Armor’s Achilles Heel

Armor's Achilles heel is its insatiable appetite for combustibles and spare parts. An M48-M-series tank is supposed to be turned in for rebuild at 4,500 odometer miles, but we ran ours for 15-20,ooO miles. The lessons we learned are directly applicable to the two most likely scenarios for a modern war, the Air-Land Battle and the so-called Low-Intensity Conflict (LIC). As far as the tank and its crew are concerncd, LIC is a misnomer. The politicians may classify a given fracas as "low-intensity," but down in the jungles, the crews will be lighting like wildcats in heat. ~ ARMOR - May-June 7989 "Unfortunately, even mechanized infantry isn 't set up to support heavy armor. The ammunition and spare parts aren't in their supply line. One time, a TC called in for a resupply of 90mm and got a slingload of 90-mm recoilless rifle ammo.'' In one village battle, we had to pull out and re-ammo three times in one day. Unfortunately, even mechanized infantry isn't set up to sup port heavy armor. The ammunition and spare parts aren't in their supply line. One time, a TC callcd in for a resupply of Wmm and got a slingload of 90-mm recoilless rifle ammo.

Whcn you are cross-linked with infantry, your tanks will be scattered to the winds, and you can't afford to lose track of them. When terrain intervenes, set out relays or establish links through other ncts.

I have been in lirelights so close that we had to button up and machine-gun the VC off each other's hulls. One TC popped up too soon and got a canister pellet in the jaw. Our exec once got into a knife light with an NVA oflicer in his owii trirrct! When you have to club hostiles off your hull with the gun tube, that is high intensity - for that crew.

Tanks that are lighting that hard have to be resupplied, and quickly. At one time, we were in such demand that infantry COS wcre loath to admit that they had tanks with them for fear that someone else would ask Cor the armor, claiming imminent contact. In that instance, the air cav units could reach their own HUs, but ours was out of range. Eventually, we evolved a split supply system thilt used the resources of the host unit for such day-to-day items as fuel, rations, and small arms ammo. When things got hot, though, we had to have armor ammunition and replacement crewmcn on tap.

No one, except another tanker, can anticipate the needs of armor in combat. Using seasoned tankers to control the flow of combustibles expedites the process because their experience allows them to undcrstand the needs of the men in the turrets. We discovered this by accident when my decrepit dozer tank took one hit too many and had to be turned in for rebuild. My crew and I got trapped in company base just as some of its critical personnel rotated out. I was assiped the duties of ammo/POL NCO, and when a call came in, we didn't have to guess what was needed. We knew. 1 learned to sleep with one eye open, and to keep one ear tuned to the radio track. Every time a tank or section passed through company base, the support troops would check with the TCs to see what was needcd.

We developed the practice of keeping a basic load Cor one platoon in helicopter cargo slings, under canvas, ready to go. That supply had to be partially unpackcd in order to ease the job of the men on the other end. Ninety millimeter main gun rounds, for example, were uncrated but left in the fiber tubes. We also had several sizes and ARMOR - MayJune 7989 makeups of slingload. Sometimes, a platoon or section would call in, needing only a few main gun rounds, C-rats, water, and a few mechanical spares. Other times, a section on convoy escort would need a few hundred gallons of diesel choppered out in bladders. After a while, you develop an instinctive feel lor the type of opcra-tion, and start planning ahead. When a section of tanks is working through a heavily fortified area, it is going to draw HE and HEP more than any other type 01 ammunition. A convoy rescue, on the other hand, will burn a lot of flechette and coilx. The prime rule is that everything necessary for a protracted cngage-ment must be in company base, in cargo slings at all times. Any chopper, even a gunship, can lift supply loads. I have seen an ARA ship come into a hot LZ, drop off a sling, and then take up station over a tank and start shooting. The highest priority after contact must be the establishment of a semi-secure LZ for medevac, resupply and reinforcement. Many times, only tanks can do this, because a section of forest must be smashed flilt to allow the birds to lid . Several times, we had to pull the tanks out of a village. form up on line, and wheel around in a circle to clear both brush and snipers out of an area. It was also necessary, at times, to carry the wounded out on the tanks, and haul ammo back to the infantry.

