Leopard 2 MBT

[Thomsen]

Germans were the first that used the tanks as massed power working all together , and not just helping the infantry , they invented the consept of "armored fist" , the Blitskrig - use of different forces combined working together and backing each other , while the tanks playing role of charging spearhead . Romel was also probably the father of Tank warfare in desert.

"Blitzkrieg" is a word that was found by journalists who tried to describe the German victories in their offense against Belgium, Netherlands an France. And these victories were more luckiliy than strategically or tactical.

[ExtraT]

Germans were the first that used the tanks as massed power working all together , and not just helping the infantry , they invented the consept of "armored fist" , the Blitskrig ...

I'm afraid you are mistaken. The first army that theoretically and practically established these tactics was the Soviet army. Soviet army was also the first one to use it in combat - in August of 1939 against Japanese army.

[Javehn]

Ouch you killed me . Know i would have to make some research ... I have exams comming soon . Not good !
By the way , i think i saw you on waronline forum... You speak Russian ?

[He219]

Germans were the first that used the tanks as massed power working all together , and not just helping the infantry , they invented the consept of "armored fist" , the Blitskrig - use of different forces combined working together and backing each other , while the tanks playing role of charging spearhead . Romel was also probably the father of Tank warfare in desert.

"Blitzkrieg" is a word that was found by journalists who tried to describe the German victories in their offense against Belgium, Netherlands an France. And these victories were more luckiliy than strategically or tactical.

You're kidding, right?


Heinz Guderian refined this strategy as a reaction to the static attrition of trench warfare during World War I and it became practical in the early 1930s due to the increasing power and reliability of the internal combustion engine and the invention of the portable radio which allowed for coordination of attacks. A number of military figures in several nations realized that static warfare was an outmoded concept and could be defeated by concentrating forces on a narrow point in a fast thrust.

Blitzkrieg was a fast and open style of warfare, heavily reliant on new technologies. First aircraft were used as long-range artillery to destroy enemy strongholds, attack troop concentrations, and spread panic. Then combined arms forces of tanks and motorised infantry coordinated by two-way radio destroyed tactical targets before moving on, deep into enemy territory under close air support. A key difference to previous tactical models was the devolution of command. Fairly junior officers in the field were encouraged to use their own initiative, rather than rely on a centralised command structure.

The key to Blitzkrieg was to organize the troops into mobile forces with excellent communications and command, able to keep the momentum up while the battle unfolded. The basic concept was to concentrate all available forces at a single spot in front of the enemy lines, and then break a hole in it with artillery and infantry, easy enough to do even in World War I. Once the hole was opened, tanks could rush through and strike hundreds of miles to the rear. This allowed the attacking force to fight against lightly armed logistics units, starving the enemy of information and supplies. In this way even a small force could destroy a much larger one through confusion, avoiding direct combat as much as possible.

http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_Guderian

Leopard 2A6 side view, showing the full 130 cm increase in barrel length of the new 120mm L55 gun.
(Photo: Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH.)

[RealUltimatePower]

Uhh I'm pretty sure the Brits invented tank warfare.

[thatguy96]

Uhh I'm pretty sure the Brits invented tank warfare.

Perhaps if you feel that the tank is soley a support base for infantry or that it shouldn't operate on its own, then maybe you'd be right. The British may have more or less 'invented' the tank, but its really the Germans that refined tank warfare and showed the many possibilities of tactics using armoured vehicles, both by themselves or in combined arms situations. The Russians may well have been on the way, but its clearly shown in the opening days of the German invasion of Russian during WWII, that most of the people with the nessecary experience had been purged.

[Thomsen]

You're kidding, right?

I´m not talking about the strategy, only about the wird "blitzkrieg" as description.

[erazer76]

go leo go!!!!
nice topic! :P

[JunglistSoldier]

The challenger is ****ing HUGE!

Very Nice posts. Still think Challey 2 is the best though

how many original Leopard 2 customers are signing up for the A5/A6 upgrades?

Any one have any idea what happed to the 140mm gun the swiss were developing for the leopard?

[cut]

Uhh I'm pretty sure the Brits invented tank warfare.

Perhaps if you feel that the tank is soley a support base for infantry or that it shouldn't operate on its own, then maybe you'd be right. The British may have more or less 'invented' the tank, but its really the Germans that refined tank warfare and showed the many possibilities of tactics using armoured vehicles, both by themselves or in combined arms situations. The Russians may well have been on the way, but its clearly shown in the opening days of the German invasion of Russian during WWII, that most of the people with the nessecary experience had been purged.

it is still a british invetion as flight is an american one and space flight a russian one (just teasin' the yanks)

[ExtraT]

The Russians may well have been on the way, but its clearly shown in the opening days of the German invasion of Russian during WWII, that most of the people with the nessecary experience had been purged.

The "beheading of the Soviet army" is communist propaganda created to conceal the real facts about the beginning of the war. The reality is that USSR was preparing a "Blitzkrieg" (Or, in Soviet terms, "Deep Operation") against Germans and the rest of Europe, and it was in the final stages of preparation when Germans launched a preemptive strike. The Soviet army found itself in a horrible tactical situation, and that's why there were such losses. Of course, unwillingness of the high command (that is, Stalin) to accept the situation for what it is when the strike began didn't help either.

[Nite]

Uhh I'm pretty sure the Brits invented tank warfare.

Perhaps if you feel that the tank is soley a support base for infantry or that it shouldn't operate on its own, then maybe you'd be right. The British may have more or less 'invented' the tank, but its really the Germans that refined tank warfare and showed the many possibilities of tactics using armoured vehicles, both by themselves or in combined arms situations. The Russians may well have been on the way, but its clearly shown in the opening days of the German invasion of Russian during WWII, that most of the <a href="http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=people&v=51&src=zon">people</a> with the nessecary experience had been purged.

it is still a british invetion as flight is an american one and space flight a russian one (just teasin' the yanks)

Sorry, but flight is a german invention. The first flight was conducted by Otto Lilienthal. However, the Americans invented the motor flight.

[cut]

this could go on and on, but, the french discorvered flight in a hot air ballon and the parachute.

[Kitsune]

However, the Americans invented the motor flight.

Wrong. The first airship flew in Germany in 1900. And it had a motor (which was a German invention, too).

this could go on and on

Right...an discussion like this doesn't makes sense

[Shadow]

Yup the germans also invented the space flight and the telefon.
Not Alexander G. Bell i read it in the newspapers.
But Tanks were invented by the Brits. And Tank Warfare by the germans.