Interesting to see how the game mechanics work out a M1 vs T80 fight. As was noted before, a ratio of 3 or 4 T80 kills to 1 M1 was mentioned. I was an M60A3 and M1/M1A1 tanker and we we expected to kill at least 5 T72/80s before we met a firey death. Anything less than that and (statistically) the soviets were killing more of our combat power then we were of theirs.
I got a chance in Iraq to crawl around on some T72s. Granted, the IA tanks didn't have thermals and stabilized guns like the twilight soviets would, but I was amazed at how flimsy they were built and how thin the armor was. I few had the sabot holes bored through them so you could see how thin the protection really was.
I read once that a republican guard unit was in a reverse slope defilade, sitting with their engines off. Thus, the advancing M1s didn't see them until they were right ontop of them, making it a more even fight. Soviet tanks on the offense don't have that luxuary.
If its T80s advancing on a M1 using a true turret down defilade, with an alternate and at least 1 supplimentary position, the fight would probably go like this:
M1 is turret down and observes the lead T80 moving. M-1 moves from turret down, to hull down and fires. T80 destroyed. M-1 moves back out of sight before T80s can aquire and switches to alternate position in a turret down defilade and waits. T80s cannot observed M-1 in turret down but M-1 identifies T80s. M1 moves into hull down position, fires, destroyes T80, backs down to turret down position. Remaining T80, suprised by fire from a second position, but at least alert, fires and hits berm. T80 attempts to flank M-1; M-1 is already moving to supplimentary position along likely avenue of approach and is waiting in turret down position.....
I've done 2 NTC rotations, 2 JRTC rotations, and 1 CMTC rotation. Really, what these fights come down to is can the M-1 gunner hit targets on the first shot and is the M-1 commander good enough to find the right defilades and covered routes. I'd assume that by 2000, bad crews on both sides would be pretty much killed off or now tank-less and your "ace" tank crews are the ones left. For their part, I'd think that the Soviet TCs would be reluctant to go on the offense against M-1s and would prefer to play to the strength of their machines. I realize that goes against Soviet army doctrine, but still.....
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