Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that the tank battles of World War II are one of its most important images. How are trenches an image of the First World War or nuclear missiles of the post-war confrontation between the socialist and capitalist camps. Actually, this is not surprising, since the tank battles of World War II largely determined its character and course.
Not the least of the credit for this belongs to one of the main ideologists and theorists of motorized warfare, German General Heinz Guderian. He largely owned the initiatives of the most powerful strikes with a single fist of troops, thanks to which the Nazi forces achieved such dizzying successes on the European and African continents for more than two years. Tank battles of the Second World War especially produced brilliant results in its first stage, defeating morally outdated Polish equipment in record time. It was Guderian's divisions that ensured the breakthrough of the German armies near Sedan and the successful occupation of French and Belgian territories. Only the so-called “Dunker miracle” saved the remnants of the French and British armies from total defeat, allowing them to reorganize later and initially protect England in the sky and prevent the Nazis from concentrating absolutely all their military power in the east. Let's take a little closer look at the three largest tank battles of this entire massacre.
Prokhorovka, tank battle
Tank battles of World War II: the Battle of Senno
This episode occurred at the very beginning of the German invasion of the USSR and became an integral part of the Battle of Vitebsk. After the capture of Minsk, German units advanced to the confluence of the Dnieper and Dvina, intending to launch an attack on Moscow from there. From the Soviet side, two combat vehicles totaling more than 900 took part in the battle. The Wehrmacht had at its disposal three divisions and about a thousand serviceable tanks, supported by aviation. As a result of the battle on July 6-10, 1941, Soviet forces lost more than eight hundred of their combat units, which opened up the opportunity for the enemy to continue their advance without changing plans and launch an offensive towards Moscow.
The largest tank battle in history
In fact, the biggest battle took place even earlier! Already in the first days of the Nazi invasion (June 23-30, 1941), there was a clash between the cities of Brody - Lutsk - Dubno, in Western Ukraine, involving more than 3,200 tanks. In addition, the number of combat vehicles here was three times greater than at Prokhorovka, and the battle lasted not just one day, but a whole week! As a result of the battle, the Soviet corps were literally crushed, the armies of the Southwestern Front suffered a quick and crushing defeat, which opened the way for the enemy to Kyiv, Kharkov and the further occupation of Ukraine.
They are one of the most effective weapons of war. Their first use by the British at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 ushered in a new era - with tank wedges and lightning blitzkriegs.
Battle of Cambrai (1917)
After failures using small tank formations, the British command decided to carry out an offensive using a large number of tanks. Since the tanks had previously failed to live up to expectations, many considered them useless. One British officer noted: "The infantry thinks that the tanks have not justified themselves. Even the tank crews are discouraged." According to the British command, the upcoming offensive was supposed to begin without traditional artillery preparation.
For the first time in history, tanks had to break through enemy defenses themselves. The offensive at Cambrai was supposed to take the German command by surprise. The operation was prepared in strict secrecy. Tanks were transported to the front in the evening. The British constantly fired machine guns and mortars to drown out the roar of tank engines. A total of 476 tanks took part in the offensive. The German divisions were defeated and suffered heavy losses. The well-fortified Hindenburg Line was penetrated to great depths. However, during the German counter-offensive, British troops were forced to retreat. Using the remaining 73 tanks, the British managed to prevent a more serious defeat.
Battle of Dubno-Lutsk-Brody (1941)
In the first days of the war, a large-scale tank battle took place in Western Ukraine. The most powerful group of the Wehrmacht - "Center" - was advancing to the north, to Minsk and further to Moscow. The not so strong Army Group South was advancing on Kyiv. But in this direction there was the most powerful group of the Red Army - the Southwestern Front. Already on the evening of June 22, the troops of this front received orders to encircle and destroy the advancing enemy group with powerful concentric attacks from mechanized corps, and by the end of June 24 to capture the Lublin region (Poland). It sounds fantastic, but this is if you don’t know the strength of the parties: 3,128 Soviet and 728 German tanks fought in a gigantic oncoming tank battle. The battle lasted a week: from June 23 to 30. The actions of the mechanized corps were reduced to isolated counterattacks in different directions. The German command, through competent leadership, was able to repel a counterattack and defeat the armies of the Southwestern Front. The defeat was complete: Soviet troops lost 2,648 tanks (85%), the Germans lost about 260 vehicles.
Battle of El Alamein (1942)
The Battle of El Alamein is a key episode of the Anglo-German confrontation in North Africa. The Germans sought to cut the Allies' most important strategic highway, the Suez Canal, and were eager for Middle Eastern oil, which the Axis countries needed. The main battle of the entire campaign took place at El Alamein.
As part of this battle, one of the largest tank battles in World War II took place. The Italo-German force numbered about 500 tanks, half of which were rather weak Italian tanks. The British armored units had over 1000 tanks, among which were powerful American tanks - 170 Grants and 250 Shermans. The qualitative and quantitative superiority of the British was partly compensated by the military genius of the commander of the Italian-German troops - the famous “desert fox” Rommel.
