Battle tank Leopard 2 - Combat
Tanks and crews in an anti-tank meat grinder most likely will not survive. It is worth recalling that almost from the very beginning of the Cold War in Western Europe, the myth about the reliability of German armored vehicles and the feedback of experts about the unreliability of Soviet-made tanks were replicated.
Tanks of relatively old modifications, driven by insufficiently trained crews and not integrated into modern information and control systems, have little chance of surviving in the conditions of a modern local conflict, not to mention the successful solution of the assigned combat mission. Until recently, this tank had practically never been in real battles. He has peacekeeping operations in Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as limited participation in the hostilities in Afghanistan, where the Leopards defend the military bases of the US European allies.
During the events on the territory of the disintegrating Yugoslavia, German-made tanks regularly participated in various operations and activities, from time to time falling under enemy fire. However, in all such cases, the enemy soldiers did not have serious weapons at their disposal, so the tanks did not suffer any losses.
For the first time, Leopard 2 tanks managed to go to war only in the late nineties - about two decades after entering service. In June 1999, 28 Leopard 2A5 tanks from the Bundeswehr were transferred to the KFOR (Kosovo Force or KFOR) structure, designed to stabilize the situation in Kosovo. The technique was supposed to be used for patrolling, protecting important objects, as well as for demonstrating strength and moral influence on the conflicting parties.
The tanks were deployed in the city of Prizren on 12 June 1999, and already on the 13th one of them came under fire. Several fighters of one of the armed groups fired at the Leopard-2 tank, which was at the checkpoint. The armored car at that time was not fully equipped and therefore could not respond to the shelling. However, small- arms fire did not cause any damage to the tank, with the exception of chips on the paint. Two weeks later, one of the tanks had to conduct warning fire from the main gun. The rest of the time, the tanks were patrolling or on duty near important objects.
The Leopard 2 tanks again managed to go to war a few years later, during the NATO operation in Afghanistan. The Leopards’ first combat experience, and battlefield losses, occurred during the US-led war in Afghanistan. In the course of fighting against the Taliban, three Canadian Leopards were irretrievably lost, with another 15 Canadian Leopards and six Danish Leopard 2 disabled but repaired.
Danish Army Leopard 2A5 main battle tanks were deployed to Afghanistan from 2007 to 2014 as part of Denmark's contribution to the NATO ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) mission. The Leopard 2 tanks were deployed to Afghanistan as a direct fire unit to support Danish Infantry units. These units had been in country since the previous year - when the first Danish Contingent (DANCON) was deployed in April 2006. They were used in combat operations from the outset to the end of the Danish deployment. The Leopards were the last Danish combat units to leave Afghanistan because their services were highly praised by other NATO partners who wanted to keep them in theater as long as possible.
While the distinction is relative, the period from 2006 to 2008 represents a highly dynamic facet of the campaign where Danish forces got into the heaviest fighting any Danish force had experienced since the German-Danish War (1864), and ultimately deployed Leopard 2 main battle tanks from Denmark to Helmand to deliver precision fire and generally dominate the opponent.
By late June 2007, Battle Group Center was officially under Danish command. To address the Taliban threat that existed within the territory of the Battle Group, the Danish parliament approved a request from the Danish Defense Command to send a Leopard tank platoon to Helmand. The Danish parliament approved the deployment of three tanks in October, and the tanks became operational in Helmand in November 2007.
On 14 February 2008, a Danish tank on patrol was hit by an explosion from either a mine or an improvised bomb. There was only minor damage to the tank, which was able to continue with the patrol, and the tank is now back at base Sandford. There were no injuries to the Danish soldiers, who are all safe. On 27 June 2008, a tank ran over a mine or was hit by an improvised explosive device. The tank was brought to a halt, and while the damage was being examined, the tank platoon was fired upon with small arms and grenades. The tanks returned fire and that stopped the shooting. A unit from the Danish Mechanized Infantry Company attended and assisted in bringing the damaged tank safely back to Camp Armadillo. No Danish soldiers were injured and they were all back in the camp and safe.
