Oh shit - Now it's M1s too

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-03-30 11:10pm

Iraqi TV shows a captured allied tank

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-03-30 11:13pm

That shot looks like blue screen to me. Until I see an Iraqi standing on it or the US Army reports an M1 is missing I don't buy it.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-03-30 11:14pm

They turned out to be telling the truth about that Apache, I'm inclined to believe this one too. I wonder what happened to it, though.

Strafe · Post by **Strafe** » 2003-03-30 11:15pm

How do you capture an Abrams? And why hasn't the army destroyed it if it was captured?

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-03-30 11:15pm

It still looks like blue screen, even if they are telling the truth

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-03-30 11:21pm

Darth Wong wrote:They turned out to be telling the truth about that Apache, I'm inclined to believe this one too. I wonder what happened to it, though.

They also showed people climbing on it, and the aircraft changed over time, the Hellfire disappeared for example. However while the Apache went down during a deep strike, M1's would never be traveling alone and always have support close at hand. Knocking out an M1 isn't all that hard, it's happened several times already. But to knock one out, overrun its position and drive off support and efforts to destroy it long enough to bring up reporters? I highly doubt that.

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2003-03-30 11:24pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:That shot looks like blue screen to me. Until I see an Iraqi standing on it or the US Army reports an M1 is missing I don't buy it.

I agree it doesn't look quite...*right*

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-03-30 11:34pm

BBC World covered this a few days ago.

One Abrams was hit by an AT missile and damaged.

The crew bailed and ran.

The crew of the THREE OTHER Abrams (which HADN'T taken ANY fire) also bailed and ran.

If there is a source that I trust its BBC World...

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-03-30 11:37pm

weemadando wrote:BBC World covered this a few days ago.

One Abrams was hit by an AT missile and damaged.

The crew bailed and ran.

The crew of the THREE OTHER Abrams (which HADN'T taken ANY fire) also bailed and ran.

If there is a source that I trust its BBC World...

Who have been wrong many times before just like every other new service.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2003-03-30 11:40pm

Crown wrote:
Sea Skimmer wrote:That shot looks like blue screen to me. Until I see an Iraqi standing on it or the US Army reports an M1 is missing I don't buy it.
I agree it doesn't look quite...*right*

The shadows are off. Not quite right. But it's pretty bad if they have capped one.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-03-30 11:45pm

You know that would make for a good joke pic for ST vs. SW too.

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-03-30 11:55pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:
Who have been wrong many times before just like every other new service.

Indeed, but they did cover it. And at the moment the burden of proof is on the US to show that it DIDN'T happen.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-03-31 12:01am

weemadando wrote:
Sea Skimmer wrote:
Who have been wrong many times before just like every other new service.
Indeed, but they did cover it. And at the moment the burden of proof is on the US to show that it DIDN'T happen.

Because one media outline said so? I think not, they claimed something happened and should be able to back it up, until then nothing is on the US. How the fuck could pictures of an entire platoon of captured M1's, with several drivable not be spreading like wildfire?

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-03-31 12:06am

Sea Skimmer wrote:
weemadando wrote:
Sea Skimmer wrote:
Who have been wrong many times before just like every other new service.
Indeed, but they did cover it. And at the moment the burden of proof is on the US to show that it DIDN'T happen.
Because one media outline said so? I think not, they claimed something happened and should be able to back it up, until then nothing is on the US. How the fuck could pictures of an entire platoon of captured M1's, with several drivable not be spreading like wildfire?

Lets see, has CNN, Fox and CBS been covering the stories of how many American and Brit KIA there are, how many desertions, how many planes and heli's that have gone down?

You overlook the fact that this is a propaganda war as much as anything else, probably more. Why WOULD they cover that story?

And whoever said that the shadows on the pic are out, please explain how, because it looks pretty damn good from where I sit.

Sokar · Post by **Sokar** » 2003-03-31 12:11am

I dont know eiether way, but something about that pic , is wrong.....but I can't put my fingert on it...

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-03-31 12:16am

I think the element that's setting off peoples' alarms is the framing of the picture, with the rock berm between the reporter and the tank. If you were to blue-screen it, that would make it much easier because you can superimpose that feature very easily upon any picture. However, there is nothing actually WRONG with the picture per se, as far as I can see. The fact that this is how you would frame it if you wanted to blue-screen it does not necessarily mean it must have been blue-screened.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2003-03-31 12:18am

Darth Wong wrote:I think the element that's setting off peoples' alarms is the framing of the picture, with the rock berm between the reporter and the tank. If you were to blue-screen it, that would make it much easier because you can superimpose that feature very easily upon any picture. However, there is nothing actually WRONG with the picture per se, as far as I can see. The fact that this is how you would frame it if you wanted to blue-screen it does not necessarily mean it must have been blue-screened.

Actually, it's the angle of the shadows for me, but yea, it should be treated as real for the time being.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2003-03-31 12:21am

Look at the reporters right arm (our right, not his). That has almost the classic blue screen look to it. Kind of the same look when Luke was fighting the Rancor in ROTJ in the original filming.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-03-31 12:23am

Alyeska wrote:Look at the reporters right arm (our right, not his). That has almost the classic blue screen look to it. Kind of the same look when Luke was fighting the Rancor in ROTJ in the original filming.

Actually, that looks like JPEG compression artifacts to me.

Cal Wright · Post by **Cal Wright** » 2003-03-31 12:25am

It seems authentic to me. Shadows seem to match between the rocks and the tank. Even the report matches up.

Post by **K. A. Pital** » 2003-03-31 01:37am

What's so unusual about capturing a tank? Any tank could be captured, even by a single infantry soldier.
I think you all know the story of Wehrmacht Gemeinde who captured a KV-1 tank with bare hands.

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2003-03-31 01:56am

I will wait untill there is official confirmation.
But something does smell really fishy about this. Tanks are never alone...

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2003-03-31 02:03am

http://foobar.homelinux.net/images/bnc201_cont.jpg

The same image, enlarged 200% and with contrast increased by a factor of 25.

Linked to prevent the format from beign messed up ~ Stormbringer

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2003-03-31 02:07am

Oh, screw that. The image should appear in a few hours when the DNS tables get updated.

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-03-31 07:03am

One word: bugger.