2 Abrams tanks vs. 10,000 Chinese cavalrymen: Who would win?

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SSSnail

Lifer
Nov 29, 2006
17,458
83
86
Originally posted by: CottonRabbit
Originally posted by: foghorn67
Main issue of this thread:
Nobody can understand the OP's challenge.
Salt flats.
So you can take out the element of surprise. Or the element of Supplies!!!

Some other people can't understand another key phrase in the OP: unlimited ammo. No tank is surviving the detonation of, for example, 100 teragrams of gunpowder. A quick google tells me that's the about the equivalent of 72 megatons of TNT. The largest nuclear bomb ever detonated had a yield of 50 megatons of TNT. Of course, gunpowder probably won't provide that much explosive force, but that's still plenty of energy released to obliterate 2 tanks. My previous assertion that the tank crew can't survive the ensuing anoxic environment created by the detonation also applies here (last I checked, tanks don't come equipped with oxygen tanks or CO2 scrubbers).

2 cavalry start riding away for a 2 straight days. 2000 cavalry run around to distract the tanks. The rest of the men make the world's biggest bomb.

They can be equipped with NBCs kits that will... never fucking mind, some of you are just too dense to argue about shits that you have no clues on. Yeah, you make that world's biggest bomb, I'll detonate it from a distant to kill off your dumb ass cavalries. Wait, you're waiting on me to charge the BIG ASS MOUNTAIN OF GUN POWDER with my tanks... got it.

Another thing, this is a ~70 tons tank you're talking about, WTF are you gonna do to it "charging in formation" at it?

My last post.
 

theeedude

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,787
6,198
126
Let me load up Civilization and get back to you on that ;)
I am guessing 10000 cavalry will kill 1 tank though :)
 

foghorn67

Lifer
Jan 3, 2006
11,883
63
91
Originally posted by: CottonRabbit
Originally posted by: foghorn67
Main issue of this thread:
Nobody can understand the OP's challenge.
Salt flats.
So you can take out the element of surprise. Or the element of Supplies!!!

Some other people can't understand another key phrase in the OP: unlimited ammo. No tank is surviving the detonation of, for example, 100 teragrams of gunpowder. A quick google tells me that's the about the equivalent of 72 megatons of TNT. The largest nuclear bomb ever detonated had a yield of 50 megatons of TNT. Of course, gunpowder probably won't provide that much explosive force, but that's still plenty of energy released to obliterate 2 tanks. My previous assertion that the tank crew can't survive the ensuing anoxic environment created by the detonation also applies here (last I checked, tanks don't come equipped with oxygen tanks or CO2 scrubbers).

2 cavalry start riding away for a 2 straight days. 2000 cavalry run around to distract the tanks. The rest of the men make the world's biggest bomb.

How would they cavalry know they were coming? And where?
IF they both started neutral, where both didn't know anyone was at, they both play find the enemy. You couldn't set up much a defense.
If you started them miles apart, and said to both, "battle starts here, on this X", the tank could see any shenanigans your fantasy cavalry would be up to, long before they could do anything about it.
How many miles apart do you want to start them to make your fantasy come true?
Plus, in the midst of all this gunpowder stockpiling in the middle of a dry desert, they'll probably kill themselves before anything could happen.

You should read up on MG's as well, since you don't know much. You could lose thousands from just a few MG nests if you have an army ignorant enough to keep charging.
Hell, Audie Murphy killed hundreds before the disabled tank killer's MG ran out of ammo.
 

CottonRabbit

Golden Member
Apr 28, 2005
1,026
0
0
Originally posted by: foghorn67
How would they cavalry know they were coming? And where?
IF they both started neutral, where both didn't know anyone was at, they both play find the enemy. You couldn't set up much a defense.
If you started them miles apart, and said to both, "battle starts here, on this X", the tank could see any shenanigans your fantasy cavalry would be up to, long before they could do anything about it.
How many miles apart do you want to start them to make your fantasy come true?
Plus, in the midst of all this gunpowder stockpiling in the middle of a dry desert, they'll probably kill themselves before anything could happen.

