This is a useful comment on the logistics of the de-mothballed T-55's being added to Russia's Army in Ukraine.
There is a historical analog for the problems Russia will have with its T-55's:
The US Army Tank force in the first six months of the Korean War.
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George F Hofmann did an article in the US Army Sep/Oct 2000 issue of it's ARMOR branch publication titled:
"Tanks and the Korean War: A case study of unpreparedness"
See this link:
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koreanwaronline.com/arms/Documenta…
To quote the article:
" However, the first three M26s that were rushed to Korea from the Tokyo Ordnance Depot had chronic problems, especially overheating engines and defective fan belts."
The following link gives a specific for what happened.
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"Three M26 Pershing tanks founded in an ordnance depot in Japan were hurriedly rebuilt & sent to Korea. In their first engagement around Chinji on July 28, all three of the Pershing tanks were abandoned after overheating due to incorrect fan belts"
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mikesresearch.com/2019/11/30/us-…
The Ford engine on the M26 Pershing was the same as the Sherman for a tank weighing 10 tons more.
A new M26 ran very hot and ate new fan belts at a far higher rate than the Sherman as a result of dealing with the extra heat of a redlined 500hp engine.
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The engines on these 1950 M26's were not new and their rubber fan belts had dry rotted in the 5-years since WW2.
The Tokyo Ordinance Depot did its best to kludge fan belts for these tanks.
The problem is kludges are not as good as new fan belts and there were no spares.
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So three M26 tanks were lost not only for the lack of fan belts.
But also for the lack of trained drivers who knew enough to nurse these tanks to preserved the life of the fan belts they did have.
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There is no way that the Russian T-55's heading for Ukraine in 2023 are going to be in any better shape in terms of consumable rubber seals & fan belt spares or trained crew skills than those M26 Perishing's were in 1950.
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If the American M3 Grant tank was the "Coffin for seven brothers."
The Russian T-55 being sent to Ukraine will be the "Immobile coffin for four Mobiks."
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If only because T-55's are facing a completely different threat environment that needs daily relocating & thermal camouflage nets without the spares to move, the camouflage to use & Mobik crews who lack the skills to use them even if they had them
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