RE: TANKS WAR

[Tom Hickcox <cometkazie1@cox.net>]

At 14:12 1/26/02 +0000, Diego Zampini wrote:
>The US troops realized that the M-24s were useless against them and asked 
>89 mm bazookas which were carried to the front lines thru parachutes 
>droped by C-119s. With the inttention to convince his soldiers that the 
>bazookas were able to destroy the T-34s, the CO of the 24th division, 
>General William F. Dean himself leaded a anti-tank team in the streets of 
>Taejon on July 20 and destroyed 15 T-34s, despite even then the US troops 
>were forced to withdraw by the NKPA tanks. But on July 23 the 105th 
>Armoured Division was stopped by a terrible ambush prepared by the 27th US 
>division ´The Wolfhounds´ in Kumchon.
>On August 17 1950 the 107th Armoured Regiment of the NKPA attacked the 
>positions of the 1st Marines Brigade near Waegwan in the Naktong bulge. 
>One T-34, previously hit by a bazooka with no effect, found an USMC M-26 
>Pershing just around a corner, which destroyed the North Korean tank with 
>2 90 mm shells. A second T-34, which had survived several bazooka hits, 
>was destroyed by 2 M-26s, and a third T-34 followed the same fate. Ten 
>days later, on August 27, the NKPA performed its last armoured assault 
>near Tabudong, and being defeated by the Pershings of the C Company of 
>73rd Armoured Battalion. 13 T-34s and 5 Su-76Ms were destroyed by the 90 
>mm cannons of the M-26 Pershings. That was the last big tank battle of the 
>war. According to the US statistics, the M-4A3E8/M-26/M-46s knocked out 97 
>T-34/85s, plus 18 more possibles. In the other hand, 34 American tanks 
>were destroyed by the T-34/85s (15 of them totally destroyed). 75% of the 
>T-34 crew members were killed by the anti-tank shells against only 18% of 
>the American crews of the US tanks destroyed by the 85 mm shells, perhaps 
>due to the US gunners fired against a target until it began to burn. The 
>US analysts considered the T-34/85 an excellent tank, but also thought 
>that the training of their crews were inferior than the American ones.

I believe this engagement or series of engagements was written up in the 
magazine Military History around this time two years ago.  It was called 
"The Bowling Alley."  The use by U.S. troops of recoilless rifles was also 
discussed.

Tommy