After action report for the M1A1 Abrams tank B-23

After Action report for the M1A1 Abrams tank, bumper number 23, which was destroyed by fire caused by enemy fire during the first Gulf War.  (1991)  US Army

SUMMARY:

B-23 (M1A1 Heavy Armor) was hit by an unknown round that

penetrated through the rear grill doors. A fire started in the

engine compartment which was automatically extinguished by the

on-board Halon system. Initially there were no injuries. The

tank engine stopped and the crew attempted to traverse the turret

over the right flank due to smoke still coming from the engine

compartment. The decision was made to evacuate the tank, at

which time, a second "unknown round" penetrated the rear of the

tank knocking the loader to the turret floor. As he fell, he

struck his knee on the turret ring, bruising his knee and

twisting ligaments. The loader was the only crewman injured in

this engagement. The crew was picked up by the D Co Executive

Officer's tank. The resulting fire caused a catastrophic fire in

the hull and a complete meltdown of the suspension system. B-23

sustained sufficient heat and fire damage to cause the ammo

blowout panels to function-- they worked as designed. There was

no ballistic damage to the inside of B-23's turret as a result of

enemy fire. The tank was recovered on or about 7 Mar 91.

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105).