Killer Tank Crews

Killer Tank Crews by Lieutenant Colonel James Crowley Tank battles at the National Training Center (NTC), like real battles in real wars, have shown that a very special breed of tank crew exists within the U.S. Army. These are the comparatively small number of tank crews that have proven to be superstars. These elite crews often win battles for their company or battalion. They avoid getting killed while they kill great numbers of enemy tanks. Their presence in the battle and their effect on the battle is critical. At times they have literally changed defeat into victory. These Killer Tank Crews have confirmed again and again what combat leaders have been saying for a long time: the key element in winning wars lies at the crew/platoon level - the people who do the shooting. As such, they must be trained to survive. To examine how these crews operate we must look at the tank-versus-tank battle. The battle is won by the side that wins the individual tank-versus-tank fights. Usually, these fights are of an attacker versus a defender, or a moving attacking tank versus a stationary defending tank. Proper offensive and defensive positioning are vital to survival. Good positioning allows the defending tank to kill a large number of attacking tanks without itself being killed. An attacking tank crew’s survival is directly related to its acquiring the, defending tank, which means knowing where to look. For the defender. survival lies in not being acquired or, if acquired, moving fast, for the phrase “what can be seen can be hit,” although trite, is very true. Here are some tried and true positioning techniques: 0 Have a backdrop and avoid anything that catches the eye. A skylined tank is a dead tank. Also, if a tank positions itself by a large boulder, it can be acquired by association. 0 Use a full-hide position and stay in it until the enemy is where you want him for engagement. A prone or dug-in forward observer gives a very small signature compared to a tank even one in a good firing position. Also, the ideal firing position that puts the tank in full defilade against all possible return fire is very rare. 0 Use covered routes into and out of your firing position. More tanks are killed at the NTC moving into and out of firing positions than are killed in open battle. Experienced crews put a higher priority on covered routes than on the firing position itself. 0 At night, no lights. Night vision devices can detect red dome lights through periscopes. They can see blackout markers and even the reticle light in a gunner’s sight. In MI’S this is a real problem. There are some lights that can’t be turned off. Tape them. 0 Use window or keyhole positioning. This is probably the most successful positioning technique to come out of NTC training. Simply stated, this is deliberately limiting a tank’s sector of fire in order to limit its exposure. Because the tank’s fields of fire are deliberately limited, dependence upon OPs and mutual support with other positions are vital to avoid being blindsi-ded. 0 Move into position carefully. Quick movements are easily seen. Hot rodding can throw up diesel fumes and dust. In this respect it is vital to keep the air filters clean or excess diesel plumeing will result when you gun the engine. 0 Shoot, then move. Every shot fired increases the probability of attacking tanks acquiring and engaging the defending tank. Four or five rounds is the maximum that can safely be fired from one position. Only if the crew is certain that they have n o t been acquired can they remain in that position. When you see the attacking tank’s turrets starting to turn toward you, you have been acquired - move. 0 Avoid shine. Plastic map cases, goggles, binoculars, eyeglasses, all can give you away. Use eyeglass shades and use the other items only when needed. Then stow them inside the tank. The Defensive Techniques 0 Use wingmen. The wingman technique works. Both tanks cover the same sector of fire. When one tank is out of action for any reason, the other continues to cover the sector. Wingmen also sense each other’s rounds.

