadly, I never got to take one into the water. The most fun I've had in a military 'vehicle' is riding around Fort Chaffee Arkansas in the back of one of the last Huey helicopters still in service.
It was during 2nd phase of ARNG Sniper School, we went out as a 4-man team for the FTX (Field Training Exercise) decked out in ghillies. The pilot was flying "nap of the Earth", with our feet dangling out above the skids. They'd set us down in an LZ, we'd scoot off to interdict a key target (Snipe someone in particular) then move quickly to make the pickup at a different LZ. We did 4 missions that way in a single day, each one of us taking a turn as Shooter, Spotter or Security.
During the AAR (After Action Review) my target asked who shot him, and why. I stood, told him I had identified him, and when he stood still, I took the shot (blank rounds). He then complimented me on waiting for the right time, as I happened to shoot him while he was relieving himself on the side of the road.
That was a good day.
The memories we all share of our time in the service are priceless. I'm 69 now and look back at my time in the Army as a wonderful experience and wouldn't trade the memories for anything in the world. Thanks for sharing yours.
I was involved in the recovery of the stolen M60 tank the troubled soldier stole in Germany and drove it over the side of the Manheim bridge. It landed upside down at near ninety degrees to the bank. The muddy river bottom and the fact that navy divers cut a hole in the bottom allowing it to fill with water made it very difficult.
Yep. I was going to add a comment saying he missed this one!
I posted on this one too. You beat me to it though. 😉
I remember that one, I was stationed at Bad Kissingen from 1981 to 1983. Some crazy stuff happened there that no one stateside knew about. I remember that the tank was carrying a combat load and had the firing mechanism for the main gun. The guy supposedly turned the gun and backed off the bridge. Thanks for filling in the story on the recovery of the tank.
I got to Mannheim (Sullivan Barracks) the very next year when this happened.
@@ralphalvarez5465 Yes, the tanks were always loaded, combat ready in Germany.. I was there
Thanks...I really enjoyed reliving this adventure with you! I was one of my most interesting experiences as an Army Public Affairs Officer, and one that continues to be brought up at cocktail parties with friends.
My father was in the Corp, stationed at Pendleton, and my mother and I lived in a beach-side bungalow in Oceanside. This was 1967 or so. One night a drunk Marine managed to steal a M116 Husky (amphibius cargo carrier), navigated it across the bay and drove it up onto the beach and then drove it through the retaining wall and onto the frontage street right in front of our bungalow. It sounded like a jet plane was landing on the roof!
I was stationed at Fort Carson in ‘87. I remember watching the news about the M-109 joyride. Motor pool guard soon became part of the many duties we had to enjoy.
A self propelled howitzer was stolen from Fort Sill and driven around Lawton Ok in the summer of’82.
My mother sent me the local paper with the story. I wish I still had that copy.
I spent the very hot summer of 1981 at Fort Sill for basic training & 13B training. There was a story told then of someone taking a 109 on a joy ride years before. So maybe there was 2 "joy rides"?
I had a soldier in my unit in Illesheim Germany steal an M88 recovery vehicle and take a joyride through the post and then out around the countryside. It was his last night before heading back to the USA and there was some alcohol involved. I heard the MP at the gate stood in front with his M1911 pistol and then decided that it was not a good idea to try to stop the M88 (driver's hatch was closed so shooting would have done nothing anyway). The guy did some damage to the "cognac poles" on the narrow roads with the police following him. Eventually he threw a track and that's what stopped him. Needless to say, he didn't get to go home the next day.
"And there was some alcohol involved....". Thanks for clarifying, I never would have guessed.🤫😖
I was assigned to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Armored Divisions in my 8 years of Army service, including 9 months driving Armored Personnel Carriers and a Sheridan tank in Vietnam. I had heard about the mentioned rampage in West Germany and other similar incidents including a GI ramming an M-60 main gun tube into a German Discoteque because he became jealous of the Go-Go girl's multiple affections.
In civilian life I volunteered with our local Civil Air Patrol when my two boys joined as cadets. One training event for the Cadets was week-long training at Ft. Indiantown Gap NGTC, Annville, PA where they learned military stuff including the highlight event of firing a real M-16 rifle.
