Most proven Tank in war.

[daisrael]

What tank is the most proven capable tank on the battlefield in all time?

[yasik19]

http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/quarters/4635/tanks/t3476/t34c_leningrad.jpg

[Scarecrow]

I have to say the T-34 as well. Though I would rate the M1A1 just behind it because the M1A1 in battle has been pretty much unbeatable.

[CrewDust]

I'll go with the T-34 as well, the M1A1 just hasn't really faced enough quality both in types of tanks and in crews to see how good it really is. It may be the best but it's unlikely ever to go against another top shelf tank and crew.

The Sherman?!?!?!

[Dirt McGirt]

I'll go with the T-34 as well, the M1A1 just hasn't really faced enough quality both in types of tanks and in crews to see how good it really is. It may be the best but it's unlikely ever to go against another top shelf tank and crew.

The Sherman?!?!?!M1A1 firing sabot rounds is virtually unbeatable. I saw first hand the destruction wrought by the Abrams against T-72's in Iraq. We were able to engage at around 2.5km while the T-72's had to get within a kilometer before being able to engage their main gun. Two major military campaigns decided in no small part to the M1A1.

[CrewDust]

M1A1 firing sabot rounds is virtually unbeatable. I saw first hand the destruction wrought by the Abrams against T-72's in Iraq. We were able to engage at around 1.5km while the T-72's had to get within a kilometer before being able to engage their main gun. Two major military campaigns decided in no small part to the M1A1.

That's kind of my point the best tank faced by the M1A1 is Iraqi T-72's, how would it do against a German Leopard 2?

[Dirt McGirt]

That's kind of my point the best tank faced by the M1A1 is Iraqi T-72's, how would it do against a German Leopard 2?I doubt it would stand up to a Sabot round.

How many battles has the Leopard won? The M1A1 is battle proven.

[CrewDust]

I doubt it would stand up to a Sabot round.

How many battles has the Leopard won? The M1A1 is battle proven.

Isn't the Sabot a NATO round, the M1 does have a German gun. They are very similar tanks, so it would come down to the Crew and tactics whick I would give the advantage to the M1, but it wouldn't be a turkey shoot.

[Dirt McGirt]

Isn't the Sabot a NATO round, the M1 does have a German gun. They are very similar tanks, so it would come down to the Crew and tactics whick I would give the advantage to the M1, but it wouldn't be a turkey shoot.All we did in the Cavalry was train and train and train some more. Desert Storm in some respect was more of the same. You would be hard pressed to find better equipped, trained and prepared armor soldiers anywhere in the world. Our NTC rotations only give our armor crews a distinct advantage in training imo.

[Yañez]

T-34.
You cant really say the Abrams because it hasnt been really tested against quality tanks. There is still a lot of debate and many people who think the Leopard 2 is a better tank.

[Scarecrow]

All we did in the Cavalry was train and train and train some more. Desert Storm in some respect was more of the same. You would be hard pressed to find better equipped, trained and prepared armor soldiers anywhere in the world. Our NTC rotations only give our armor crews a distinct advantage in training imo.

My friend who was the 13F was in a Bradley. When I asked him about how the actual fighting went, he said that the training provided more of a challenge then actual combat.

Remembering what he said, I asked my cousin who is a Marine who was in Iraq the second go around, the same question, he said basically the same thing. That the actual combat went smoother then the training he had prior to fighting.

My time in the service had me in training over 80% of the time. It is one of the big advantages our military has, we can afford to train our people over and over again.

[Scarecrow]

T-34.
You cant really say the Abrams because it hasnt been really tested against quality tanks. There is still a lot of debate and many people who think the Leopard 2 is a better tank.

I said the T-34 as well, now if the Germans had been able to mass produce the Tigers, then that tank would have made a huge difference and be my choice.

I think the Sherman was what it was, a cheap, easy to build, mass produce tank that struck in numbers that made it effective.

As for the Leopard II v the M1A1, it really is a moot point as you won't see it happen anytime soon. The tank of choice for the US now is the M1A2 which can target 3 targets at the same time whereas the A1 could only paint 1 target at a time. Jaypro correct me if I am wrong on that.

I was pretty sure that the A1 faced T-80's as well in Desert Storm. I will see if I can find any links.

http://www.answers.com/topic/battle-of-73-easting

The Battle of 73 Easting was a decisive tank battle fought on 26 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between armored forces of the United States Army and those of the Iraqi Republican Guard.

They faced Iraq's heavily armored Tawakalna Division, which occupied well-constructed defensive emplacements. They had also prepared alternate positions which enabled them to reorient to the west to face the VII Corps attack. Despite extensive aerial and artillery bombardment by U.S. forces, most elements of the Tawakalna Division remained effective.

67 Easting

The battle was conducted in very bad weather. The day began with heavy ground fog, which later lifted amid winds gusting to 42 knots. Heavy rain, and later, blowing sand often reduced visibility to less than 100 meters. The ceiling was generally too low for Army aviation or Air Force close air support aircraft to fly during the opening rounds of the battle.

