Posted on 01/31/2023 1:42:55 PM PST by Timber Rattler
Eagerly awaiting the arrival of state-of-the-art tanks from Western allies, Ukrainian tank commander Ihor Levchenko told ABC News he's confident that compared to the "rusty and old" contraptions he now operates, the prized armored combat vehicles will give his country "a very significant advantage on the battlefield."
Levchenko showed ABC News the Soviet-era-design tanks he and his battalion now use, concealed in a small woodland in eastern Ukraine and within earshot of the constant thud of artillery from the front lines a few miles away.
He moved seamlessly and quickly around his T-72 tank, hopping on and off and maneuvering his body through the narrow circular metal hatches in a relaxed and familiar manner.
For many, the idea of going into battle crammed inside a dark green, aging metal contraption is a petrifying option. However, Levchenko, a seasoned tank commander, admitted fear helped him focus when in battle.
"The ones who do not get scared, are the ones that get killed," Levchenko said.
(snip)
"Western tanks will give us a very significant advantage on the battlefield. I'm very confident about that," Levchenko said.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Really looking forward to FReepers to weigh in on the tactical question presented by the pairing off of “Western” armor vs. Russian. Lot of smart knowledgeable people here.
The Ukrainian military should be quite impressed how well this US military & others stuff works. Nuttin like point & fire!
It’s going to be a suicide mission.
They will not get there before this war is over. There is a year delay. Putin is going for broke now. As usual, Biden is Slow Joe.
There's also a lot of armchair generals and couch commandos who stayed at a Holiday Inn last night, and are able to pick up the slightest hints of DC deep-state propaganda, and war-game the whole thing for us.
None of it matters without air superiority, and drones are changing that quickly as well. Just more scrap metal.
What would you expect him to say? These tanks will get stuck in the mud and become drone fodder?
31 M1 tanks.
Ain’t proxy wars grand... /s
USTRANSCOM sends more than 60 Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine
McGregor has been saying that Abrams and Leopard tanks require substantial training to operate and to keep them running. Ukes don’t have that training so he sees western operators arriving with the tanks.
I saw a M1 on eBay. It could only be paid for in Cryptocurrency. Delivery 3–6 weeks.
It always really comes down to people and to doctrine. In WWII, the Germans and the Japanese had good planes and seasoned pilots. As the war continued, they continued to produce more and better machines as best they could — but they could never produce enough replacements for the pilots they had lost. Eventually, you have inexperienced pilots flying against seasoned veterans, and the results are not pretty.
Leopards and Abrams going to Ukraine will be brand new to those soldiers. They will face Russians driving Russian tanks. Will the technology really help? I think the Ukrainians will screw it up.
None equipped with composite armor, steel only, which have yet to be manufactured.
The variety of weapons that Ukraine has received must be a logistical nightmare to maintain and repair. The destruction of Ukraine’s power grid poses a further challenge in MRO.
Yeah, a lot of those armchair quarterbacks were also falling
for the anti-Russian propaganda leaking out.
As a general rule, any reports showing Russia in a negative
light were classified as propaganda.
Those who classified them as propaganda and circled their
wagons around that claim, have never explained how Russia
lost all that territory, equipment, and troops, since none
of the reports on such matters were true, but had to be
blatant propaganda.
Russian tanks are crap, pure and simple. They are tanks for light attacks in soft conditions in conventional wars...such as in THE Ukraine.
The western tanks are heavy and have superior firing systems. Troops have to have YEARS of training in combat tactics to run them. The western tanks have problems fighting in urban close quarters. If there are wide avenues, then they can work, but when they have to cross streams, bridges and areas where the ground is soft, they become a hell of a target.
Aside from all that, the western tanks will NOT have the reactive armor on them. So what they will be fighting with is older conventional heavy tanks that have expensive maintenance intensive driving systems. They suck gas like nothing ever seen before. How are the Ukrainians going to supply fuel to those that get just over a half mile to the gallon? The German tanks do a little better. About 1.07 miles to the gallon. But, both the Abrams and Leopard are over 60 tons dead weight.
The Russian tanks will determine what type they deploy..I suspect the T14 which has a operational range of over 300 miles compared to just over 200 for the Leopard.
Going to be interesting to watch. Especially after they get hit with thermobaric weapons the Russians have been using.
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