This leads me to what I believe may be an interesting topic for THG. The dozen or more M-16 rifles and ammunition used for the training exercise were procured by an Army Reserve (?) Colonel from a Maryland Army Reserve Center and transported to FIG in his private vehicle and returned. This was an annual mission by this USAR Colonel, with one bizarre problem. The Colonel wasn't a Colonel, in fact, he never was enlisted in any US military service. He was simply a "wannabee". A guy, who like millions of men (mostly) who pose as a member or veteran of the military. [Almost all claim to be war heroes, Special Forces, SEALS, Army Rangers, etc. never cooks or finance personnel]
He was caught sometime around 1999 after one of the training cycles for the CAP by an alert veteran questioning the misplaced/unearned medals on the non-Colonel's uniform which then snowballed into a full investigation. I have not been able to find what happened. This event is interesting in an of itself, but the tragedy of the continued falsification of heroic military service might be a topic interesting to other folks as well.
Very interesting. TANKS A LOT for this informative and entertaining episode! ... ((OH, YOU KNEW SOMEONE WAS GOING TO SAY IT))!
We all knew the *track* you were gonna take with that comment. I enjoy a joke if it's good enough to make my head spin, but yours got bogged-down on maneuvers....
The National Guard unit I was in, a group of soldiers took their M113 and drove it out of the training area to where our civilian vehicles were parked. Parked the M113 there. Then drove off base with their civilian vehicle and bought a couple cases of beer and other liquor. They drove back on base, loaded up the M113 with their booze, and drove back to our encampment. They were only discovered when one of their leaders found the empty beer cans and hung over soldiers. Those soldiers got in a lot of trouble, and so did much of our leadership, along with our commanding officer who was reassigned shortly afterward. His time in command was due up anyway but I think they hastened his assignment to battalion headquarters staff earlier than he might have been moved.
On a side note, your first image when talking about the National Guardsman who took an M113, shows a soldier in front of an M577 command carrier. I used to have to drive one of those, even though I was a radio operator, since our commander never had a driver to drive it. It is almost an M113 just built up to run a command section with more radio mounts inside, a generator to run those radios, and a tent that attached to the back of the carrier which we would use to make our own little operations center in the field. Close enough I guess lol.
Yea you can even see the generator on top of it.
I was a crewman on an M163 self propelled Vulcan that used the M113 basic chassis, we had a smaller 1.5 kw generator on the back of ours on a mount next to the ramp, it was used to power the gun system if the chassis engine was shut down, we rarely took them down and set them up though because we usually weren't in one place for too long.
I was reading the comments ti see if anybody pointed that out. Good eye Sir.
In my National Guard unit there was a legend about a guy who got drunk during a drill, cut the lock off an M-109 SP Howitzer (similar to the one in your video), fired it up and proceeded to spin it around and break the barrel off by hitting the corner of the building! I'm not sure if it really happened or if was something they used to scare young privates and lieutenants into not doing anything stupid. They said he had to serve the next 24 years without pay to avoid prison.
In the late 1980s, some legend among Lance Corporals stole an A-4 Skyhawk attack jet and took it for a joyride, after a medical issue had disqualified him from pilot training. This was a man who had not a fuck to give, and so not a fuck was given. An absolute hero to Lance Corporals everywhere.
ua-cam.com/video/HersvTbNdC0/v-deo.html
Haha came to post the link and THG was already here
Reminds me of Richard "Sky King" Russell
Bringing the Bowtie back in style. What a champion.
This was both entertaining and informative. In the US Army I was awarded an Expert Tracked Vehicle Driver badge and was a unit trainer and road test examiner on the M113 family of tracked vehicles equipping my units. I find 45 MPH for the tracked crane, M109 self-propelled howitzer and M113 personnel carrier a bit hard to believe because one overloaded M113 variant had trouble exceeding 16 miles per hour going downhill with a tail wind--that the M548 mounting a heavy jamming system shelter. I can't say that the "high speed chase" didn't happen, just that in my experience the armored vehicles in question were not going to top 30 MPH and may have been limited to less speed.
I am biased to regard fences and locks as a means of keeping lazy people honest. That M60 tank didn't need to exit through a gate when the fence wasn't capable of stopping a tank.
I heard lots of rumors of stolen tanks through a long military career. I only heard about the San Diego one but was aware of others even though I didn't have details on time, place, name of the thief, and outcome. There were multiple airplane joy rides including one where an F6F Hellcat converted to a target drone stopped responding to remote radio commands shortly after take-off and a pair of F-89s failed to bring the plane down. Even robots go joy riding, it seems.
