No, It Didn't.

But WaPo continues to spread lame 6th grade level stratagems... pardon, I mean BS. 

The US devised a plan to commit M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in order to provide “cover” for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was reluctant to send the country’s own tanks to help Kiev, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing more than a dozen people familiar with the matter. Relying on sources “on both sides of the Atlantic,” the report details how the White House struggled to win over Scholz who initially resisted delivering the Leopard 2 tanks to fight Russian forces in Ukraine unless the US agreed to commit the Abrams. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Pentagon reportedly were against sending American main battle tanks that they believed would be too difficult for Ukrainians to operate and maintain.

LOL, the US cannot devise a plan how to run anything anymore, let alone come up with at least believable excuse. There was no any "cover" for anything BUT:

1. By announcing the delivery of Abrams tanks, naturally by means of promising them in the "future" and with "sensitive" equipment removed, the US pursued the aim of deploying German Leo-2s.

2. The "promise" made on the Hodja Nasreddin's principle that either the king will die or the donkey, after Nasreddin promised to teach donkey to talk (famous tale The Guarantee). 

3. There was no "cover" also because Germany is run by cowards headed by liver sausage Scholtz, so convincing looked liked this: do or else...

4. This proverbial "else" happens anyway because Germany will send Leo-2s to 404, they all will be annihilated, together with grossly overblown German engineering reputation and that... drum roll...

5. Will allow the US to penetrate Germany's arms market with "much better" Abrams tanks, which by then have avoided being burned in industrial quantities in what remains of 404, and that will mark the end of large portion of Germany's military-industrial complex.  

So, in essence the US did provide "cover" for Germany if one views it as a cover for the coffin of a huge chunk of German industry. 

If you go 6 years back in this blog, you may recall this piece I wrote, it has a symptomatic title: Follie De Grandeur Or Why Bundeswehr Will Remain A Joke. 

But in the end, with all my deep respect to German people and for their massive accomplishments, some of which I admire myself, it has to be understood that modern economy and modern war is not what German journo hacks think they are. All those indices and wet-dreams fly out of the window once one has to face a very cruel reality in which Germany remains and will remain a large economy and military-political midget, who will never again make any trouble in Europe big time. But by far the most important thing those German media imbeciles have to understand that Russia has no plans whatsoever to "attack" any NATO country, let alone Germany whom Russia can obliterate by purely conventional means, let alone, if, God forbids, push comes to shove, by nuclear means. But the way things are happening now, Germans themselves do a hell of a job turning their country into a third world shithole and they, maybe, are already pass the point of no return. In this case they will have to try to "equal" something more of their own size.  

Remember? And it is now too late for Germans to recognize that they are nothing more than a lunch. But, they made their own choice and it is Germany's only, time to lay at the altar has come. In related news, Russia gladly receives back many Russian Germans and even German Germans--Russia loves decent and hardworking people. Remember great late Meat Loaf? 

In the land of the pigs the butcher is king:

Look at them now
What do they want?
And what do they do now?
Nothing at all!

What do they know?
What do they think?
And who do they tell?
Well, no one at all!

Lives are truly meaningless
And we are busy being blessed

With that we can take and pocket
No one needs to know
We're is the plug and they're the socket
Give us the juice and we'll go

Can't you hear the choir now?
Listen to the animals sing!
Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells?
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!

How do they sleep?
Their lives are so tart
Bring me the trash collectors
'Cause they're nothing but trash

What do you expect?
They've got no standards
So we lower the bar
'Cause they're waiting for us

We'll open up Pandora's Box
Pandora gave her keys and locks

They're the big dogs waiting for their mother
Come to the confessional
So I can tell you all to bugger off
There's no time like now!

Can't you hear the choir now?
Listen to the animals sing!
Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells?
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!

Can't you hear the choir now?
Listen to the market-place sing!
Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells?
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king...

And we'll do it our way
It's our time to play
We know what to say
They stand in our way
Don't stand in our way
No time like today

Can't you hear the choir now?
Listen to the anthems we sing!
Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells?
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!

Can't you hear the choir now?
Listen to the animals sing!
Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells?
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!

Can't you hear the choir now?
Listen to the chosen ones sing!
Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells?
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!

Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells? Prophetic, eh? It's TIME!