FRIEND OR FOE

"Friend or Foe? Part 1" is a short 1940s black-and-white British production that begins with a look at proper tank camouflage (mark 00:30) and the importance of being able to "see" them, even if hidden, so as to avoid being taken by surprise. The film explains how tanks are able to move quickly across the countryside (mark 01:05), forcing soldiers to make a snap decision whether they are "ours or (the) enemy." If a tank must face an obstacle, such as a hill, it must slow down and would therefore give soldiers an opportunity to make the determination. The narrator offers specifics on how to spot a "friendly" tank, such as its height and other details like its tracks and suspension. Mark 03:30 shows other types of British light tanks as they cross the terrain, and later discuss design elements that help it stand out. Near mark 05:00 the film presents a "quiz" in which different tanks roll past the camera and the viewer is encouraged to determine whether it is a "friend or foe." The tanks shown at the start of the film are Vickers Armstrong Mark VI light tanks, and the second one is the Vickers Armstrong Mark VII Tetrarch. The Tank, Light, Mk VI was a British light tank, produced by Vickers-Armstrongs in the late 1930s, which saw service during the Second World War. When the Mk VI was first produced in 1936, the Imperial General Staff considered the tank to be superior to any light tank produced by other nations, and well suited to the dual roles of reconnaissance and colonial warfare. When the Second World War began in September 1939, the vast majority of the tanks available to the British Army were Mk VIs; there were 1,002 Mk VI Light Tanks, 79 Mk I and Mk II Cruiser Tanks and 67 Mk I Infantry Tanks. Of these tanks, only 196 light tanks and 50 Infantry Tanks were in use by operational units of the army. When the Battle of France began in May 1940, the majority of the tanks possessed by the British Expeditionary Force were Mark VI variants. The British Army lost 331 Mark VI light tanks in the Battle of France of 1940. The Mk VIB was also used in the North African campaign against the Italians late in 1940 with the 7th Armoured Division. The Light Tank Mk VII (A17), also known as the Tetrarch, was a British light tank produced by Vickers-Armstrongs in the late 1930s and deployed during the Second World War. The Tetrarch was originally designed as the latest in the line of light tanks built by the company for the British Army. It improved upon its predecessor, the Mk VIB Light Tank, by introducing the extra firepower of a 2-pounder gun. The War Office ordered 70 tanks, an order that eventually increased to 220 but only 177 of the tanks were produced. The majority of these tanks remained in Britain during the start of the war, although 20 were sent to the USSR as part of the Lend-Lease program. In May 1942, a small number of Tetrarchs formed part of the British force which participated in the invasion of Madagascar, and, in June 1942, Tetrarchs were attached to the 1st Airborne Division. The Tetrarchs were transported and landed in specially designed General Aircraft Hamilcar gliders. A lack of gliders prevented their participation in the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943; instead they were attached to the new 6th Airborne Division and became part of the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment. The division used approximately 20 Tetrarchs during the British airborne landings in Normandy in June 1944. A few days after the beginning of the operation, the tanks were removed from direct engagement with German armour and used only to provide fire support. By August 1944, most of the Tetrarchs in action were replaced with Cromwell cruiser tanks. Tetrarchs did not see any further combat and were deemed obsolete by 1946; the last was retired in 1950.

Transcription

when necessary the light tank can often be easily hidden in cover for the purpose of observing the enemy's movements or engaging him with fire can you discover the tank concealed somewhere in this picture it is within 20 yard of you here he can see you and his guns are trained on you will you only know of his presence when he is open far that might and probably would be too late but the primary object in handling light tanks is to use their Mobility to the F thereby increasing their fighting Power you must therefore be always on the alert to recognize tanks even though they are moving quickly and so avoid being taken by surprise as they may attack you from any direction observe how these vehicles can move across country you must make up your mind ours or enemy but when it comes to an obstacle the tank must reduce its speed if it be an enemy that is the best moment to engage it with anti-tank weapons but you must be sure obviously you must not shoot up one of our own tanks now are a few more tips as to how to recognize them note the height in comparison with the NCO standing beside it who is exactly 6 ft tall observe the relative position of the turret to the rest of the body it is set well back towards the rear of the vehicle and this is a peculiarity of the two light tanks we are now examining and see also how the bottom of the rear end of the turret projects above the armor plating of the body this is an offside View and you can see the exhaust and silencer carried to the rear here is the sprocket wheel which is driven by the mechanism it is in front on these light tanks and the teeth fit into recesses on the track which passes over a guide roller which keeps it in position here you'll see the tank jacked up and the sprocket wheel and tracks in operation now watch this because it is interesting as a track vehicle moves its bogy Wheels pass along the tracks which while in contact with the ground are stationary but when the rail wheel reaches the end of the stationary track the track is picked up by the sprocket wheel and relayed on the ground to form a further path for the bogey Wheels here you get a close view of the track and Bogies as the tank moves along You observe the suspension powerful Springs on either side of each pair of bogies yes they will stand some jolts take another look at the light tank see the driver dismounting he sits on one side of the front of the tank and on the other is a feature which renders recognition easy an air Inlet cover over the engine which looks like a slab and which is quite distinctive of these two light tanks one final glance as it takes a water splash at speed make sure you will recognize it again when you see it here is another type a British light tank different in appearance from those you have just seen a crew of three driver commander and Gunner notice the height of this little tank and that it has a periscope for the commander a telescopic site for the Gunner and a bulletproof window as well you see the shape of the driver's cover and the method of closing down the top of the turret it has four large bogy Wheels filling the whole Space Between the tracks the rear bogy has teeth and also acts as a driving sprocket a characteristic which distinguishes this tank have a look at the Armament a gun for firing shells as well as a machine gun though a light tank it is is very powerly armed the view from behind the tank is quite distinctive as a slotted air passages to the engine compartment are very apparent here you see the contrast between this tank and the one you saw earlier and can compare the height of each with that of a man watch them and see if you can spot them as they go past you yes that was the one you saw first and this is the fellow with the gun as well as the machine gun which you've just been examining and now have a look at the enemy Can you spot any differences the shape and slope of the turret are different while his five bogey Wheels Round but filling only half of the space between the tracks are unlike either of ours also notice a characteristic of most German tanks the wireless Mast is not close to the turret like ours but away from it mounted on the [Music] H the difference between an armored car and a tank is that the car runs on wheels and the tank on tracks our armored cars like our tanks give complete cover to their crew since they are fully protected with armor they usually possess greater Speed on roads and over level ground and they are as silent in operation as ordinary cars their capacity for surmounting obstacles is limited and less than that of the tank you will therefore expect to find them operating in open level country or in areas well provided with roads they are capable of offensive and defensive action this particular armored car is a guy notice how high it is compared with the NCO beside it observe the absence of a bonnet and Radiator on the front of the car and that it has wheels instead of tracks the driver's head cover is Buck shaped these cars are armed with either two vicer guns 303 in and5 in or with two beer guns 7.92 mm and 15 mm this one as you see has Vickers have a look at it from above the commander and Gunner's head cover is slightly raised above the turret while the revolving Periscope enables the commander to obtain a clear all round view this is a view from behind the guy note the cover of the engine and the wireless Mast and fittings and get a g en view of its rather Buck shaped appearance as it draws away see how different it is from this armored car which is as a matter of fact French you couldn't mistake one for the other our buck shaped looking vehicle and this chat with his small turret and long flat body over the rear wheels

Sources

YouTube channel: PeriscopeFilm · video ↗ — title, year, format, description, video

Original permalink · Record added 2025-01-23 16:36:58