Soviet tanks as far as the eye can see

[August]

Cool stuff. When I think of how much planning, training and effort went into preparing a defense against these things pouring through the Fulda Gap it always amazes me. Field exercise after exercise, battle plan after plan, active defense, defense in depth, fluid defense, point defense and always with the understanding that if they attacked we could not stop them short of the English Channel unless we used nuclear weapons. Yet they were stopped, not with bombs and bullets, but with economics.

http://defensetech.org/2012/06/05/ta...e-eye-can-see/

[Betonov]

A Croat once responded, when asked if the Soviets would win WW3: ''dolari pobjedu ratove'' (dollars win wars). That was said in the early 60's.

I remember a mockumentary about WW3 when the Soviet assault was turned back after their suply lines were ovestreched and their equipment started to break down. Nukes were not neccesary.

Here it is:

And I'm having problems with the link

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by Betonov

And I'm having problems with the link

Me too, can't open it.

[BossMark]

Thats three of us then

[August]

The link works for me. Maybe it's a Euro/US thing? Can you see the picture I posted?

Try getting into their home page: http://defensetech.org/

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by August

The link works for me. Maybe it's a Euro/US thing? Can you see the picture I posted?

Now I can open it Proabibly a temporary bug, I couldn't see the picture when I couldn't open the link, now I can do both



Bloody hellllllll
Is there enough Russians to man thesee things, women and children included

[August]

Originally Posted by Betonov

I remember a mockumentary about WW3 when the Soviet assault was turned back after their suply lines were ovestreched and their equipment started to break down. Nukes were not neccesary.

That's some seriously wishful thinking there!

[Herr-Berbunch]

Still can't access it, or the homepage, or the link in my history to the BAe railgun video on that site.

I'll try later.

[Oberon]

I can't open the link either which is a shame, hopefully it'll clear up later.

Just finished reading 'Chieftains' and 'Red Army' which present two differing outcomes of the conflict.


SPOILER

In Chieftains their war ends via nuclear Scud, but in Red Army the Soviets are able to pressure West Germany into surrender after NATO makes moves towards nuclear release. It's a close run thing though as the US forces in the Southern theatre are able to wheel northward and severely threaten the main route of advance. Fortunately for the Soviets, the FDR folds first.
I've got 'Team Yankee' on the desk which is based on the scenario put forward by General Sir John Hackett in 'Third World War: The Untold Story" which has the Soviet advance stall in the Ruhr, resulting in the nuclear destruction of Birmingham and Minsk, which causes the collapse of the Soviet Union through internal strife.

Personally I consider the likelihood of a situation between the three, as I think there are some facts that we can agree upon, particularly now in hindsight.

1) The war would have gone nuclear quite rapidly
2) Soviet equipment was better than western media portrayed it as (in particular things like the MiG-29s BVR and Kontakt-5)
3) Instability in Soviet satellites was deeper than realised at the time

So, the war would have been the death of the Soviet Union, which is most likely why they were as terrified of a West first strike as we were of a Soviet one. However, it would not have been the NATO cake-walk that some books portray it as, West Germany would most likely have been lost and it is probably at that point that it would have gone nuclear, IMHO anyway.

Going to try that link again once I've finished posting this. The Fulda Gap is one of the places I'd love to visit in Germany one day. Here's a pic I found ages ago which I think sums the border up:



Also, and I plug this video every time I come across a Cold War gone hot thread, but I can't stop rewatching it!




EDIT: Just seen the pic as posted...Whoa...that is...rather a lot of tanks. 64s or 72s?

[TLAM Strike]

Tanks for the link August.

[Oberon]

Bigger pics here:

http://paul-itk.livejournal.com/9681.html

A lot of these tanks still have their ERA installed!

[August]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Bigger pics here:

http://paul-itk.livejournal.com/9681.html

A lot of these tanks still have their ERA installed!

Yeah it's like the crews just parked them, got out and left.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by August

Yeah it's like the crews just parked them, got out and left.

Given the state of the Russian military directly after the USSR fell, it's entirely possible that's exactly what they did!

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Oberon

EDIT: Just seen the pic as posted...Whoa...that is...rather a lot of tanks. 64s or 72s?

They all appear to be T-72s in the shot August posted with a few T-62s in the mix the turrets are all pointed 180 aft as well making Id a slight bit harder and no good side views of the tracks if you could see the wheels you could ID one from the other easy the skirts say T-72 to me so does the main gun barrel.

You could ask an old T-72 crewman but you can not because one would be unable to properly greet a former T-72 crewman because his arms will have been sliced off by the auto loader.

I wonder this place is like the Anniston Army Depot where they rebuild M1A1a and A2s and all assorted parts actually all AFVs of the DOD get refurbished there.I have a friend that works there it looks sort of this Russian place only more organized and they take the ERA off but those in the Russian pictures likely had the plastic explosive removed you can do that with the ERA for the Abrams as well I have seen M1A1/2s inside C-5s and 17s and they had the ERA on them and the load master told me that they remove the explosives but leave the container on the hull.

They ship the AFV to Anniston Army Depot via train or flat bed truck and in all they get a layer of reddish rust on them while they sit outside waiting for refurbishment.

Russian depot yards are just very sloppy for some reason.

[Jimbuna]

Great links (both pictures and movie).