国家地理:M1A1 ABRAMS Supertank - 12 M1A1主战坦克

Kill them all. You know I did and that was tough to live with, er, for a long time. I was angry, because the, the, the way we prosecuted¹ that particular mission--you know, send the Tank Company down this crowded road that was already covered in burning and destroyed equipment, the helicopters fired up--just didn't make any sense to me. But, you know, I was not an officer, I'm not the kind of person who makes those calls.

The destructive power of the battalions² of tanks was overwhelming. In just over 2 hours, 186 Iraqi tanks and 127 armored vehicles, the queen of Saddam's forces were destroyed. The battle was a turning point. The Iraqi army was in full-scale retreat towards Basra. President Bush senior declared a cease-fire at midnight on February 28th. After 100 hours of the ground war General Schwarzkopf and the coalition³ forces had won a stunning⁴ victory. Kuwait was now free.

After the war, it was estimated that the Iraqis had lost 3700 tanks, over 20,000 men were killed and tens of thousands wounded. Miraculously⁵, during the whole conflict only 18 Abrams had been disabled and just 4 knocked out by Iraqi anti-tank fire. Not a single member of an Abrams tank crew had been killed by enemy fire. The combination of the super tank's advanced technology and the superior training and discipline of the crews had won the day.

12 years later.

Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours.

March 20th, 2003, America is again at war with Iraq. And once more the M1 Abrams will prove itself a formidable weapon. Within 24 hours at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 3rd infantry's 7th cavalry⁶ is rolling, unopposed across the dessert. Their destination--Baghdad.

In the first 3 days they move with breathtaking speed, covering some 300 miles even the brutal⁷ sands storms barely slow their progress. Iraqi pickup⁸ trucks mounted with primitive⁹ missiles and automatically rifles charge the tanks. Their attacks are mostly suicidal.

There will be no spectacular tank-on-tank battles in this war. But not all Abrams will escape unscathed. And one Abrams's driver is shot and killed. And the tank he is operating falls into a river. His entire crew perishes with him.

After days of intense aerial bombardment the M1 Abrams rolls into Saddam International Airport, enters the grounds of the presidential palace, and then moves into the heart of the city. This is psychological warfare¹⁰; the army calls it Thunder Run. The battlefield behemoth proves that American forces can move at will through Baghdad. After only 3 weeks the war is declared over. And the legacy¹¹ of the M1 Abrams is secure.

We all know that the M1 strengths are its armor, its maneuverability. It can fire offensively or defensively. It was just awesome¹².

In the fitting tribute President George W. Bush hails the Abrams, the most effective armor vehicle in the history of warfare.

After all that happened, I would say that the Abrams's survivability is a, No. 1. It kept my crew from getting killed.

Information -- by snowcatzzc

1. Operation Iraqi Freedom: 伊拉克自由行动，第二次海湾战争联军针对伊拉克的首轮袭击代号
2. the Third Infantry's 7th Cavalry: 美军第三机械化步兵师所属第七骑兵旅
3. General Schwarzkopf: 第一次海湾战争的联军指挥官
4. unscathed:Not injured or harmed.
5. Thunder Run: 滚雷行动，第二次海湾战争中联军针对伊拉克的心理战代号
6. behemoth: Something enormous in size or power.
7. maneuverability:可操作性
8. survivability: 战场生存力

1 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

2 battalions   

n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍

参考例句：

• God is always on the side of the strongest battalions. 上帝总是帮助强者。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Two battalions were disposed for an attack on the air base. 配置两个营的兵力进攻空军基地。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

4 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

5 miraculously   

ad.奇迹般地

参考例句：

• He had been miraculously saved from almost certain death. 他奇迹般地从死亡线上获救。
• A schoolboy miraculously survived a 25 000-volt electric shock. 一名男学生在遭受2.5 万伏的电击后奇迹般地活了下来。

6 cavalry   

n.骑兵；轻装甲部队

参考例句：

• We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
• The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。

7 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

8 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

9 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

10 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

11 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

12 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.