Hi all,
I got a question that might be pretty basic, but here it goes anyway. I’m building Tamiya’s T-55 Soviet tank. Reading through some of the reference material, I’ve come accross sentences like “firing from hull-down positions”…does this mean firing from a fixed, dug-in position, to show a smaller profile? Or is it some sort of feature this particular tank had, that would allow it raise or lower the hull for better ground clearance?
Hope one of those armor buffs out there can help answer this 
i think its basicaly when just the turrets seen by the enemy
A hull down position is a defensive firing position where the hull is below ground and the turret is above in order to engage the enemy. A turret down position is when the turret is below ground level and basically the commander and optics can see the engagement area. A hide position is when the entire vehicle is backed down into the fighting postion and nothing is visible.
Just to add to the Major’s comment, it isn’t necessary to have a prepared position to go hull down. Prepared is best, but any rise or slope in the terrain can be used to achieve a hasty hull down position. It’s safer for the tank as it presents a smaller target to the enemy. Tank guns tend not to miss much left and right, they tend to miss up and down, so a shorter target is harder to hit.