The M1 Abrams in Team Yankee

I have to say that the is my favorite team in Team Yankee is the M1 Abrams. I was a DAT in my younger days and the Abrams is like a first love to me. Granted my time was on the much improved M1IP and the M1A1. I´m hoping that these pigs will be coming along in the up coming Stripes book, but we´ll see.

With that you still get a lot for the basic pig, but you pay a lot for her too!

<img src="http://www.flamesofwar.com/Portals/0/all_images/TeamYankee/American/Cards/TU102.jpg" alt="The American war pig!" />

What a sweet ride. You have the best mobility in the game with a 14¨ tactical move and a 2+ crossing. Heck, on a 4´ by 4´ table there is little need to dash! That 14¨ will get you nearly anywhere you want to go. The thermals, advanced stabiliser and the laser range finder allow you to engage targets at range while moving fast and to do so accurately in the dark! What a scary combination! Armor wise you have some of the best in the current game with 18 points of Chobham armor. The gun also has a ROF of 2 which allows an Abrams platoon to toss out as much hurt as a Soviet company.

However there are two things that keep it less than perfect. The first is the M68´s lack of punch. 20 AT is pretty respectable but it struggles against the front armor of the T72. You´re looking at kills on 1-3, a glancing hit on 4, and bounces on 5 or 6. That´s pretty decent but range can really cut into that as your foe gets to add +1 for shots over 16¨. The T64 makes it even worse with its 17 armor. Oh do I wish I had the M256A1! Imagine an M1 with an AT22 and you´re getting the gist.

The second bad point is the Abrams´ cost and unit organization. Each Abrams you take eats 8 points of your force´s cost. That´s 8% of your point pool in a 100 point game. That weighs even heavier with lower cost forces. Now granted, the Abrams is cheaper than the Leopard 2, but it is still one of the most expensive teams in the game. You also have to consider that you can only field them in platoons of 2-4 teams each. Platoons of 3-4 cost a pretty penny, but you do get some endurance for casualties. I would avoid 2 team platoons if you can, and avoid 5 tank companies like the plague! There is nothing worse then losing a tank, going to ¨Bad Spirits¨ and then losing another tank (and the unit) on a roll of 1-3! OUCH! In fact, kill just a mere two tanks in that 5 tank company and you have a good chance of wiping the whole thing out in just ONE shooting phase! They are just too brittle!

The key to using the Abrams is to know its strengths and to use them. You have a very mobile direct fire platform that´s going to hit more often than not. Use that mobility to set up good shots! The best are on the flanks of course! There is nothing worse for a Soviet player than to find a full platoon of Abrams tanks set-up with flank shots on their tank companies. That means a 3+ to hit and 2+ to kill on 8 shots!!! It´s extremely to get flank shots in this game and that 14¨ tactical move gives you a better chance of getting that shot. So don´t be afraid to maneuver at range and seek out those shots.

However I´m really starting to warm-up on the M901 ITV. More on that track later.