Razor78 | 27 Aug 2015 11:12 a.m. PST |
Would any units (Warsaw Pact or reserve) still be using the T-55 in 1985? |
CAG 19 | 27 Aug 2015 11:13 a.m. PST |
Most of the NVA was still T-55 |
Jemima Fawr | 27 Aug 2015 11:22 a.m. PST |
STACKS of them in Warpac service and still plenty back in the USSR. The Czechs, Poles and East Germans were just starting to upgrade theirs in 1985, adding spaced armour and other goodies. |
Krieger | 27 Aug 2015 11:23 a.m. PST |
Type north motor rifle regiments would have used PT-76 and T-55 as tanks until the late 80s when the T-80 replaced the T-55s. This was due to lower ground pressure/better over snow ability. (and also threat I would assume) |
Jozis Tin Man | 27 Aug 2015 11:23 a.m. PST |
East Germans, Poles, Czechs, Soviet naval infantry, and category C divisions. Lots of uses for T-55's! Also, don't forget with heavy losses, FRG Territorials were still using m-48's, so you do not have to do just M-1's and T-80's! |
Razor78 | 27 Aug 2015 11:31 a.m. PST |
Cool, I got a good deal on a bunch of BF's Egyptian T55s and wanted to use them for a Cold War gone Hot 1985. Figured they'd still be in use but wasn't sure. I'm thinking East Germans….. |
Martin Rapier | 27 Aug 2015 12:11 p.m. PST |
As above, even in 85 the supertanks were a tiny minority. Lots of T-55s. It is a tank, with a gun. Bear in mind that the vast bulk of NATO are also riding around in 1960s era kit. |
HistoryPhD | 27 Aug 2015 12:35 p.m. PST |
Pretty much the entirety of the Warsaw Pact was still using them, although the Soviets had relegated most of them to just reserve units. T-55s were still front line in all the rest of the WarPac |
skippy0001 | 27 Aug 2015 12:53 p.m. PST |
Don't forget variants using the chassis. Israel still have Ti-67's? |
Cold Steel | 27 Aug 2015 12:59 p.m. PST |
Everybody loves to focus on the latest and greatest hi-tech super tanks, but in 1984, the most common tank in the American inventory was the M60A1 and in the SU/WP, the T-55. |
Cold Steel | 27 Aug 2015 1:01 p.m. PST |
The Russians have a saying: an obsolete tank is better than no tank. They didn't throw them away just because it was out dated. Look how many T-34/85s they shipped out of E. Germany before unification. |
Garand | 27 Aug 2015 8:59 p.m. PST |
Israel still have Ti-67's? Pretty sure all of the Tirans are out of service, either being converted into heavy APCs, with some being sold overseas (some going to Uruguay IIRC) Damon. |
Mako11 | 28 Aug 2015 2:07 a.m. PST |
Of course, many are not your grandfather's T-55s. Some have no doubt been given reactive armor, and/or better optics, and perhaps even laser rangefinders. I seem to recall reading about a new gun, with a lot more velocity as well, but am not sure how widely it was produced, or exported. I think it was of Czech, or Hungarian manufacture (could be someone else in the East Bloc though, too. |
dsfrank | 28 Aug 2015 7:45 a.m. PST |
Given the technical difficulties & lack of reliability of the T-64 especially the early years -you'd have seen plenty of 2d echelon tanks as the lower priority units would have had to take up the fight |
Vigilant | 28 Aug 2015 10:50 a.m. PST |
One of our club uses Polish T55s in our cold War games. The Russians refer to him as "add-on armour". He oils famous for using what became known as the Ostrich tactic – laying down smoke so that he was the only player who couldn't see anyone else, the US M1s all had thermal imagers. Made us laugh. |
Weasel | 30 Aug 2015 4:45 p.m. PST |
Vigilant – I've made that error in a game of Steel Panthers, much to my immediate regret :-) |