U.S. tanks as diplomatic cover for the Germans. Pressure is mounting on the German government to sign off on various European countries' proposals to donate German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.But German officials, clearly desperate to avoid the appearance of arming Ukraine for offensive action, told The Wall Street Journal they wouldn't approve the Leopard 2s unless U.S. officials agreed to give Ukraine some of America's own M-1 tanks. Think of the U.S. tanks as diplomatic cover for the Germans.There's one good reason the Ukrainians would prefer Leopard 2s over M-1s, however. The M-1 has a gas-turbine engine rather than a strictly diesel engine like almost every other armored vehicle has and that includes the Leopard 2.In essence, the M-1 is meant to burn jet fuel, and not very efficiently. That can complicate the logistics of any army that operates the type. When the U.S. Army and Chrysler—later, General Dynamics—designed the M-1 back in the 1970s, they included the 1,500-horsepower gas-turbine in order to lend the tank high acceleration and speed without also weighing it down too much.

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