The Marines on the Pacific Islands used the wooden plank "armor" to prevent Japanses suicide troops from placing magnetic anti-tank mines on the vehicles. This was in response to a change in japanses anti-tank tactics that cost the marines more than a few tanks and crews.
This Japanses tactic also led to a major development in Marine tank-infantry tactical doctrine. Absent a violation of this doctrine, marine tanks are always accompanied by infantry troops who protect the blind side of the tanks while the tanks knock out hard defensive positions.
The Army has "armor".....The Marines have "tanks". For Marines, the tank battalions are primarily infantry support units, a supporting arm like artillery. For the Army, armored battalions are part of the "ground gaining" arms. Clearly, the mission and terrain will dictate how the broad doctrines are applied, and in practice they can look a lot alike on the ground...but the fundamental dioctrines are indeed different.
Similarly, Marine amphibian tractors are designed primarily to get Marine infantry from ship to shore during an amphibious assault....and to provide logistical support, including transportation, once the landing force is ashore. As has been shown over the past couple of years in Iraq, they are not designed primarily to be AFV's. Using them as AFV's has gotten quite a few Marines killed and wounded when RPG's have been encountered. We'll have to see how the new assault amphibian does in the AFV role.
Whiskey6
