Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2016

[Slater]

The US came in 4th behind Germany, Denmark, and Poland. I guess those Leopard 2's are pretty badass tanks, but who knew Poland and Denmark could beat us?

"The German platoon took top honors in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge, a three-day competition that tested offensive and defensive operations and mounted orienteering, with Denmark and Poland placing second and third, May 13, 2016."

https://www.army.mil/article/167842/

[Eurodriver]

Did this exercise take any consideration into the competitor nations' air power and logistics abilities?

[Slater]

Uh, this was strictly a tank competition.

[TAZ]

Can't open the link, but it sounds more like a combo hardware software competition rather than just a hardware one.

[Spurholder]

Not speaking for Armor, but...

The Sullivan Cup was held just a couple of days prior at Benning, and I'm pretty sure that was the main effort/decisive operation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjFVpADWTCc

http://www.benning.army.mil/armor/sullivan/

Besides the nice trophy to take home, each guy in the winning tank crew was given a 1911.

Having said that, I'm sure those crews from the Cottonbalers that went to Graf were awesome tankers, too.

[SomeOtherGuy]

The US came in 4th behind Germany, Denmark, and Poland. I guess those Leopard 2's are pretty badass tanks, but who knew Poland and Denmark could beat us?

Given the history of tank warfare in those countries, each of them would have exceptionally high motivation to be good at tank warfare.

[Averageman]

From the link;

Platoons rotated throughout the three events, vying for a possible 1,000 points. Crews conducted both offensive and defensive operations involving fire and maneuver for 350 possible points in each lane.

Mounted orienteering had a possible 300 points that was combined from six 50-point tasks, including a mystery physical challenge that emphasized teamwork. Platoons navigated through an obstacle course with 13 challenges. Soldiers fired 10 rounds from three different locations using their own service weapons during the combat pistol shoot lane. The vehicle identification lane tested the platoons' abilities to identify 25 friendly and threatening vehicles while traversing through a course. Crews had to recover, hook up and tow vehicles while under a simulated chemical attack. Finally, multinational teams reacted to an improvised explosive device, assessed and treated a casualty, and requested a medical evacuation.

When I was much Younger we used to have the Canadian Army Trophy competition which was strictly a gunnery event and the United States always fared much better than we did in this one.
Remember we are rebuilding and retraining now. An awful lot of our Armor legacy, guys who had 20+ years on the Abrams have left and with them went a lot of skills that take years to develop and pass on.
Learning the necessary skills is much harder when you don't have E-8's and E-7's around who spent decades on the Tanks. What you are seeing now is the result of the Tanks staying on the FOB's parked in a motorpool and for the most part unused.

[nml]

Besides the nice trophy to take home, each guy in the winning tank crew was given a 1911.Impressive win for the NC National Guard team competing against active duty teams from US and Canada.

"1st Lt. John Dupre, an insurance adjustor;
Sgt. Curtis Bowen, a delivery driver for Pepsi;
Spc. Brandon Sinor, a senior at East Carolina University; and
Spc. Phillip Hill, an aspiring police officer."

[Averageman]

Impressive win for the NC National Guard team competing against active duty teams from US and Canada.

"1st Lt. John Dupre, an insurance adjustor;
Sgt. Curtis Bowen, a delivery driver for Pepsi;
Spc. Brandon Sinor, a senior at East Carolina University; and
Spc. Phillip Hill, an aspiring police officer."
I just remember the hours and hours of UCOFT training, Dry runs at the LTA and classes we used to do before Tank Gunnery. All of that must have been un necessary or these guys from the Guard were extraordinarily motivated to put in that kind of work.

[montrala]

I guess those Leopard 2's are pretty badass tanks, but who knew Poland [...] could beat us?


Google "Hill 262". We know how to use tanks (or about anything), just give us right tools ;)


According to military historian Gregor Dallas: "The Poles had closed the Falaise Pocket. The Poles had opened the gate to Paris."[62] Simonds stated that he had "never seen such wholesale havoc in his life" and Canadian engineers erected a sign on Point 262N's summit reading simply "A Polish Battlefield".[6]

[Spurholder]

I just remember the hours and hours of UCOFT training, Dry runs at the LTA and classes we used to do before Tank Gunnery. All of that must have been un necessary or these guys from the Guard were extraordinarily motivated to put in that kind of work.

You know the answer to this question. I'm willing to bet that their Brigade Mike Golf hand-picked that crew, but they kicked ass...everyone's ass. And their hard worked showed.

[soulezoo]

The Poles acquitted themselves very well in WW II. At the outset, as they were being hammered by the Germans on one front (the fight everyone recalls) they were being hammered in the east by the Soviets. (The fight few recall.)
As the Poles integrated what was left in the Allied effort, they continued to show bravery. Someone mentioned air support. Look up one Francis Gabreski.

[montrala]

Witold Urbanowicz story is also good for more than one movie: http://www.badassoftheweek.com/urbanowicz.html

And there is a good reason why US Cavalry was so good (if not the best) cavalry for it's time - it was organised and modelled on Polish cavalry.