In the film Fury Brad Pitt's character gives his orders to other tanks, his own crew and nearby infantry while squatting low in his hatch, was this historical or was it so the filmmakers could get a better looking shot? In the film he does this when under attack from other tanks as well as AT guns and machine guns. My question is concerned with the second world war but you answerers could answer if you have knowledge of WW1 or post war sources too
Tank commanders often did stick their heads or upper bodies out of their hatches in order to have a better view of the battlefield. If the tank commander had only a fixed periscope or no periscope at all, he would be forced to do this. Sometimes, it could have unfortunate consequences; the scene of Pitt's comrade being hit by a tank shell isn't a complete fallacy
"Good God," a GI in a light tank cried over the radio, "I fired three rounds and they all bounced off." Panzer return fire dismasted a platoon sergeant. "Just his legs and hips were there," a comrade wrote. "One arm, with the wrist watch on it, lay near the house."
The all-around vision cupola with six periscopes of the late Sherman gave better visibility than the single-periscope split hatch of the early Sherman, but visibility was still quite restricted.
Sources:
The Guns at Last Light, by Rick Atkinson