This work examines the use of tanks in urban warfare. It seeks to
provide insight and a historical precedence on the wisdom of
employing tanks in an inherently dangerous dimension of the modern
battlefield, intensifying the shortcomings in technological design
and the lack of crew training for city fighting. Instead of being a
legacy system ready for the scrap heap, tanks are still a vital
component of the US Army, even in the streets. Few lessons are as
prevalent in military history as is the adage that tanks don't
perform well in cities. The notion of deliberately committing tanks
to urban combat is anathema to most. In Breaking the Mold: Tanks in
the Cities, Mr. Ken Gott disproves that notion with a timely series
of five case studies from World War II to the present war in Iraq.
This is not a parochial or triumphant study. These cases
demonstrate that tanks must do more than merely "arrive" on the
battlefield to be suc-cessful in urban combat. From Aachen in 1944
to Fallujah in 2004, the absolute need for specialized training and
the use of combined arms at the lowest tactical levels are two of
the most salient lessons that emerge from this study. When properly
employed, well-trained and well-supported units led by tanks are
decisive in urban combat. The reverse is also true. Chechen rebels
taught the Russian army and the world a brutal lesson in Grozny
about what happens when armored units are poorly led, poorly
trained, and cavalierly employed in a city. The case studies in
this monograph are high-intensity battles in conflicts ranging from
limited interventions to major combat operations. It would be wrong
to use them to argue for the use of tanks in every urban situation.
As the intensity of the operation decreases, the second and third
order effects of using tanks in cities can begin to outweigh their
utility. The damage to infrastructure caused by their sheer weight
and size is just one example of what can make tanks unsuitable for
every mission. Even during peace operations, however, the ability
to employ tanks and other heavy armored vehicles quickly can be
crucial. A study on the utility of tanks in peace operations is
warranted, and planned. Breaking the Mold provides an up-to-date
analysis of the utility of tanks and heavy armored forces in urban
combat.
General
Imprint: |
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
November 2013 |
First published: |
November 2013 |
Authors: |
Kendall D. Gott
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 8mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
146 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-4943-0759-2 |
Categories: |
Books >
Social sciences >
Politics & government >
General
|
LSN: |
1-4943-0759-6 |
Barcode: |
9781494307592 |
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