Achtung! Dill the Panzerwaffe!
From May 7 to 12, at the Grafenwoehr training ground in Bavaria, the NATO analogue of the Russian “Tank Biathlon” was held - the international tank championship Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2017. The fact that the competition was started with the aim of identifying the best tank crew among NATO armies does not mean that non-aligned countries are welcome they were ordered. Against. Tankers from Austria took part in the tank competitions and, for the first time in the arena, a Ukrainian tank platoon - three T-64BV tanks from the 14th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, stationed in the city of Vladimir-Volynsky.
The sending of Ukrainian tanks to Bavaria and participation in the NATO tank competition took place with corresponding ideological pumping in the media. It was reported that the Ukroboronprom concern carried out modernization work and installed the latest foreign thermal imagers on tanks. There was information from official Kyiv propagandists, such as military correspondent Tsaplienko, that the hunters were ready to put the latest Oplot tanks into competition for such a cause, but could not find trained crews for them. Therefore, having thought twice, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense relied on tankers from the punitive forces who fought in the Donbass on well-mastered T-64BV series tanks.
The rivals of the Panzerwaffe were tank platoons: Germany - with Leopard-2A6 tanks; Austria - with Leopard-2A4; Poland, which replaced its Twardy tanks with Leopard-2A5; France - on Leclerc tanks, USA - on M1A2 Abrams.
Germany became the host for last year's victory in similar competitions. The top four in 2016 included tank crews from Denmark, Italy and Poland, leaving the Americans behind. Evil tongues, however, claim that almost everyone except the Americans put instructors in their tanks instead of line crews, which was the reason for the disastrous result of the Yankees.
Be that as it may, it could be assumed in advance that competing with modern Western tanks on the T-64BV, which were last produced in 1985, was a futile undertaking. As always, the Ukrainian side was chasing show-off, considering competitions with NATO tank aces and supermen more prestigious than with some kind of “cotton wool” and “scoops”.
The result of the 4th day of competition on May 11 speaks for itself: last place and 750 total points for the Ukrainian team, which is almost 300 points less than the penultimate place of the Polish team and more than half the result of the Americans. Here, however, it is difficult to say who the Americans sent this time under the impression of last year’s failure. Perhaps even their own instructors.
Ukrainian political leaders, in turn, assure that everything went well, the performance of the Ukrainian crews made an impression on NATO members, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Muzhenko, who came to the closing of the competition, declared the outstanding level of training of Ukrainian tank crews. The same case when you don’t praise yourself, no one will praise you.
You can watch the NATO “tank biathlon” on YouTube to see for yourself: contrary to the statements of the Kyiv political leaders that the Ukrainians shot “excellently” and better than anyone else, they shot the worst.
Before gloating, I would like to note the following: the leadership of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported with fanfare on the installation of modern thermal imagers on Ukrainian tanks. However, judging by the deafening silence about everything else, it is safe to assume that other sighting devices on tanks, called FCS (fire control system),
have been preserved untouched since Soviet times, otherwise the Ukrainian media would have been buzzing with news of unheard-of upgrades. Most likely, the ammunition for the tanks was also from old Soviet stocks, as was the tank gun, which was swollen from shots and was close to reaching its end of life. The T-64BV tank itself is far from a masterpiece and in terms of its performance characteristics it is much inferior not only to modern Western models of tank building, but also to the modified Soviet T-72B3, not to mention the T-90AM, which has been thoroughly tested in combat operations in Syria.
On the other hand, tank competitions are not based on shooting alone! The list also includes other disciplines: shooting from individual weapons, first aid, throwing a grenade, driving a tank at speed, overcoming obstacles, oncoming tank combat, evacuation...
With all due respect, it is not entirely clear why a championship in shooting from individual weapons for tank crews is needed. No, no one is going to deprive tankers of small arms as an additional moral incentive. But, if you think about it, when was the last time tankers used individual weapons en masse? Most likely during the Battle of Kursk. Specifically, in the tank battle near Prokhorovka, when everything did not go according to plan on both sides, and hundreds of tanks clashed in a close oncoming battle. Soviet and German vehicles went to ram, fired at point-blank range, the surviving crews crawled out of the wreckage of the armor and rushed into a furious hand-to-hand fight. Since then, if memory serves, nothing like this has happened.
This also includes first aid, grenade throwing, and oncoming tank combat.
Ukrainian “experts”, those who “stick tanks” and “count rivets,” almost unanimously note that the NATO “tank biathlon” is much more practical, although in terms of entertainment it is much inferior to the competitions in Alabino. In fact, the NATO “biathlon” is both impractical and absolutely no spectacle. It’s strange, but true: in the West, which has eaten more than one dog and its own teeth in the field of all kinds of shows, they were unable to organize a spectacular tank competition. Everything looked very routine and official. We can safely give ours an “A” for “tank biathlon” and “air darts”.
Even with such a seemingly spectacular competition as “run over a small car with a tank,” many crews coped without a hitch.
The obstacle course for NATO tanks also did not arouse much interest, and the fact that each tank was driving along a separate smooth path generally gave rise to bewilderment. Is this really how NATO members see combat operations? No, it is clear that both in Alabino and in Bavaria “tank biathlons” are far from real combat operations with tanks supported by motorized infantry, aviation, artillery, etc., but our “biathlon” is still much more applied than NATO’s , taking place practically in greenhouse conditions.
Previously, they say, there was a very cool tank championship for the Canadian Army Cup. Judging by what was written about it in the Soviet magazine Foreign Military Review, the competition was severe and close to a combat situation. It was necessary to compete without fools, and more than once it turned out that some Dutch conscripts regularly beat the great American pros. Maybe that’s why this cup is a thing of the past, when the Cold War was still going on?
In general, it is clear why NATO members stubbornly refuse to go and compete in Alabino. And it’s clear why Ukrainian tank crews were invited to the training ground in Bavaria. In order to use their anti-example to humiliate Soviet and, therefore, Russian weapons, for which today those who want to are lining up.
In special cases, these are Ukrainians for the West - residents of a “sovereign, independent” state. And in life, no matter how much Poroshenko, Klimkin and the rest of the loose camarilla puff themselves up, they continue to remain “Russian”, “Soviet”, a fragment of the USSR for NATO members.
You just have to be completely blind not to see it, have no heart not to feel it, and be deprived of brains to play such games.
English version :: Read in English Achtung! Ukropishe Panzerwaffe!