Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbuna
Not always the case Jason...there are numerous YouTube links showing Abrams that were knocked out in Iraq.
I believe there are sources out there who quote between 20 and 50 were lost but not necessarily down to tank v tank actions.
|
I'd love to pick the brain someone that working in an M1 units maintenance section as they'd likely know the real answer of have a very good guess.Clearly they have good opsec though.
None where tank vs. tank the total number that truly where destroyed (as in complete write offs) is not known but I bet it was perhaps around 10 perhaps 20.Many where disabled to varying degrees and alter salvaged.
Personally I think many of the complete write offs where not destroyed but enemy activity keep them from being salvaged in a timely manner (and worth risking x number of troops to protect) so they where killed by another Abrams or via Hellfire missile(after friendly crew was safely away). So some that where "destroyed" where actually destroyed by own forces.
Who would know the answer would be the guys at the Army depot but I bet they are not telling.
The Army has a huge depot in Alabama which overhauls everything from the Abrams to small arms many severely damaged Abrams where sent there and refurbished.
I think 50 complete losses is unlikely.
The data for obvious reasons will not be made public but I'd guess that perhaps 10 where 100% destroyed by enemy action and that might be generous.That is not to say that many may have suffered serious damage that required extensive repairs that number might be in somewhere in the 100 range.
I know for a fact that one USMC M1A1 crew was lost in 2003 when it drove on a bridge across the Tigris river well it was a night and the crew did not see a large hole in the bridge and they went over the crew drowned but the tank was salvaged.That came from another Marine tanker in the same unit.As far as I am aware one M1 had a very large IED go off under it and that killed all the crew but the driver.
All that can be said is that M1 crews still have much faith in their mount which is an indication of something because they would know of loses by word of mouth if they felt their tank was overly vulnerable they'd not have so much faith.
To me the more important number is crew losses which are very low for M1 when compared to its most obvious "enemy" counterparts.
Thus far I think the Challenger is the only tank that has never been completely destroyed in battle though this may be because far fewer have been in battle where as several hundred M1s have been exposed therefore increasing the likelihood of a kill due to more exposure.