Are the legions in deep trouble?

[brokensymmetry]

There's a saying: Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics.

We've seen lots of reports of burning trucks in Iraq. I found an interesting site that presents the issue far more effectively than could I.

Here's an excerpt:

These swarming attacks are going on all over Iraq. Be advised that Lord Bremer must solve these hassles or ... BAWK! BAWK! BAWK! ... the Iraq Resistance will totally defeat and rout our Glorious Imperial Legions in Iraq within a year. You heard me right. I’m saying that all 100,000 plus of our troops in Iraq will be stone-cold dead or captured or routed within one year, and this total collapse and rout could easily happen within the next thirty days. Anybody who says Iraq is a Vietnam-style quagmire hasn’t been paying attention. Iraq doesn’t even have the potential to be a quagmire because there is no way we can hang on there short of vaporizing millions of Iraqis with nukes (or other super-dooper wonder weapons which we may or may not have).

What we have here is a thousand mile gauntlet of Iraqis shooting at arcade ducks driving Humvees. Quack! Quack! Quack! They don’t have a chance. And it’s going on all over Iraq. I don’t care how much firepower they have in their firebases, if they can’t get any water to drink, they’re all dead within maybe 72 hours in Iraq. I bet most firebases rely on trucked-in water. The fuel is trucked in also, and ammo and food as well.



And a link to the whole page:

http://www.firebaseskull.com/Column-32.html

For your consideration and discussion.

[brokensymmetry]

1. By the way -

A lot of stuff on the basic site is, well, frankly - weird. Other portions are probably offensive to just about everyone. But this particular article is, I think, worth a read.

[lectrobyte]

2. seems to have some merit, but...

I'd think any self resprecting fire-base commander would put them where there are wells for water etc., and I have trouble believing an RPG took out an M1A1 either.

[brokensymmetry]

3. Good points...

I'm not sure about the water wells. The best location for a fire-base might not be close to water.

On the M1A1, I seem to recall that there is (was?) a weak spot around the turbine exhaust that can be penetrated by an RPG. But a simple modification was being implemented to correct the problem. :shrug:

[lectrobyte]

4. Google turns up this, I stand corrected

Seems like there are RPG rounds that can go through some
serious armor:


'Something' felled an M1A1 Abrams tank in Iraq – but what?
Mystery behind Aug. 28 incident puzzles Army officials


http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292236-2336437.php

Excerpting a paragraph:

One armor expert at Fort Knox, Ky., suggested the tank may have been hit by an updated RPG. About 15 years ago, Russian scientists created tandem-warhead anti-tank-grenades designed to defeat reactive armor. The new round, a PG-7VR, can be fired from an RPG-7V launcher and might have left the unusual signature on the tank.


Even without that bit of news, I'd assume than any occupation by a country that doesn't want to be occupied would be just about impossible.