I'll take a bite, and I'll quote you.
ORIGINAL: pattoncommander
Fynsdad, quote as much as desire...on any of MY tanks, Jerry cans were NEVER laid flat. I experienced one tank fire and have no great desire to repeat it. In event of an engine compartment fire, if the initial shot from the main extinguishers fail to kill it, you can pretty much kiss the tank good bye. In spite of strict commanders or regulations, you will at times, see photos of AFVs with things not kosher with what should be done. Some TCs with limited experience, poor leadership or just stupidity cause things to go not IAW ''rules of the game''. That's how people get killed and equipment gets lost. A Jerry can that is hanging from a lifting eye with the spout upward...(look again at the photos) is NOT laying flat, but is stowed at an angle at which the oil will not easilly flow out. The way those cans are carried is good....if hit, it just runs off the fender onto the ground. If burning, very easy to cut it loose.
The imperative keyword in your statement is "MY". We're not building the tank YOU used, or the tank YOU'RE working on. Contrary to what you may think, there were lots of Pershings/Pattons back in the day, not just YOUR tank. And guess what? We're not modeling yours, so stop criticizing people's work just because that's not what you have done in YOUR tank.
As period photographs have shown time after time, what you consider things that shouldn't be done HAVE been done time after time. Whether it was foolish, or whether it was safe or not, is up for debate for another time. But the fact is, you're WRONG when you make a criticism based on what you PERSONALLY would have done.
