Action/Adventure Aficionados discussion

No bazookas or mines or anything like that. You're at home and for some reason someone is trying to kill you with a tank. How do you kill it before it kills you!

Weaken your floor so that if it crashes into your house it will fall into your basement and remain immobile. The driver won't have any choice but to come out, and that's when you expertly throw a bread knife into the center of his forehead.

LOL.

Depends on the tactics of the tank I suppose. If it sits in the street and just fires a shell at your dwelling, you have to either get in the basement or slip out the back; in no way should you remain inside. Then its a matter of being on foot --darting through the streets and yards--vs the tank; using your maneuverability and cover to find some way to defeat it. Attack the treads or the engine by sneaking up behind, perhaps. Ram it with your car. Fell an oak tree on top of it. Tangle it up in downed power lines. Fix up a molotv cocktail (siphoning gas from parked cars). Find some way to halt it; and then wait for the crew to emerge (they can't stay in there forever).

If the tank inches forward across your yard and uses its bulk like a bulldozer to topple the walls of your home, that's a different scenario. The tank is not firing shells, just seeking to crush with its weight. In that case you might find some weapon-at-hand from within your home and being at such close-quarters against the machine, find a way to incapacitate it. Maybe fill the house with gas from your gas oven, turn it into a bomb--make sure you can slip out a window though. Possibly lead the tank towards you into the swimming pool. Alternately, you might hide in your pool.

I guess this is my top pick: flood the street around the tank with gasoline and then ram your car into a telephone pole to send live wires down around the tank. Jump out of your car first before sending it towards the pole.

Ever seen a modern tank running around up close? An old Sheridan was pretty formidable, if mechanically unsound. One day in training, we went through 3 of them 35 years ago, but they were still pretty mean compared to a man on foot.

Even the older versions of the M1 Abrams would eat them like candy & I expect the newer versions are even meaner. If I recall correctly, they have around a foot of steel plating - 16" in some places which was slimmed down to 10" using cross laid homogeneous steel. They're 12' wide, twice that long, 8' high, & weigh in at over 50 tons. For all that, they can do 60mph on the road & they mount all kinds of big assed guns. I think a .50 cal & M60 (7.62mm) machine gun were standard plus a 105mm cannon, but I heard that was kind of limited for the range & types of ammo, so they were planning to go bigger. (It's been a while, so don't hold me to the specifics.)

IMO, the best way to deal with a tank at home is not to be there.

The next best way is to swipe anti tank weapons. Be warned that while a LAW rocket might damage a modern tank by blowing off a tread or knocking out the crew or engine, it probably won't. Most places, it can't penetrate the armor. The LAW is pretty mean & did a real number on old armor. I think they burned through 9" of regular steel, if you could hit it perpendicularly. Much of an angle & they made a hell of a noise as they bounced off & exploded. A National Guard unit didn't show up one day, so we got to shoot up all their LAWs one day. A lot of fun, but also pretty disheartening when they spanged off even old WWII hulks that were sitting still.

RPG's were even worse & no one wanted to carry around a bazooka (90mm recoiless). The damn things weighed a ton & were exceedingly awkward & long. Dragons & TOWs were a lot more deadly, but the latter had to be mounted on a jeep. Dragons were a lighter, but that's all one man was going to carry for any distance & the way they skip along is disconcerting. I guess they have better stuff now. I certainly hope so, anyway.

Getting a tank to drive over a cliff or flip off a bridge into a river where the crew drowned would top my list. Falling into a hole or bogging down in a swamp would be next. Once immobilized, building a fire on them would be the way to go. Immobility is their biggest weakness, but even then those guns can still make life uncomfortable. Their tracks are tougher than those of bulldozers & those are awfully darn tough.

Bending the main gun just enough that it blew up when they fired it next would likely take out the entire crew. The gun sticks out pretty far, but it's awfully thick & tough. I don't know what kind of safeties they have built into them or what sort of weight it would take. Dropping a good sized car on the end might do it.

Brilliant and sometimes humorous answers here. Bravo all!