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I‘. . . Ta get acquisition and positioning movement a r e a t least a s important as steel-on-target gunnery. . . ” 0 Tanks must be able to cover all mounted approaches. The company commander must assign all tank sections primary and secondary sectors of fire. He must ensure all mounted approaches can be covered by tank fire. The tank crew’s responsibility then is to select exact positions to cover those sectors of fire, along with covered routes to and from those positions. The company commander should go to the front and observe his tanks’ positions from the enemy side. Exact distances to target reference points (TRPs) are ranged. Dead space can be identified. 0 Practice movements. This practice must be done as it will be done in battle: buttoned up, in MOPP, and with gun tubes to the rear. Marking and walking the routes is the driver’s responsibility since he will have to do it during battle while the tank commander (TC) is watching the enemy. 0 Dispersion. The NTC guideline of 75 meters or more between primary and secondary positions is a proven item. Wingmen must also be dispersed to prevent both being blinded by smoke or both being killed together. 0 Don’t use berms. A berm must be at least 20 feet thick to protect you tank against an APFSDS round. Instead, dig the tank down. With enough time and equipment, both a hide and firing position can be constructed. There have been instances when such well-constructed positions allowed tanks to successfully fight from unfavorable open terrain. In fact, there often is a surprise effect gained by occupying terrain where you’re not expected to be. Now let’s take a look at techniques that have proven effective for attacking tanks. The biggest need has already been covered - the attacker must acquire the defender. Ideally, defending tanks are acquired before they begin shooting, but certainly they should be acquired after the first round. Each tank in an attacking formation must have an assigned sector of observation. Flanks and rear must be covered because that’s where antitank (AT) weapons will be positioned. The natural tendency to observe only in the direction of travel must be overcome. Binoculars should always be used and the gunner must use his sight for searching. The use of optics is difficult when 1 moving crosscountry. The stabilized sight on the M60A3/M1 solves the problem for the gunner, but not for the TC. Many tanks use the short-halt technique during which the tank halts for 5-10 seconds, a quick scan of the sector of observation is made, and the tank moves on. 0 Things to look for. The same things you would avoid in the defense: shine, skylining, diesel plumes or dust, straight lines, anything different from the natural terrain. Also, knowing how you would position yourself if you were the defender helps. 0 Stay together. Tanks achieve their maximum effect from mass shock. Breaking up the mutual support of the attacking formation by moving too fast or too slow is a fatal error. Never skyline yourself. Keep low and try to keep some cover between yourself and the enemy. Perfect routes just don’t exist, but every little bit of cover helps. 0 React quickly. When you come under fire, you have two alternatives: stop and kill the enemy tank, or move to cover. You cannot ignore the fire because modern AT weapons are too accurate and too deadly and have too high a rate of fire for you to ignore them. Your best answer is to kill the defender. If you simply try to avoid his fire, he will still be alive when you pass him and he will put one through your grill doors. It is the ability to deliver killing tank fire while on the move that separates the winners and the losers at the NTC. 0 Avoid killing zones. If you see a tank that has been killed by AT fire, give it a wide berth because if you move closer than 75-100 meters to it, you are in the same sight picture that killed that tank. If you see a group of destroyed vehicles - move elsewhere, 22

September-October 1984 fast; you are looking at a killing ground. Also be careful when bypassing AT ditches, mines or wire. Often the bypass route is into a kill zone. Crew Duties While the basic crew duties do not change, the experience of Killer Tank Crewsat the NTC indicate that a shift in emphasis is necessary. The tasks of fighting the tank, picking firing positions, looking for the enemy, maintain- i.ng contact with friendly elements and all the tactical aspects of operating the tank are very much a fulltime job and require the TC’s full attention. The rest of the crew must be able to perform their functions with the minimum involvement of the TC to allow this fo-Gunner. He handles all functions of hitting the target once he announces “identified.” The gunner senses his own and his wingman’s rounds. The gunner, with his higher resolution optics, must assist the TC in acquiring targets. The gunner will often take command of the tank when moving off the firing position if he sees the enemy’s turrets turning toward his tank. 0 Loader. Helps the TC acquire targets and serves as air guard. Directs the driver when reversing so that the TC can keep watch over the battlefield. The loader is often assigned close-in areas of watch while the TC concentrates on areas farther afield. Because his job of loading the gun is hard work in a ‘target rich’ environment, he should be the best conditioned man in the crew. 0 Driver. He is probably the most underrated crew member. Good terrain driving requires a good driver. He selects the exact route based on the TC’s general directions. He must know where the enemy is and keep the tank cus.