On 01 September 2008, one of the Danish tanks was hit by a roadside bomb. There was only minor damage to the tank. No one was injured in the incident and everyone is safe. The tank could drive itself to the nearest Danish camp. On 24 December 2008, a Danish tank was hit by a mine or a roadside bomb. The tank was back in a Danish camp, and there were no injuries to Danish personnel.
On 03 March 2009, a Danish tank drove over an improvised explosive device near Forward Operating Base (FOB) Armadillo. One of the crew members subsequently complained of back pain, and he was evacuated to the field hospital at Camp Bastion. His next of kin have been notified. The tank was recovered back to Armadillo. One Danish Leopard 2A5DK was lost in Afghanistan before being brought home. Apparently after being damaged in Afghanistan, this tank was delivered back to KMW.
The sending of Canadian tanks to the Afghan bases was preceded by curious events. The command of the Canadian Army considered the issue of abandoning the existing main tanks in favor of wheeled armored vehicles. However, the first experience of combat work in Afghanistan showed that such a decision was premature. The available Leopard C2 machines (a modified version of the Leopard 1) were sent to Afghanistan at the end of 2006, but the considerable age of this equipment no longer allowed to obtain the desired results. Because of this, Canada turned to Germany with a request to lease two dozen armored vehicles of newer models.
On November 2, 2007, a Canadian Leopard 2A6 tank, equipped with an additional protection system, was blown up by an improvised explosive device planted by terrorists. The car received noticeable damage, but the crew escaped with a slight fright. The further fate of the blown up tank became a topic of controversy. At first, there were reports in the foreign press about the decommissioning of this vehicle due to the impossibility of repair, but later, official representatives of the Canadian military department said that the tank had been restored and returned to service.
Later, the "Leopards" of the Canadian and Danish armies repeatedly participated in patrols, and also supported other units with fire. One of the most successful episodes of the combat use of such equipment took place in early 2008, when several Danish tanks during the battle managed to support ISAF ground units and prevent a terrorist attack from the flank. During these operations, the tanks suffered no losses.
On 25 July 2008, a clash with the enemy led to the first losses. Two Leopard 2A6 tanks were blown up by mines. The crew of one of them was able to leave the car without any problems and leave in another armored vehicle. The second tank after the explosion was able to drive about 200 m and only then stopped. Three tankers were wounded, but left the car. The driver was unable to get out, and the doctors were unable to save him.
At the end of 2008, during Operation Red Dagger, which was carried out in the province of Helmand, several tanks provided fire support to the infantry. Subsequently, the command spoke highly of the work of the tankers. Armored vehicles were called the decisive factor that determined the outcome of the battle. After the completion of Operation Red Dagger, the tanks were returned to normal ISAF service.
The tanks underwent fire in December 2016 as part of the operation of the Turkish Armed Forces "Euphrates Shield" in the Syrian province of Aleppo. The most fierce battles were fought in the area of the city of Al-Bab. It was here that "Leopards-2" for the first time "got acquainted" with the Fagot anti-tank systems, stolen by IS militants from the arms depots of government troops.
In 2006–2009 the Turkish army bought a total of 298 Leopard 2A4 tanks from the German army, an official contract for the purchase of another 41 (+15 for spare parts) Leopard 2A4 tanks was signed in April 2010, however, after the start of Turkish military operations in Syria, the German government froze the supply.
The Turkish Leopard 2A4, which was brought to Syria in early December 2016 during Operation Euphrates Shield (about 43 tanks, which is equivalent to an armored brigade) - just a few days later, the first reports of their losses appeared . On December 12–14, militants from one of the terrorist groups fired on three Turkish Leopard 2A4 tanks using anti-tank missile systems (ATGMs). Published photographs and videos showed the defeat of armored vehicles in the side projection, followed by a large flash, which could indicate the most serious damage to the vehicles, up to the fire of the ammunition rack, followed by the burning out of the fighting compartment. According to media reports, all three fired tanks were disabled.
During the battles for the city of El-Bab, ISIS was able to recapture two Leopard-2 tanks from the Turkish army, in any case, published photographs showed that Turkey had lost at least two vehicles of this type. By the end of December, a summary table of losses appeared, according to which, during the fighting, Turkey lost ten Leopard 2A4 tanks. According to the table, half of all losses fell on enemy anti-tank missile systems, which caused serious damage to tanks. Another tank was damaged by a rocket or mortar. Two tanks were blown up by an explosive device, another one received damage to the bottom. The fate of the tenth tank was not established, but it was believed that the terrorists got it.
