The PeoplesFreedom
11-08-2007, 06:57
Using the Tank to its fullest
Tank: This single word means terror. The huge, massive, snorting beasts, with their large main guns and high tonnage. They are able to smash through walls and run over cars. They are able to cause the infantry to run at the very sight of them. Indeed, Saddam Hussein considered that a nations’ status in the world depended on how many tanks it had. The former Soviet Union produced tens of thousands tanks, and the “Red tanks rolling across Europe” scenario was a nightmare to U.S. military strategists. So, how does one use these behemoths to their best advantage? It depends on the doctrine. How should your nation use them? It depends on your personal choice and your nations own situation.
Infantry Support
This doctrine was one of the earliest uses of tanks, and dominated the field for more than three decades. The original tank, named the tank because the workers thought they were working on water tanks, was designed to break the trench warfare that dominated world war one warfare. The first to deploy these in considerable numbers was the British, starting in 1916. The idea was for these tanks to crush barbed wire and take down machine gun positions. The idea worked, to a point. The tanks were prone to breakdowns and artillery fire. The Germans even introduced the “K” bullet, a standard 7.9mm round for the K98, which could penetrate early armor. However, by 1918, the large number of improved tanks, coupled with the British blockade and arrival of American soldiers, contributed to the surrender of Imperial Germany.
As World War Two began, nearly all nations adhered to the infantry support doctrine. Britain had two distinct classes of tank, the cruiser and infantry tanks. The French focused on heavier tanks. The Americans also focused on infantry support tanks, believing that their newly made tank destroyer doctrine would be able to handle large numbers of tanks. The German Blitzkrieg shattered French and British doctrine. In Germany, tanks and infantry worked separately yet together. German tanks would be group together in large number, ranging from thirty to one hundred tanks, which would overwhelm French infantry armed with simple AT guns. French doctrine had the tanks, which were actually superior to German designs, deployed in small numbers to assist infantry. Because of superior numbers and tactics, these tanks were defeated. Charles du Gaulle, who had similar ideas to Guderian, led a French tank regiment against Guderian’s rear, which delayed the offensive for some time. It was clear that the Blitzkrieg was superior to infantry support doctrine, forcing the enemy to use his own masses of tanks, air power, or some other method to defeat them.
However, Modern warfare is not World War Two. Advances in technology have given the infantry the weapons they need to destroy a main battle tank. Warfare itsself has changed from nations wielding innumerable armies to proxy wars and guerilla warfare. This leads us to believe that Infantry Support has come back. In Iraq, Abrams tanks were used to help infantry clear houses. Soviet tanks, operating alone in Afghanistan, fell victim to ambushes. It is quite clear that the modern tank can assist infantry, and it is clear that the modern tank needs infantry support. So, how best to use this? Your tanks should be used in this way similar to how the United States Marines uses their tanks. For each infantry division, a good portion of tanks should be used. Four tanks to a division will not be adequate. Instead, I recommend an entire tank company, or even brigade, to be used. It depends on the situation, but these numbers should be adequate. Additionally, against an enemy who is operating larger numbers of tanks, you should have a balancing factor to help cancel out their numerical advantage. Attack helicopters, air power, or equipping your men with large amounts of ATGM’s should be adequate. Your tanks, whatever design, should also be able to stand up to an MBT, so they themselves should be MBTs. Now, your infantry have a large number of tanks to assist them. Good targets should be enemy tanks or fortified positions. Having a tank simply chase down an enemy squad is a waste of resources and will probably get it killed in an ambush. Tanks provide good support in urban battlefields, despite their venerability, and also provide support while your infantry is moving.
Now you know how to use your tanks in an infantry support role. Remember, your tanks SHOULD NEVER operate without a SAM umbrella or local air superiority. Tank columns do no stand up to enemy attack planes or attack helicopters. Don’t even try it, you won’t like the results.
OOC: This is just part one. More is coming tomorrow. No comments please. Comment and I'll have a mod delete it.
