A number of movies, as well as newsreel/combat footage, show tanks bashing through walls of large buildings. Since the gun tubes of most tanks extend well past the front end, doesn't this risk damaging the tube, or getting debris stuck in it and thereby disabling the tank? Or does the tube become something like a large battering ram? I googled "photos of gun tube damage" and found several with chunks of the tube shot away by enemy fire. A few more showed the business end of the tube split open like something out of a Road Runner cartoon. But I didn't find any photos with damage that looked like it was caused by bashing thru walls. I realize movies are "Hollywood" and newsreels are often for propaganda. But I was wondering if slamming thru buildings was frowned upon in actual practice.

Even though tanks are nominally big strong things, the near perfection of alignment needed to hit targets out to 3-4 klicks away requires that the entire gun, mount and sighting system be treated as gently as possible consistent with operational requirements.

Damage to the gun by collision was considered important enough in the 1930s and early 1940s that American tank main guns were shortened to keep them from extending over the hull when pointed forward, even when it was acknowledged that it reduced muzzle velocity.

KL