What If a Single M1 Abrams Tank Showed Up at the Battle of Waterloo

Sunday, June 18th, 1815. Napoleon's armies are in rout. The Seventh Coalition that rose against the would-be conqueror of Europe, or rather re-conqueror of Europe have ended Napoleon's stubborn attempts to take over the world once and for all. All is lost for the French Emperor, but how could a modern-day tank change everything for Napoleon? Check out today's insane new video that goes back to the Battle of Waterloo to reveal how a single M1 Abrams would have changed everything.

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[rchawk]

I think the mental effect of seeing Abrams on the battlefield in the 1800s would be enough to cause armies to route

[RyanStygar]

Next Up: “How an Imperial Star destroyer would completely change the Battle of Thermopylae”

[nco]

5:30
leopard 2A7, K2 black panther, Leclerc: are we a joke to you?

[_cryobyte]

In all honesty, something like an M2 Bradley or another IFV would be more effective, considering M1 Abrams is designed for engaging other tanks.

[loke]

I see a problem here: Waterloo was extremely muddy since there was a rainstorm before the battle which slowed Napoleon down (and in turn allowed the Prussians to reach the battle). A lot of mud isn't great for an extremely heavy tank like the Abrams so chances are pretty high it would get stuck, particularly if it runs out of ammo and tried to run over as many people as possible.

So it could certainly win the battle but not necessarily. I would rather send in a Lockheed AC-130 gunship instead, that bad boy would totally devastate the battlefield in a way no single tank could.

[thelegion_]

Time traveler:
*sneezes*

The timeline:

[LITTLE]

Seeing an M1 Abrams in such old wars from way back is a very hilarious fantasy. Lol

[jimmymcgoochie]

“Bringing freedom to places that didn’t specifically request it at the time”

[corymorimacori]

“I’ll rip your bones apart Bonaparte, turn your horse into glue. Welcome to the battle of Waterloo part 2.” Napoleon Dynamite

[eyoutube]

If the Abrams flees or they all somehow survive the encounter, can you imagine the evolution of technology afterwards? The world would try to replicate it and come up with different versions but also unlock newer technologies sooner. Fear is an insane catalyst.

[birbfromnotcanada]

“Sending a big tank to a world without repeating rifles would be silly”
Sun Tzu

[henrydhamster]

The tank charging forward without taking any damage from an impromptu volley would panic the enemy forces. The nature of rank and file formations would mean the tank running everyone over would probably be it's best tactic along with shooting at all officers and flag bearers. Almost all battles are won when 10% of the enemy are killed. It would take about 15 minutes to achieve that.

[tractorjunkco]

Would love to see a WW1 or WW2 version of this!

[philriversider]

Waterloo was a very close thing in terms of the British and Prussian victory. So a tank would definitely turn the tables. Incidentally Wellington was already Wellington by 1815. His victories in Spain and Portugal had led to him becoming a Duke.

[Madmiata]

Scene from "All quiet on the western front" when germans first saw French tanks perfectly represents what might it look like

[charlescassels]

Whoever told you the M1 only has 900 rounds of ammo per guns told you wrong. That may be what their unit loaded for a range or a qualification, but the coax ammo bin has space for 10, 000 rounds. That weight is more than the links can support, though, so you typically throw the MREs in the coax bin to take up space then put 2, 000 rounds on top. Plus the blow out panels are great for storing more MG ammo thank you have any right to ever fire.

[wintersbattleofbands]

Fun as this was, a hidden or overlooked cannon could damage the treads as it passes by. The treads are the notorious weak point of pretty much all tanks. That is, if everyone hadn't already run away screaming.

[datathunderstorm]

This was brilliant…!!! I almost died laughing at the unbridled sarcasm and humour combined. More videos like this please! 😊👍🏾

[SonofDaVinci]

To convince his enemies he still has an effective tank after it runs out of fuel and ammo, Napoleon would have had to bluff them by having a mock up created.

Imagine something slapped together like it came from Gilligan's Island with a whole bunch of guys inside pushing it around.

[cavalryscout]

One little nitpick — the Abrams carries a lot more than 900 rounds for the coaxial MG. It's usually around 8000 rounds loaded in one belt, and another 4000 stowed.