Pardon the intrusion devil dogs. I am a poolee and ship 20080609. I am enlisted with a combat support contract with a good chance of getting 1812(put signature by tanks and sent it in to MEPs, recruiter says that will increase my chances),just as I want. Ok, so we all know what an IED can do to a humvee, but what about a tank? Anyone ever been involved or seen an IED hit a tank? What were the effects? Are M1A1's armored enough to withstand IED attacks? This is not effecting my decision at all, just curious.

Thanks and stay safe!

An IED is not measurable in terms of standard munitions, therefore we cannot say what the effects could or would be. Normally, there isn't a ton of damage done to tanks. However, if you are unlucky enough to find yourself above a 155 or triple-stacked AT mines, you could be quite unhappy. Go to liveleak and look up that stuff; those videos are plentiful there.

BTW, I haven't been to Iraq, this is all just my perception.

Theres not a vehicle made that can withstand everything...theres always a bigger bomb

Motor T gets a stupid amount of classes when it comes to IED's. Last class I was sitting through had a slide show of some IED attacks. Most were of course of my trucks (humvees and 7 tons) but they did have some photos of an IED that literally blew the turret off an abrams and flipped the tank. I do not know the ordinance size that the IED was built off of, but my squad was all pretty taken back.

These were photos from a few years back and are available on the internet now. Do some looking around and you should be able to find them.

Thanks, but I'm not going out of my way to find pictures of dead tanks.

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Originally posted by king_voodoo:
Thanks, but I'm not going out of my way to find pictures of dead tanks.

I miscommunicated voodoo. I was referring my comment to the poolee, I wouldnt think you would want to see them. I saw the pictures once and have no desire to see them again.

quote:

Originally posted by RedWhiteandTrue:
Motor T gets a stupid amount of classes when it comes to IED's. Last class I was sitting through had a slide show of some IED attacks. Most were of course of my trucks (humvees and 7 tons) but they did have some photos of an IED that literally blew the turret off an abrams and flipped the tank. I do not know the ordinance size that the IED was built off of, but my squad was all pretty taken back.

These were photos from a few years back and are available on the internet now. Do some looking around and you should be able to find them.

I've seen those pics. 5 155mm shells buried in the road. I guess that crew had been using the same route at the same time everyday. It was only a matter of time before they got hit. I don't think there is much that would have survived that.

There is not a military vehicle in the world right now to my knowledge that can sustain EFP's so it's pretty pointless to worry about whether or not such and such a vehicle will survive such and such an IED.

A tank from a supporting unit ran over an AT mine while I was over there. It just blew off a tread and rattled the crew a bit. The rumour was it actually lifted the tank a couple feet off the ground though.

Here ya go:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e1cf736b14

You might need to have an account...

No registration needed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzbllpi7A0E

EFPs, not really that effective against tanks. Large amounts of conventional explosives are what's doing them in. I've seen some pretty bad examples.

Sorry Gents. Not a Marine, just a tanker.
But Hey, I grew up in Fallbrook/Oceanside and am quite familiar with Hill St.

Back in the day we called IEDs "booby traps" and "mines." An anti-personnel mine will make a pop sound and perhaps WIA a hapless grunt standing next to the tank when it goes off.

A 155 mm arty round rigged to be a booby trap and hit by a tank will most definately blow of road wheels and a good chunk of the track. You will not be able to drive the tank until you short track the vehicle and limp home for repairs. The crew will be fine but anyone outside and near the tank will probably be WIA and possibly KIA.

A cluster of arty rounds rigged to be a booby trap and run over by a tank will most certainly flip the tank on its back and maybe blow the turret even further away. The crew will most definately not survive. But then the M1A1 may have a better survivalability rate.

There is a story of an M-48A3 Patton hitting a huge mine on the "Best and Worst Times in a Tank" thread.

quote:

Back in the day we called IEDs "booby traps"

God forbid we offend anyone. Too many soldiers have "boobies" these days.

Can't say "fox hole" either anymore.

quote:

Originally posted by M1Lase_n_Blaze:

quote:

Back in the day we called IEDs "booby traps"

God forbid we offend anyone. Too many soldiers have "boobies" these days.

Can't say "fox hole" either anymore.

BAMs have boobies too!!!

quote:

Originally posted by johnwear:

quote:

Originally posted by M1Lase_n_Blaze:

quote:

Back in the day we called IEDs "booby traps"

God forbid we offend anyone. Too many soldiers have "boobies" these days.

Can't say "fox hole" either anymore.

BAMs have boobies too!!!

Reminds me of the four seconds of sheer terror I had back in the late 80s when my brother told he was "dating" a Marine.

quote:

Originally posted by M1Lase_n_Blaze:

quote:

Originally posted by johnwear:

quote:

Originally posted by M1Lase_n_Blaze:

quote:

Back in the day we called IEDs "booby traps"

God forbid we offend anyone. Too many soldiers have "boobies" these days.

Can't say "fox hole" either anymore.

BAMs have boobies too!!!

Reminds me of the four seconds of sheer terror I had back in the late 80s when my brother told he was "dating" a Marine.

Did he marry her???

Here is a comment on IEDs and our current crop of M-1 tanks from a Marine Gunny tanker:


Calling IEDs "trank killers" is an exageration. LAV killer, AAV killer possible. Good chance on T54-55 and other older Cast armor tanks. Even from the bottom the armor is going to slow it down and disipate much of the chemical energy, as there isn't all that much explosives involved (unlike a HEAT round which works on the same principles). If it does breach the bottom it then losses more energy going through the hydrolics and cableing. I know a Marine tank crew that went over a 5 to 10 155 rounds buried with a dual trigger spaced the distance between the tracks on the M1A1 (infantry and rolling stock had been in the area all day and had not triggered it). The hull was breached and the tank was thrown but 3 of the 4 crew men survived as most of the injury to the crew was caused by bouncing around in the turret. The driver had almost no injury sustained and he was the closest to the blast. He just had no where to bounce around. The loader suffered the worse as he had the most room to bounce around. Aimed right, it could get a good mobility kill...take out the track or into the engine.

quote:

Originally posted by johnwear:

quote:

Originally posted by M1Lase_n_Blaze:

quote:

Originally posted by johnwear:

quote:

Originally posted by M1Lase_n_Blaze:

quote:

Back in the day we called IEDs "booby traps"

God forbid we offend anyone. Too many soldiers have "boobies" these days.

Can't say "fox hole" either anymore.

BAMs have boobies too!!!

Reminds me of the four seconds of sheer terror I had back in the late 80s when my brother told he was "dating" a Marine.

Did he marry her???

Naw. She could kick his ass.