Iraqi errors report - Part 2

[Marcello]

Unit 64: YW 531 APC
Availability dates should be changed to 1/1982-12/2005

http://www.sinodefence.com/army/armour/type63.asp

“The improved Type 63C (YW531C) was introduced in 1982 for export market. This variant uses a German-designed BF8L413F air-cooled diesel engine to replace the original indigenous liquid-cooled engine. The Type 63C was exported in significant numbers to Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.”
SIPRI also confirms the 1982 deliverey date, which is consistent with the timeframe for major arms trade between China and Iraq. Few of them have also been used by the new iraqi army, at least early on, though they have been probably replaced by now as far as I can tell.
Also ground speed could be reduced from 23 to 22. 65 km/h is the maximum road speed quoted by most sources.

Unit 282-602: Panhard AML 60
All AP and HEAT rounds should be deleted. Loadout should be changed to 53 HE rounds.
Unit 282 could be deleted as redundant.
I have done some research on the matter using tanknet, ordnance disposal reports and other sources.
There were actually several different AML-60 configurations produced; some of the later ones did have a 60mm gun mortar capable of firing HEAT and kinetic rounds. Given the timeframe the iraqi ones were almost certainly early ones capable of firing only HE/Smoke/Illumination.
http://208.84.116.223/forums/index.p...7995&hl=aml-60

Unit 289: MOWAG
Availability dates should be changed to 1/1981-12/1998.
Source SIPRI

Unit 318: Panhard M3 VTT
Initial availability date should be changed to to 1/1971
It should also be rearmed with weapon 67 7.62 PKM AAMG.
According to SIPRI the first ones were supplied in 1971. Some have also been in service with the new iraqi army, see for example : http://www.longwarjournal.org/multim...-Equipment.pdf
There are also picture of it in service in the new iraqi army.

Unit 357: AUF-1 GCT
Unit 179: 155mm GCT Pl
Initial availability date should be changed to 1/1983
Source SIPRI.

Unit 362: GAZ/107 SPA
It availability dates could be changed from current 5/2003-12/2004 to 1/1980-4/2003
I have seen pictures of jeep mounted RR used for indirect fires during the Iran Iraq war.
As an alternative it could be simply deleted.

Unit 366: SA-3 Neva
Vision rating should be dropped to 0

Unit 395: T-55u
No idea if the iraqi had anything of the sort (meaning a tank with fake/absent main gun used as FO vehicle like some units in WW2) but it might be possible. I suggest initial availability date moved back to 1/1987

Unit 535: BMD-1
Initial availability date should be changed to 1/1981
Source: SIPRI

Unit 545: BM-14-16
Final availability date should be restricted to 12/1991 or such. No 140mm rockets have been found in iraq after 2003, only 107mm ones. It was probably in use at some point but not anymore by the 2000s.

Unit 554: Sajil-30
It should have 32 rockets in total, not 64. ROF should be adjusted accordingly as well.

Unit 555: Sajil-40
ROF should be decreased to 8

Unit 575: T-34/85 CS
Final availability date could be extended to 12/1986
Source: T-34-85 Medium Tank 1944-94 by Steven J. Zaloga

The following units should be rearmed with weapon 67 7.62 PKM AAMG
unit 216 BREM-1
unit 324 HMMWV
unit 604 M901 ITV
unit 643 Ain Jaria 1

[Marcello]

Formation 42: Mech Sapper Pl
The BMP-1 APCs in the last threes slots are not available in 1965(platoon start date)
I suggest them to be changed with unit 61 BTR-50PK or another class 25 APC.
This way the platoon could be used throught its entire life.

Unit 324: HMMWV
It has 111 in the heat ammo slot. Probably 111 was entered in there instead of the sound slot where it would have been approapriate.
Also survivability should be increased to 2 as it seems to be the norm for such vehicles.
This would apply to unit 910 too.

A clone of formation 19 Mech Weapons Pl should be added with unit 311 BTR-152
or another class 23 APC in slots 6-7-8 (it could be called “Mot Weapons Pl”).
Availability date would be 2/1959-4/2003.
In this way the the correct allotment of support weapons could be provided to units mounted on wheeled APCs.
Source : "The Iraqi Army: Organization and Tactics"

Formation 37: Mot Rifle Co(+)
Final availability date should be restricted to 4/2003.
Its component, formation 216 Motor MG Sec in slot 7, should be replaced with the above described Mot Weapons Pl

[Marcello]

Some notes on mountain units

Formations 100 : Mountain Co
Formation 105: Mountain Pl
They should have final availability date restricted to 4/2003.

Unit 517: Mountain Sec
Final availability date should be restricted to 12/1991
RPD machine guns were being superceded by PKM/RPK.

Unit 520: Mountain Sec
It should have the RPG-16D in slot 3 replaced with weapon n.18 RPG-7. Availability dates should be changed to 1/1980-4/2003
RPG-16D were pretty rare among iraqi forces.

Unit 518-519: Mountain Sec
They should be deleted.
RPG-16D were pretty rare among iraqi forces and BG-15 grenade launchers were even more rare, if available at all. They would have been reserved for the special forces and in any case iraqi mountain units are described as using standard weapons in the available sources.


To summarize the background.
Iraqi army mountain infantry units ceased to exist during April 2003 along with the rest of the army.
For a variety of political and military reasons the process of military reconstruction has not contemplated raising mountain infantry units until 2009.
A couple of mountain infantry divisions, the 15th and 16th, are now being raised by transferring kurdish paramilitary under iraqi military command. This will probably lenghty and complicated and in in any case mountain infantry units will not, in all likelyhood, have the same company structure of the old army. Therefore I have suggested a 4/2003 cutoff.

Sources: http://www.specialoperations.com/For...q/Mountain.htm
http://www.longwarjournal.org/multimedia/OOBpage5- IGFC-North.pdf And others.


Some notes about artillery

A clone of unit 536 AMX-10P could also be added.
This new unit would be reclassed as class 57, renamed AMX-10 VLA and have 1/1983-4/2003 as availability dates. These vehicles were used as forward observers for the french supplied artillery systems (Unit 357 AUF-1 GCT).
Source SIPRI, Acig.org

Units 92 and 183: 5.5 Inch FG
Final availability dates don’t match with unit 92 ending at 12/1989 and unit 183 at 12/1974
All sources do indeed point to it being already out of service by 1991 but an out of service date is a bit hard to pick. As a possible solution unit 92 final availability could be set to 12/1974, as it seems at least plausible for an out of service date.

Units 85 and 170: 25 Pdr FG and 25pdr Platoon
Final availability dates don’t match with unit 85 ending at 12/1960 and unit 170 at 12/1969.
As a possible and plausible solution unit 85 final availability could be set to 12/1969 like for unit 170.

Unit 299: ZU-23 AA-Gun
Final availability date could be extended to 12/2020
They are still being used on fire support vehicles but they could be used dismounted if needed.

Source: pictures