mwolf@vaxc.Teknowledge.COM (Michael Wolf) (09/09/89)
From: mwolf@vaxc.Teknowledge.COM (Michael Wolf) Hello all. I'd heard a story that sounds just plausable enough to be believed, but I was wondering if anyone could confirm. I've been told that Chad has mounted machine guns in the back of pickup trucks, and then taken them into combat as anti-tank weapons. They drive them in circles around a tank just faster then the tank turret rotates, so the tank can't get a shot at them. True or not? Michael Wolf mwolf@Teknowledge.COM
werner@astro.as.UTEXAS.EDU (Werner Uhrig) (09/11/89)
From: werner@astro.as.UTEXAS.EDU (Werner Uhrig) Machine guns against tanks? what about the fixed MG mounted in most tanks pointing forward (fixed); what about if the tank decides to turn the turret the other way? and starts to turn with engine power besides ? and how did the truck get close enough to the tank to start driving in close-enough circles around it? maybe there was one 'cute' incidence somewhere, but as a general tactic against tanks this seems suicidal ...
zonker@ihlpf.att.com (Thomas M Harris) (09/12/89)
From: zonker@ihlpf.att.com (Thomas M Harris)
The actions in questions took place in northern Chad and the enemy
was Libyan. They actually put ATGMs such as Milan and TOW on the
trucks as well as machine guns (which was why they took on tanks). The
pickups were four wheel drive, too. The main tactic seems to have been
to try to catch the Libyans napping, zip in shoot things up, and then
zip out before anyone could do anything about it. The tactics are hit
and run, but one of the big success factors is that the pickups could
avoid the main guns and get to the side or rear of the tanks to fire.
In order to return fire the Tanks would have to use their exposed AA
MGs which the Chadians suppressed with their fire. Since the tank
commader typically uses the AA MG the Chadians probably did nasty
things to the Libyan chain of command as well. Note that on most
modern tanks there is no bow MG, just one coaxial with the main gun,
and the AA MG on a ring outside the Commander's hatch.
The GDW game Test-of-Arms has several scenarios. Also I just
picked up a discount book "Warfare in the 20th Century (outside the two
world wars)" which had a chapter about the fighting. There is at least
one case where they butchered about a battalion of Libyan tanks hitting
them at night, the Libyans had mined their perimeter and so did not
post a sufficient guard. The Chadians went thorough the field at full
speed and were in the camp before the crews could mount up. At any
rate it seems that the Libyans are prone to panic and pretty badly
trained so such tactics worked rather well. Also the from what I've
read the Libyans have a Tank Heavy army and not much infantry. So if
you can get in among the tanks you can do some real damage. I suspect
that against a well trained armor unit such tactics would not have
worked. For example in the Test-of-Arms scenario of the attack
described above the Libyans win about half the time with just their
sheer firepower.
Non Cuniculus Est,
Tom H.