Those tracks are NOT light. Tank crews are trained to repair the tracks, but after about two weeks or so, they have to go back to the shop and replaced. Every day you have to grease the tracks, if you do not their break even sooner. The MOS shop is while behind the lines, often connected to a rail line (or in the case of Iraq the Tigris and Euphrates rivers). The reason for this is if you carried spare parts, they will be quickly used. Sooner or later you run into the problem of GETTING THE PARTS.
Right now Iraq had 100 US Made M1 tanks, 125 T-72s and 72 T-55s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_equipment_of_the_Iraqi_Army#Armored_fighting_vehicles
If the tanks lost were T-55s, I would be more concerned. Israeli reports on the T-54/T-55 tanks, after the Israeli's captured and used them after the 1967 Six Day War, was it was the easiest tank to maintain in the field. Nothing really came close to it when it came to repairs (Do to this ability, some commentators predict some T-55s may be still in use come 2100, long after both the M1 and T-72s would be long withdrawn from Service).
Yes, the M1 and T-72 tanks are better then the T-55 but NOT when it comes to the level of maintenance. T-55 parts can be obtained almost anywhere (not true as to M1 and T-72 parts).
The Iraqi army has Russian made 334 BMP1s, and 723 US made M113A2, both easy tracked vehicle when it comes to maintenance. The M113 is larger but the BMP1 is a true Infantry Fighting Vehicle while the M113 is a battlefield taxi Armored Personal Carrier. Both could be used and parts are easy to obtained for both. Not as flexible as wheeled vehicles when it comes to road use, but a lot more flexible cross country.
AS to the artillery pieces, I do not see the Iraqi Army keeping their M109s that close to the battle field. If they did I would treat them like the M1s captured. put them some place to draw US fire power while your main attack is elsewhere. Modern electronics have made them more flexible then it comes to firing missions,. but being heavy tracked vehicles subjec to a lot of maintenance.
On the other hand the reports indict Iraq had M198 towed 155 howitzers and some Soviet Made 122 and 130mm cannons. If these were captured could be usable. Among the M113 supplied to Iraq were some equipped with 120mm Mortars. Unlike the guns in the M109 Howitzers, the 120 mm Mortars are designed so that they can be taken out of the M113 and used on the ground. This also means they could be transferred to a truck if the M113 is no longer usable.
Just some comment that if these are T-72s or M1 tanks ISIS would be better off setting them up as Targets for US Planes, while keeping back the older but easier to maintain T-55s. The same with the M109 Howitzers, to much maintenance but the m198 towed 155 would be kept (but my preference would be the 122mm howitzer, easier to set up and move then the M198). Remember as a Guerrilla force, ISIS can not really stand and fight in any one location so anything that can not be set up in minutes and moved in minites should be avoided. I never operated the M198, I was trained on its predecessor the M114 from WWII. Compared to the M101A1 and M102 105mm Howitzers, the M114 took a long time to set up and take down. The M198 is not much better. It was impossible to do a two minute march order with the M114, but you could do it with the M101A1 and the M102, 105 mm Howitzers. I have heard it is also possible with the 122mm Soviet Howitzers. I was also trained on the old 4.2 inch Mortar in a M113, and even dismounted i.e off the M113, a crew could "March Order" it within two minutes. The 120mm replaced the 4.2 inch in the 1980s but its weight is about the same (The reason for the change was the US was the only NATO member NOT using a 120mm mortar, so the US broke down and agreed to replace the 4.2 with the 120, technically the 120 mm is better, but I suspect it is mostly on paper as opposed to real life, but similar papers showed the 4.2 inch mortar was better then the 120mm for decades when both did roughly the same damage in actual combat).
The Ammunition for the 122mm Howitzer, the 130m Gun, the 155 Howitzers, the 120 mm Mortar is readily available along with ammo for the 100mm gun on the T-55. M1 120mm ammo and 125mm ammo for the T-72s is harder to find and obtained.
Just some comments that the lost of the Tanks, unless T-55s, should be little concern to the Iraqi Government except that it reduced the effectiveness of their own army.
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asshole of the first degree. That person deserves to be in the docket, in the Hague, being tried for war crimes along with ALL his PNAC buddies. Bolton included.