During the next Turkish ground operation "Olive Branch" against the military formations of the Kurds in Syria, the calculation of the Syrian Kurds on February 3, 2018, the missile of the anti-tank missile system "Fagot" or "Competition" destroyed the Leopard 2A4 tank of the Turkish army near the village Heftar near the city of Afrin, where Turkish troops were advancing. The missile hit the Leopard 2A4 in the front left side of the hull, just in the area of the tank's main ammo rack, which caused the detonation of the ammunition. The Turkish army confirmed the death of six soldiers in an attack on a tank in the Afrin area (as a result of the explosion of the tank, the car next to it was also destroyed).
Many simply could not believe that a tank, considered one of the best in the world, could so easily turn into a pile of scrap metal. Since 2016, the Turks lost more than a dozen Leopard-2A4 vehicles in Syria. Moreover, far from the most modern anti-tank systems of still Soviet production are mainly to blame. The result, at first glance, is amazing: designed and built in Germany, the Leopard 2 is considered one of the most powerful and protected tanks in the world. However, the real war dispelled the popular media myth about the invincibility of the German machine.
An analysis of the tactics and actions of Turkish armored vehicles should begin with the fact that the Turkish armed forces have never encountered anything like this. The sluggish current war with the Kurds, anti-terrorist operations with the use of light armored vehicles - this is the "ceiling" of Turkish experience in the use of heavy weapons. Dense fire "meetings" from the side of the radicals turned out to be a novelty for Turkish tankers.
The tank was not adapted for fighting in urban conditions, despite the fact that at the time of its adoption, German engineers were looking for a compromise between its protection, armament and maneuverability on the battlefield. As a result, the emphasis was placed on the frontal armor, but suddenly the Leopard 2 showed its vulnerabilities along the sides and in the rear of the tower. And the Islamists of the "Caliphate" showed a good knowledge of these weakened zones, which they fired on with the help of the Russian Kornet-E anti-tank systems.
According to a number of experts, it is precisely the vulnerability of the ammunition rack that is the Achilles heel of the German machine. Leopard-2 tanks have a fatal structural defect in the placement of the main part of the ammunition in the front left part of the hull, with weak protection from the sides.
Another reason for the losses is also the lack of experience among the Turkish crews and the lack of a normal doctrine for the use of tanks in urban areas. The combat potential and survivability of Leopards-2 depends not only on the armament and training of the enemy. A significant part of the fighting in Syria took place in urban areas, which leads to additional risks and, accordingly, reduces the survivability of equipment. Insufficient training of tankers to work in such conditions, as well as improper organization of combat work, can not only negatively affect the effectiveness of battles, but also lead to unjustified losses of equipment and personnel.
Another important circumstance that caused the loss of the Leopard-2A4 in Syria is the low qualification of the crews. Experts note that even in such medium-intensity combat operations, the crew of a tank equipped with a variety of detection and guidance devices cannot act effectively. The experience of the Turkish military is being discussed at almost all specialized electronic platforms, not only in Europe, but also abroad. Many experts were sure that the crew is to blame for the losses of military vehicles by 80%.
The military from Turkey was surprised by the saturation of the protected area with a variety of means to combat armored vehicles. Turkish tanks were knocked out the radicals simply because the car was left in the open for a long time without combat guards and without any cover at all. Not to take advantage of this circumstance in a war is recklessness and great stupidity.
One of the main reasons for the loss of the Turkish Leopard 2A4 in Syria is that they were used not as tanks (for attacking and deep penetration behind enemy lines), but as mobile artillery (placed in poorly engineered positions, usually just behind earth embankments). Tanks standing still were attacked by anti-tank systems, usually from the flanks. The result is predictable - the outdated Turkish Leopard 2A4s were not able to withstand an anti-tank missile hit on board, since they did not have active protection systems, or dynamic armor, or at least lattice screens on the sides. If such a tank gets hit on the side by an ATGM, then heavy damage is inevitable, but in Leopard 2 they are partially limited thanks to a powerful fire extinguishing system, protected ammunition boxes, etc.
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