Some Mad Max kind of stuff from Oryx

[21st Century Vampire]

See the Mobile Battle Fortresses Islamic State used around Mosul
Oryx



By Stijn Mitzer

The war against Islamic State in Iraq has seen a myriad of DIY designs come to life as factions attempted to improve their firepower to gain the advantage over the enemy. The Islamic State (IS) is certainly no exception, and its forces in Iraq relied virtually exclusively on the ingenuity of their many arms workshops to turn the huge arsenals captured in Mosul into deadly weapons for use on the ever changing battlegrounds of Iraq.

The first appearance of a BTS-5B armoured recovery vehicle (ARV) converted to a mobile battle fortress back in January 2015 certainly raised eyebrows, not least because it quickly got stuck in a ditch and was then destroyed. While thus not very successful in its intended role, it took less than a year for its successor to appear on the plains of Iraq. First seen in December 2015, this first iteration combines lessons learned from its predecessor with technology not widely used by the Islamic State until that point.

But before going into detail on the specifics of the first iteration, it is insightful to consider the conversion of the first battle fortress. Of little use to the Islamic State in its original role, the BTS-5B was heavily modified through the addition of an armoured cabin over its original body. For this purpose, the crane, the snorkel and various crates containing additional tools were removed. The dozer blade and winch were retained however.

Armament consists of a shielded pintle-mounted 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun and several mounts for light-machine guns. The occupants also made use of M16s and AKMs to complement the single DShK during the vehicle's first and only use on the battlefield.



Large blocks presumably filled with sand concrete were installed on top of the newly erected platform to act as armour plating while large rubber side skirts were fitted to either side of the battle fortress. Combined, they provided the occupants with protection against small-arms fire, explosive fragments and perhaps the occasional rocket propelled grenade (RPG) from the front and sides.

As a result of the blockage of the driver's hatch by the support beams of the platform, the driver had to enter his position by a hatch on the floor of the platform. The support beams also blocked the driver's viewing port, forcing the driver to stick his head out while maneuvering the vehicle. Armoured glass was installed to make up for this increase of vulnerability however.

All in all, the conversion was an impressive project which must have cost the Islamic State a large amount of man hours to accomplish, which is also why its poor battlefield career comes as somewhat as a surprise.



The battle fortress could have been put to good use in urban environments, where the vehicle would have been used as a heavily armoured battering ram capable of providing fire support to advancing troops. Its flexible, albeit light, armament would have been ideally suited for targeting elevated areas such as higher floors of flats, with its armour warding off most retaliatory fire.

Instead, the fighters of the Islamic State used the battle bus on the open plains near Shekhan, Nineveh Governorate, where the Islamic State waged an offensive against entrenched Peshmerga forces on the 25th of January 2015. Footage of the failed offensive can be watched here.

Shekhan was the site of a series of heavy attacks by the fighters of the Islamic State. The typical pattern of such an attack would include one vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) followed by an attack with captured U.S. M-1114s, Badger ILAVs or M1117 ASVs. As Peshmerga forces held the high-ground, and saw the vehicles coming from miles away, the exact logic behind these attacks remains unclear, especially after MILAN ATGMs reached the Peshmerga forces.





During the attack on Shekhan, several (up-armoured) M-1114s, one up-armoured Badger ILAV, one M1117 ASV and the battle fortress moved up to Peshmerga positions, but quickly came under under heavy machine gun, mortar, and tank fire from the high ground. Most of these rounds either missed or ricocheted from the vehicles' additional DIY armour. As a result, several vehicles managed to advance close to the mountain before being taken out.

The battle fortress on the other hand got stuck in a ditch, was hit by an RPG and probably also a mortar round, killing its exposed crew and ending the career of the first mobile battle fortress.



The first iteration made its first and only appearance in the Islamic State propaganda video 'The Dabiq Appointment', which covered an exercise of an IS armoured formation in Wilayat Ninawa (Nineveh Governorate) in Mosul, Iraq. The 'Dabiq Appointment' refers to the town of Dabiq in Northern Syria, where according to the Islamic State, the final battle between righteousness (Islamic State) and wrongness (everything not the Islamic State) will take place.

Contrary to what one might expect, a large scale deployment of Coalition forces near this town and a resulting battle is what the Islamic State desperately wanted. It is thé way the Islamic State wants to confront the 'Crusaders' (the Coalition), referring to its air attacks and drone strikes as acts of cowardness. Nonetheless, the small town was quietly captured by Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army forces from Islamic State in October 2016. To further add to its threat, the video also includes a shot of an Islamic State tank marching on the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.



