Posted on 06/07/2004 9:36:51 AM PDT by mark502inf
The M1A1 Abrams tank to which Pfc. Nicholaus E. Zimmer was assigned was designed with the purpose of preserving the lives of crew members.
But Zimmer was killed when the tank came under attack Sunday from rocket-propelled grenades, which should not have been able to penetrate the tank's armor.
Details of the attack and how Zimmer, of southern Delaware County, died were sketchy yesterday.
"We know it was RPGs and he was assigned to a tank, and the tank came under attack," said Cathy Gramling, a Defense Department spokeswoman.
"But we don't know the circumstances."
Zimmer could have been struck if his body had been exposed, Gramling said. He also could have been inside the tank and died from a "percussion" injury when the grenade round hit the tank.
Zimmer's family said they were told by the Army that Zimmer likely was inside the tank when it was struck and that two others were injured.
"The No. 1 goal in designing that tank in the 1970s was survivability of the crew," said George F. Hofmann, military historian at the University of Cincinnati.
Hofmann wouldn't speculate on what caused Zimmer's death. He said an RPG7, which is typically used by Iraqi insurgents, is unlikely to penetrate an Abrams.
"If there was a penetration, then the terrorists we are dealing with have introduced a much more powerful RPG," Hofmann said. "But I am just speculating."
The tank's armor is composed of depleted uranium, which has a density 2 1/2 times greater than steel.
"It is supposed to even be able to repel any type of round that comes from another tank," said Hofmann, who served as an Army instructor and cadre in the Special Training Regiment at the U.S. Armor Training Center in Fort Knox, Ky.
He said the tank is "compartmentalized."
"If a round by chance penetrates, you have compartments that protect other crew members."
Both are rather unlikely; the latter is particularly unlikely, unless somebody repealed Newton's Third Law of Motion. ("For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.")
My demented mind can see a jihadist firing this shoulder-fired hypervelocity kinetic energy round...and the recoil knocking his a$$ through several walls, leaving a Looney-Toons-ish series of jihadist-shaped holes (c8
Most like explanation: the RPG round hit exactly the right (or wrong, depending on your perspective) spot.
Very plausible, particularly if they mask the attack of one of them with several RPG rounds.
A great idea, except that the Kornet has a fairly long MINIMUM range (that point where the missile becomes controllable by the guidance system) for urban fighting.
I agree, I'd like to know where the Kornets are. During the invasion, there were sporadic reports of attacks by Kornets.
that was my suspicion at the time ...
Does the Kornet E come with the neat hat?
Poohbah, the mental image this line creates for me is too funny to put into words. BTW you owe me a keyboard.
The HV would not be fired off the shoulder...but its launch could be masked by RPG attack...just like the Kornet attack could be which I find more plausible anyway.
There is a street in West Belfast called "RPG Road" because its natural curve and elevation made it an ideal position for the IRA to use RPG's against British Army vehicles. It is amazing when you see just how narrow this street is (and tightly packed with houses) that the Provos never caused a single civilians casualty when firing down it.
please post minimum range, and why that is an issue ... a lot of these tanks are parked in the streets it appears from some of the film footage ... if it was parked between houses, maybe ...
That minimum range is reported to be 100 meters.
fox news does, and they are the number one cable net in this country. so do a lot of newspapers and sites all over the net.
I will not second guess at this time. Need to find out more abuot the incident. The so called mysterious penetrator of an M1 in Iraq last year was more than likely, read 99% probablity, an RPG-7V. Will have to wait and see on this one.
Jeff's post indicates newer ones are laser-guided ... perhaps the old ones were wire-guided?
Even though it is the best MBT around, the orginal design of the Abrams body and armor is aging and enemies have had a long time to work the problem.
From the reports, at most they only have a few of them...let's hope that is the case and we can prevent them from getting more.
about 328 feet or so? ... just over a football field in length ...
Great posting on the RPG-7 and tactics! THanks!
If these are HEAT rounds, perhaps they should add Blazer Reactive to the M1A1? The Abrams' highly touted Chobham armor doesn't impress me.
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