DEBATE: A Question Of Tactics

frinik · 02-25-11, 07:41 PM

Yes the Leopard 2 has the Rheinmetall 120 mm( both L44 and L55 variants) as incidentally have the Abrams( same gun made under licence in the US), the Merkava IV, the Challenger II,The Korean Black Panther and the Japanese Type 90 tank.The best tank gun in the West no question about it.Now they are talking about replacing it with a 140 mm also made by Rheinmetall.There's an experimental Leopard (III ?)being displayed with it.

OFFTOPIC: I 've always wondered about the A designation in the Leopard I and II series.Does it stand for Ausfuehrung( series/version)?Skybird do you know?

RE the topic I agree with TLAM strike; airpower as demonstrated during WWII has changed nature of the technological versus numerical advantage issue.If your opponent can deny you mastery of the air then no matter how sophisticated your armoured or ground forces are numerical avantage will prevail as long as the technological gap is not insurmountable.We saw a examples both during the Normandy campaign in June-August 1944 and again in December 1944 during the Ardennes(Bulge) offensive when the moment the Allies were able to use their air supremacy to full effect the stronger and more sophisticated German heavy armour was unable to defeat Anglo-American armoured forces.On the East front on the other hand where the Soviets did not have air supremacy until the last few months of the war, the Tigers I and II and the Panther s were able to take a heavy toll on enemy armour.The Gulf Wars also showed how effective air power can be against armour but while airpower can help you win a war ground and armoured forces are still the basic tool to make your victory concrete on the ground.

In a hypothetical WWIII, airpower and the ability of NATO grounds forces to put to effective use their ATMs and TOWS would have mattered more than the 3 to 1 numerical superiority of the masses of Warsaw pact tanks and armour facing them.Not to mention the morale factor; i.e how effective and motivated would the WP " allies" of the SU have been in a surprise attack on West Germany?

Anyway interesting debate Sledge!

02-25-11, 07:41 PM	#16
frinik Grey Wolf Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 897 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Tactics Yes the Leopard 2 has the Rheinmetall 120 mm( both L44 and L55 variants) as incidentally have the Abrams( same gun made under licence in the US), the Merkava IV, the Challenger II,The Korean Black Panther and the Japanese Type 90 tank.The best tank gun in the West no question about it.Now they are talking about replacing it with a 140 mm also made by Rheinmetall.There's an experimental Leopard (III ?)being displayed with it. OFFTOPIC: I 've always wondered about the A designation in the Leopard I and II series.Does it stand for Ausfuehrung( series/version)?Skybird do you know? RE the topic I agree with TLAM strike; airpower as demonstrated during WWII has changed nature of the technological versus numerical advantage issue.If your opponent can deny you mastery of the air then no matter how sophisticated your armoured or ground forces are numerical avantage will prevail as long as the technological gap is not insurmountable.We saw a examples both during the Normandy campaign in June-August 1944 and again in December 1944 during the Ardennes(Bulge) offensive when the moment the Allies were able to use their air supremacy to full effect the stronger and more sophisticated German heavy armour was unable to defeat Anglo-American armoured forces.On the East front on the other hand where the Soviets did not have air supremacy until the last few months of the war, the Tigers I and II and the Panther s were able to take a heavy toll on enemy armour.The Gulf Wars also showed how effective air power can be against armour but while airpower can help you win a war ground and armoured forces are still the basic tool to make your victory concrete on the ground. In a hypothetical WWIII, airpower and the ability of NATO grounds forces to put to effective use their ATMs and TOWS would have mattered more than the 3 to 1 numerical superiority of the masses of Warsaw pact tanks and armour facing them.Not to mention the morale factor; i.e how effective and motivated would the WP " allies" of the SU have been in a surprise attack on West Germany? Anyway interesting debate Sledge!