No-one gives tanks the credit they deserve when it comes to zombies. And I don't mean the supah-modern ones either. I'm talking those cold-war beauties that can actually last a while on one tank of gas.
Obviously they put metal between you and your enemy, but the point remains that they are slow and loud and cumbersome.
Tanks are best for larger post-infection forts with a larger number of survivors, where not everyone is a zombie EKSPURT. First and foremost, tanks give people a morale bonus like nothing else ever will. Who can dare not feel safe when you have twelve Patton tanks and a couple T-62's guarding the camp?
Second, you don't need a heavy tank to keep the zombies away from you when you're scouting the nearby city. Even light and recon tanks do fine. The Sheridan for one would find new life during a zombie infection. When your main enemy can't shoot a gun, your armor could well be aluminum. Until the raiders show up. Although armor that at least stands up to Machine-Gun rounds is required in medium to high-risk areas so your buddies can "clean" you off with gunfire and flamethrowers if your tank is covered with zombies.
Third, you don't really need to use the main cannon; the machine guns should be plenty. Again though, there is the MASSIVE morale bonus that comes from a line of armor blowing zombies to shreds with a barrage. On base defense, putting a man on the hatch MG is acceptable. Not as wise as handing him a good hunting rifle, but it's the only time you don't need to worry about zombies crawling inside as long as the base isn't being overrun.
Now that I've explained at least some of the reasons you should get at least SOME kind of military vehicles, the problem pops up: "How the hell to I GET one?" Well, I was inspired to think about the usefulness of a tank when I read a story about a man stealing a Cold-War tank from a National Guard base and running amok. If ONE MAN could steal one from right under the Guards' noses while the nation watched, a band of survivors with a good diplomat and a secure fort should be able to talk the Guard into lending some light tanks, if not outright joining them if the Government is gone. The best way to secure some tanks during zombie outbreak I have considered so far is to head for the local National Guard base and establish contact with the garrison. Establish a civilian fort outside urban areas, which must be self-sustaining, with a population large enough to break a 1 to 1 ratio of men to guns. A lack of proper training and an ammo shortage should also increase your chances of scoring at least a rusted-out Bradley. Because Military bases will be the first place people go to for safety, the soldiers may be sick of dealing with civvies. Keep that in mind. If you can gain access to armor, move the older, easier to operate tanks out to your fort, while moving the newer, modern tanks to a place you can come back and get them from if you REALLY need them. Grab all the spare pants, barrels, and tracks they will allow you. Move to the new fort and set up a motor pool. Hull-down the heavy tanks around the base inside the outer walls, and pre-range the cannons. Bring only two or three modern tanks, mostly for morale, but also to train possible new tank crews how to use the tanks. Also bring armored cars.
Another use that people forget about is intimidation. Once zombies break out, there WILL be human raiders, and they may or may not be hostile. With tanks, you will be safe from them. Even if THEY have tanks, so will you. Difference being you will have real, trained crews on top of the capability to repair them. Use light tanks to scout the nearby urban areas and conduct searches for survivors. e. Cold-War tanks are preferable to WWII tanks because of part availability. If you can find a tank collector, tear down your entire fort and move it to his shop. Build a new fort around his shop and driving grounds. Being around a tank shop will make you feel safer than any oil rig or island. Plus, if he has a firing range, that will prove useful for training survivors to use guns, as well as an excellent opportunity for agriculture. However, gun control laws disallow most collectors from restoring the main gun to functional state. (Whether it includes guns that still work, I'm not sure.) So be sure to collect your own ammunition and gun parts from wherever you can. Additionally, tank collectors have all the tools necessary for armoring civilian vehicles, which is an absolutely invaluable asset during the zombie epoch.
Remember, I'm discussing this in the context of a Class 4 outbreak, not a localized one that has been quarantined. in the event you have access to tanks in a lesser outbreak, armor some large trucks, load up the survivors, and head for the border, using light tanks to scout ahead, keeping heavy tanks in front of and behind the trucks. When you reach the border of the Q-zone, make sure they only see one or two of your LIGHT tanks. The armored trucks as a rule should be concealed until you are granted passage, but won't serve to keep you inside should they be noticed. If you are turned away and they have seen your heavy tanks, get ready to lose them. (Although if you are allowed through and they see you have heavy tanks that do not belong to a tank collector or museum, they would be taken back anyway.) This way, if you are turned back by the guards, you can simply set up a new base just out of their sight and have a position to fall back to if you are overrun.
If possible, make sure you totally pimp out the tanks you will keep near and around the base. This serves as both a morale source (the main reason you should have them in the first place) and an artistic outlet for people that probably wouldn't get one without painting them. Who wouldn't want to make their tank look like something straight out of Warhammer 40K anyway? I know I'd want to.
There are however, tanks you should bring back to your motor pool (if possible) and never touch again. The BMP-1, while enticing, is a bad idea: It's main gun is far too low-mounted, you will wind up shooting any dis-mounted friendlies. Also, you cannot aim when you fire a rifle out of the side-ports. The back door is a gas tank. One shot kills everyone inside. Other bad ideas include the Sherman. While it runs on plain old gasoline, and may even carry a higher morale bonus than other tanks due to it's ubiquity, it's a death trap. One hit from a shaped-charge weapon, which raiders will be much more likely to employ rather than their own tanks, will ignite the whole tank. Slat and cage armor may increase it's survivability against RPG's. Tanks that run on turbines are unsuitable for anything other than base defense, so put 'em in a hull-down position, paint 'em, and forget 'em. Even rarer, WWI tanks should NEVER be considered a good idea. Parts are even rarer for them, and fighting from the inside of these deathtraps is just as lethal as fighting from outside of them thanks to their engines being in with the crew. the main gun on the T-72 should never be used, because of it's unreliable auto-loader posing an even bigger threat to the crew than the zombies. The T-54/55 is your best bet as far as Russky tanks go. Simple, reliable, no unnecessary frills, and an absolute diddlyton were built, so your tank collector should already be swimming in parts for these babies. If you have no light tanks, this is what you should search and patrol in until you armor some trucks or get some wheeled fighting vehicles.
If you have the spare metal and engines, set some of your less gun-savvy survivors on designing and building an anti-zombie armored car. It will relieve boredom, and give you a much easier to use and maintain vehicle that you can actually produce, aid morale, and send the message to everyone in the area that you know what you are doing, and anyone interested in living out the week needs to be your friend. I'll probably add more info later.
NEXT EPISODE: Blimps. (Yes. Blimps.)