Thanks--a video presentation on stolen military airplanes would be interesting, too. Don't forget that boats can be commandeered.
Well that's nonsense, I drove both the M113 and the M163 self propelled Vulcan variant of it that weighed 3 tons more than the M113 and used to hit 45 MPH on the hardball with them, that's on a level paved or concrete road, the M113 also topped out at 45 MPH on the hardball but got there faster because it was lighter, what stopped them both from going any faster was the governor on the engine, I even had a squad leader scream at me once "Slow down!!! This thing isn't the f%&#in' Batmobile!!!".
Your unit must have had the worst mechanics in the Army if that's all the faster your's went, even our operators and training manuals said top speed on the hardball was 45 MPH, every one I ever drove would hit 45 MPH on the hardball as long as the engine wasn't pooched.
In Juli 1982 a PVT. Keefer stole a M-60 Tank and drove it trough the German City of Mannheim. He damaged a bunch of cars and injured a few people. When the police and the military stopped him on a bridge, he droved the tank into the river, killing himself.
1983, I was transferred to Manheim not long after it happened.
It's certainly not just in the US this happens. Here in Norway, in 1998 a young man stole a M270 MLRS and went on a 2 hour joyride. Luckily, no one was injured.
20 years ago vehicles were stored in such ways that it was not that difficult for someone to get into where vehicles were stored and start them up. Now security is much better, and it would be possible only for people in the unit.
I believe the guy in the M109 set a new record for longest distance without it breaking down based on my experience on M109A4’s back in the day
I remember as a youth saying to a foe while playing the Dozens. Telling this bloke." Yo mama drives a tank to the Prom ." And she was still parked outside. A bunch of people looked outside and she was still there! They had a GMC from the 60's or early 70's with the luggage box on the roof! It had the wood paneling like the Bradys station wagon
In 1973, I was stationed at Sheppard AFB, we had a situation similar to this. Sheppard is a training base, mainly aircraft maintenance ( I was going thru Telephone Maint school). There was a Student Squadron known as the 76th. With the Bicentennial coming up and the fact that they were in the new/ modern student dorms, they were a cocksure group. Their Squadron commander was Ex-spec ops and would have people do simple things, like steal all of the ashtrays from the Airman's club. Well, the students decided to up the ante. In the middle of the night, they stole a T-28 Trojan Trainer from the flightline and parked in the Squadron commanders parking spot. Originally, they tried to take an F-100 Super Sabre, but could not get thru the gate. I learned of this when SP's came into my class and arrested one of my Classmates. He had been identified as the person in the cockpit, giving orders to the others. I'm sure not only did the group of students got into trouble, but the SP's also had some explaining to do, since they had to drag the aircraft down one of the main roads to get to the squadron and no one detected it. My classmate did graduate with us.
I remember well the San Diego incident. I was in Kearney Mesa on my way home from running errands and just missed the excitement. I went through an intersection where the traffic signal was knocked down, and figured some car had hit it. Then saw more signals and light poles down as I went along, and knew it couldn't have been an ordinary accident. When I got home I turned on the news and saw the end of the chase.
- In 2006, a protester in Budapest got hold of a T-34 and started driving it around in the city centre.
- In 2021, in Germany, a 84 year old man turned out to keep an old tank and loads of weapons and explosives in his backyward. He used to take his tank for a round from time to time, until the police found out.
I’ll never forget this (San Diego) as I was a teen when it happened. Seeing the tank rolling through an RV was unforgettable. Wasn’t in my area but I was less than an hour from all the drama. Man I wanted a tank after seeing that. Traffic my a$$.
I’m surprised lance didn’t mention this, but if you look at a map and trace the route of which Nelson took, its clear he was headed for an exit ramp which exited right at the very hospital that he tried to sue and failed, only to be counter sued by said hospital. Although it can’t be proven since he is dead, but It’s more likely than not that he was headed for that hospital to take out revenge
Wow very cool tanks for taking us on your adventure through time and GOD-BLESS hello from Detroit Michigan 94/275
It is pretty hard to resist the desire to drive a tank. I was 17 in the Marines after boot camp and tracked vehicle repair school, I went to Okinawa and they put me to work. Within a couple of days I had done some repair on an amtrac and the Gunny said to go give it a good test. It took a minute or two for me to believe what I was hearing but I was to go drive it out on the beach and through the water for at least 20 minutes, alone, a 17 year old. I'm 65 and I remember that first test drive like it was yesterday. Ultimately I worked on tanks, amtracs and self propelled artillery and test drives never go old.
