"Future of tanks. 1918 " Topic
5 Posts
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Nashville | 13 Mar 2014 10:30 p.m. PST |
Colonel Fullern on anticipated future of tanks Take the case of a ( proposed future ) punitive expedition starting from Peshawer and proceeding to Kabul. The force will consist of three bodies of troops—a small fighting advanced guard, a large main body protecting the transport, and strong flank guards protecting the main body. On account of the tactics which have to be adopted the advance is excessively slow. The main body proceeding along the roads, which almost inevitably coincide with the bottoms of the valleys, has to be kept out of rifle shot, consequently the flank guards have usually to " crown the heights " on each side of the road, which necessitates much climbing and loss of time. If the advance were over an open veldt land, as in South Africa, in place of in a hilly country, movement would be simplified, but still will the flank guards have to be thrown out because the main body, consisting of men and animals, is pervious to bullets. This perviousness to bullets is the basis of the whole trouble, and unless bullet-proof armor can be carried, when it does not matter whether the rifle is fired at a range of two yards or two miles, the only means of denying effect to the rifle is to keep it out of range of its target. Though up to a short time ago the carrying of armor was not a feasible proposition, now it is, and there are few more difficulties in advancing up or down the Khyber with a well-constructed tank than across the open. Armor, by rendering flesh impervious to bullets, does away with the necessity of flank guards and long straggling supply columns, and our punitive expedition equipped with tanks can reach Kabul in a few days, and not only reach it hut abandon its communications, as they will require no protection. If tank supply columns, which are self-protecting, are considered too slow, once the force has reached Kabul its supply and the evacuation of its sick (there will be but few wounded) can be carried out by aero plane. The whole operation becomes too simple to be classed as an operation of war. Once impress upon the Afghan the hopelessness of facing a mechanical punitive force and he will give up rendering such forces necessary.
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bsrlee | 13 Mar 2014 11:16 p.m. PST |
Strangely enough, it only took the Afghans a few weeks to figure out that you could set fire to armoured cars quite easily. |
Etranger | 14 Mar 2014 3:41 a.m. PST |
It's a shame the Afghans didn't read Fuller then. They seemed to cope quite well with the Russian & Alliance armour
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Martin Rapier | 14 Mar 2014 4:13 a.m. PST |
Althought in the interwar period Fuller was referring to, armoured cars and light tanks did indeed become a mainstay of colonial policing efforts. They were extremely effective. |
Ron W DuBray | 14 Mar 2014 6:21 a.m. PST |
If the Afghans lived anywhere else without mountains they would not have had such a easy time with armor. closed in spaces (cities heavy woods and mountains) places you don't want to use armor. |
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