NGP^85: Range fire Soviet and NATO tanks?

[CptCav]

I spent my first 18 months in the Army as a M-60A1 tank platoon leader. At 3000 meters a stationary M-60A1 tank had a 10% chance of hitting a stationary target with the first round. The main difference between a M-60A1 and a M-60A3 was the laser rangefinder. So, even though Tazaaron's friend indicates that the M-60A3 has been known to hit targets out to 3000 meters (the key words here are "has been known"), I have to say that the odds are against a first round hit; especially, if that target is moving.

We had to rely on the BOT (burst-on-target) technique, which means that we would have to see where the rounds landed to adjust our subsequent shots to achieve a hit on the target at range. This is something that Soviet tanks could not take advantage of due to the auto-loader feature, which would cause the gun to elevate immediately after firing to load the next round. This would cause the gunner to lose sight of the target. That is one of the reasons that Soviet doctrine called for all three tanks of a platoon to fire at the same target.

The other thing to consider is that during WWII in Europe the average battle range for tank engagements was 500 meters. The guns had ranges of greater distance but terrain and other considerations (i.e. fog) reduced the engagement distances. In the 1980's, "battle-sight" for the US tanks was 1600 meters. This was the maximum distance that a Sabot round would travel without the fall of the round (due to gravity) significantly impacting the aiming at the target (basically, the barrel was pointed straight at the target without having to be elevated). I remember being told that we could expect most engagements to take place at a 1000 meters and less. So, maybe no vehicle should have a two-hex range.

Even though the terrain on the map appears to be flat and open, much of the ground does have dead spaces where vehicles will not be seen. During our training we were taken on nature walks to study terrain and how to take advantage of the dips and undulations of the ground. Even on high ground, we were shown how the open terrain in front of us could mask movement. So, the amount of targets that can be engaged at two hexes would likely be a smaller number than those that are represented in the game.

By the way Epoletov, no need to apologize for your English, we are happy that you are contributing to the discussions on this board.

Regards,
CptCav