You should read up on MG's as well, since you don't know much. You could lose thousands from just a few MG nests if you have an army ignorant enough to keep charging.
Hell, Audie Murphy killed hundreds before the disabled tank killer's MG ran out of ammo.


You think my scenario is the only fantastic conjecture in this ridiculous thread? :confused: We have 2 tanks that can fire forever without running out of ammo or melting off their gun barrels against 10,000 cavalry men from an unspecified time period who might be equipped with anything from Pixie Stix to portable nuclear bombs.

Somebody summons an amount of ammunition equivalent to the mass of the earth and destroys the planet. dKO.
 

foghorn67

Lifer
Jan 3, 2006
11,883
63
91
Originally posted by: CottonRabbit
Originally posted by: foghorn67
How would they cavalry know they were coming? And where?
IF they both started neutral, where both didn't know anyone was at, they both play find the enemy. You couldn't set up much a defense.
If you started them miles apart, and said to both, "battle starts here, on this X", the tank could see any shenanigans your fantasy cavalry would be up to, long before they could do anything about it.
How many miles apart do you want to start them to make your fantasy come true?
Plus, in the midst of all this gunpowder stockpiling in the middle of a dry desert, they'll probably kill themselves before anything could happen.

You should read up on MG's as well, since you don't know much. You could lose thousands from just a few MG nests if you have an army ignorant enough to keep charging.
Hell, Audie Murphy killed hundreds before the disabled tank killer's MG ran out of ammo.


You think my scenario is the only fantastic conjecture in this ridiculous thread? :confused: We have 2 tanks that can fire forever without running out of ammo or melting off their gun barrels against 10,000 cavalry men from an unspecified time period who might be equipped with anything from Pixie Stix to portable nuclear bombs.

Somebody summons an amount of ammunition equivalent to the mass of the earth and destroys the planet. dKO.

The army would be destroyed or in full retreat long before any barrels would be melted.
We also brought up real rounds used today. Not pixie sticks.
The tank isn't summoning anything wizardry. Look it up.
 

OverVolt

Lifer
Aug 31, 2002
14,278
89
91
The Calvary would win. They could easily disarm the tank. 10,000 men would easily buy enough time for them to just get 3-6 guys to get ropes on the machinegun barrels and bend them enough to jam it.

From there they can disable the sights/sensors/engine/tracks by tossing sand and mud in them. Srsly. Then use ropes and flip the tank upside down. Proceed to bury tank. Win.
 

Woosta

Platinum Member
Mar 23, 2008
2,978
0
71
Originally posted by: OverVolt
The Calvary would win. They could easily disarm the tank. 10,000 men would easily buy enough time for them to just get 3-6 guys to get ropes on the machinegun barrels and bend them enough to jam it.

From there they can disable the sights/sensors/engine/tracks by tossing sand and mud in them. Srsly. Then use ropes and flip the tank upside down. Proceed to bury tank. Win.

.. i was thinking something along those lines... 10,000 is a huge number .
 
Feb 19, 2001
20,155
23
81
Remember the Civil War? Gettysburg? Pickett's Charge of 14,000 men was over a mile wide. Yeah. Try killing that when it's riding towards you at 40mph.

The only way the tanks could win is if it kites (WoW). Shoot and run and just keep shooting backwards. Hah.
 

ConstipatedVigilante

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2006
7,670
1
0
Originally posted by: DLeRium
Remember the Civil War? Gettysburg? Pickett's Charge of 14,000 men was over a mile wide. Yeah. Try killing that when it's riding towards you at 40mph.

The only way the tanks could win is if it kites (WoW). Shoot and run and just keep shooting backwards. Hah.

You know that Pickett's Charge failed horribly against far less than two Abrams tanks, right? Two abrams tanks have 6 guns altogether: the main gun, coax, and turret-mounted MG. Considering the main gun basically fires giant tungsten buckshot, the MGs both fire either .30 cal or .50 cal (either is enough to kill either man or horse), and the tanks CAN kite the enemy, who do you think wins? Keep in mind the 10,000 cavalry men have no way to penetrate the tanks' armor, and they can only really throw mud/sand/gunpowder in the engine/tracks.