Despite the British numerical superiority in manpower, tanks and aircraft, the British were never able to break through Rommel's defenses. The Germans even managed to counterattack, but the British superiority in numbers was so impressive that the German strike force of 90 tanks was simply destroyed in the oncoming battle. Rommel, inferior to the enemy in armored vehicles, made extensive use of anti-tank artillery, among which were captured Soviet 76-mm guns, which had proven themselves to be excellent.
Only under the pressure of the enemy’s enormous numerical superiority, having lost almost all of its equipment, did the German army begin an organized retreat. After El Alamein, the Germans had just over 30 tanks left. The total losses of the Italo-German troops in equipment amounted to 320 tanks. The losses of the British tank forces amounted to approximately 500 vehicles, many of which were repaired and returned to service, since the battlefield was ultimately theirs.
Battle of Prokhorovka (1943)
The tank battle near Prokhorovka took place on July 12, 1943 as part of the Battle of Kursk. According to official Soviet data, 800 Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns and 700 German ones took part in it on both sides. The Germans lost 350 units of armored vehicles, ours - 300. But the trick is that the Soviet tanks that participated in the battle were counted, and the German ones were those that were generally in the entire German group on the southern flank of the Kursk Bulge. According to new, updated data, 311 German tanks and self-propelled guns of the 2nd SS Tank Corps took part in the tank battle near Prokhorovka against 597 Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army (commander Rotmistrov). The SS lost about 70 (22%), and the guards lost 343 (57%) armored vehicles. Neither side managed to achieve its goals: the Germans failed to break through the Soviet defenses and enter the operational space, and the Soviet troops failed to encircle the enemy group. A government commission was created to investigate the reasons for the large losses of Soviet tanks. The commission's report called the military actions of Soviet troops near Prokhorovka "an example of an unsuccessful operation." General Rotmistrov was going to be put on trial, but by that time the general situation had developed favorably, and everything worked out.
Battle of the Golan Heights (1973)
The major tank battle after 1945 took place during the so-called Yom Kippur War. The war received this name because it began with a surprise attack by the Arabs during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur (Judgment Day). Egypt and Syria sought to regain territory lost after the devastating defeat in the Six-Day War (1967). Egypt and Syria were helped (financially and sometimes with impressive troops) by many Islamic countries - from Morocco to Pakistan.
And not only Islamic ones: distant Cuba sent 3,000 soldiers, including tank crews, to Syria. On the Golan Heights, 180 Israeli tanks faced approximately 1,300 Syrian tanks. The heights were a critical strategic position for Israel: if Israeli defenses in the Golan were breached, Syrian troops would be in the very center of the country within hours. For several days, two Israeli tank brigades, suffering heavy losses, defended the Golan Heights from superior enemy forces. The most fierce battles took place in the “Valley of Tears”; the Israeli brigade lost from 73 to 98 tanks out of 105. The Syrians lost about 350 tanks and 200 and. The situation began to change radically after the reservists began to arrive. Syrian troops were stopped and then driven back to their original positions. Israeli troops launched an offensive against Damascus.
Since its introduction, the tank has been and remains the main threat on the battlefield. Tanks became a tool of blitzkrieg and a weapon of victory in World War II, a decisive trump card in the Iran-Iraq war; Even equipped with the most modern means of destroying enemy personnel, the American army cannot do without the support of tanks. the site has selected the seven largest tank battles from the moment these armored vehicles first appeared on the battlefield until today.
Battle of Cambrai
This was the first successful episode of the massive use of tanks: more than 476 tanks, united in 4 tank brigades, took part in the Battle of Cambrai. Great hopes were placed on armored vehicles: with their help, the British intended to break through the heavily fortified Siegfried Line. The tanks, mostly the latest at that time Mk IV with side armor reinforced to 12 mm, were equipped with the latest know-how of that time - fascines (75 bundles of brushwood, fastened with chains), thanks to which the tank could overcome wide trenches and ditches.
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On the very first day of fighting, a resounding success was achieved: the British managed to wedge 13 km into the enemy’s defenses, capture 8,000 German soldiers and 160 officers, as well as a hundred guns. However, it was not possible to develop the success, and the subsequent counter-offensive of the German troops virtually nullified the efforts of the Allies.
The irretrievable losses in Allied tanks amounted to 179 vehicles, and even more tanks failed due to technical reasons.
Battle of Annu
Some historians consider the Battle of Annu to be the first tank battle of World War II. It began on May 13, 1940, when Hoepner's 16th Panzer Corps (623 tanks, of which 125 were the newest 73 Pz-III and 52 Pz-IV, capable of fighting French armored vehicles on equal terms), advancing in the first echelon of the 6th German army, started battles with the advanced French tank units of the corps of General R. Priou (415 tanks - 239 Hotchkiss and 176 SOMUA).During the two-day battle, the 3rd French Light Mechanized Division lost 105 tanks, while German losses amounted to 164 vehicles. At the same time, German aviation had complete air supremacy.
Raseiniai tank battle
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According to data from open sources, about 749 Soviet tanks and 245 German vehicles took part in the Battle of Raseiniai. The Germans had air superiority, good communications and organization on their side. The Soviet command threw its units into battle in parts, without artillery and air cover. The result turned out to be predictable - an operational and tactical victory for the Germans, despite the courage and heroism of the Soviet soldiers.