I think if the tank had rammed its way into my living room --and the fall of debris hadnt gotten to me --I'd try to find some caustic spray like bug spray and then crawl onto the side of the tank--find some air vent to spray it into--hoping to make them reverse the tank and open the top turret for air--then attack them one by one with a hammer or whatever--maybe grab an onion or potato and stuff it into the exhaust--hornet's nest from a tree in the backyard is also an unorthodox weapon--anything to get the men to pop the top--

I can't get the image of one brave man facing down a tank in Tiananmen Square Peeking China. The Tank Man was able to face down a tank by standing in front of it while everyone in the world watched, mezmorized by the terrifying dance between the Tankman and the tank driver.

So, given how difficult the prospects for stopping a tank with a mop and improvised IUD it might be possible to notify a news crew and stand your ground where everyone can see you.

Given that approach and, as depicted in Tomorrow War: The Chronicles of Max Redacted by J.L. Bourne a heavy copper plate shaped chunk of metal and a cylindrical shape charged IUD (made from a few common household chemicals) can be an effective armor piercing weapon.

Either way, go high with peace or demolition, or, find a new zipcode to live in seems to be the order of the day.

If it comes down to being dead, I'd rather go being the Tankman than a local freedom fighter with a few house hold chemicals and too much time time on my hands.

Of course, if surving the encounter is an option... an IUD makes more sense. I can deal with guilt and shame of turning away from peace. I want to be remembered for remaining strong in my ideals, principles and values.

and I have an alergy to tank treads that makes getting run over problematic...

The only way to "kill" a modern tank without specialized weapons would first depend a lot on luck. First you'd need to get close. If you managed to stay hidden and let the tank pass you by or could get on the back side of the turret (which can rotate 360 degrees) and can mount the back of the tank then you might be able do use gasoline mixed with soap-flakes to douse the back of the tank with a sort of homemade napalm.

Another possibility would be if you could get an improvised explosive device into the track. This would stop the tank until the track could be replaced and you then might be able to get to the tank.

The problem is that in most urban warfare single tanks wouldn't be acting alone.

You'd have to take into account the type of tank and then the given situation.

Call on McGuyver!

I've been chewing on this one a little more but I have only come up with minor variations on my original answers.

Question: what happens if you stuff the barrel with something before they fire? What would you stuff it with?

Can the tank be electrocuted in any way or is it all insulated? I've heard modern tanks are immune to fire b/c the gas tanks are internal.

There's a really nifty movie starring Richard Harris called 'The Last Word' about a college physics professor in an apartment building making a political protest. He holds off wave after wave of SWAT teams using nothing more than his own ingenuity.

I'll look that one up. Sounds interesting.

The fuel tank protection is why you use the homemade napalm. Mixing gasoline with soap-flakes (not detergent it must be real soap-flakes like Ivory Snow used to make. Now you can buy it in dry pack soap flake form, or make it. It forms a sticky gel that will coat, stick and burns hotter then gasoline will. Alcohol added to the mix can also add heat.

I just looked that movie up. It appears that it's not been released in DVD format. I found Amazon advertising a VHS for like $23 but don't have a player any more.

O_o

You can definitely crow if you can locate it. Hard to find flick; but has such a great cast. I'd watch those players anytime; in anything.

if people had tanks or if New York was suddenly lawless I don't think the town would last more than a few months. I'm sure if there were no retribution, people would be settling old grudges galore.

Typical story just last week: a guy is drunk driving with a buddy in the passenger seat. He strikes a tree. His pal is critically injured, but not him. What does he do? Takes the guy (his PAL)'s body out of the car and lays it on the ground. Throws away the i.d. and drives away. Naturally the dumb slob is caught. At the arraignment he stands there in front of the judge without the slightest look of contrition on his face. He stifles a yawn and then from his pocket slips out a 2" thick wad of cash, takes the rubber band off, and starts idly counting it while the judge remands him to trial. Counting his money!

Yeah...this city would go ape if we had access to firepower...

