an epiphany about the M48/M60

[Halmbarte]

I started playing a new scenario as US and was dismayed to get a platoon of M48s. Oh, well, I guess I just need to use them like I would tank destroyers, a egg carrying a hammer. Although in the case of '79 the APDS of the 105mm can hardly be described as a hammer. 

 

Then I realized that even if I had M60s, I should be treating them the same way. None of my units in '79 can take a hit from a Sov tank gun, ATGM, or BMP1. They will all be holed and killed. I can't use the US tanks like tanks because they can't tank a hit. I should be using them like TDs, like my M150s. A 11' tall, slow, noisy TD that has a main gun that can't reliably hit at range without doing ranging shots, and, if it gets a hit, won't reliably kill T62s (and will only damage the paint on a T64) from the front at range. But besides that, they are ok tanks. 

 

H

[Vergeltungswaffe]

[The_MonkeyKing]

Difference being that M48/M60 are slow as hell. TDs are fast as heck.

So also one has to have more forgiving plan of maneuver for these guys.

In CMCW one can really see the advantage of speed. (I am looking at you T80) When you can cross any given ground 2x faster you are going to get hit a lot less than -2x times. It is not linear, not only do you have less time exposed but fast is also harder to hit and acquire the target)