Featuring in the 'Dabiq Appointment' is the 3rd al-Farouq armoured brigade, which together with the 'Shield Battalion' and 'Storming Battalion' is responsible for operating most armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) in Wilayat Ninawa. The 3rd al-Farouq armoured brigade is seen training for the ''imminent'' battle at Dabiq, shooting up targets and storming positions while employing a host of armoured fighting vehicles including 2 T-55s, 1 Type-59, 2 MT-LBs, 2 Badger ILAVs MRAPs, 1 battle fortress and 1 BTR-80UP in junction with well-equipped infantry.

The image below shows the seal of 3rd al-Farouq Armoured Brigade, reading: ولاية نينوى - الجند (?) لواء الفاروق المدرع الثالث - 'Wilayat Ninawa - Soldiers (?) - al-Farouq Armoured Brigade - 3rd'. The second part of the Shahada: محمد رسول الله - 'Muhammed is Allah's prophet' is seen on the right. This is sometimes seen on Islamic State operated vehicles and is believed to be applied for decorative purposes only.



As with its predecessor, this BTS-5B was heavily modified for its new role as an armoured fighting vehicle. The crane, snorkel and various crates normally mounted on top of the vehicle were removed. Although unlikely to ever see use, the dozer blade was retained however. To compensate for the removed headlights, the light beams of which would have been blocked by the slat armour, two new headlights have been installed on the front mudguards.

While the previous version had to do with simple blocks of armour installed around its newly erected platform, the new vehicle comes with slat armour installed around the hull and around its raised platform. Although certainly impressive by its looks, the strength of the protective slat armour and the firmness of its supportive mounts look marginal at best, and the driver's view is likely seriously hampered by the slat armour installed in front of him. No rubber side skirts are seen mounted this time, which was however a feature of the first battle fortress.



Armament has been much improved from the previous version, which only donned a single 12.7mm DShK in addition to several mounts for light-machine guns. The new battle fortress comes with the same 12.7mm DShK, this time mounted on the commander's cupola, and a 14.5mm KPV in an armoured cupola taken from an ex-Iraqi Army M-1114 placed on top of the raised platform. While providing an easy target for the enemy, the elevated position of the 14.5mm KPV offers it a great view of its surroundings, and enables it to fire at practically any target with a Line Of Sight (LOS) to the vehicle.



Contrary to the previous version, which was more of a heavily armoured battering ram carrying infantry than it was a real AFV, this vehicle is much more akin to a true armoured fighting vehicle. The sheer size of the erected platform serves both as an advantage as well as an disadvantage as it makes the vehicle an ideal target for ATGMs and RPGs.



While the eventual fate of the second battle fortress remains unknown, the vehicle could just as well have been sent off against Peshermerga positions around Mosul. Indeed, both vehicles might serve as a testimony to the fact that although the fighters of the Islamic State were often quick to adapt to most combat situations, comprehension of suitable tactics regarding the operation of armoured fighting vehicles remained beyond the Islamic State fighters' grasp in this region.

Images four and five by Matt Cetti-Roberts via The Kurds Are Close to Mosul—And in No Hurry to Get There

http://spioenkop.blogspot.com/2019/10/see-mobile-battle-fortresses-islamic.html

 

[21st Century Vampire]

This was the Islamic State's Beast of Mosul
Oryx January 15, 2020



By Stijn Mitzer

There it was, what looked to be a tram or an armoured battle wagon parked under a tree in the town of Bawiza, North of Mosul in November 2016. Abandoned by its previous owners, this behemoth previously made an appearance in the now infamous Islamic State offensive near Naweran, North of Mosul, a video which went viral due to the rather comical performance of several fighters involved in the offensive. While Abu Hajaar became the inspiration of memes across all corners of the internet, the Islamic State's usage of up-armoured trucks and other vehicles involved in this offensive was of particular interest for others.
located near Tabqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq.



Shortly after the capture of Mosul, the Islamic State established several armoured formations to operate the masses of vehicles and equipment left behind by the Iraqi Army and Police during their retreat from Mosul. While a portion of the vehicles was immediately deployed in the Iraqi and Syrian theatre of operations with virtually no modifications, others were modified for use as VBIEDs or as armoured fighting vehicles to be used on the plains of Mosul with the 'Storming Battalion'.

In their role as Inghimasi – shock troops tasked with penetrating enemy lines without any expectation to come back alive – the 'Storming Battalion' mainly made use of faster wheeled vehicles as opposed to heavier and slower tracked armoured fighting vehicles. While small numbers of tanks were in fact operated in an offensive role by the Islamic State in Iraq, most of these belonged to the 'al-Farouq Armoured Brigade' and 'Shield Battalion'. Thus, it is mainly the 'Storming Battalion' that made use of improvised and up-armoured AFVs.




