[Hodar]

The Gov. of Arizona has at his disposal, the Arizona National Guard. The National Guard has at it's disposal, at least ONE Sherman Tank. How about the next time an incursion is detected, a single tank is used to meet the Mexicans. Then if they want to fire on the tank, the tank can fire back. As Shermans can fire with pin point accuracy, while moving over rough terrain at up to 75 mph; I think this would send a clear message to the Mexicans who are illegally on our soil, and commiting an act of war.

[gcruse]

 How about the next time an incursion is detected, a single tank is used to meet the Mexicans.

All you have to do is convince them to hang around while
the National Guard goes and get its tank.  Oh, yeah.

[ScreamingFist]

I believe you meant to say Abrahms tank. The WWII Sherman couln't hit 75 miles an hour if you dropped it out of an aircraft.

[Not_Who_U_Think]

75 mph??? Must be the turbo model.

[FF578]

You must mean an M1A1 Abrams tank. The shermans were used in WW2, they had a 75MM Gun, but could not go 75MPH. In Fact even the Modern M1A1 with it's turbine engines cannot go 75MPH. 50-60 MPH Absolute top speed under best conditions. Over rough ground maybe 35-40 mph.

[SUSSA]

This is not the first time the Mexican military crossed the border and shot at U.S. federal agents. This should be stopped by the Army not the national guard.

I'd send the 9th Infantry Division into Mexico with orders to take Mexico City and pacify everything in between. If they encounter any resistance, I'd make Sherman's march to the sea look like a Sunday school picnic.

This is another act of war. The Mexican's are invading our country and nobody is doing a thing about it. Their military just comes here and shoots at anyone they please and our government yawns and sends them more aid. What we need to do is respond with such force that no country even thinks about attacking us again for a hundred years.

[kaktuskid]

The gov of Arizona is a woman.

[archy]

The Gov. of Arizona has at his disposal, the Arizona National Guard. The National Guard has at it's disposal, at least ONE Sherman Tank. How about the next time an incursion is detected, a single tank is used to meet the Mexicans. Then if they want to fire on the tank, the tank can fire back. As Shermans can fire with pin point accuracy, while moving over rough terrain at up to 75 mph; I think this would send a clear message to the Mexicans who are illegally on our soil, and commiting an act of war.

Having been a crewman and driver on several different versions of Shermans I can assure you that top vehicle speed of an M4A1 or M4A3 is nowhere near 75mph; 35mph is much more like it, maybe, maybe 40mph down a very steep grade, with a tailwind.

And though the later WWI versions of the M4A1E8 and M4A3E8 [as used dring the Korean war as well] were fitted with a gyrostabilized 76mm main gun, not only is a first-round hit much less likely than a 50-50 proposition, and thereby the reason gunners are trained in *burst on target* fire correction techniques for followup repeat shots, it would be a sinful waste to pump off a main gun HEAT or Hypershot round at an unarmoured vehicle such as a Mexican Army HUMMVW playing drug mule; even the waste of a white phosphourous, cannister or superquick-fuzed High explosive round would be the mark of a rookie, rather than a proper hosing of the soft-skinned target with 30-round bursts from the co-axial machinegun mounted in line with the tank's cannon. In the case of the Shermans, that would be a M1919A4 .30 caliber Browning, firing the military loading of the .30-06 cartridge. We were taught that 12 hits from the co-ax would effectively eliminate the usefulness of any truck so hit- I'd reckon about 3 bursts [90 rounds total] should cover it out to ranges of 1100 meters, [the range at which the tracer rounds burn out] whether either vehicle was moving or not.

[RightWhale]

A Sherman tank at 75 mph would be like flying a VW Bug with a JATO bottle. If the brakes locked up on one side it would go around in tiny circles at 75 mph, but accuracy of fire wouldn't be affected.