The tank had a crew of five (Commander, gunner, loader, driver and hull machine gunner). This was not satisfactory to Captain Haldane, who was himself an old machine gunner. He joined the partisans and became a machine gunner. Gordon had served with Easy Company as a machine gunner. Andrei A. Melnikov, Guards Private, machine gunner. The machine gunner was also the radio operator. Franey served as a machine gunner in the U.S. Army. The turret machine gunner doubled as main gun loader. The hull machine gunner position was removed, reducing the crew to 4. The auxiliary turret was often removed in the field, eliminating the hull machine gunner position. After basic training, Adams became an infantry machine gunner. "We just annihilated them," it quoted former 7th Cavalry machine gunner Norman Tinkler as saying. He trained in Nova Scotia, England, and Egypt, and was dispatched as a machine gunner. He served in the European Theater of Operations as a machine gunner aboard a bomber. Machine gunner Andrei A. Melnikov parried the main blow at the cost of his life.