Many of the vehicles converted for use with the 'Storming Battalion' were essentially armoured personnel carriers (APCs), featuring a cabin for the fighters to stand in and shoot from. Owing to the suicidal nature of the Islamic State's offensives around Mosul (more on which can be read here and here), the 'Storming Battalion's' offensives almost exclusively lead to the destruction of the vehicles before reaching their objective. But with plenty of trucks and other vehicles at hand for conversion, the production of vehicles for the 'Storming Battalion' continued and even standernised somewhat, with only marginal differences found on vehicles of essentially the same class. In the case of the battle tram, three examples are confirmed to have been produced, serialed '201' and '202' and likely '200'. Seen below is '202' (right) and '200' (left and bottom image), the latter of which was lost under unknown circumstances.






The battle trams feature a heavily armoured front cabin, which is (with a little imagination) somewhat reminiscent of a bird-like face or even a character from Thomas the Tank Engine depending on the variant, inspiring the designator "battle tram". Spaced armour covers the fighter's compartment while metal plates protect the wheels, eight of which are present on this vehicle. Indeed, the battle tram is almost certainly based on the modified chassis of a Soviet BTR-80 APC, several of which were captured around Mosul back in 2014.

Although certainly a curious choice for the conversion to what is essentially a truck, previous attempts at producing such large armoured personnel carriers resulted in a host of impressive but awkward looking vehicles based on dump trucks. Contrary to these examples, the battle tram appears to be relatively well-balanced in its design.







The armament of the battle trams remain unchanged from their monstrous predecessors, compromising an heavily armoured cupola in which a light or heavy machine gun can be fitted. Interestingly, battle tram '202' appears to be equipped with four rams on the front, two of which might also serve as structural reinforcement. Although these rams could be effective for breaking through certain obstacles, it would also make the vehicle prone to get stuck while navigating uneven terrain, not to mention that the debris from a collapsing obstacle would end up on the fighters' heads in the infantry compartment. No ladders for scaling trenches for climbing up Peshmerga positions were seen installed on '202', despite being a feature of '200' and '201'.

The cabin of the battle tram is largely similar to those of other vehicles used by the 'Storming Battalion'. Instead of seatbels found on smaller vehicles, metal handlebars were installed to provide support to the fighters inside during high speed operations. No pintle-mounts for light or heavy machine guns are present, forcing the crew to fire their weapons either without stabilisation or from the metal handlebars, which proved far from successful when used by inexperienced fighters. Battle tram '202' has a slightly different cabin layout than '200' and '201', with the small exit door located on the rear, and not on the side as with battle trams '200' and '201'.




The first battle tram featured in the now (in)famous Islamic State offensive near Naweran, North of Mosul. This offensive, apart from Abu Hajaar, Abu Abdullah and Abu Ridhwan in their up-armoured M1114, saw the participation of several highly modified trucks and other vehicles by the 'Storming Battalion'. This included the first battle tram '201', seen here shortly before the commencement of the offensive and shortly after the conclusion of the failed offensive.




The battle tram, along with the rest of the 'Storming Battalion's' vehicles, was effectively trapped when the bulldozer tasked with filling the huge trench in front of the Peshermerga positions was taken out. Shortly after, the battle tram was hit and subsequently abandoned by its operators, similar to what happened to the vehicle of Abu Hajaar. The presence of spaced armour installed on the sides of the vehicle is clearly visible here, and was apparently effective in stopping at least one hit before the vehicle was abandoned.

Seen above: Battle tram '201' underway near Naweran filmed out of Abu Hajaar's M1114. An RPG gunner stands in the armoured cabin of the battle tram aiming his next shot. Despite all of the increased weight because of the extra armour, the truck appears to have little problems crossing the field at reasonable speed. The large size of the vehicle is well apparent compared to the up-armoured M1114 behind, and makes for an easy target for Peshmerga ATGM teams or RPG gunners. Indeed, the usage of such a vehicle on the plains of Mosul is bound to end in failure due to the aforementioned reasons, and it would possibly be better suited for usage in urban environments.

The Islamic State's efforts to self-produce several types of armoured fighting vehicles has resulted in a myriad of highly specialised vehicles well adapted to the type of assaults typically carried out by the Islamic State. The profileration of ATGMs and the presence of Coalition aircraft and helicopters in the air over any major Islamic State offensive has however made these AFVs completely out of place on the Iraqi battlefield. Nonetheless, a true belief in the possibility of success has led to attempt after attempt, each time ending with the same result: annihilation. While the Islamic State's efforts in the field of design and production were certainly impressive, producing large numbers of vehicles for use in offensives that are practically doomed right from the start is in sharp contrast to the operations of the Islamic State performed elsewhere, a luxury it wouldn't be able to afford for much longer.

http://spioenkop.blogspot.com/2020/01/this-was-islamic-states-beast-of-mosul.html

 

[Beast]

Maybe good armour against small arm but totally lack mobility when facing heavy guns or rockets.