RE: A question of Suppression

At 09:37 PM 06/08/98 -0500, John Atkinson wrote:
>You wrote: 
>
>>I think that small arms fire on a armoured vehicle still has the 
>potential >to suppres by affecting the crews morale. Concentrated fire 
>by small arms >could signal the possibility of bigger and nastier 
>projectiles comming onto >target, or even bring on the fear of close 
>action by nearby enemy infantry.
>>A crew member inside a tank will not be 100% sure of where or how 
>close the >fire is comming while buttened up in their vehicle. This 
>brings on the >dreaded notion of the "Unknown Factor" which is when you

>just do not know >what could happen to you next. Just something for 
>thought.
>
>Of course, that's assuming he even realizes he's being shot at.  David 
>Drake's account of the Battle of Snoul, in Cambodia 1970 is 
>interesting.  After 14.5mm machine gun fire drove off the ACAVs and 
>Sheridans, the Squadron Commander sent in his M-48 company, which drove

>through the villiage putting 90mm rounds into every structure.   This 
>either killed or drove off all the PAVN troops.  According to Drake, 
>the noise of the engines was loud enough that tankers, who went in 
>buttoned up, did not even hear the impact of the machine gun rounds.  
>It all depends on situation.  If a tank is in the middle of a gunfight 
>with enemy tanks, he won't give a rat's ass about a flake shooting at 
>him with an AK-74, since the other bloke's tanks could kill him, and 
>the AK can't.	If he's point on a convoy with the TC hanging out to 
>cupola when some suicidal idiot opens up with an AK, then he might 
>notice.  Of course, IMHO anyone who has nothing better to shoot at a 
>tank with than his personal weapon should try something more 
>constructive, like hiding or running away.
>
>John M. Atkinson
>
You are right, I too seriously doubt that fire from a single automatic
rifle
would phase a tank crew. I actually meant the combined fire of a
section,
along with support weapons, or perhaps just a few support weapons
(MG's).
Although I did mention "tank" this was meant to encompass any armoured
vehicle. I don't know how fearful armoured vehicle crews will be of
infantry
in the furure. They may have all sorts of interesting devices to prevent
enemy infantry from getting on, or even near the vehicle. I would think
that, as with any tech advance in weapons, that the infantry would still
pose a possible threat if close to the vehicle.

				Gary   
>