Tank: This single word means terror. The huge, massive, snorting beasts, with their large main guns and high tonnage. They are able to smash through walls and run over cars. They are able to cause the infantry to run at the very sight of them. Indeed, Saddam Hussein considered that a nations’ status in the world depended on how many tanks it had. The former Soviet Union produced tens of thousands tanks, and the “Red tanks rolling across Europe” scenario was a nightmare to U.S. military strategists. So, how does one use these behemoths to their best advantage? It depends on the doctrine. How should your nation use them? It depends on your personal choice and your nations own situation.
Infantry Support
This doctrine was one of the earliest uses of tanks, and dominated the field for more than three decades. The original tank, named the tank because the workers thought they were working on water tanks, was designed to break the trench warfare that dominated world war one warfare. The first to deploy these in considerable numbers was the British, starting in 1916. The idea was for these tanks to crush barbed wire and take down machine gun positions. The idea worked, to a point. The tanks were prone to breakdowns and artillery fire. The Germans even introduced the “K” bullet, a standard 7.9mm round for the K98, which could penetrate early armor. However, by 1918, the large number of improved tanks, coupled with the British blockade and arrival of American soldiers, contributed to the surrender of Imperial Germany.
As World War Two began, nearly all nations adhered to the infantry support doctrine. Britain had two distinct classes of tank, the cruiser and infantry tanks. The French focused on heavier tanks. The Americans also focused on infantry support tanks, believing that their newly made tank destroyer doctrine would be able to handle large numbers of tanks. The German Blitzkrieg shattered French and British doctrine. In Germany, tanks and infantry worked separately yet together. German tanks would be group together in large number, ranging from thirty to one hundred tanks, which would overwhelm French infantry armed with simple AT guns. French doctrine had the tanks, which were actually superior to German designs, deployed in small numbers to assist infantry. Because of superior numbers and tactics, these tanks were defeated. Charles du Gaulle, who had similar ideas to Guderian, led a French tank regiment against Guderian’s rear, which delayed the offensive for some time. It was clear that the Blitzkrieg was superior to infantry support doctrine, forcing the enemy to use his own masses of tanks, air power, or some other method to defeat them.
However, Modern warfare is not World War Two. Advances in technology have given the infantry the weapons they need to destroy a main battle tank. Warfare itsself has changed from nations wielding innumerable armies to proxy wars and guerilla warfare. This leads us to believe that Infantry Support has come back. In Iraq, Abrams tanks were used to help infantry clear houses. Soviet tanks, operating alone in Afghanistan, fell victim to ambushes. It is quite clear that the modern tank can assist infantry, and it is clear that the modern tank needs infantry support. So, how best to use this? Your tanks should be used in this way similar to how the United States Marines uses their tanks. For each infantry division, a good portion of tanks should be used. Four tanks to a division will not be adequate. Instead, I recommend an entire tank company, or even brigade, to be used. It depends on the situation, but these numbers should be adequate. Additionally, against an enemy who is operating larger numbers of tanks, you should have a balancing factor to help cancel out their numerical advantage. Attack helicopters, air power, or equipping your men with large amounts of ATGM’s should be adequate. Your tanks, whatever design, should also be able to stand up to an MBT, so they themselves should be MBTs. Now, your infantry have a large number of tanks to assist them. Good targets should be enemy tanks or fortified positions. Having a tank simply chase down an enemy squad is a waste of resources and will probably get it killed in an ambush. Tanks provide good support in urban battlefields, despite their venerability, and also provide support while your infantry is moving.
Now you know how to use your tanks in an infantry support role. Remember, your tanks SHOULD NEVER operate without a SAM umbrella or local air superiority. Tank columns do no stand up to enemy attack planes or attack helicopters. Don’t even try it, you won’t like the results.
OOC: This is just part one. More is coming tomorrow. No comments please. Comment and I'll have a mod delete it.