Tankers or no tankers

[CultureHealingCommunities]

Hello, I have used the word 'tankers' regarding those that operated tanks during the WW2, but people told me that there was never such expression and they never heard it before.
I did, in relation to military manning tanks.
So, is it a valid word or not?
Is it just used by American people or English too?

Please tell me, I don't want to 'tank' any vocabulary.
Thank you

[mckha489]

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/tank-crews-in-wwii-who-did-what-in-a-tank.html

[Neale1961]

To me, a "tanker" is a ship (or other vehicle) designed to transport liquids.
I have not heard the term "tankers" in reference to someone who drove a military tank, but I see it does exist.
Perhaps it has more common use in America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_csRqwsgxM

[mazi]

I am very old and privileged to have known men who fought in the western desert and the drive up through Italy, my view is it is a term they might have found derogatory or offensive

Mike

[CultureHealingCommunities]

I am very old and privileged to have known men who fought in the western desert and the drive up through Italy, my view is it is a term they might have found derogatory or offensive

Mike

Hi Mike, thank you for this.
This is a very interesting perspective.
Please, could you tell me why, or how, can it be considered derogatory or offensive?
Thank you

[fiddlerslass]

These were 2 interesting programmes about 6 individual members of the 5th Royal Tank regiment in WW2,

The Tankies – nickname of Royal Tank Regiment specifically, rather than cavalry units equipped with tanks – this differentiates from "tankers" as the US army term for all tank soldiers.

Although now, according to Wikipedia
"Tankie is a pejorative label generally applied to authoritarian communists, especially those who support acts of repression by such regimes or their allies. More specifically, the term has been applied to those who express support for one-party Marxist–Leninist socialist republics, whether contemporary or historical."


https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01pzv78/tankies-tank-heroes-of-world-war-ii-episode-2

[CultureHealingCommunities]

These were 2 interesting programmes about 6 individual members of the 5th Royal Tank regiment in WW2,

The Tankies – nickname of Royal Tank Regiment specifically, rather than cavalry units equipped with tanks – this differentiates from "tankers" as the US army term for all tank soldiers.

Although now, according to Wikipedia
"Tankie is a pejorative label generally applied to authoritarian communists, especially those who support acts of repression by such regimes or their allies. More specifically, the term has been applied to those who express support for one-party Marxist–Leninist socialist republics, whether contemporary or historical."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01pzv78/tankies-tank-heroes-of-world-war-ii-episode-2

Hello, thank you for this.
My question is regarding 'tankers', not tankies.
Tankers were the American tank crews, and, from what I have heard, the name caught wind and several British soldiers were using it too.
Hence my question, that does not include 'tankies'.

[KGarrad]

I think it is the old problem: 2 Nations divided by a common language.

[CultureHealingCommunities]

I think it is the old problem: 2 Nations divided by a common language.

I agree, but... I can see that some people have heard the word... does it exist, or better, was it used by the military?