So who wins?
 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,518
223
106
Originally posted by: DLeRium
Remember the Civil War? Gettysburg? Pickett's Charge of 14,000 men was over a mile wide. Yeah. Try killing that when it's riding towards you at 40mph.

The only way the tanks could win is if it kites (WoW). Shoot and run and just keep shooting backwards. Hah.

Find me a cavalry horse that can maintain 40mph, with rider and equipment, for the duration of a charge and I will be impressed.
 

Newbian

Lifer
Aug 24, 2008
24,779
882
126
Originally posted by: DLeRium
Remember the Civil War? Gettysburg? Pickett's Charge of 14,000 men was over a mile wide. Yeah. Try killing that when it's riding towards you at 40mph.

The only way the tanks could win is if it kites (EQ). Shoot and run and just keep shooting backwards. Hah.

Fixed since WoW's version of kiting is very limited.
 

Zeze

Lifer
Mar 4, 2011
11,395
1,189
126
Are they are specifically Chinese cavalry?
If so the only current combat Chinese cavalry are the 601, 602 and 603 Air Cavalry Brigades, these have attack helicopters in their armory and no horses!
If they are cavalry from some other nation then the British Royal Dragoon Guards, for example, are a cavalry regiment are they are armed with Challenger Mk2 battle tanks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_2

Either way the cavalry wins.

If we are talking about mounted horseman with rifles, such as those used in WW1 then they still win.

All they need to do is scatter around the tanks at random distances, dismount and dig themselves into foxholes/trenches.
You now have 10,000 entrenched infantry pretty much impervious to the tanks guns, now digging a labyrinth of trenches, tank trap pits and hidey-holes.
The tankers wouldn?t know exactly where all the trenches and holes were or how large they were, there would be hundreds of them, so they couldn?t use their speed for fear of falling into one.
All the tanks can do now is retreat slowly (they lose) or sit and wait for the trenches to surround them, some of them too large to cross. They are now trapped, the crew can?t leave the tanks as there would be up to 10,000 rifles pointing at them, within a few days they would have to surrender or die of starvation/dehydration or be overrun by soldiers emerging from trenches too close for the tanks to depress their guns sufficiently to fire at them.
 

SMOGZINN

Lifer
Jun 17, 2005
14,359
4,640
136
Do these Cavalry have guns? Even simple muskets? If so then all 10,000 could shoot at once hitting the tank with 10,000 bullets near simultaneously. I doubt even an Abrams tank would survive the amount of energy imparted by 10,000 bullets striking it in a very short time. Even if they could not penetrate the armor they would heat it to lethal levels.
 

dainthomas

Lifer
Dec 7, 2004
14,958
3,948
136
Are they are specifically Chinese cavalry?
If so the only current combat Chinese cavalry are the 601, 602 and 603 Air Cavalry Brigades, these have attack helicopters in their armory and no horses!
If they are cavalry from some other nation then the British Royal Dragoon Guards, for example, are a cavalry regiment are they are armed with Challenger Mk2 battle tanks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_2

Either way the cavalry wins.

If we are talking about mounted horseman with rifles, such as those used in WW1 then they still win.

All they need to do is scatter around the tanks at random distances, dismount and dig themselves into foxholes/trenches.
You now have 10,000 entrenched infantry pretty much impervious to the tanks guns, now digging a labyrinth of trenches, tank trap pits and hidey-holes.
The tankers wouldn?t know exactly where all the trenches and holes were or how large they were, there would be hundreds of them, so they couldn?t use their speed for fear of falling into one.
All the tanks can do now is retreat slowly (they lose) or sit and wait for the trenches to surround them, some of them too large to cross. They are now trapped, the crew can?t leave the tanks as there would be up to 10,000 rifles pointing at them, within a few days they would have to surrender or die of starvation/dehydration or be overrun by soldiers emerging from trenches too close for the tanks to depress their guns sufficiently to fire at them.

