国家地理:M1A1 ABRAMS Supertank-M1A1主战坦克

Kill them all. You know I did and that was tough to live with, er, for a long time. I was angry, because the, the, the way we prosecuted that particular mission--you know, send the Tank Company down this crowded road that was already covered in burning and destroyed equipment, the helicopters fired up--just didn't make any sense to me. But, you know, I was not an officer, I'm not the kind of person who makes those calls.
The destructive power of the battalions of tanks was overwhelming. In just over 2 hours, 186 Iraqi tanks and 127 armored vehicles, the queen of Saddam's forces were destroyed. The battle was a turning point. The Iraqi army was in full-scale retreat towards Basra. President Bush senior declared a cease-fire at midnight on February 28th. After 100 hours of the ground war General Schwarzkopf and the coalition forces had won a stunning victory. Kuwait was now free.
After the war, it was estimated that the Iraqis had lost 3700 tanks, over 20,000 men were killed and tens of thousands wounded. Miraculously, during the whole conflict only 18 Abrams had been disabled and just 4 knocked out by Iraqi anti-tank fire. Not a single member of an Abrams tank crew had been killed by enemy fire. The combination of the super tank's advanced technology and the superior training and discipline of the crews had won the day.
12 years later.
Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours.
March 20th, 2003, America is again at war with Iraq. And once more the M1 Abrams will prove itself a formidable weapon. Within 24 hours at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 3rd infantry's 7th cavalry is rolling, unopposed across the dessert. Their destination--Baghdad.
In the first 3 days they move with breathtaking speed, covering some 300 miles even the brutal sands storms barely slow their progress. Iraqi pickup trucks mounted with primitive missiles and automatically rifles charge the tanks. Their attacks are mostly suicidal.
There will be no spectacular tank-on-tank battles in this war. But not all Abrams will escape unscathed. And one Abrams's driver is shot and killed. And the tank he is operating falls into a river. His entire crew perishes with him.
After days of intense aerial bombardment the M1 Abrams rolls into Saddam International Airport, enters the grounds of the presidential palace, and then moves into the heart of the city. This is psychological warfare; the army calls it Thunder Run. The battlefield behemoth proves that American forces can move at will through Baghdad. After only 3 weeks the war is declared over. And the legacy of the M1 Abrams is secure.
We all know that the M1 strengths are its armor, its maneuverability. It can fire offensively or defensively. It was just awesome.
In the fitting tribute President George W. Bush hails the Abrams, the most effective armor vehicle in the history of warfare.
After all that happened, I would say that the Abrams's survivability is a, No. 1. It kept my crew from getting killed.
Information -- by snowcatzzc
1. Operation Iraqi Freedom: 伊拉克自由行动，第二次海湾战争联军针对伊拉克的首轮袭击代号
2. the Third Infantry's 7th Cavalry: 美军第三机械化步兵师所属第七骑兵旅
3. General Schwarzkopf: 第一次海湾战争的联军指挥官
4. unscathed:Not injured or harmed.
5. Thunder Run: 滚雷行动，第二次海湾战争中联军针对伊拉克的心理战代号
6. behemoth: Something enormous in size or power.
7. maneuverability:可操作性
8. survivability: 战场生存力