Iraqi errors report - Part 2

[Marcello]

Some additional nices to have.

Unit 214 T-72M KMT-5
I usggest the following changes
1) Icon change to n. 1335
2) Front hull HEAT armor reduced to 45 (standard T-72M value)
3) Speed increase to 21
4) Name change to T-72M KMT-4
The iraqis tended to use mine plows on their T-72s, perhaps because of the nature of the soils encountered and certainly because of the comparative disadvantages of mine rollers kits such as KMT-5; namely the KMT-5 cumbersome structure and weight (over seven tons) impose a far more severe constraint on tank mobility than mine plows. The KMT-5 has to be detached (although this can be done from within the tank) while mine plows can simply be raised with the tank regaining most of its mobility without losing mineclearing capacity. Of course from a game point of view the mine plows do not offer significant standoff protection against HEAT rounds, as they cover only the tracks.




Unit n.9 Sherman V from british OOB could be added
In the iraqi OOB would be armed with the following weapons.
Weapon n.220 75mm Mk VII Gun
Weapon n. 31 .30 cal CMG
Weapon n. 29 .50 cal M2 AAMG
Weapon n. 69 .30 cal BMG
Availability dates 1/1947-12/1965.
I have been told that the british supplied Iraq with some Sherman in the mid late 40’s. While I have not seen the documentation myself it seems a pretty logical move in the context of the british rebuilding of the iraqi armed forces.

Some changes to captured tanks units/formations.

Formation 111: Captured Tanks
Final availability date could be extended to 4/2003

Unit 5: Chieftain Mk.3Q
Final availability date could be extended to 4/2003

Unit n.8: M47
It could be deleted .

The Chieftain was apparently the only captured iranian tank which was put in (very) limited use; even then not directly, they were issued in small numbers to a militia which used them very sparingly.
The iraqis were not interested in captured iranian tanks because mantaining them would have been a logistical headache, they were not significantly better than their own and they could get them in sufficient numbers. The iranians on the other hand used captured iraqi armor extensively.

A captured iraqi Chieftain



Sources:
Pictures
DoD News Briefing
www.tank-net.org

Unit 229: M901 ITV
Availability dates could be changed to 1/1991-4/2003 (X3 radio code should be mantained, this would have been a very rare weapon)
Some units were captured from Kuwait according to “Armies of the Gulf War” by Gordon L. Rottman, Ron Volstad (also confirmed by others sources). There are also reports of iraqi republican guard units still using them during OIF in 2003.

Source for some of the photos: www.militaryphotos.net

[DRG]

Originally Posted by Marcello

2) Front hull HEAT armor reduced to 45 (standard T-72M value)

ALL mine clearing tanks in the game have a HEAT value higher than "standard" values.

Why would I change that for the Iraqis ?

Don

[Marcello]

The idea was that something like this...




might provide some standoff protection against HEAT. On the other hand this...



would not (but would not slow down the vehicle as much). That being said I can imagine that it would raise the question of the others mineclearing tanks; as I said previously, this is not a life or death matter.

[Marcello]

Something I had overlooked earlier but it is pretty important.

A RPG-2 team should be added.
Create a clone of unit 268 RPG-7 Team with the following changes.
1) Weapon n. 16 RPG-2 in the first slot
2) Weapon n. 4 SKS Carbine in the second slot
3) Name change to RPG-2 Team
4) Availability dates changed to 2/1959-12/1991

Unit 265 ATR Team
Final availability date could be restricted to 12/1959

[Marcello]

Some non essential but nice to have.

Units 399-911: Pick up
I suggest icon change to n. 678. Such icon represent better the pick up the iraqis have used.

Weapon n. 143: 122mm Saddam FH
Unit 90: 122mm Sddm FH
Unit 175: 122mm Sddm Pl
I had previously recommended the deletion of such units.
If possible, they could be recycled to represent the D-74 122mm gun which was used by the iraqis.To accomplish that I suggest the follwing changes.

Weapon n.143 122mm Saddam FH:
1)Name change to “122mm D-74 FG”.
2)Range should be increased from 212 to 214 (D-74 value in russian OOB).

Unit 90: 122mm Sddm FH
Unit 175: 122mm Sddm Pl
1) Name change to “122mm D-74 FG” and “122mm D-74 Pl”
2) picture change to n. 23490
3) Availability dates for both could be changed to 1/1967-4/2003

Sources : they are listed by most sources which cover iraqi artillery inventory.
Pictures of them in Iraq are also available.