I've been waiting six and a half years for the correct answer. Thank you sir!
 

Humpy

Diamond Member
Mar 3, 2011
4,464
596
126
Are they are specifically Chinese cavalry?
If so the only current combat Chinese cavalry are the 601, 602 and 603 Air Cavalry Brigades, these have attack helicopters in their armory and no horses!
If they are cavalry from some other nation then the British Royal Dragoon Guards, for example, are a cavalry regiment are they are armed with Challenger Mk2 battle tanks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_2

Either way the cavalry wins.

If we are talking about mounted horseman with rifles, such as those used in WW1 then they still win.

All they need to do is scatter around the tanks at random distances, dismount and dig themselves into foxholes/trenches.
You now have 10,000 entrenched infantry pretty much impervious to the tanks guns, now digging a labyrinth of trenches, tank trap pits and hidey-holes.
The tankers wouldn?t know exactly where all the trenches and holes were or how large they were, there would be hundreds of them, so they couldn?t use their speed for fear of falling into one.
All the tanks can do now is retreat slowly (they lose) or sit and wait for the trenches to surround them, some of them too large to cross. They are now trapped, the crew can?t leave the tanks as there would be up to 10,000 rifles pointing at them, within a few days they would have to surrender or die of starvation/dehydration or be overrun by soldiers emerging from trenches too close for the tanks to depress their guns sufficiently to fire at them.

Wrong again!
 

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
33,479
11,625
136
Are they are specifically Chinese cavalry?
If so the only current combat Chinese cavalry are the 601, 602 and 603 Air Cavalry Brigades, these have attack helicopters in their armory and no horses!
If they are cavalry from some other nation then the British Royal Dragoon Guards, for example, are a cavalry regiment are they are armed with Challenger Mk2 battle tanks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_2

Either way the cavalry wins.

If we are talking about mounted horseman with rifles, such as those used in WW1 then they still win.

All they need to do is scatter around the tanks at random distances, dismount and dig themselves into foxholes/trenches.
You now have 10,000 entrenched infantry pretty much impervious to the tanks guns, now digging a labyrinth of trenches, tank trap pits and hidey-holes.
The tankers wouldn?t know exactly where all the trenches and holes were or how large they were, there would be hundreds of them, so they couldn?t use their speed for fear of falling into one.
All the tanks can do now is retreat slowly (they lose) or sit and wait for the trenches to surround them, some of them too large to cross. They are now trapped, the crew can?t leave the tanks as there would be up to 10,000 rifles pointing at them, within a few days they would have to surrender or die of starvation/dehydration or be overrun by soldiers emerging from trenches too close for the tanks to depress their guns sufficiently to fire at them.
You've been thinking about that for awhile haven't you?
 

Ruptga

Lifer
Aug 3, 2006
10,246
207
106
The tanks would start scouting at ~40mph and spot an army digging holes in open ground before the army could even see them. The tanks would radio each other and bum rush the army before they were even knee deep, the end.
 

NAC4EV

Golden Member
Feb 26, 2015
1,882
754
136
Calvarymen of course.
A shaped charge on the top hatch.

or a HJ-12 Missile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwxAmJaFJeg
Goodbye tank.

ChineseATWeaponFiredInSyria.jpg-676x450.png
 
Last edited:

Darwin333

Lifer
Dec 11, 2006
19,946
2,330
126
Depends on the infantries weapons. If they had TOWs or something then the infantry should easily be able to win. If they just had rifles then they are just target practice.

Hell even if they had grenades they should be able to overwhelm it.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
71,169
14,024
126
www.anyf.ca
I'd say the tank, assuming the cavalry have no guns. But If they have guns, I imagine 10,000 people shooting guns at a tank could eventually cause enough damage to it. Aim for the wheel/tracks and try to disable it then find enough fuel to set it on fire so the people burn inside. The ammo inside would eventually detonate from the heat to finish it off.