Tanks working in a built-up area expend ammunition at a prodigious rate. A Patton-series tank carries between 54 and 64 rounds of main gun ammo, which can be shot oTl in a few hours. We learned, early on, that coax and SO storage in all main battle tanks is insufficicnt. Twcnty thousand rounds of 7.62 and 4,OMl rounds of S O ought to be considered minimum.

We also learned to stow extra main gun rounds outside the turret, and to expend them in ti bonibardment period, before entering a hot zone.

All this consumption, however, will work the hell out of the company HO people. For one thing, the lirst-use ammunition dump must be at company base, not battalion. The company doesn’t provide enough bodies or vehicles, so battalion has to be tapped beforehand for vehicles and personnel. These men should be attached to the company, under control of its NCOs. We had to set up a flying column composed of two 5-tonners and one deuce and a half. One truck and its trailer were for ammo and demolition supplies, and the second rig was equipped with POL pods. The deuce and a half was crammed with general supplies and carried our own personal gear. Each truck should come with a driver and a load handler or two. There were never enough bodies to go around, and at one time, I was moving ammunition with Monlagnards. For the types or war that we seem to be headed for in the latter decade of this century, thc company supply system is going to have to he slightly modified. Wheclcd vehicles just can’t go all the places that a tracked vehicle can. On many occasions, we used APCs to haul ammo into a remote area because helicopters couldn’t get down through triple-canopy rain forest. A much better solution would have been to use M-548s. That way, each one could he loaded with com-hustihles and set up to tow a fuel bladder. Each carrier should come with enough crew to handle cargo, and light, if need be. There should be a SO ring on each one, and they have to have radios. In far too many instances, we had to find the tanks by following their tracks - or even by asking the infantry if they’d seen them.

The company bunkers must he able to resupply the whole outfit several times over, once contact is established, and the ready-slings must be sent off more quickly. Next, whatever means of transport is practicable must be sent off to resupply the base itself. The flow of ammunition must not stop, or you’ll lose the initiative. ARMOR - May-June 1989 asks in the September/October issue of ARMOR, “Even if we stop the Warsaw Pact cold, shouldn’t we have to expect to throw them out of every town and forest they will be sure to defend?”

Soviets make unscrupulous use of the civil population, and that will force us to create many small, independent armored units, with the attendant’ supply/admin problems.

Once the enemy is on the ‘dcfensive, the pressure must be relentless, and that means massive consumption of fuel, ammo, and rations, as well as spare parts. We must give some serious thought to adding a support platoon to the line armor company, especially to those that are part of an infantry division. It should be fully tracked, and capablc of allowing the company to split into six segments. The supply, mess, and maintenance people would all fit in here, and we should add an artillery-style ammo section. Also, you‘d gain an extra officer who could double as liaison with cross-linked outfits. Whoever is controlling the resupply operation must get with the company HU noncoms and set up a running inventory. A balance must be struck between having enough combustibles on hand, and still heing able to move the whole shcbang on a moment’s notice. When move-out time comes, you’ll have to make a decision between making extra trips, or destroying the extra supplies in place.

Our normal ground supply procedure was to take my three-truck column and make bi-weekly runs to the nearer platoons or sections, as necessary. Dcpending on local VC activity, we would either make the runs unescorted, or tag along with a hardened convoy. We usually stuck to roads or tank trails, and let the tanks come out to us.

For a unit that was over 50 miles out, wc would draw cxtra trucks from battalion, or a transportation company, and set them up with their own supplies in a section of the host unit’s firebase. (On one occasion, we had a platoon working with the Korean Capital Division, and had to carry an interpreter with us).

Unless something radical hap pened, one run every two weeks was sufficicnt for these detachrncnts. In any case, there was always enough in their dumps to replace a basic load at least twice, and a Chinook from Pleiku or Bong Son could easily restock thcm in a few hours. As time in the field accrues, so will the need Cor spare parts and advanced maintenance. As a result, there’ll usually be one or two tanks in the company LZ being worked on, and these ciin be tapped for escort duty. Alternatively, when one tank is returning to its platoon, the trucks can simply tag along. This also allows them to penetrate deeper into the hush, because the tanks can pull thcm through rough going, as well as protect them. If a platoon has been out much over two weeks, it will need everything from Coleman mantles and mosquito nets to torsion bars and turbo chargers, bearings, seals, headlights ... the list is almost endless. Your motor sergeant is the key hcre. His experience will allow him to second-guess wear and tear, and to replace things before thcy blow.

