The United States military decided to develop a new tank that could compete with and defeat the tanks of the Soviet Union. They began several projects initially in an attempt to replace the dated M60 tank, which entered the service in 1960. After several attempts, the U.S. Army awarded a contract to General Dynamics for the production of the MA Abram tank. The M1 tank has been continuously improved and it has proven itself as one of the military’s most effective and important fighting vehicles in battle.
Introduced in the service in 1980, the M1 Abram Main Battle Tank (MBT) was named after General Creighton W. Abrams who was the Army Chief of Staff of Military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972 (Federation of American Scientist, 2000). The M1 Abram was the lightest of the three tanks weighing 60 tons and this allowed it to be the fasted being able to reach a max speed of 45 mph. The vehicle could travel 310 miles on a full tank of fuel. It took four soldiers to operate the tank with the main armament being a 105 mm M68A1 Rifled Cannon. The Abram was protected by a 350 mm hull, which made it almost impossible to pierce. The Commander was equipped with a .50 caliber M2 machine gun, the coaxial weapon was a 7.62 M240 machinegun, and the loaders weapon was a 7.62 M240 machinegun that was on a skate mount (Federation of American Scientist, 2000). The 7.72 M240 machineguns could be fired with the computer fire control system from within the tank. The 105 mm main gun was very effective as it was capable of lethally striking a target beyond 3 kilometers or 1.9 miles. All of the Abrams were equipped with a ballistic fire-control computer system that ensured the gunner a 95% accuracy rating (Federation of American Scientist, 2000).
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...nd kept the members within it safe. Clay (2007) said that although his mission was very dangerous and many felt that they were not going to make it back to the U.S. alive, the engineering of the M1 Abram made their mission a success without the loss of life.
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Of the Tawakalna. The Middle East Journal 51(4).
Clay Anderson Collection (ACF/2001/001/311), (2007, May 29) Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Federation of American Scientist. (2000, April 14). M1 Abrams Main Tank Battle: Retrieved October 8, 2011 from: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m1.htm
The German tank destroyers at the start of the Lorraine Campaign were the Sturmgeschütz III or Stug III (assault gun) and Jagdpanzer IV (tank hunter). The Sturmgeschütz III was also was an aging design, having been in service since 1940. It weighed 24 tons, carried a high velocity 75mm gun, and had 3 inches of armor. Next was the Jagdpanzer IV, a 26 ton tank destroyer designed after the German defeat at Stalingrad and based on the Panzer Mark IV chassis. It was relatively new, had a high velocity 75mm gun and 3 inches of armor. Both of these tank destroyers had a major disadvantage; they had no turret, which meant the whole tank destroyer had to be aimed at the target, using precious time.
The Weapons that the United States soldiers used was the M-16, which is a “gas operated, magazine-fed rifle that fired a .223 caliber round. It could also fire 700-900 rounds per minute while in fully auto mode. The M-16 also had a secondary attachment called the m-203 which could fire a grenade up to 400m with a 5m casualty radius” (Meyerson). The U.S. Soldiers also used the M-60 light machine gun that could be mounted on tanks and helicopters and used as an artillery weapon. They also used the “105 mm Howitzer that shot explosive shrapnel bombs that have a fire rate of 3 to 8 rounds a minute” (History.com). The Howitzer was also used like the M 60 machine gun by being mounted to tanks and helicopters. The U.S. Soldiers used the M-79 40mm also known as the thumper which looked like a sawed of shotgun. It could fire up to 300 meters and fired a 6.5, pound grenade. The M-72 is a BBMM light anti-tank weapon that weighed 5.2 pounds. It was also used as a bunker buster and fired a 1 kg rocket that could travel 300 meters. (173dairborne)” “The US army used many different types of helicopters like the HU-1A. It had a T53-6-5 motor, which put out 700horse power and could hold up to 8,500 pound...
Davis Jr, F. M., Jones, T. T. (1967). The U.S. Army Engineers- Fighting Elite (p. 19). New
Johnson, David E. Fast Tanks and Heavy Bombers: Innovation in the U.S. Army, 1917-1945. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1998. Print.
Prior to 1964, the Northern Vietnamese military lacked a modern Air Force to deploy to combat. Comprised entirely of trainer aircraft, transports, and light helicopters, the ability of North Vietnam to attack or defend from the air was non-existent (Middleton et al., 1978). Shortly after the Gulf of Tonkin incident, it was reported that the North had received about 30 older and outdated Russian Mikoyan and Gurevich (MiG) 15 and
...ilities of the tanks being penetrated were slim. Also there was an addition of an anti-craft gun which made it even more powerful and unstoppable (Slayton 103).
Heinz Guderian was a German general in the Second World War, but the seeds of his idea were planted a decade earlier. Guderian in 1931 was promoted in rank and become the inspector of the Motorized troops in the German Army. It was here that he began his studies of the tank and its potential on the battlefield. He gained confidence in his idea with the readings of English military strategist like Basil Liddell Hart and John Fuller. These men viewed tanks much like Napoleon Bonaparte’s use of his Calvary; these fast moving men on horseback would work their way into the rear of the enemy causing the line to decay and fail. This concept was applied to the tank and Guderian saw the future of warfare as fast paced decisive combat. He saw that advancements in technology since World War I enabled the ability for fast moving armored units to be supported from the air and thus giving them the scope, and range to move deep into enemy territory(Ail...
