In the 13 weeks after the start of the longawaited Ukrainian counteroffensive on several fronts in the south and east, the Ukrainian army lost only five of the 71 Leopard 2 tanks it received from Western European countries. At least ten more of these tanks were damaged and are currently being repaired.
According to the article published in Forbes magazine, all losses of the Leopard 2 tank occurred within an area of 25 square miles [cerca de 65 km2]anchors at Mala Tokmachka to the north and at Robotyne to the south.
It is very likely that almost all crew members of the five destroyed tanks, 20 people in total, managed to get out of the tank before it caught fire or exploded.
During a CZ DEFENSE visit to the Multinational Battlegroup Slovakia, Lieutenant Colonel Sebastian Worgull (leader of the German contingent in Slovakia) revealed that not a single crew member of a Ukrainian tank in a Leopard 2A6 has died yet.
H/t @Danny_elMayor pic.twitter.com/f712J99mwt
— deaidua.org 🇩🇪🤝🇺🇦 (@deaidua) August 29, 2023
In the photos and videos that captured four of the five Leopard 2 destructions, the hatches of the tanks’ turrets and hulls were open, a strong indication that the crews had managed to get out.
Battledamaged tanks are currently in Poland and Germany and will be returned to the front later.
Forbes emphasized that thanks to the basic strength of a 69ton Leopard 2 tank, it can be damaged, repaired, returned to combat, and then damaged and repaired again.
Forbes quotes Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Solonko as claiming that Western tanks are “saving lives” and that “even the most severely damaged military equipment is being recovered and taken for repairs.”
“A consortium of NATO countries, including Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden (the latter not yet a formal member), jointly provided Ukraine with 10 Strv 122 (Leopard 2A5, modified in Sweden) promised, 21 Leopard 2A6 and 74 Leopard 2A4. With the exception of 14 A4s, all of these tanks have already reached the front.
The 1980s A4 version is the least sophisticated version of the Leopard 2. The 1990s Strv 122 and A6 feature a new mix of composite armor, better optronics and in the case of the A6 a longer 120mm Extended range main gun.
The Germans at KMW and Rheinmetall build their tanks with special turretmounted compartments for their 120mm ammunition so that if hit, it explodes outwards, away from the crew. Unlike the Germans, Russian tanks place their ammunition under their turrets, which means that if the attack is successful, the turret will be blown up along with the tank’s crew.
This is the main reason why it is much easier to damage a Leopard 2 than to destroy a Leopard 2 and cripple its crew rather than kill them, while a precise hit on a Russian T72 is disastrous for both tank and crew can blow up. .
“Assuming that each Leopard 2 destroyed left visible evidence of its destruction, there have been a total of only five casualties since the Ukrainian counteroffensive began on June 4. The losses include two of the 50 A4s delivered and three of the 21 A6s. “It has been confirmed that no Strv 122 was destroyed,” reports Forbes.
Of the 71 Leopard 2 tanks originally delivered to Ukraine, 5 of which were permanently out of action and up to 10 in repair centers, the brigades still have 50 active Leopards.
The 14 Leopard 2A4s, due to arrive early next year, are expected to more than make up for the losses.
More Western tanks are on the way, including 31 former American M1 Abrams tanks, which are even more heavily armored than most Leopard 2s.
The Ukrainian armed forces will also receive at least 165 German Leopard 1A5s, which have lower armor protection than the Leopard 2, Challenger 2 and M1 Abrams.
The Oryx website, which calculates the loss of military materiel on both sides of the conflict, documents the losses of 15 Leopard 2s, of which ten were damaged and five destroyed (two A4s and three A6s).
Continue reading