My thought is to ram rocks and other debris (maybe wood and scrap iron like rebar) down the barrel. This is what Feliks was driving at. Get enough hard mass into the barrel to delay the exit of the next round when fired, and kablammy. Getting access to the muzzle of the cannon would not be easy.

Around my house I have gunpowder because I reload ammunition. So making low-power IEDs is a possibility. But I doubt these "pipe bombs" would have much effect on the treads. Not knowing what type of tank we are contemplating, access to the engine may also be unlikely if not impossible as a target for an IED.

I still can't believe Capt Kirk was able to build a homemade Polish cannon to defeat that lizard creature when he was placed on that canyon planet.

Gorn, it was a Gorn...and Captain Kirk can do anything. I think he's descended from MacGyver.

The chemistry was sound, but wouldn't work as shown. Also, the loading sequence of the alien-bamboo tube would not have worked. But, that is still my favorite Star Trek episode--"Arena".

^^Nerds have penetrated the perimeter! Fire! Fire!
:p

Sorry...I'm not only a nerd, I think I'm a "proto-nerd". I was a nerd at the beginning of "nerdom".

Then again I'm also a dead shot and trained in how to kill people and break things so.....

like a sort of Baby Face Nelson eh. The 'clean-cut killer'! He always remembered his mother's birthday! Neighbors said, 'we're shocked. He was such a nice boy'

heh heh :D

p.s. Hey Paladin, check out these purchases I've been making lately

SAS British Commando Survival Wire Saw
US Army Paracord (in 25 ft bundles, 700 lb test weight)
Nite Core 3" flashlight (1000 lumens)
Schrade Tactical Pen

There's a cool site called 'www.everydaycarry.com' which is fueling my gear fetish lately. Its literally just a showcase of what people have in their pockets on a daily basis. Emphasis on survival and readiness.

just for fun, my everyday carry (5 items) are

Seiko 'Orange Monster' Diver's Watch
YurBuds Sport headphones
Schrade Tactical pen (with Fountain nib)
8GB USB stick from DataTraveler (no lanyard)
Spyderco Hawksbill-blade, serrated lockback

I need a wallet, and a really good carabeiner

I would'a thought a Colt Commander would be at the top of the list :)

I agree about the Colt Commander but you do need a permit to be legal with that.

The paracord is an excellent idea. I carry a lockblade folding knife, sometimes 2. I do leather work and made a double pouch-sheath for 2 types of knife (on my profile there's a link to my photobucket page with some of my work including some of the knives and sheaths.

I don't have a tac pen but I practice throwing knives etc.

And i do shoot every time I get a chance. I grew up in the mountains (Smokies in TN) and started learning to shoot when I was 4.

I also have my tac tomahawk nearby most of the time.

Now of course a lot of people have looked at this and decided we're dangerous people...like Rush Limbaugh or somebody.

They don't let you carry hardly anything in New York City. I've had to get very inventive in order to be street legal. It's tricky. The crux is that when PD shows up you have to be able to reasonably claim you: 'just happened to have it on me' or: 'I just found it in the street when he charged' or: 'that? oh that's not even mine'

I TN there's a loop-hole in the law. The law says you can't carry a knife over 4 inches long "as a weapon". They have to be able to prove it's intended as a weapon so realistically you can carry most knives etc.

Also I have to walk with a cane now so that adds the handicapped allowances plus (actually) another weapon. I've never had to defend and hope i don't but "from past learning" the key is usually, don't hesitate. Muggers even most killers aren't any kind of trained. The startle reflex can give an edge as well as the fact most hesitate far at least an instant anyway.

I'll back the former active duty serviceman over the mugger anytime!

I'm in a delicate situation here in New York. My neighborhood is filled with hotheads and its all very tense. A big 'NFL' neighborhood. Tremendous amount of lunkheads. Touchy. Lot of bar louts want to show off the MMA they've "learned" (on Youtube). They wanna throw their weight around. Me, a night in jail --on the news--will damage my career. I'm leery of the way things tend to spiral out-of-control.