I REMEMBER READING ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER WAS A TANK DRIVER IN THE AUSTRIAN ARMY. HE GOT IN TROUBLE FOR DRAG RACING ANOTHER TANK DOWN A HILL WITH TROOPS ON THE TANKS.THEY PUT ABOUT40 MEN IN THE HOSPITAL..GOOD VIDEO SIR,TANK YOU
Gotta say, that's the first time I ever enjoyed a commercial. A brilliant idea, and tailored perfectly to the subject.
Dear Lance,
If Dougan managed to escape while he was blitzed on LSD, one can only speculate as to what his escort was using.
Frank.
I was assigned to HHC 5/29 FA IN 1989. I'm surprised that I have never heard that story before.
But I did discover an AK-47 in the fuel tank of one of a FISTV's fuel cells. The CID agent that arrived to retrieve it, said it was the second to have been found that day.
According to everyone I know who's operated one, the best--and primary--use of the hull ammunition stowage on an Abrams is smuggling souvenirs home from deployment, because the Customs agent inspecting the tank--and everyone else--always forgets that there *is* hull ammo stowage space...
The guy on LSD didn't steal a tank, he was trying to free the poor elephant that the army was keeping locked up in captivity against its will. He just wanted the poor creature to be free.
Sounds like lsd 😂
Lmao 🤣
@@micahhammac1242 , these comments are obviously written by people who have no experience with LSD. The tank incidents THG recounts, as well as others recounted in the comments here (but which werent as widely reported, if at all), are more typical of what drunken people do. Alcohol, or meth, although completely different drugs, can spark and encourage some seriously stupid behavior.
Yeh they said THE "Elephant was so freightened its trunk stood
Straight out 90° FROM ITS FACE!
@@goodun2974 I have experienced LSD in my youth, that's what reminded me of the tank retriever looking like a sad elephant 🐘 in need of freedom back to the wild. But thanks for the comment.
When I first got my driver's license, my Dad gave me some words of wisdom, "If you race a train to a grade crossing and it's a tie, you lose." That could also be applied to a 60-ton tank, just stay out of its way.
A video on aircraft borrowed for joy rides would be interesting, too.
I was playing a round of golf and from the tee box we were able to see a local collector's pride and joy displayed in his front yard, a WW II era tank. Unusual, but really not surprising where I live. As we played back the next hole, we realized he was then driving it up and down the road in front of his house. Not stolen, but really not the sort of thing I'd like to meet on a rural road.
It was terrifying in San Diego. I was on arcade route and Warning came over the car radio I quickly spotted a pizza place I knew had a TV so I could watch it and saw the tank go right by the pizza place on the TV ! Time slowed down as the unreal scene unfolded
Hey History Guy, do you remember that tank that used to sit in Times Beach before they found dioxin there? I heard it was used in the movie “Tank” with James Garner. Apparently owned by a fellow who is a member of a vehicle collectors club in St. Louis. I tried to talk with the owner but never could find him and then the government closed Times Beach. The movie was kind of like these cases. It’s pretty funny.
I was about to mention the 1984 Garner movie.
When you were tasked with the "security package" upgrade for Kearny Mesa National Guard Armory in 2001 because of a stolen tank. Replaced the Cold War-era lights and added cameras, first jobsite as an apprentice electrician, was kinda cool walking around and getting to look into all the old vehicles. Place has changed a lot in the past 20 years.
>__
I remember watching the San Diego incident on TV. It certainly was something to remember.
