It's military life presented like never before. We Are The Mighty (WATM) celebrates service with stories that inspire. Why veterans tapping a drink on the bar is a sign of respectĤ ways nicknames in the military are nothing like in pop culture and other forces, but America has started eyeing either a new light or main battle tank.ħ helpful habits that veterans instantly toss out after leaving McMaster took a single armored cavalry company against an Iraqi division and cut a "five-kilometer wide swath of destruction" while suffering zero losses. At the Battle of 73 Easting, future-National Security Advisor Capt. And while it started life with a 105-mm gun, it was quickly upgraded to a 120mm smoothbore capable of firing a lot of different rounds including its deadly depleted-uranium sabot rounds.ĭuring Desert Storm, Abrams tanks faced off against Soviet-made T-72s and were overwhelmingly powerful. Its turbine engines produce massive amounts of power that allow it to hurtle across the battlefield at over 40 mph despite its 68-ton weight. The legendary M1 Abrams main battle tank is a gas-guzzling, sabot-throwing, and armor decimating beast. Marine Corps M1A1 Abrams tank participates in a simulated security patrol in Storas, Norway, October 25, 2018. It was a "commander's tank," great strategically but few tankers wanted to face a heavy tank in one. IVs, but could only attack Tigers in desperation and Panthers in strength. In fights, the Sherman was able to kill Mk. The tank was easy to maintain and spare parts were almost always available, leading to an 80 percent rate of damaged Shermans returning to combat. Russian crews often preferred the Sherman to the T-34, and they had good reason. It, unfortunately, got a reputation after the war for being a death trap, but that wasn't the reputation during the fighting. The plucky little tank was designed for speed and ease of maintenance, taking limited armor and using a low-velocity 75mm gun to cut down on weight. The M4 Sherman was one of the most widely deployed weapons of the war, serving with British, Canadian, Free French, Russian, and U.S. But it did struggle against heavier German armor. The M4 Sherman Tank was a commander's dream tank, with good speed, easy repairs, and lots of them reaching the battlefield everyday. One Tiger destroyed 18 Russian tanks on the Eastern Front, and one commander in Normandy lost six Tiger tanks while killing 25 British tanks and another 28 vehicles. But in defensive warfare, the fuel problem was less of an issue, and single crews could destroy a dozen or more oncoming Allied machines and crews. The tank was terrifying for enemy crews, but did suffer from horrible logistics issues as it required lots of maintenance and guzzled fuel. But its 88mm gun could open most Allied tanks like a can opener. Its thick armor could shrug off 75mm rounds from most guns at 50 yards. (German federal archives)Īh, the legendary Tiger, the tank so powerful that it immediately became the focus of any battle in which it fought. It was a logistical nightmare to keep the things fueled and running, but if you were caught in an armored battle in the war, this is the one you wanted to be in (but, preferably, without being a Nazi). The German Tiger Tank was a legend of World War II. But larger tanks were able to shred it, hence Germany's growing reliance on the late-arriving Panther as those made it to the front. This allowed it to tackle the Allies most numerous tanks-such as the Sherman and the T-34-with relative ease. It even had armored skirts to protect against infantry anti-armored weapons. The base Panzer IV was adequate in the early months of the war, but required upgrades to armor and its main gun as Allied armor got stronger.īy 1945, this resulted in a Panzer IV with a longer 75mm gun, widened tracks, and thicker armor than most medium tanks. IV served for all of World War II, starting as a heavy hitter fighting next to Panzer IIIs and eventually giving way to the more powerful and better armed Panther. IV was a heavy hitter early in the war and got upgrades throughout, keeping it pertinent and threatening against Shermans and T-34s, but Germany still needed the Panthers and Tigers to tackle heavy tanks.
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