The foundation of mobile warfare has its roots in Ancient and Medieval World. The German Army late in World War I initially developed basic tactics that eventually evolved into modern mobile warfare. Germans developed those tactics in an attempt to overcome the static trench warfare on the Western Front. Elite "Sturmtruppen" infantry units were created to attack enemy positions using the momentum of speed and surpass but eventually failed because of the lack of mobility and support needed in order to continue advancing further into enemy controlled territory. During 1920s, British military philosophers Captain Sir Basil Liddell Hart, General J.F.C. Fuller and General Martell further developed tactics of mobile warfare. They all postulated that tanks could not only seize ground by brute strength, but could also be the central factor in a new strategy of warfare. If moved rapidly enough, of tanks could smash through enemy lines and into the enemy's rear, destroying supplies and artillery positions and decreasing the enemy's will to resist. All of them found tank to be an ultimate weapon able to penetrate deep into enemy territory while followed by infantry and supported by artillery and airfare. In late 1920s and early 1930s, Charles De Gaulle, Hans von Seekt, Heinz Guderian and many others became interested in the concept of mobile warfare and tried to implement it in an organizational structure of their armies. Heinz Guderian organized Panzers into self-contained Panzer Divisions working with the close support of infantry, motorized infantry, artillery and airfare. From 1933 to 1939, Germany was on a quest to fully mechanize their army for an upcoming conflict.
War has been a recurring part of America’s history for the past hundreds of years. From the 1700s to the present, America has gotten into numerous situations and turmoil, which eventually lead to the wars we currently study and know about today. Technological advancements in warfare were necessary and a great obligation during times of war. This was pursued with drastic improvement. From the transformation of the use of smoothbore muskets during the Civil War to the industrial revolution leading to weaponry innovations post civil war, the nature of warfare dramatically changed. These developments proved to be proficient in battle. In the midst of these hundreds of years, while many technological advances demonstrated to be efficient in battle, the machine gun was one of the most significant advancements in technology that changed the face of warfare through its transformation of operations and strategy.
WWII was an era of learning and innovation, despite the ominous history behind it. Many new technologies were developed and led to many things never seen before; Jets made their first debut, experimentation with rockets started, nuclear science reached nuclear levels, peering radar, and huge metal boxes on wheels. These metal boxes have evolved so much during WWII. Tanks have had such an impact on the war, and the same is true the other way around. Each nation had a slightly different take on tanks, each evolving throughout the way, along with the way tanks were used also varied among nations, and changed significantly throughout the war.
Now to talk about the technology for infantry; There are five main rifles that are used for infantry. The SCAR-light, XM-25, SAR 21, Corner shot launcher, and the FMG9 Folding Machine Gun. The S...
The two main tanks in WWII were the U.S. M4 Sherman and the German Panzer IV. I will be telling you about the good and bad of these tanks and how they affected the war.
During the 1930’s the US did not think tanks would be a relevant weapon on the battlefield. Because of this little research was known about tanks. They knew the basics. The M5A1 had the main principles of tanks. It has armor, firepower, and mobility. The M5A1 got the name “light tanka” because of its light armor. This was a major deficiency for a combat vehicle. This tank was equipped with four guns. A .30 caliber bow gun, .30 caliber coaxial machine gun, and 37 mm main gun and a .50 caliber anti-aircraft machine gun. A .30 caliber was originally going to be used for the anti-aircraft gun but the .50 caliber worked better. It had a two speed gear box coupled to two drive shafts from four speed transmission. This giving the tank eight speeds forward and two speeds in reverse. “The power plant is the 346 cu.in. flat head V8 engine, two of which are mounted in the rear of the vehicle, connected to 4 speed Hydramatic transmissions. Each engine generated 110 horsepower(http://www.robertsarmory.com/m5.htm).” Fuel was given to the engine by a two barrel Carter carburetor. There were thermal spring automatic chokes for when it was cold. The crew was a four man crew. There was a driver, assistant driver/bow gunner, main gunner, and commander/loader. They had a M6 periscope that was used in four locations in the front and one in the back making a total of five locations. The maximum speed was 36 mph. The front
No other weapon in my opinion has changed the face of the battlefield as has the machine gun. It's design and and association with mass death makes it a great and powerful weapon. Two men, Hiram Maxim and Richard Gatling, made huge impacts in the development of the Machine Gun and bringing it to use in the military. These two brilliant men designed capable and reliable versions of Machine guns in a time when everyone was making unreliable models. However before we get into discussion about the inventions of Hiram Maxim and Richard Gatling, it's important to understand how machine guns were developed.
Woods, Kevin M., Stout Mark E. 2010. “Saddam’s Perceptions and Misperceptions: The Case of ‘Desert Storm’.” The Journal of Strategic Studies (February): 5-41.