The United States military decided to develop a new tank that could compete with and defeat the tanks of the Soviet Union. They began several projects initially in an attempt to replace the dated M60 tank, which entered the service in 1960. After several attempts, the U.S. Army awarded a contract to General Dynamics for the production of the MA Abram tank. The M1 tank has been continuously improved and it has proven itself as one of the military’s most effective and important fighting vehicles in battle.
Introduced in the service in 1980, the M1 Abram Main Battle Tank (MBT) was named after General Creighton W. Abrams who was the Army Chief of Staff of Military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972 (Federation of American Scientist, 2000). The M1 Abram was the lightest of the three tanks weighing 60 tons and this allowed it to be the fasted being able to reach a max speed of 45 mph. The vehicle could travel 310 miles on a full tank of fuel. It took four soldiers to operate the tank with the main armament being a 105 mm M68A1 Rifled Cannon. The Abram was protected by a 350 mm hull, which made it almost impossible to pierce. The Commander was equipped with a .50 caliber M2 machine gun, the coaxial weapon was a 7.62 M240 machinegun, and the loaders weapon was a 7.62 M240 machinegun that was on a skate mount (Federation of American Scientist, 2000). The 7.72 M240 machineguns could be fired with the computer fire control system from within the tank. The 105 mm main gun was very effective as it was capable of lethally striking a target beyond 3 kilometers or 1.9 miles. All of the Abrams were equipped with a ballistic fire-control computer system that ensured the gunner a 95% accuracy rating (Federation of American Scientist, 2000).
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...nd kept the members within it safe. Clay (2007) said that although his mission was very dangerous and many felt that they were not going to make it back to the U.S. alive, the engineering of the M1 Abram made their mission a success without the loss of life.
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Of the Tawakalna. The Middle East Journal 51(4).
Clay Anderson Collection (ACF/2001/001/311), (2007, May 29) Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Federation of American Scientist. (2000, April 14). M1 Abrams Main Tank Battle: Retrieved October 8, 2011 from: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m1.htm
Air Defense Artillery remains one of the most respected assets to the United States Army, ready to deploy its units and weapon systems at anytime and anywhere in support of freedom. Works Cited Brigade General Scales, Robert H. JR. Certain Victory. The U.S. Army in the Gulf War. NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1993.
Army. Unfortunately fratricide was a reoccurring issue during this battle as well. Due to the lack of training and knowledge of aircraft identification, American AAA gunners and infantryman shot down several friendly planes in the heat of this battle, including several easily identifiable P-38 fighter planes. Those mistakes could have easily been avoided had the soldiers of that time been instructed of proper identification of both friendly and enemy targets. The primary focus of the battle of Kasserine was that of a technical aspect, and in no form tactical. Aside from poor aircraft identification, there was also minimal training in combining air support with maneuvering ground troops on the battle field. This supreme poverty of training in turn led to yet more fratricide and loss of friendly life. A positive lesson learned was that the most effective means of Air Defense during the battle was the use of mounting two and four .50-caliber M2 machine guns on half-tracks. One aspect that proved to be ineffective was the 37mm guns, which failed to stop or destroy the German tanks. Aware of this fact, the U.S. Army began the development of armor piercing shells and anti-tank guns. The U.S. Army was mindful of the shortcomings during the battle of Kasserine Pass and only weeks after refined and revamped its tactics and strategies in air support, amour fighting, and artillery. Due to weapon
The German tank destroyers at the start of the Lorraine Campaign were the Sturmgeschütz III or Stug III (assault gun) and Jagdpanzer IV (tank hunter). The Sturmgeschütz III was also was an aging design, having been in service since 1940. It weighed 24 tons, carried a high velocity 75mm gun, and had 3 inches of armor. Next was the Jagdpanzer IV, a 26 ton tank destroyer designed after the German defeat at Stalingrad and based on the Panzer Mark IV chassis. It was relatively new, had a high velocity 75mm gun and 3 inches of armor. Both of these tank destroyers had a major disadvantage; they had no turret, which meant the whole tank destroyer had to be aimed at the target, using precious time.
