tank

A tank is something that every little boy wants. They are big, heavy, they can soak up punishment, and they have a big bad willy extension on top of it all. It is for these reasons that some desire these vehicles to combat the zombie threat, however, are they the end all answer to zombies or just a willy extension and nothing more.

When people think of tanks there are a number of myths that they have about these vehicles and these beliefs are what mislead many who want these massive vehicles to use in combating the undead. These myths must be resolved before any tank, especially the latest and greatest, can even be considered as possible weapons against zombies.

  1. Tanks are invincible: Put bluntly, tanks are not invincible, and that is not only saying that there are weapons that can disable and destroy these behemoths of the battlefield. Tanks require a great deal of maintenance and that’s before the rough and brutal combat conditions that they see. The latest and greatest M1 Abrams is perhaps the most delicate flower that there is in regards to main battle tanks, primarily because the turbine engine that runs the vehicle needs essentially a one to one or better ratio of use to maintenance. Now, also, before someone starts saying that you can just run the zombies over, you do have to maintain these tanks and it does not take much for someone to become infected even washing the tank off do not mean that there will not be some material from the zombies left over for someone to infect themselves with. And since those who will be required to maintain these vehicles they are invaluable and their loss will result in the tanks being useless. Not to mention that the trends on the tanks are the most vulnerable portion of the tank and if they go down without replacement you will not be able to move the tank with any degree of success.
  2. They are a good form of transportation: Again put bluntly they are not. Tanks are not the most agile form of transportation and while they are big and bad do not think that you can simply roll over a city when every street is blocked by totaled cars and burned our collapsed buildings. Also, tanks burn full on a horrendous scale, some requiring as much as a dozen gallons or more to just start the engine, others have an effect range measured in dozens not hundreds of miles. The militaries of countries around the world require miles upon miles of logistical backbone to keep these gas guzzlers moving and without fuel they become little more than giant stationary pill boxes with a big canon that once the batteries go dead is useless since it can not longer be aimed.
  3. Their firepower can stop a zombie horde cold: While there is no argument that a tank has a great deal of firepower that does not mean that they are the end all answer to zombie combat. Yes, a main battle tank does carry a big gun that can do tremendous amounts of damage, however, even with canister shot it will only do some much against zombies. The fact that the average canister load out for a tank ranges between two and four rounds mean that you have somewhere between little to no chance in stopping a major horde, especially since canister is simple a massive shotgun and to kill a zombie you have to destroy the brain. Also, of note, in the case of the M1 Abrams the depleted uranium rounds that it is famous for are completely useless. The coaxial and top mounted machine guns, however, do offer a real possibility at force multiplication, especially the coaxial since these machine guns are known to be some of the most accurate since they are mounted into a structure that can be made to be very stable and the only variables being the wind and bullet drop.

Just because the myths that many believe about tanks are false this does not mean that tanks could never be used. They would make very good strong points in a large base against not just zombies but also the human enemy. Their coaxial guns could also be used to thin out the undead at a greater distance than most of the survivors could reliably accomplish. However, they are simply not up to the task of hard fighting with limited maintenance and few if any replacement parts. However, if you must use an armored vehicle look to a wheeled APC or a light armored vehicle, less firepower but more mobility and easier to maintain. Let’s face facts here, how often do zombies drive tanks, and how many people are going to be carrying anti-tank rockets or missiles.

Stay safe.  Stay informed.  Stay alive.