Those are some good points, Tony. I hadn't considered factoring in the use of NBC weapons. Their use could help explain larger numbers of intact, captured armor in WWIII. I think we agree that James' numbers seem a little high though.
I suppose as long as the crews were caught outside of their vehicles by a sudden, unexpected NBC attack, they could be killed or driven off while the vehicles are left intact to be captured by follow up enemy forces. On the other hand, one would think that WWIII tank crews would be ready for this sort of NBC attack and, once buttoned up inside their tracks, safer than most from its effects.
I wonder how long it would take to make an irradiated/radiologically contaminated tank safe to operate again. I'm sure it could be done and the WWII Red Army wasn't averse to "asking" its soldiers to take great risks in defense of the Motherland.
As for scuttling, your point about the threat environment is well taken. WWIII Europe is bound to be a lot deadlier than 2003 Iraq and that might chase off or kill greater proportions of imobilized tanks' crews. One of the points that I was trying to make is that other, operational tanks can be used to destroy damaged or crewless tanks that need to be abandoned. A couple of APFDS or HEAT rounds from behind will likely render an Abrams dead or too badly damaged to repair.
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