In 1937, Tucker had the idea of developing a combat vehicle. Two years later, he moved his family back to Michigan to develop new automotive products. Tucker received an opportunity from the Dutch government. The government wanted a combat vehicle that would work in the muddy Dutch land. He began to design an armored combat car, nicknamed “Tucker Tiger.” When the Germans invaded Holland, Tucker had not completed the vehicle. By then, the Dutch lost interest, so he offered it to the U.S. government. The combat car could go up to 115 mph, which was too fast for the government. They had already committed to other combat cars, and refused the car. However, the gun turret on the car took a place in the U.S. Navy and was soon used in many of the ships.
It all started on December 7th, 1941. America had entered their Second World War following the Pearl Harbor attacks. America started its Pacific Campaign against the Imperial Japanese Army. After three years, America joined with fellow allied nations and invaded Nazi- Occupied France codename Operation Overlord. This was the biggest amphibious invasion ever recorded. From Pearl Harbor to the fall of Berlin in the spring of 1945, the American bomber plane helped defeat the Nazi regime, end the war in the Pacific, and revolutionize modern warfare.
In September 1980, a very destructive war with Iran was started by Saddam Hussein. This was a result of an invasion in Iran. This invasion spurred an eight year war. Saddam used c...
The. Johnson, David E. Fast Tanks and Heavy Bombers: Innovation in the U.S. Army, 1917-1945. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998. Print. The. "
Among the many innovations of World War I, the machine gun was an addition. Depending upon the specific weapon system, machine guns were capable of firing more than six hundred bullets within one minute. Because of machine gun fire, Armies of the War’s participants sustained countless casualties and were forced to alter the way they fought. Prior to this alteration in strategy machine guns easily mowed down hundreds of enemies with one wave. Single shot rifles could not match the use of a machine gun placed in the right position. Strategists soon learned that machine guns could perform as well as sixty rifles, and when they were coupled together on the firing line they produced a decent defense. Aside from its mass casualty producing capability, the machine gun was also an asset because it was relatively small and tough for the opposing force to destroy.
...ilities of the tanks being penetrated were slim. Also there was an addition of an anti-craft gun which made it even more powerful and unstoppable (Slayton 103).
In 1968, the United States Army activated the 123rd Aviation Battalion, creating a remarkable unit that was comprised of several Army assets. The design of the battalion revolutionized how assets could be combined to complete many missions by mixing infantry, signal, aviation, and support units. The 123rd’s mission ranged from was to collect intelligence, deliver supplies, insert and extract infantrymen, and provide air support. In addition to their primary mission they also participated in medical evacuation, an invaluable asset on the battlefields of Vietnam.
The U. S. Soldiers used the M-79 40mm, also known as the thumper, which looked like a sawed shotgun. It could fire up to 300 meters and fire a 6.5 pound grenade. The M-72 is a BBMM light anti-tank weapon that weighs 5.2 pounds. It was also used as a bunker buster and fired a 1 kg rocket that could travel 300 meters. (173dairborne)”
No other weapon in my opinion has changed the face of the battlefield as has the machine gun. It's design and and association with mass death makes it a great and powerful weapon. Two men, Hiram Maxim and Richard Gatling, made huge impacts in the development of the Machine Gun and bringing it to use in the military. These two brilliant men designed capable and reliable versions of Machine guns in a time when everyone was making unreliable models. However before we get into discussion about the inventions of Hiram Maxim and Richard Gatling, it's important to understand how machine guns were developed.
Andersen, Roy, Robert F. Seibert, and Jon G. Wagner. Politics and change in the Middle East: sources of conflict and accommodation. 9th ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1982. Print.
The 761st 'Black Panther' Tank Battalion was the first African-American armored unit to see combat.
Woods, Kevin M., Stout Mark E. 2010. “Saddam’s Perceptions and Misperceptions: The Case of ‘Desert Storm’.” The Journal of Strategic Studies (February): 5-41.