Quote:
Originally Posted by Enfield
The main thing I have as a concern about WWII-early Cold War vehicles is this: maintenance. Is it worth the trouble? What would be more readily available replacement parts for existing vehicles for the division or this stuff?
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Bluntly, NO.
It takes months to train people, whether that is a tanker or a mechanic.
That and the WW2 stuff is over matched by the Mexican Infantry fighting vehicles.
The hull front has 51mm of armor and the sides have 38mm.
The 20mmx139mm RH202 on the Mexican IFVs defeats 55m with older DM43 AP-i ammo and 60mm DM63 APDS, even newer defeats more than 70mm of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) the cast steel stuff before the 1970s composites entered the scene.
Worse for the Sherman. It has a day only range finder and no weapons stabilization.
Anything the Mexians have has 2 axis weapon stabilization, passive IR at a minimum, and a laser range finder. The IFV would be making hits of the Sherman while moving and the Sherman has to stop for the gunner to even try.
20mm is the smallest gun, there is a jump up to 25mm on the DN1, and the ERC - 90 has a 90mm with HEAT ammunition. They have all the same advantages over the Sherman too.
This is without the Infantry dismounted using their 40mm grenade launchers to smoke and blind the Sherman or HEPD (50mm penetration) to kill it. The units Carl Gustaf 84mm recoilless Rifles, or Unit M40A1 106mm Recoilless rifles. All the while with a Forward Observer bringing down 105mm artillery shells that will blast through a Sherman's 25mm of roof armor.
This is important due to the Shermans all in the hull design. There is no anti spall liner, armored munitions compartment, or even separation from the fuel. A hull penetration means fire and probably an ammunition detonation.
The M8 has even less armor and the same handicaps.
The stuff in the museum that is late 60s and 70s is the best option. American so there is ammunition, parts, and most importantly people who would have some training to use it. A tank is a big paper weight without a trained crew. Training for just a simple tanker private, whose first job is loader takes weeks at Ft Knox. An experienced Tank Commander is years in the making on something familiar and with frequent drill.
Then you run into problems like the radios are not able to work with the modern 80s and 90s radios.