Photo: Telegram
It's said that in the dog days of World War Two, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, the deranged, rotund head of the German Luftwaffe, once said the day he saw P-51s over Berlin, the jig was up. Almost 80 years later, 31 American M1A1 Abrams tanks have all arrived safely on Ukrainian soil. Will it be the "jig is up" moment for Russia's Armed Forces like Mustangs were to the Göring Luftwaffe? The answer remains to be seen. But for now, understanding how America's main battle tank wound up on Ukrainian soil is of the utmost importance.
The road that led to M1 Abrams tanks arriving in Ukraine is one paved in perpetual controversy, explosive U.S. Congressional politics, and the ever-present most horrendous battlefield in Europe since the 1940s. Along with the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighter, the M1 Abrams is among the high-ticket items negotiated between the U.S. Pentagon and the government of Volodymyr Zelensky, among the proverbial sea of NATO-chambered assault rifles and HIMARS missile systems also sent to the front.
With the coming Eastern European winter looming down on Russia and Ukraine like a freight train, all 31 Abrams tanks, turbine engines, and all are now accounted for. With a proverbial hoard of T-72s, T-80s, T-90s, and possibly even a few advanced T-14 Armatas prowling behind Russian lines, these Abrams MBTs, fresh from Iraq and Afghanistan, seem set to clash with their Soviet and post-Soviet rivals on a battleground quite unlike First Gulf War or even the War on Terror.
In truth, it's perhaps these adverse winter weather conditions that have kept Abrams tanks in Ukraine since at least October away from the front lines friendly Army barracks, where the above photo was likely taken at one of these undisclosed Ukrainian bases. For now, it appears Ukraine's Army is perfectly happy training to get to grips with operating Abrams tanks on their home soil. With a mechanical makeup far different than the Soviet T-80s and a handful of native T-84s native to Ukrainian armored divisions, the time spent familiarizing its personnel with their new American MBTs should pay dividends over the brutal winter stalemate expected to come between December 2023 and April 2024.
Although rumors abound that at least one Abrams tank was spotted near the Russian front lines in the City of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv Oblast, these reports remain unconfirmed. But with Polish PT-91s, German Leopard 1s and Leopard 2s, and British Challenger 2 tanks already slugging it out with Russian armor, it's only a matter of time before the most capable main battle tank in the history of warfare brings its 120 mm smoothbore cannon to bare down on the relentless forces of Vladimir Putin.
With the coming Eastern European winter looming down on Russia and Ukraine like a freight train, all 31 Abrams tanks, turbine engines, and all are now accounted for. With a proverbial hoard of T-72s, T-80s, T-90s, and possibly even a few advanced T-14 Armatas prowling behind Russian lines, these Abrams MBTs, fresh from Iraq and Afghanistan, seem set to clash with their Soviet and post-Soviet rivals on a battleground quite unlike First Gulf War or even the War on Terror.
In truth, it's perhaps these adverse winter weather conditions that have kept Abrams tanks in Ukraine since at least October away from the front lines friendly Army barracks, where the above photo was likely taken at one of these undisclosed Ukrainian bases. For now, it appears Ukraine's Army is perfectly happy training to get to grips with operating Abrams tanks on their home soil. With a mechanical makeup far different than the Soviet T-80s and a handful of native T-84s native to Ukrainian armored divisions, the time spent familiarizing its personnel with their new American MBTs should pay dividends over the brutal winter stalemate expected to come between December 2023 and April 2024.
Although rumors abound that at least one Abrams tank was spotted near the Russian front lines in the City of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv Oblast, these reports remain unconfirmed. But with Polish PT-91s, German Leopard 1s and Leopard 2s, and British Challenger 2 tanks already slugging it out with Russian armor, it's only a matter of time before the most capable main battle tank in the history of warfare brings its 120 mm smoothbore cannon to bare down on the relentless forces of Vladimir Putin.
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