PPT Slide
“Senior tank officers denied that the increasing urbanization seriously hampers the use of armor.”
"Today, most of the successes in the territories are due to the tanks [and self propelled artillery] there," said a senior tank officer…. “When tanks do open fire, their rounds are more lethal than those of attack helicopters.”
Officers and Soldiers alike say that the minute a tank appears on any scene, the shooting stops and the gunmen flee. "They are afraid," said a senior tank officer. "Not only that, but when our soldiers see a tank they feel more assured."
“The Army Banks On Its Tanks” by Arieh O'Sullivan, Jerusalem Post, August 15, 2001, page 1.
Urban Warfare: Past and Present
In 1968, 12,000 NVA & VC troops seized Hue, a city of 140,000 people.
In 26 days of non-stop fighting to retake the city, marines lost only 147 KIA while the enemy lost 5,113 dead.
Why? Devastating tank and artillery fire and constant air support spearheaded attacks by small groups of heavily armed, aggressive marine infantry.
FUTURE: Substitute Technology for Manpower: Sapper tanks, Robotics, armed UAVs, non-line-of-sight systems...