as much hull-down as possible. He must be alert to ground conditions to prevent track throwing. He must check the route for mines. He must do all this independent of TC supervision. The driver of the M6OAS/MI’is almost as important in hitting a target as the gunner when firing on the move. He must drive smoothly and steadily. Steel on Target So far, we have gone over lessons that have come out of engagement simulation, or MILES force-on-force battles at the NTC. A lot of live-fire lessons have been learned as well and they include: 0 Know the ranges to TRPs and use precision gunnery. The gunner should memorize TRP ranges. With a laser rangefinder, use the TRP to confirm the target range. 0 Reload the turrret. During any break in the battle, transfer rounds from the hull to the turret. If you fire only three rounds, replace them. Learn to use the 105D. It is a more robust sight than the M32. It is harder to use and requires more effort, but gunners mustknow how to use it. 0 Check defilade from the gun, not the sight, because the M32 is well above gun tube level. Boresight. Anytime you move, boresighting may be required. Boresight three times a day - at first light, at midday, and at last light. Odds and Ends While not fitting into any single category used before, there are numerous other tricks used by Killer Tank Crews at the NTC: 0 Use of onboard smoke is fatal if not used properly. Three keys to successful use of smoke are to use it only when someone is shooting at you, put it between you and the enemy, and don’t use it longer than necessary. 0 Thermal ID at night is even more difficult than daylight ID. Ballistic shields down. The first thing to do when receiving indirect fire is to close your ballistic shields to prevent damage to your optics. Tie down antennas. Point them away from the enemy. This reduces both the visual and electronic signature. 0 Vehicle recognition. There have been many battles where tanks have killed almost as many friendly as enemy tanks. Gunner/TC knowledge of vehicle recognition is vital. The old technique of keeping the gun tube toward the enemy gives a better chance of recognizing a withdrawing friendly tank from an attacking enemy tank. How To Get There So far we’ve described some of the tactics, techniques and tricks that Killer Tank Crews use. None of them is hard to understand; however, their application and execution against a real enemy is going to be difficult. How do we train our tank crews to execute their jobs properly on the battlefield? The answer is simple: MILES. The techniques presented here were not developed at the Armor School; they were developed by tank crews who learned from their MILES experience what worked and what didn’t work. Crews that are trained often with MILES learn the arts of target acquisition, positioning, good movement and all the other techniques that make the difference between the live tank crew and the dead tank crew and it makes the training fun and challenging. However, sufficient MILES equipment is not always available, nor are adequate training areas or time. Here are some suggestions to help overcome these deficiencies: 0 Concentrate on crew/section/platoon-level training first of all. Training at these levels must be learned to standard before advanced training can be undertaken. If individual crews aren’t adequately trained it is impossible to train at higher levels. Multi-echelon training is your ultimate goal, but the higher you go, the fewer the number of individual crew actions that can be trained for. At platoon level, perhaps three or four exercises can be run a day. At battalion level, one exercise per day is the norm. 0 Use t h e after-action review (AAR). A great deal of crew training takes place after the exercise when the opposing crews and evaluators discuss what has happened, why it happened, and how it could be done better. Units often skimp on providing trained evaluators. Don’t. AAR every training event! 0 KISS. Keep it simple, son. There is no real need to develop elaborate scenarios or to get all wrapped up in OPFOR tactics. At the NTC, the OPFOR tank battalion uses simple games like “tank tag,” where two tanks are placed at opposite sides of a piece of terrain and told to take it. Or “king of the hill,” where a couple of tanks are positioned on a hill and the rest of the company surrounds and attacks. 0 Train your crews to use MILES. How to mount, boresight, and shoot MILES must be mastered if crews are to be effectively trained. Change tanks and rotate crews rather than taking time to remount the

MILES and re-boresight it. Always boresight the MILES when changing tanks. Summary Engagement simulation with MILES is the proven method of improving tank crew performance. The only problem is the lack of MILES equipment, especially if MILES is to be used as an integral part of tank gunnery programs. We must expand our definition of tank gunnery skills. Target acquisition and positioning movement are at least as important as steel-on-target gunnery. In fact, as our gunnery systems become more and more rapid and accurate, the tactical aspects of gunnery become even more critical. We should formally include MILES engagement simulations in expanded gunnery programs. The revisions of FM 17-12-1, Tank Tactical Tables, are a step in the right direction but don’t go far enough. These tables are live-fire gunnery tables using MILES. We should use free play force-on-force to train tank crews in the basic gunnery skills. This would require less lead and preparation time and less OPFOR training and coordination than the tactical tables in the manual. Force-on-force training is more battlefield-oriented. It teaches crews to function with the flexibility and initiative they will need to win in rea1,battle. It provides the motiviation and feedback required for tank crews to build themselves into Killer Tank Crews.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL

JAMES CROWLEY graduated from USMA in 1967. He has served as a tank platoon leader in RVN, tank company and HHT commander, and battalion and squadron S-3 in USAREUR. He is presently assigned as Chief, Analysis Branch, NTC Division, at the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, KS. September-October 1984 23