Anyway, NYC law says the victim of an assault, cannot strike first [even in self-defense] and also, we can be sued for injuring our attacker. We can't show any evidence of 'being prepared and ready for a conflict'. Cripes, what do they want from us, just put our necks down on a block why don't we?

I get that. My brother lives in NYC. However he and I are about as different as 2 people can be. The general attitude in a lot of left wing government types is that you should never be prepared for danger.

So, the burden of proof would be on you to prove you were in danger.

Great.

I think I'll stay here...or maybe move to OK or TX.

Or Alaska.

Wise man. Yep...messed-up situation. Politics don't concern me, I just know what I want. I've seen people with incredible quality-of-life in some of the most humble surroundings, overseas. Meanwhile here I am in the seat of wealth and I can't get peace-of-mind.

When I patent my invisible mousetrap, I'll be outta here butt quick

Well...I think I need to have my brain transferred to an android body. The flesh one is wearing out so... I'm pretty much where I'll I guess.

That is unless the android body thing works out.

Probably in better shape than a lot of guys and probably always will be. Southerner, outdoor lifestyle..better than a binge-tv show watching couch potato..

Not so much now. My knees and shoulders are shot (cartilage all gone and anchors in both shoulders) so not as active as I was.

All kidding aside I do hope to get my knees replaced maybe this year. (I've been trying to pull the copay together for a while but something always takes the money). I hope it might even let me get back out some. Last time i went camping was like 2005.

What about the tanks, though?

Gather up all the ammonia & bleach you can find. Combine them to make a smokescreen of mustard gas. Make your exit under the fog.

Sounds like a good escape option for proud ammonia and bleach holders-:)
I thought that a phone call to NATO reporting Isis might bring the bombers within an hour-:) Or calling Kremlin and get a ballistic missile within a much shorter time, but before that, I guess ammonia & stuff, should come handy to be far away b4 the rocket reaches the vicinity-:)

Or... find a high window in a building the tank hasn't destroyed. Drop on top of the tank and throw a Molotov cocktail into the tank. It helps if the tank commander has the hatch open as you may not be able to open it from the outside. In that case without exposing yourself to enemy fire you have to find an opening and shoot inside...

Wait I sound like a video game.

pull a Bobby Brady
overflow the washing machine with detergent and get the whole ground floor floor-to-ceiling with suds

in the near white-out conditions,
grab the car batteries out of your car and your neighbors' car
wrap them tightly with copper wire from your DSL connection
fix them to the wheel of your stationary bicycle
start spinning; create an electric current
attach a lead from the bike to the tank's radio antenna

this will effectively blind the tank.
While its incapacitated, cook up all the frozen meat you have in your freezer, collect the hot grease and drip it into the tank's air vents and tank treads

-:)
True, maybe if we see a rank and we r not in Syria, we should first check whether it's not a video game

Yes but what would Kevin from Home Alone do?

Sounds like patentable sophisticated weaponry, Felix-:)

How many tubes of superglue would it take to stop one?

And btw don't be aggressive towards the tank, make sure u act in self-defense or preemptively

We'll use Nerf weapons.

-:)
Even at that make sure it's really a tank and not your neighbor's new vacuum cleaner or hair dryer and that your drug dealer doesn't mix in LSD into the pot he sells -:)

I don't have a drug dealer... We discourage them in this neighborhood.

Please ignore that mound of dirt in the back yard. Just planning to start a backyard garden there next spring.

I'd rather see a cellphone dealer put there

<_< >_> put where????? I have no idea what you're talking about. Really.

Now excuse me it's my night to watch the corners.

Don't worry about the dealers, unless it's a corner tank dealer, it's just my facetious Russian humor.

In russian they say 'tanks are not afraid of dirt'

My neighbours cat. If you don't think a cat could stop a tank, you haven't met this cat, he's the moggy from hell!

John wrote: "My neighbours cat. If you don't think a cat could stop a tank, you haven't met this cat, he's the moggy from hell!"

Can he talk? A talking cat that can kill a tank would be really cool.