From: megazone@coal.WPI.EDU (MegaZone)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars
Subject: Re: Harpoons ??
Date: 26 Jan 1993 08:13:30 GMT
Organization: WPI Discordian Society, Undocumented Cabal
NNTP-Posting-Host: coal.wpi.edu

In article <1993Jan26.021500.17020@ll.mit.edu> shoham@ll.mit.edu (Daniel Shoham) writes:
>area! True, when Tanks were cruising cross country in open desert WITH NO
>HOSTILES AROUND (i.e. the big encirclment drive), the infantry stayed in their
>armored personnel carriers (APC's), but this was not when fighting took place.

But that is the same situation the AT-ATs were in. There were no hostiles on
the ground. What would dismounted infantry do while crossing the open 
terrain. Other than get picked up by arty and slow down movement? They
didn't have weapons useful against the speeders, so they stayed inside. Luke
got lucky (wel, ignoring that he's the hero - so of course he did) he was
considered downed and no longer a threat. The Imperials didn't know that
he was a jedi.

They had no reason to keep infantry dismounted. When the reached the trenches,
then they should dismount the infantry to screen them from ground troops.

Talking with guys back from the gulf that was basically what they did. In 
areas when the we fairly confident that the hostiles were cleared they 
stayed buttoned up and moved fast. It would take a very lucky shot to stop
an M1 with a man portable weapon. The treads are the most vulnerable. You
have to take calculated risks in combat.

>You keep missing the point! infantry dismounts not because the terrain is
>more/less restricted, but because there are hostiles in the area with short
>range weapons.

If you have relatively open terrain and the hostiles are spread thin, an
option is too stay buttoned up and move fast to outflank them. Moving slowly
allows the enemy time to anticipate your moves and prepare for them. If
you take the limiter of the M1's transmission (which friends in the Army
tell me is common practice in the field) it can outrun the IFVs with ease.
(hell, it can outrun most anything) There is no such thing as a set tactic
that is applied to every situation. That's how you get killed. You have to
interpret each situation seperately.

>Yes, Hoth is open space, but there were a lot of rebels on foot there (well,

But not during the intitial contact when they were facing the speeders. When
luke dropped the one.

>I don't consider trading AT-ST's for Ewok as kicking %^&, even when you kill
>a dozen Ewoks for every AT-ST you lose. (Just as I don't consider trading a
>tank for a dozen infantry a winning proposition).
>Face it, the AT-ST were not designed for jungle warfare, and lost to a most
>lo-tech opponent.

M-551 Sheridan?...

The AT-ST's were doing quite a bit of damage. I think the main problem was
that the imperials were cocky and didn't consider the Ewoks a threat. At
least not a serious one.

I think the Ewok battle was an example similar to Vietnam. If your not used
to the terrain you need to use extra caution. The natives know the area and
it is easy for them to produce traps, etc...

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