73 Easting

Reaching 70 Easting at 16:22, Eagle Troop's 2nd Squadron knocked out a screen of eight Iraqi T-72 tanks. Three kilometers beyond, T-72s could be seen in prepared positions at 73 Easting. This was the Iraqi Brigade Assembly Area. Fearing the loss of surprise, Eagle Troop's Captain H. R. McMaster decided not to wait for heavier units to come forward and engage the Iraqis. McMaster ordered Eagle Troop to advance and engage the Iraqi tanks in a hasty attack.

Eagle Troop consisted of 10 M1 Abrams tanks, 13 M3 Bradleys, two M106 mortar carriers, one M577 command track and a M981 FIST-V.

Armored battles in the open desert are generally decided very quickly; 73 Easting was no exception. The 2nd ACR surprised the enemy and penetrated the Iraqi positions so quickly that they were unable to recover. Superior American night vision equipment turned the poor weather into a U.S. advantage.

McMaster's unit charged and destroyed the Iraqi tanks at 73 Easting at close range. Unlike previous engagements, the destruction of the first Iraqi tanks did not result in the wholesale surrender of Iraqi soldiers. The Iraqis stood their ground while their tanks and armored personnel carriers of the Tawakalna Division attempted to maneuver and fight. Eagle Troop destroyed more than 20 tanks and other armored vehicles, a number of trucks and bunkers, and took a large numbers prisoners with no losses to themselves. In 20 minutes, Eagle Troop had advanced in constant heavy contact with Iraqi armor from 67 Easting to 74 Easting.

The significance of the Battle of 73 Easting

The 2nd ACR, which advanced between the Iraqi 12th Armored Division and the Tawakalna Division, was the only American ground unit to find itself decisively outnumbered and out-gunned. Nonetheless, the 2nd ACR's three squadrons, along with the 1 Infantry Division's two leading brigades, destroyed two Iraqi brigades (18th Mechanized Brigade and 37th Armored Brigade) of the Tawakalna Division. The 2nd ACR alone destroyed about 85 tanks, 40 personnel carriers and more than 30 wheeled vehicles, along with several anti-aircraft artillery systems during the battle. The equivalent of an Iraqi brigade was destroyed at 73 Easting; it was the first ground defeat of the Republican Guards. Within 24 hours, most of the other Iraqi brigades were gone.

No T-80's but just reading about the fight, and the lopsided results is eye opening.

[yasik19]

what do you guys think about this tank?
http://www.wartanks.com/M1025med.JPG

[Scarecrow]

what do you guys think about this tank?
http://www.wartanks.com/M1025med.JPG

Is that the Merkava IV?

I am not going to look it up yet. Let me know if i am right.

[yasik19]

Is that the Merkava IV?

I am not going to look it up yet. Let me know if i am right.

close. it's 3, not 4.;)

[Dirt McGirt]

I said the T-34 as well, now if the Germans had been able to mass produce the Tigers, then that tank would have made a huge difference and be my choice.

I think the Sherman was what it was, a cheap, easy to build, mass produce tank that struck in numbers that made it effective.

As for the Leopard II v the M1A1, it really is a moot point as you won't see it happen anytime soon. The tank of choice for the US now is the M1A2 which can target 3 targets at the same time whereas the A1 could only paint 1 target at a time. Jaypro correct me if I am wrong on that.

I was pretty sure that the A1 faced T-80's as well in Desert Storm. I will see if I can find any links.

http://www.answers.com/topic/battle-of-73-easting



No T-80's but just reading about the fight, and the lopsided results is eye opening.
That was my unit. I was attached to HHT 2nd Squadron 2nd ACR. I'll never forget that night all three radios in our FIST-V went from quiet to 100 miles an hour in a matter of seconds.

Scarecrow I'm not sure on the differences between the A1 and A2 (I'm just the poor bastard that had to find targets to drop artillery rounds on.) I just know that the A2's were more lethal. I also believe (not sure)that some of the Republican Guard Brigades had T-80's and that they were also no match for the M1A1's.

[CrewDust]

The M1A2 has more advanced tracking and targeting systems. The Republican Guard used T-72 tanks. The Soviet Union didn't export the T-80 that much compared to the T-72.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/t-80.htm

[odessit19]

Now kids, T-34 had 2 types, one with 76mm gun and one with 85mm, thus the names of T-34/76 or T-34/85. T-34/76 was created in 1940 and T-34/85 was introduced in 1943, close to the time of battle of Kursk, which was the biggest tank battle in history, especially in the village of Prohorovka. Also, the difference is a 3-man turret crew in the latter one.
T-34/76 replaced T-26 and BT-5, BT stands for bystrochodnyi tank or fast-moving tank. T-34 series were made in Kharkiv, Ukraine designed by Mikhail Koshkin.
They were replaced later by T-54/55 tanks.

Now, M1A1, has also been tested quiet well in Iraq, but another vote has to go to Merkava 1, 2 and 3 series as all three of them have been tested quiet a bit in the ME. Merkava 4 is still new, thus hard to tell. The opposition has not been serious yet, thankfully.