Existing comment:
Fire First, Hit First:
Most of the principal tank-versus-tank engagements in the Korean War occurred between July and November 1950. By then, the North Korean armored force was largely destroyed and the Chinese possessed few vehicles. Analysis of these early tank actions revealed that American tanks performed three times more effectively than North Korean tanks. The North Koreans lost a full 25 percent of their total tank force to American tank gunnery. Air attack, handheld anti-tank rockets, and artillery were the next greatest tank killers. The study attributed these results to the tendencies of American tankers to fire first (about 60 percent of the time) and achieve a higher first-round hit probability (64 percent vs 38 percent). Interviews with captured North Korean tankers revealed that many of them had very little training. |