Great stories; they put me in mind of similar incident from my childhood. My dad was stationed at Tidworth during the late 80s. One day, after he had been duty overnight, he came home and told me that one of the privates from the unit he was attached to had stolen an armoured recovery vehicle overnight. When I asked my dad why the private had done it, he told me that the guy's girlfriend had split up with him. So he got drunk and decided to go see her and stole the vehicle as a means of transport. The RMP's found him very quickly at his ex girlfriends house by following the trail of damage he had left in his wake. We want for a walk to the shops later that day, and you could clearly see where he had been. There was a frence with concrete posts that surrounded one of the camps sports fields just outside the main gate you could see where he had driven off the road and onto the field and back onto the road, (probably to a voild another vehicle). There were a number of holes in the frence and numerous tank tracks marks dug into the fields grass and those concrete posts were either in bits or had been knocked over whole with the foundation up rooted, I think there was even a road sign or two bent or leaning over to mark his passage as well. It was like that for months as well before the damage was repaired. If he had done similar things all the way to her house, it's not hard to see why the red caps found him so easily, and that's without her or her neighbours calling them or the civilan police to report a "tank" running a mock down their street. I have no idea what happened to him. I imagine he was court marshalled and at least spent some time at Colchester military prison and fined the maximum amount against his pay that was aloud under military law. He was possibly even discharged.
In 1986, I watched a Sherman tank driving north on what is now I-69E in Brownsville, Texas. You could hear it coming from a LONG way off, and it was just moving right along with traffic.
I guess in death after Operation Mayhem we all have a name, his name was Marvin John Heemeyer.
I’ll bet you re-examined playing solider as a kid after that ride. So cool nice to see you smelling the roses so to speak!
I was active duty with the California Army National Guard in a sister unit to one of the units located at the Armory and Organizational Maintenance Shop on Mesa College Drive in San Diego.
Because of Sean Nelson, my life, and that of many California National Guard members became frustrating, ironic, and a huge pain in the ass for a number of years afterwards.
I can tell you emphatically that we did NOT remove the vehicle batteries. Being that almost all our vehicles had more than 1 battery, and they were arranged and wired to provide 24 volts of power for the vehicle systems. So we did take off one of the battery cables that attached the batteries, so the vehicles could not be started without first reinstalling that cable.
In addition to that, all gates had to be locked at all times except when authorized personell were actively moving in or out the gate(s), and/or the gates were manned and guarded. And all vehicles had chains installed or other devices that would prevent anyone from being able to steer a vehicle unless unlocked. And those were locked at all times, or those responsible could face disciplinary charges.
The biggest problem was all the added wear and tear on the battery cables and the battery terminal posts. Being made of lead they were soft metals that were easily bent and gouged by the repeated removal and reinstallation on the cables on the batteries. The posts would become warped, cracked, and just plain worn out, and often reduced the batteryefficiency, or wouldn't recharge properly, so we had a lot of dead battery issues. And sometimes it was the battery cable not being attached snugly and draining the battery prematurely. It added at least 10 minutes to any efforts to get the unit out the gates for go on a training mission. Someone would have to get all the log books and keys, sign out the vehicles, obtain the correct battery cable, correctly attach it, etc. You get the idea. And life was like that for years thereafter.
So we had more vehicle down time, added maintenance costs, more required manpower to get vehicles ready for a mission, more tasks to accomplish before departing. It was no fun at all. But we had to do what we had to do.
Thank you for listening.
Back in the 50s or 60s the M4 Sherman on the parade ground at my alma mater, The Citadel was driven onto the quad of one of the barracks 1 night by a cadet who snuck out and brought the tank to running condition. It was returned and filled with concrete.
The picture of Patton on the wall behind you is approximate.
An "honorable" mention, I recall a story of another individual building a tank from a bulldozer? and then going on a rampage in his town too... over a property dispute.
Two corrections: 1) a self-propelled howitzer is not a tank, and 2) a 26 year-old Veteran does not have the 20 years time in service required to retire.
Yeah, really; I mean I've heard of "Army brats" but a 6 year old enlistee is just a bit too young....🤔😁
That was the last M-60A3 I worked on at Ft. Irwin with my MST Team in the MATES. SSG Hendrix was the Soldier at the Gate that attempted to stop him. He also crushed the Recruiters Dodge Aries K Car. I was told the Tank was headed to Turkey 🇹🇷, Military Aid.
Always an outstanding video and presentation.
I remember watching the San Diego incident on the news!
Tanks for a very interesting presentation!
Tip: don’t steal tanks, as such vehicles will be tracked 😆
I see what you did.
