Sri Lankan 4th ARMOURED REGIMENT - Foreign Military Studies ...

training was both time consuming andexhaustive.Physical and mental conditioningof tank crews was a necessity and had tobe done gradually and with lot ofcaution. Tanks are heavy, noisy ironmonsters needing competent handling,regular maintenance, and resupply. Mainarmament ammunition is bulky andheavy, so is machine gun ammunition.Gun components and mechanical gearneed strong hands to handle them. Tracklink replacement and bogey wheelchange is a human nightmare. Thesemachines were designed for strongEuropeans with a large body frames.Small made, less strong Asians found itextremely difficult to cope with thedemands. Consequently, tank crews hadto develop muscular strength throughregular physical training and providedwith good nutrition – an issue that Iregularly discussed with my quartermaster.Additionally, tank crews had tobe mentally conditioned to fight forprolonged periods in confined, crampedconditions. The pitching, rolling andyawing movements of a tank coupledwith noise, dust, smoke, and sulfurfumes cause rapid crew fatigue.Dehydration sets in quickly and tankcrews have to constantly maintainadequate body fluids to prevent loss ofconcentration and alertness. Slightestloss of concentration by any crewmember could cause serious injury ordeath to themselves or others. Physicalconditioning through regular, rigorousPT and gradual exposure to fatigue andprolonged movement in tanks acrossrough terrain enabled crews to mentallyand physically condition themselves. Ithad to be done gradually, cautiously andunder close supervision. Crew24