Source:http://www.howitzer.dk

Unit 233: 57mm AT-Gun
I suggest load change to 45 HE 20 AP and 15 Sabot
There are rumors about an HEAT round being developed (see http://www.russianammo.org/57mm.html#29) but whether they were fielded is another matter. It is even less likely that they would have been exported and none have have been found in Iraq.

Unit 88-173: 122mm M30
Final availability date could be extended somewhat, to say 12/1988

M30s are listed as still being in service in 1991 by several sources such as Armies of the Gulf War by Gordon L. Rottman, Ron Volstad. Captured iraqi documents certainly list WW2 vintage artillery such as 152mm ML-20 as still in service during the Gulf War (though the M30 is not mentioned).
I think making them available until the end of the Iran Iraq war would be a safe bet.

Unit 1: PT-76
Icon could be changed to n. 1620.
That would be more in line with known iraqi camouflage patterns



Source: http://picasaweb.google.com/IraQiyaat

[Marcello]

Some additional nice to have things.

Centurion Mk-7 tank could be added.
This one however, given the scarcity of available weapon slots, is conditional to overwriting one weapon.
Specifically weapon n. 90mm M36 Gun in the iraqi OOB should be overwritten with weapon n.91 20 Pounder 52 from the british OOB. They are both tank guns and the iraqi weapon n.90 is used only by unit n. 8 M47 which, as I esplained previously, was never used by the iraqis anyway (and even if one wanted to play “what if” there is always the capture option).

This unit could be created in the following way:
1) Import unit n. 15 “Centurion Mk 6” from the british OOB
2) Rename it “Centurion Mk 7”
3) Rearm it with
- Weapon n.74: 7.62mm L8A1 CMG in the second slot (not the correct model but they have exactly the same stats)
- Weapon n.73 : 7.62mm L37 AAMG in the third slot
- 20 Pounder 52 in the first slot.
4) Availability dates changed to 1/1956-12/1975.

Sources:
- Centurion Universal Tank 1943-2003 by Simon Dunstan, Peter Sarson
- SIPRI

Unit 582: Dug-In T-62M
It should be deleted. As I noted in the past T-62 fitted with laser rangefinder was probably nothing more than a prototype/limited production; unit 26 T-62M is sufficient to cover that.

Weapon n. 7 “AK74 Rifle” could be renamed “M16 Rifle”
This could be used to rearm unit 414 Rifle Section a well as:
- A clone of unit 413 Rifle Section with 6/2007-12/2020 as availability dates
- A clone of unit 420 Motor Section with 6/2007-12/2020 as availability dates

Sources:
http://iraqnewsmonitor.blogspot.com/...s-to-some.html
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/20070517.aspx
http://www.blackanthem.com/News/Alli...fles6600.shtml

[Marcello]

With this I have nearly finished with the ground units.

Unit 743: Grenade Team
It should be deleted.
The M79 grenade launcher is not a common weapon among guerrillas.The old iraqi army (whose former stocks are the main source of weapons for the insurgents) used yugo rifle grenades for that purpose. It is possible given the bewildering variety of small arms used in Iraq that it might have used by someone at some point but then we would have to put in God only know how many weapons.

Unit 760: Guerilla Group
Weapon n.18 RPG-7 and weapon n.13 7.62mm PKM LMG could be added in slots 3 and 4

Unit 774: Guerilla Group
Weapon n.124 40mm BG-15 GL should be replaced by weapon n.26
60mm Cmmdo Mtr.

Formation 87: Fedayeen Wpn Pl
The Strela in slot 3 could be replaced by something else (unit 268 RPG-7 Team for example). The Fedayeeen would not have too many high end weapons and a MANPAD is already included in formation 84.

Source: various, including “La Caduta di Baghdad” (“The Fall of Baghdad”, containing interviews to syrian volounteers fighting with the fedayeen Saddam)

Weapon n.87 85mm D44 Gun
HEAT penetration could be increased to 30.
The iraqis had BK-2M for their 85mm guns.
Source: ordnance disposal reports

Units 240-241: 100mm AT-Gun
Load could be changed to 30 Sabot 18 HEAT 12 HE.
There were no AP rounds for this gun, only two APFSDS which are already covered in the game by having weapon 97 100mm 2A29 65 and weapon n.98 100mm 2A29 79.
Source: ordnance disposal reports

Unit 584: Dug-In T-72G
1) Name change to Dug-In T-72M
2) Fire control rating reduced to 20
3) Final availability date extended to 12/2020