Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “T-80: The Soviet Union’s Last Tank” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/t-80-the-soviet-unions-last-tank/.
T-80: The Soviet Union’s Last Tank
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
Cedric
Master Class
To say the Russians used bad tactics during the first battle of Grozny is an understatement. Russian units "assaulted" the city by driving in against minimal opposition while the Chechens melted away into the city. The Russians then, in some cases literally, circled the wagons in the town square and said, "we win!" Then at night, while the Russians sacked out, the Chechens infiltrated in force and took them under fire with RPGs and small arms. I remember reading a Russian after action report and the poor leadership and training was glossed over by saying it was all the T-80s that made them lose.
But, never let it be said that the Russians can't learn from mistakes. They licked their wounds, revamped training, and came back with a vengeance with a methodical combined arms operation and were successful. The US actually refined its urban operations with these Russian techniques in Fallujah and An Najaf. Any armored vehicle has strengths and weaknesses. Maximizing strengths and minimizing those weaknesses is key.
But, never let it be said that the Russians can't learn from mistakes. They licked their wounds, revamped training, and came back with a vengeance with a methodical combined arms operation and were successful. The US actually refined its urban operations with these Russian techniques in Fallujah and An Najaf. Any armored vehicle has strengths and weaknesses. Maximizing strengths and minimizing those weaknesses is key.