MovieChat Forums > Attack (1956) Discussion > Lt. Costa and the Tank

Lt. Costa and the Tank


After the German tank pins the Lieutenant and crushes his left arm beneath its tracks, the turret hatch opens and the German Commander pops up, only to be shot by an American soldier. Shortly thereafter, we see Costa appear at the top of the stairs leading to the cellar where the squad was hiding, his arm in bloody tatters. Since there was no way he could have extracted his arm from beneath 70 tons of steel, obviously one or more Americans would have had to come upon him and back the tank off him. And just as obviously, they would have put him on a litter and taken him to the battalion aid station. So how does he suddenly show up at that house with the intent in mind to "settle up" with Cooney? Am I missing something?

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[deleted]

That is an interesting question, one that I've also wondered about. There are a couple of possible explanations.

1. The tank might have driven off. A tank has multiple crew members. Even though the TC was killed, there is still a driver, gunner, loader, etc. inside. It's been a while since I've seen the movie, so I don't remember how damaged the tank was supposed to be.

2. LT Costa might have been able to use his other arm to dig himself out. If I remember correctly, there was a lot of dirt and debris underneath the tread, so although his arm was trapped, it wasn't completely pinned. The loose material underneath could have been excavated enought to loosen the trapped arm.

3. My personal favorite theory, the one I envisioned as a child and still favor today: By sheer force of will LT Costa pulled his arm out from under the tread, mangling it even worse than it already was. I always assumed that's why his arm was so badly damaged when he confronts CPT Cooney. (I know, getting run over by a tank would completley ruin someone's arm, but to my childish mind it looked even more damaged, mangled even, than it should have been.)

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OIF I always assumed your number 3 is exactly what happened. In those days they couln't show too much and the b&w film makes it even harder to see anything. But i think clearly his arm is in shreds by the look of the other guys as he comes down the steps. His will to get to Eddie Albert gave him the strength. Fantastc scene.

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The tank would have only been around 15-30 tons. Not that it would make it any easier to escape from underneath..

The m1 abrams does not even reach 70 tons, for example.

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German tanks in service at the time (1944) would be a Mark IV (25 tons) to a Panther (45 tons) to a King Tiger (65 tons). The tank in the movie looks like an M5 Stuart (17 tons) with sheet metal to disguise the turret.

Folks shouldn't confuse weight with ground pressure, though. Just because a tank weighs 25 tons (or up) doesn't mean that the entire weight is concentrated on one point. Yes, a tank is massive, but the weight is distributed over a very wide area. This is how snowshoes work - a man standing in his boots will sink into the snow, but with snowshoes, his weight is spread over a very wide area so he doesn't sink in. Tanks need to negotiate marshes and mud without sinking in, so wide tracks prevent that from happening.

So while it is not as bad as it looks, still, I wouldn't want to be the guy underneath trying to get out.

I also question the German tank commander's actions. Tanks in street battles are extremely vulnerable - especially if they don't have supporting infantry. Dead or alive, LT Costa was pretty much out of combat, so it was pointless for the commander to get out and investigate. He should have known better.

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Due to censorship laws its hard to fathom what happened to Costa. Its all kind of implied.

Its that man again!!

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Hey folks,

Lt. Costa getting his left arm out from under the track of the tank really was not difficult to expect. His arm was not crushed under 70 tons of steel. Even if the tank did weight 70 tons, that weight would have been distributed over the total square area of the track on the ground. Also, his arm was not trapped between a steel track and a solid concrete or macadam roadway. His arm was clearly "cushioned" by a soft dirt strata under the track.

Would the track have damaged his arm? Most probably, but as long as his artery was not cut, he could have survived the damage. How could he have removed his left arm from under the tank track? Well, his right arm was still working, and he could have easily dug his left arm out with a bayonet. Remember, his arm was in loose dirt which could easily be scraped away, so no one else would have been required to free him.

When he made it to the house, he was obviously intent on killing the company commander. Unfortunately his injuries were bad enough so that he died before he could kill him.

I thought the scene was completely credible when I first saw the film in 1956, and I had the same thoughts when I just watched it again this evening.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile







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