When a road wheel or idler bearing, for instance, starts to use too much grease, rcplace it before the wheel falls off. When a battery gets too thirsty, replace it before the others get pulled down, too. You have only as much voltagc as tlic lowest bilttery in the harness, and plugging in the slave ciible is not advisable when lead bees are trimming the underbrush.

When you have exceeded turn-in mileage by douhle or triple, and are being shot at in the bargain, the rules go out the hatch. Annual milin-tcnance was being done quarterly in Vietnam, and normal monthlv lube schedules had to be pulled weekly. If the parts can be gotten to the tanks, it’s amazing how much repair work the crews can perform out in the field. We even hrought a VTR out to the Cambodian border and changed powerpacks on top of a jungled mountain.

As mileage increases, so does the list of on-hoard spares. We learncd lo carry road wheels and extra track sections, headlights, bolts, lengths of wire, LMG spares - I think we hauled about a half ton of parts most of the time. Some tanks even carried a few torsion bars, lashed to the sponson boxes.

In a normal tank or cavalry platoon, there’s no such thing as ARMOR - May-June 1989 pliltoon or section equipment, because you’re supposed to be able to get everything necessary from company HU.

That’s fine for a World War il-type operation. but if you’re in a Central American rain forest, or halfway across Africa. you’re going to have to be self-supporting. That means extra gear, and a place to hitul it. Long-range base antennas, for example, and engine-lifting slings. Extra-length tow cables and slave cables. Fuel transfer pumps and hoses. Trip llares, claymores. and wire for semiperniancnt pcrimeters.

The list goes on lorever, and all this needs to he stowed. Eventually, we wound up manufacturing oversize bustle racks and splitting up the accessorics. If a section or platoon is to operate in a defined area, say, out of some infantry firebase, it can be givcn a trailer load of basics and a fuel trailer. You simply hook the trailers directly to the tank and haul your housekeeping gear with you. This method will give a heavy section an independent capability, because three tanks and two platoons of infantry can live for quite a while off five tons of general supplies. The normal SOP was for one tank and one platoon to man the perimeter and rest, while the other platoon and two tanks beat the bushes.

You can find a way to get fuel, ammunition, food and parts out to the tanks, but evcntually, wear on the machincry \vi11 overcome the supply of mechanics, and conibat attrition will cause a shortage of skilled crewmen. There simply aren’t any spare troops in a line company unless you cross-train your rear echelon types as tankers.

1 have seen three TCs medevaced out in half an hour. The gunners took over the titnks, and galvanized cooks and clerks came out on the supply ships. Most of the time, whcn a platoon was sent out to clean up an ambush, there’d be a line of would-be loaders waiting by the gate. We even used Air Force men during Tet.

Cross-training will also help solve the mechanic problem. If you start having your motor people give classes now, and send your more promising candidates to schools, you will drastically increase your unit’s effectiveness and flexibility. Americans are unique in that we, more than any other nation, are wedded to machinery. That means that our Army, more than any other, can keep tanks running under adverse and even impossible conditions.

We’d damn well better be planning ahead, though, because the Russians are still building 260 tanks per month. That means that the fate ARMOR - May-June 7989 of the free world is resting squarely on our armored shoulders. ‘Tank Sergeant,” Ralph Zumbro’s memoir of his service in Vietnam, was released in paperback last year by Pocket Books. He has served as an NCO in each of the combat arms, including combat service in the RVN. He has commanded tanks in Vietnam, USAREUR, and CONUS, and has served as a gunnery and demolitions instructor. With a degree in marine propulsion technology, he’s also worked as a salvage diver, yacht captain, and vocational-technical instructor. Currently, he is writing full-time and his new book, “Jungletracks,” co-authored with his former XO, James Walker, is due to be released by Pocket Books this summer.