Buh bye TDI

[benlovesgoddess]

I was suprised to read in a Russian report after Kursk that most hit T -34s burnt.
Turns out that as long as the fuel tanks had some air in, then when hit they exploded and burned badly. As the fuel tank was in the front of the crew compartment, this was pretty bad news for the crews.

[trollbait]

The forces needed to penetrate the armor is enough to ignite diesel.

Which fuel a military force uses most likely came down to supply and logistics.

American petroleum is sweet, light crude, making gasoline from it cheap. So during WWII, our tanks ran on petrol. The Shermans supplied to Britain needed to be outfitted with a diesel.

American forces now use diesel, actually jet fuel, because supply one fuel is easier than multiple ones to the battlefield.

Ships use bunker fuel at sea. Which is harder to simply ignite than diesel, but also might require heating to flow.