ISIS claimed it destroyed 10 of the Leopard 2 tanks, dubbed invincible in some quarters, and while the terror group's estimates are regularly exaggerated, analysis of fighting around al-Bab in Syria puts the figure at 'at least eight'. Pictured: The remnants of one of the German-built tanks as shown in a January 20, 2017 Isis video recorded near al-Bab. It was reportedly blown up by a mine. In the background is a destroyed Kobra armoured personnel carrier
Daily Mail: The £4million German tank dubbed 'one of the best in the world' is shown up in Syria: Leopard 2 bought by Turkey to fight British-backed Kurds has numerous faults exposed in lethal fashion
* The German government has come under domestic pressure after images showed Turkey deploying the tanks
* From the late 1970s to today, more than 3,000 of the tanks have been built at a cost of around £4million a unit
* Turkey bought 354 of them, and has started using them to fight Kurdish fighters in cities in northern Syria
* But they are proving to be ineffective, with the tanks being picked off by allied forces as they are sent in alone
A German-made tank, which Berlin once dubbed one of the best in the world, has had its shortcomings embarrassingly exposed on the battlefield in Syria.
Photos from the Turkish military operation dubbed 'Euphrates Shield', which began in August 2016, show the charred remains of one of the Leopard 2 tanks which was reportedly blown up with mines.
The images - taken from an ISIS video published in January 2017 - show the tank with its turret completely blown off.
Other pictures from the same conflict show Leopard 2s standing idle in ditches and snow after being severely damaged.
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WNU Editor: I guess the Leopard 2 is .... in the end .... not invincible.
It's at least the equivalent of a M1A2-Turks will change their tactics soon enough
ReplyDeleteYou never send in tanks alone in combat. It's not the tank, it's the tactic that has shortcomings.
ReplyDeleteExactly, this tank is a beast.
DeleteNever trust the Jannisarries.
ReplyDeleteThe above photo:
ReplyDeleteThere are 2 destroyed tanks and one destroyed wheeled vehicle. The foreground tank does not look like a mine hit, while the wheeled vehicle does and the background tank unknown.
Looking at what's there plus the ground around and behind leads one to think this was a mixed arms ambush.
Hans and faz you're right about armored tactics, but the terrain sorta demands mounted infantry/armored columns/convoys. In this type of terrain air surveillance and coverage tend to take the place of dismounted infantry. Here there seems to have been a lack or misuse of that. I have not read the source article.
They're just very modular.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all this article has no relevance to the current events in Afrin, the spotlight event has happened a year ago, and the article is just the typical dailymail clickbait trash. Turkish military is not up to NATO level, not that NATO forces in general could be formidable, but still it's below that. They just lack the situation awareness, which is strange since they have a huge sandbox ( SE countryside of theirs and the war against Kurds for god now since when ) that gives the ability to train and practice, yet they are what they are. This asset is good as any other that has armor and can shoot, it's up to the ones who use it to use it well.
ReplyDeleteTo those who are interested in this event, and how things went down in Al-Bab a year ago, take a look at this article: https://misterxanlisis.wordpress.com/2017/03/12/achtung-leopards-in-syria-full-analysis-of-the-leopard-2a4tr-in-syria/
By the way, a destroyed, burned vehicle does not mean it has been hit this hard. IS, just like guerrilla forces in general tend to burn everything that they cannot move or use. A tank that has been left behind will be burned in no time. I mean it still a loss, but a different loss.
Yup,
DeleteIn addition, Turkish Leopards are Gen. 2, Almost everybody elses Leopards are Gen. 6 at least, based on combat lessons from Afghanistan and Iraq, with Gen. 7.8 being the latest model,
And the Turks are using their tanks in a direct fire support mode for the Free Syrian Army jihadi's, who are not NATO trained infantry,
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ReplyDeleteThe turkish Leopard's is the Leopard 1 and the Leopard 2A4 that is basically "Gen. 5" in the Leopard 2 series.
ReplyDeleteAnd here we have som recent drone footage of the Leo 2A4 in action against the kurds:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.trthaber.com/dosyalar/videolar/3b7775474667ce1393c70cd3f77c63d1.mp4
What Hans Persson said
ReplyDeleteA tank is part of a team.
If you do not have good anti-tank weapons, your best bet with a tank is to strip it of its infantry support. Then you take it. A tank is not all knowing, all seeing, all powerful.
"When tanks are badly accompained and operated they become very vulnerable that is why ISIS has been able to defeat a small Turkish Leopard 2s unit and capture its cats." - mlacix
Once again mlacix is awesome.
"In addition, Turkish Leopards are Gen. 2,"
There is a partisan fact checking job waiting for someone.
"Once again mlacix is awesome."
ReplyDeleteYay, I'm awesome, thanks Aizino, I gonna print this and put on my wall. By the way the quote and the whole blog/website is not related to me in any way, but I take the compliment anyway.
I remember reading your weblog with its analysis on various small battles and enjoyed it. You slowed down in posting to your blog and in posting comments, but that is understandable given school/job.
ReplyDeleteI thought that maybe you had started a new website. My mistake, but you are still awesome.
Sorry. I disagree.
ReplyDeleteMlacix is not awesome.
He is SUPER AWESOME!
:)
Aizino, WNU thank you. Yeah, having a job takes away so much time, also the current conflicts slowed down, and not much happening, but one day I sure will continue to write this kind of things.
ReplyDelete