Tanknames.

[strvkomp]

As a tradition we in our company name our tanks, Leopard 2 A5S. We had a cermony where our company commader gatherd the whole company and showed us a movie where we were given our names, not only the tanks but also the recoveryvehicle and so forth. We then toghether painted our names, nice and neat on our respective tanks.
My tank is namned Black Death.
My question is if this is common in other countries? To name the companys vehicles(spelling) under cermonial forms? I can say that at least for our part, it's a real moralboost.

//Strvkomp

[Merik]

Naming tanks is a tradition here in the US, not the ceremony though.

[strvkomp]

But do you write the names on the tanks as well?

[Merik]

But do you write the names on the tanks as well?

Yeah, thats the tradition. Go to the OIF photo album on this site and look at the pre-war and actual war photos of the US Army. You'll see a bunch of M1's with names on the barrels.

My personal fav which I would like to put on my Bradley whenever I become a Brad commander is FIIK( F*$@ If I Know) woot

[soma]

Should of called it;

"***** ENVY" or "GERMANS REALLY ARE BIG" or "SCAT PROD" or "BANG MEANS ATCHUNG!". Heh...

[mustamato]

http://www.marttitikka.net/images/sisu/Sisu008.jpg
A Finnish SISU, obviously named Jürgen

http://www.marttitikka.net/images/sisu/Sisu014.jpg
Another SISU, this has no name. But that doesn´t mean that the
crew has not named it something. However it seems that only in
some cases, the nickname is painted on to them.

http://www.kotinet.com/oili.marjamaki-eilola/T-72/T-72M1_10.jpg
As for the Finnish tanks today, T-72M1, T-55M and Leopard 2A4 I have never
seen a name on them.

[sierraone]

On my M48A5 I had written on the barrel 'Orgasmatron'

[PRKL]

http://www.marttitikka.net/images/sisu/Sisu008.jpg
This SISU APC is probably Norwegian. Looks like this picture is taken in Lebanon, where Finnish did maintenance for all SISU APCs, including those, which were used by Norwegian and FMR.

There were no names painted on Finnish SISUs in Lebanon or in Bosnia 'cause it wasn't allowed. That way locals couldn't identified different vehicles in case there would be accident. Story goes that there was an accident in Lebanon where little kid get killed and later locals tried to ambush that same APC, which was in that accident. That APC was identified 'cause it has name or some other markings on it.

Things change and I have seen pictures of Finnish APCs in Lebanon and they had names painted on them. We painted name on our SISU APC in Bosnia even it wasn't allowed, name was PERKELE. In serbo-croatia word SISU mean tit and I wanted to paint word MEGA in front of it. :)

[Uninen]

J'U'RGEN.... rofl

[mustamato]

http://www.marttitikka.net/images/sisu/Sisu008.jpg
This SISU APC is probably Norwegian. Looks like this picture is taken in Lebanon, where Finnish did maintenance for all SISU APCs, including those, which were used by Norwegian and FMR.

There were no names painted on Finnish SISUs in Lebanon or in Bosnia 'cause it wasn't allowed. That way locals couldn't identified different vehicles in case there would be accident. Story goes that there was an accident in Lebanon where little kid get killed and later locals tried to ambush that same APC, which was in that accident. That APC was identified 'cause it has name or some other markings on it.

Things change and I have seen pictures of Finnish APCs in Lebanon and they had names painted on them. We painted name on our SISU APC in Bosnia even it wasn't allowed, name was PERKELE. In serbo-croatia word SISU mean tit and I wanted to paint word MEGA in front of it. :)

Ah ok thanks. Yeah I see now that it is not a Finnish SISU (number plate), didn´t
pay so much attention to that. But here is Finnish SISU´s with names for sure,
the newest down there in the bottom is from 2000.

http://www.marttitikka.net/images/libanon/Pasi002.jpg

http://www.marttitikka.net/images/a1985/Car04.jpg

http://www.marttitikka.net/images/libanon/Lib873.jpg

http://www.marttitikka.net/images/libanon/Kuva420.jpg

http://www.marttitikka.net/images/libanon/Kuva240.jpg

[Dalleer]

http://img15.photobucket.com/albums/v46/Dalleer/UNPASI.jpg

Here's another Finnish (on UN duty of course) SISU APC, with a very masculine name of "Seppo"

[ronin2172]

i remember seeing a pic a long time ago of an M1 with the name 'birth control', it was funny...in a dark kinda way!lol

[mustamato]

http://www.danielgustafsson.com/upload/store/beelzebub.jpg

http://www.pnpixel.com/riot02.jpg

[mi35d]

I was a Section leader in a TOW Company. We named just about every vehicle. My assigned one was named, "Gunslinger" after the Stephen King novels. One we used for displays and recruiting was named, "Headhunter".

[Operation Ivy]

But do you write the names on the tanks as well?

http://img20.photobucket.com/albums/v60/OpIvy/Tank106.jpg

woot

[dejawolf]

there was this german leopard named montermann

[Hydro]

There was a British Challenger 2 in Iraq with 'Ave it! written on the back. Simple, but effective. A Warrior Recovery Vehicle I saw on Salisbury Plain was excellently (and truthfully!) named "Bodgit and Scarper" in a pseudo-mechanic's livery.