@@WhiteTrashMotorsports , this type of joke is so off-base! 🤣🤣🤣
In the late 60's, a Marine stole a landing vehicle, from Camp Pendelton California, drove it out into the surf and then went south. I can't remember where it came ashore. It was either in Oceanside or Carlsbad. Anyway, the marine drove it by my house in Carlsbad and was finally stopped out by the Carlsbad Lagoon. He did more damage to the roads than to anything else. He might have been killed (if memory serves). You probably know many more stories like this, but this was history worth remembering.
I didn't see anyone else say it, so I will...
Tanks for the great episode!
Another case of a stolen tank was during the 2006 Budapest riots where a Soviet T-34 was driven by the protesters. It stopped only because it ran out of gas!
Not entirely accurate. It was driven by a former Hungarian tanker who got it working (it was on display). He stopped the tank cause he didn’t want to run over any of the protesters that were crowding around him as he moved.
Another one was in 2014 when a bunch of Russian soldiers took their tanks on a vacction to Crimea.
how lucky was that woman in the back of her van while a tank drives over the front, she should of got a lotto ticket that week. imagine that, her life must have flashed before her eyes
Never had a tank hit me, but my car was run over by a road grader, with me in it! Crushed the engine into the road while my wife and I bailed.
@@rpbajb whats a road grader, sound nasty u was so lucky and u r misses to OMFFG
@@bobmiller7502 Google a pic of one, they're enormous. The driver sits so high, he never even saw our car behind him, and he backed right over us. We were very lucky.
It doesn't have to be a tank to go on a rampage. In 2008 a guy in Grandby Colorado built his own "tank" from a bulldozer that he had clad with sheeting made from sheets of 1/2 in steel plating with concrete poured in between them. Apparently, the guy had worked for months in his garage before rampaging through the town for hours. He had built in remote cameras and two assault rifles. The guy went on a rampage, destroying local businesses and the police station. He only stopped because his engine finally failed, at which point he took his own life. According to the news reports, it took authorities several hours to cut into the vehicle to retrieve the body (after 7 million dollars of damage had been done).
The story is on youTube.
My Dad told me about these. They used to call them “Tank Retrievers”. He remembers them vividly because he was the butt of jokes because of one.
While he was in service in Germany, he had managed to get his three-quarter ton truck stuck in the mud. They had to call for one of these. Apparently nobody had a Jeep with a winch. 😂
Never saw a M-151 Jeep with a winch. Some M37 3/4 ton trucks had engine driven winches. Look up M-88 Tank Retriever to see the big brother of the one mentioned in this video.
We could have used one of those "tank retrievers" when I worked for a construction and trucking company specializing in excavation and grading. Dumptrucks and loaders would get stuck periodically, and we had an excavator operator who was known for getting stuck in muddy pits, like when we were dredging and mucking out a silt-filled pond.
Thanks for these reminders.
I was living in Denver at the time. The whole household was rooting for him to go to the mint and pull a "Kellys Heroes" and blow the doors off.
In the late 1960s, a USMC landing craft was stolen from Camp Pendleton, and driven for several miles thru the streets of Oceanside, CA. I have never heard anything more about that incident.
Subtitles are hilarious sometimes 3:49 "He was recognized walking down the street by his own meth sergeant. The LSD ...."
Auto-captioning software works poorly; the voice-to-text software in my phone is even worse. Anyway, the people who blame LSD for incidents caused by stoned or intoxicated people probably don't know much about or have no personal experience with hallucinogenics. Alcohol or meth are far more likely components of intentionally-mechanized rampage and destruction. Rarely is the dedicated test specifically for LSD given, because it's expensive, and because it's sometimes subject to false positives from opiates and antidepressants. (I bet that the soldier in question wasn't tested specifically for that drug alone; did they even have a specific test when this incident occurred?). Instead, a combination test that looks for a half-dozen or more substances is typically ordered. By the way, LSD itself actually clears from the bloodstream in 24 hours, though it can stay in hair for 90 days ---- as can many other drugs....
Tanks for the memories
I enjoy your usual amusement and sense of irony but your dry as a martini wit was on full display on this one. I cherish this series and its unabashed love of knowledge and the relevance of things past to present day. Should you ever run for national office, you would have my vote. I've never thought about driving a tank, but now it sounds like it would be beyond fun under proper circumstances. Cheers.
In April 1993 a guy with mental health issues stole an APC from an army depot in the inner suburbs of Perth, Western Australia; I mean, Perth! You'd have to look real hard to find a place more "boondocks"...
