Truth is stranger than fiction. Never before has a tank been marketed to such a level where the meme theory of its' invincibility is so strong.
The M-1 tank has serious problems. In spite of its alleged prowess, it is dangerous to its's crew;is overly expensive; has horrible logistics; breaks too much; has bad mobility; isn't very useful at supporting infantry and well, one would hope there is a better solution.
The bad mobility, horrible logistics, and weak reliability contribute to the M-1 having poor operational momentum. This is a huge anchor on a Division or Corps commander that needs to get things done.
Close the tank plant? No. Build a better tank.
The M-1 is not it.
Here is a short list of just some of the concerns.
Safety: For as many times as it has ended up-side down or on fire, you would think a floor hatch would be useful.
The M-1 does not have one.
The allegedly safe ammo storage? It was designed on the assumptions of 105mm ammo cooking off; not 120mm ammo.
Other various safety concerns are:
Safe evacuation of hot gas and debris after firing the 120mm gun.
Mobility. It is outrageously heavy. This means many bridges, roads, and ground can't take it. The King Tiger effect.
Survivability. The top is flat and of a wide area. Top or near top shots offer more risk and a bigger target area.
The bottom shaping also makes the M-1 more at-risk to anti-tank mine damage.
The armor, in spite of claims, is nothing special (more hype than substance).
Because of the M-1 tanks weight, it is very limited on the kind of ground one may consider "tank country" and ends up on roads (the ones it doesn't ruin) a high percentage of time making it more vulnerable to large IEDs.
Logistics. The M-1 eats fuel and resources like mad. That is, the ones that aren't broken.
Weapons. In spite of a 120mm smooth-bore HE round being on the market, the Army refuses to have anything other than anti-tank rounds in service where the other weak attempts such as canister (no better than machine guns) and multi-mode ammo rob infantry of a needed heavy round to help them do their job safer.
All in all, this tank is over-rated and a burden on our ground forces.
And additional viewing of these problems in detail, can be seen in this series of briefs. The briefs are unsophisticated, have an occasional misspelled word and having the sound off helps. But, what you will learn is that most of what you have been told about the prowess of the M-1 tank, is nothing more than hype.
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 1: Overview
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 2: Mobility (Part 1/4)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 2: Mobility (Part 2/4)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 2: Mobility (Part 3/4)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 2: Mobility (Part 4/4)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 3: Firepower (Part 1 of 6)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 3: Firepower (Part 2 of 6)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 3: Firepower (Part 3 of 6)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 3: Firepower (Part 4 of 6)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 3: Firepower (Part 5 of 6)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 3: Firepower (Part 6 of 6)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 4: Protection (Part 1 of 5)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 4: Protection (Part 2 of 5)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 4: Protection (Part 3 of 5)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 4: Protection (Part 4 of 5)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 4: Protection (Part 5 of 5)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 5: Surprise (Part 1 of 5)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 5: Surprise (Part 2 of 5)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 5: Surprise (Part 3 of 5)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 5: Surprise (Part 4/5)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 5: Surprise (Part 5/5)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 6: Infantry Support... or not? (Part 1/3)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 6: Infantry Support... or not? (Part 2/3)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 6: Infantry Support... or not? (Part 3/3)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 7: Logistics (Part 1/9)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 7: Logistics (Part 2/9)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 7: Logistics (Part 3/9)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 7: Logistics (Part 4/9)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 7: Logistics (Part 5/9)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 7: Logistics (Part 6/9)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 7: Logistics (Part 7/9)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 7: Logistics (Part 8/9)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 7: Logistics (Part 9/9)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 8: Vaporware (Part 1 of 4)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 8: Vaporware (Part 2 of 4)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 8: Vaporware (Part 3 of 4)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 8: Vaporware (Part 4 of 4)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 9: Crew Hazards (Part 1 of 6)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 9: Crew Hazards (Part 2 of 6)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 9: Crew Hazards (Part 3 of 6)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 9: Crew Hazards (Part 4 of 6)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 9: Crew Hazards (Part 5 of 6)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 9: Crew Hazards (Part 6 of 6)
The REAL M1 Abrams!, Chapter 10: Fun M1 Facts (Part 1 of 10)
The REAL M1 Abrams!, Chapter 10: Fun M1 Facts (Part 2 of 10)
The REAL M1 Abrams!, Chapter 10: Fun M1 Facts (Part 3 of 10)
The REAL M1 Abrams!, Chapter 10: Fun M1 Facts (Part 4 of 10)
The REAL M1 Abrams!, Chapter 10: Fun M1 Facts (Part 5 of 10)
The REAL M1 Abrams!, Chapter 10: Fun M1 Facts (Part 6 of 10)
The REAL M1 Abrams!, Chapter 10: Fun M1 Facts (Part 7 of 10)
The REAL M1 Abrams!, Chapter 10: Fun M1 Facts (Part 8 of 10)
The REAL M1 Abrams!, Chapter 10: Fun M1 Facts (Part 9 of 10)
The REAL M1 Abrams!, Chapter 10: Fun M1 Facts (Part 10 of 10)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 11: Combat Record (Part 1 of 2)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 11: Combat Record (Part 2 of 2)
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 12: The Raw Numbers, Part 1 of 3
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 12: The Raw Numbers, Part 2 of 3
The REAL M1 Abrams! Chapter 12: The Raw Numbers, Part 3 of 3
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