From what I have read on the WoT forum it seems no matter what country you come from, what rank you had in the Army or what vehicle you served on, tank soldiers share a common "something" that sets them apart from the rest. You can always sniff out the guy who has really worked on tanks compared to the general blablabla of the armchair warrior. So what sets a real tankie apart from the rest?
Here is a great film that touches on this subject. It's in English and focusses on the British Royal Armoured Corp but I think there is common ground for tankies everywhere. What do you think?