Anyway, he drove it thru the CBD in early hours of the morning (back then I lived in the CBD; I actually heard it pass my place just one block away!), rammed the Central Courthouse (no significant damages, unfortunately) before attempting to smash thru Parliament House, where a few SAS guys mngd to grab him.
The damnedest things always seem to happen in the unlikeliest places...this was another great vid - 'tanks for the stories!
Tanks for this video!
Tanks for the video!
I was a driver on a M109A3 self propelled howitzer and also a mechanic. After the San Diego incident. We padlocked all the hatches.
Great advertisement for Drive-a-tank
While this vehicle wasn’t stolen from the military but rather built in his own shop Marvin Heemeyer up-armored a Komatsu bulldozer and destroyed buildings of people that wronged him. He only stopped when the dozer track fell into a basement high centering him like how that one guy got stuck on the median with the tank.
As an Army Veteran and former Tanker in the M60A3, I can tell you that ANYONE who has ever driven one can get into it, even when the primary entry hatch is locked with a padlock. Not gonna say how, but if you know, you know. Military vehicles, with the exception of those civilian vehicles repurposed for military use, NEVER need a key to start. You might need a key to unlock the chains on the steering wheel, or the padlock on a hatch, but if you can bypass those, there is a good chance you can get it running in short order. Batteries or not.
Some of us who haven't can, too. Never been in the service, but last time I saw a 60 on display as a memorial, I had to resist the urge to... y'know... and get in it. (I learned, for the record, for a friend who grew up as an Army brat, and at age 10, used the same technique to get into a gate guard one, resulting in a rather long and uncomfortable conversation between her father and the base commander...)
In 1995, my family and I lived in San Diego, within a mile or so from where the incident took place. In fact, my wife is an alum of Mesa College. The neighborhood was named FoxRun, but was soon afterward dubbed "TankRun" by us locals. As to the end of this tragic event, that poor kid was trapped, had no way of escape, the tank was high-centered on the concrete divider, and that cop did not have to shoot him. I don't know the current status of the SDPD, but back then it was virtually lawless: cowboys who'd shoot a citizen and then always get off with a verdict of "justifiable shooting", no matter what. The instances of SDPD (back then) shooting unarmed civilians are legion. In 1986, Officer Craig Peyer (CHP) murdered a 20 year old college student, Cara Knott, whom he had pulled over on a deserted stretch of HWY 395. Are ALL cops bad? No, of course not! But some are; enough to sully the reputation of the vast majority of good cops. And at that time, the SDPD was noted for that. It was commonly said that the only people in San Diego who weren't afraid of the cops were the criminals.
Logically speaking, cops get tired of repeat criminals. Judges let killers go... so, if the cops don't shoot them, they're back on the street killing more people.
@@jackdundon2261 While I understand your point, that's not what I'm referring to here. One example with which I'm personally familiar: the guy who has since become my son-in-law broke up with his previous girlfriend to date my daughter. The girl he broke up with told her brother who was the leader of a gang. He and his gang of young thugs paid us a visit one evening to express their displeasure with our daughter. But thankfully, seeing the 38 revolver in my hand reminded them of a previous elsewhere. We called SDPD and the 911 operator told me to unload my weapon or the big brave SDPD cops refused to enter my street. And we lived in a good neighborhood, not some slum. I had no idea where that gang was, or if they were coming back. When the cops finally did arrive, they phoned the gang leader and very politely informed him that WE were terrified, and asked him to not return! THIS Vietnam veteran WAS NOT terrified! Enraged, furious, but not terrified! There are other instances I could relate.
You are so full of bull your eyes are a solid brown. I was born here and I'm 73. We never had the problems collectively that L.A. had because local law enforcement chose to interact with the locals. I was blocks away from the incident at the watering hole several employees of our food service company gathered at after punching out. I was in an Ordnance M.O.S. in a Heavy Equipment Maintenance Company at Fort Knox and in Germany and was quite familiar with the M60. That tank could have killed many people traveling north if it had continued thru that K rail. That perp was given the chance to stop and he made the wrong choice.
@@lawrencetomlinson761 That guy had no way of escaping! He was cornered. And are you saying the other incidents I related were fabrications? I don't know where you lived in San Diego; we lived in Claremont at that time, near Balboa and Genesee, and I can tell you, the SDPD at that time was worse than worthless! Hopefully, that's no longer the case.
