--- title: "The A-10 training guide from the 1970s was a hilarious coloring book" date: "2024-06-17" modified: "2025-10-22" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-culture/hilarious-a-10-training-guide/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Aircraft" - "History" - "Tactical" tags: - "Air Force" - "Aircraft" - "Cold War" --- # The A-10 training guide from the 1970s was a hilarious coloring book ![A-10 Pilot's Coloring Book]() *(U.S. Air Force)* The A-10 Thunderbolt II is often lovingly referred to as the "grunt of the skies," alluding to the nickname given to U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps infantry troops. If the A-10 is the Air Force's grunt, then its pilots are gonna need some things broken down "Barney-style"—that is to say, into as few basic instructions as possible. Have no fear, the U.S. Air Force did just that for pilots who might have encountered the Soviet Union's T-62 main battle tank. In order to teach the grunts of the sky how to take one of them down, the Air Force issued this hilarious A-10 coloring book. ![A-10 Pilots coloring book]() *(U.S. Air Force)* ### Read Next: [Why Saddam Hussein buried Iraq’s air force in the desert]() So right from the get-go, you can totally judge this book by its cover. Sure, it's been photocopied a few times and is looking a little rough, but this is not exactly the kind of technical manual you see in film and television. The book is designed to inform pilots about just where the rounds from their GAU-8 Avenger cannon are most likely to penetrate a tank's armor—because while the A-10's main cannon is an anti-armor weapon, it's not an anti-tank weapon. Still, the rounds do have a chance of penetrating the T-62's armor, but only from certain angles. That's what this coloring book is for. ### Hate That Commie Tank—Color It Red ![A-10 coloring book]() *(U.S. Air Force)* As you can read for yourself, the idea of even an A-10 attacking the USSR's T-62 Main Battle Tank head-on is absurd. The GAU-8 rounds, even being made of depleted uranium, will not penetrate the armor and slope of the Soviet tank's armor. It even addresses common misconceptions from casual observers, like the idea of taking out the tank's treads. Even the armor-piercing incendiary round will simply put holes in the tank's tread. Also, try finding an Air Force manual that personally insults the pilots these days. ### Color It Green ![A-10 pilot's coloring book]() *"Color it green." (U.S. Air Force)* Here's how to get to the meat inside all that armor plating: through the soft underbelly. The manual describes the range and angle at which API rounds can hit a T-62 and penetrate the main crew cabin. The T-62's sides offer the least protection from the Warthog's main cannon at its sides and its wheels. Coming in a very precise angle will allow the airborne grunt to get through its armor plating. ### Back of the Tank ![Back of the tank coloring book]() *(U.S. Air Force)* Just like many tanks of the era, the rear of the T-62 is one of its most vulnerable spots, from many, many angles and ranges. Despite including an anal sex reference, this Air Force instruction manual is really helpful in determining just where the best place to hit the main battle tank is. Even if the GAU-8 can't penetrate the crew through the back door, it can still hit the engine and drive gear, shutting down the tank's advance. ### Left Side ![a-10 coloring book]() *(U.S. Air Force)* This diagram shows what to do when the tank's crew—a crew of pinko commie atheists—is outside the hull of the vehicle. The answer is, duh, strafe those swine! As for hitting the tank from the side, an A-10 pilot isn't going to have much luck getting through the turret that way. But he could penetrate the side plates, and there's always the possibility of hitting the tank from directly above it. The whole point is that the GAU-8 Avenger isn't going to be effective if a pilot just swoops in from whatever angle he wants. He's got to hit these pinko swine from a specific angle to penetrate their armor, just like any of the anti-tank troops on the ground. That's what the [A-10 coloring book]() is for. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()