@@matthewrobinson4323 I can't really relate... you see I live in Cascadia Oregon. I lost the key to my front door 20 Years ago. And don't lock it at night. I have a 12 year old lab sleeping on the front portch. (She tells.me.if somebody is fooing around).
I have a gun safe, its more of fire security. I keep a few hand guns and shotguns through-out the house. All loaded. Once in a while somebody comes up my driveway by accident in thr middle of the night.. I come strolling out, sometimes in my underwhere and shoes, with a 45 on my hip, and a 12 guage over my shoulder. -- they don't come back. I am polite, give then directions, and send them on their way. But, they don't come back.
The comminutity has a reputation,
"the locals don't call the cops, EVEN when the criminals beg them to".
The locals chased Charles Manson out, then he went to California, and murdered Sharron tate.
When antifa came down from Portland in 2019 trying to arson the county, there were roving patrols of locals. Driving all night... rumor has it they caught a couple... I watched the paper, there was no trials.
Want peace, and quiet? Check out Rural Oregon.
I vividly remember the first tree we mowed down like a riding lawn mower in our M60A1 at Fort Knox Armor Officer Basic Course. Wow! I also remember when an 18 wheeler slammed into a M60A1 (with my classmates inside) while making a night road crossing. The post paper headline the next day was “Tank 1, Truck 0.” 52 tons of steel, and only a tool box was damaged while the 18 wheeler was completely destroyed, killing the driver who unfortunately ignored police warnings to stop. Tanks are awesome machines.
Guy took an Australian Army M113 APC in Perth in 1993. Poor guy was found to be suffering from schizophrenia at the time. Ran over a bunch of police cars and attacked the headquarters of the West Australian Police Service, but thankfully no one was injured.
This was amazing History Guy!!
Tanks for sharing!!
I was in a tank company in Germany and in late 75 or early 76 a guy got the keys to the tank barn and pushed another tank out of the way and proceeded out the main gate. If I remember it, he took out the gate shack, a couple of German light poles and some other damage. They caught him when he stopped to secure the main gun, or so I was told. I had to guard him. Never heard of him again. We were confined to the base.
Dishonorable mention is the sad story of Marvin Heemeyer and his armored bulldozer in Granby, CO.
Great episode! Tanks a lot THG!🙃
This is why I kept a Dragon anti tank missile when I ETS'd from the Army.
Oh, they let you also keep an emotional support missile?
@@rdfox76 think of it as a armor piercing security blanket
Just the missile or the guidance unit as well? Lol
@@rdfox76 , ouch! 👍🤣
@@ftdefiance1 , double-ouch! I like you guys, you understand how to weaponize sarcasm! 👍👍😅
Would love an Episode on the life of John Bidwell.The first Wagon Train to California in 1841, The Bartleson-Bidwell trip, his relationship with John Sutter, His finding gold on the Feather river and his running for President of the USA.
Tanks for this video.
A friend of mine "borrowed" a tank when stationed in Panama and drove it over some cars and through a building, He went to Leavenworth for a while.
Was alcohol involved?
@@jackdundon2261 , in all such incidents, best to presume a high level of intoxication unless or until it is proven otherwise.
@@goodun2974 somebody had a reply, I have go .. um, yeah... ... yeah....
Well sometimes being a idiot is also involved, lol!
As learned in San Diego the tank is immune to civilian authorities but the driver isn’t.
Another great video, History Guy. However., as a former Marine I have a comment you might find interesting - perhaps even worth an update on your end? It is widely believed in the Corps that actor Steve McQueen stole a tank and took a joy ride into town. McQueen was actually a good Marine but he had a few "incidents". When I saw the title of your video, I was sure the McQueen story would be featured prominently. Maybe it is just a myth? By the way you are 100 percent right that the incidents you reported on are for the most part very serious. albeit with a cartoonish aspect. I think McQueen's episode was much more of a classic joyride scenario and less comitragic (but maybe not less dangerous) than the ones you included.
A high school friend did get dismissed from the marines after an incident with pot and a tank exercise where he crunched a fence and came to rest inside a building . I think the technical term was unsuitable for military life
The M578 was absolutely TERRIBLE to ride in for the crew stuck in the turret! Suspension on those dinosaurs was beyond crude.