One of the episodes of this battle became legendary - the Soviet KV tank was able to hold off the advance of an entire tank group for 48 hours. The Germans could not control a single tank for a long time; they tried to shoot it with an anti-aircraft gun, which was soon destroyed, and to blow up the tank, but all in vain. As a result, they had to use a tactical trick: the KV was surrounded by 50 German tanks and began to fire from three directions in order to divert his attention. At this time, an 88-mm anti-aircraft gun was secretly installed in the rear of the KV. She hit the tank 12 times, and three shells pierced the armor, destroying it.
Battle of Brody
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The largest tank battle in the early stages of World War II, in which 800 German tanks were opposed by 2,500 Soviet vehicles (figures vary greatly from source to source). Soviet troops advanced in the most difficult conditions: tankers entered the battle after a long march (300-400 km), and in scattered units, without waiting for the arrival of combined arms support formations. The equipment broke down on the march, and there was no normal communication, and the Luftwaffe dominated the skies, the supply of fuel and ammunition was disgusting.
Therefore, in the battle for Dubno - Lutsk - Brody, Soviet troops were defeated, losing more than 800 tanks. The Germans were missing about 200 tanks.
Battle of the Valley of Tears
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The Battle of the Valley of Tears, which took place during the Yom Kippur War, clearly showed that victory is achieved not by numbers, but by skill. In this battle, numerical and qualitative superiority was on the side of the Syrians, who prepared more than 1,260 tanks for the assault on the Golan Heights, including the newest at that time T-55 and T-62.
All that Israel had was a couple of hundred tanks and excellent training, as well as courage and high stamina in battle, the latter the Arabs never had. Illiterate soldiers could leave the tank even after a shell hit it without penetrating the armor, and it was very difficult for the Arabs to cope even with simple Soviet sights.
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The most epic was the battle in the Valley of Tears, when, according to open sources, more than 500 Syrian tanks attacked 90 Israeli vehicles. In this battle, the Israelis were desperately short of ammunition, to the point that the reconnaissance unit's jeeps moved from tank to tank with 105-mm ammunition recovered from the downed Centurions. As a result, 500 Syrian tanks and a large number of other equipment were destroyed; Israeli losses amounted to about 70-80 vehicles.
Battle of the Kharhi Valley
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One of the largest battles of the Iran-Iraq War took place in the Kharkhi Valley, near the city of Susengerd in January 1981. Then the 16th Tank Division of Iran, armed with the latest British Chieftain tanks and American M60s, faced an Iraqi tank division - 300 Soviet T-62s - in a head-on battle.
The battle lasted about two days, from January 6 to 8, during which time the battlefield turned into a real quagmire, and the opponents became so close that it became risky to use aviation. The result of the battle was the victory of Iraq, whose troops destroyed or captured 214 Iranian tanks.
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Also during the battle, the myth about the invulnerability of the Chieftain tanks, which had powerful frontal armor, was buried. It turned out that the 115-mm armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile of the T-62 cannon penetrates the powerful armor of the Chieftain's turret. Since then, Iranian tank crews were afraid to launch a frontal attack on Soviet tanks.
Battle of Prokhorovka
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The most famous tank battle in history, in which about 800 Soviet tanks faced 400 German tanks in a head-on battle. Most Soviet tanks were T-34s, armed with a 76mm cannon, which did not penetrate the newest German Tigers and Panthers head-on. Soviet tank crews had to use suicidal tactics: approach German vehicles at maximum speed and hit them on the side.
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In this battle, the Red Army's losses amounted to about 500 tanks, or 60%, while German losses amounted to 300 vehicles, or 75% of the original number. The most powerful strike force was drained of blood. The Inspector General of the Wehrmacht tank forces, General G. Guderian, stated the defeat: “The armored forces, replenished with such great difficulty, were out of action for a long time due to large losses in people and equipment... and there were no more calm forces on the Eastern Front days."
Since World War I, tanks have been one of the most effective weapons of war. Their first use by the British at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 ushered in a new era - with tank wedges and lightning blitzkriegs.
1 Battle of Cambrai (1917)
After failures using small tank formations, the British command decided to carry out an offensive using a large number of tanks. Since the tanks had previously failed to live up to expectations, many considered them useless. One British officer noted: "The infantry thinks that the tanks have not justified themselves. Even the tank crews are discouraged."
According to the British command, the upcoming offensive was supposed to begin without traditional artillery preparation. For the first time in history, tanks had to break through enemy defenses themselves. The offensive at Cambrai was supposed to take the German command by surprise. The operation was prepared in strict secrecy. Tanks were transported to the front in the evening. The British constantly fired machine guns and mortars to drown out the roar of tank engines.
A total of 476 tanks took part in the offensive. The German divisions were defeated and suffered heavy losses. The well-fortified Hindenburg Line was penetrated to great depths. However, during the German counter-offensive, British troops were forced to retreat. Using the remaining 73 tanks, the British managed to prevent a more serious defeat.
2 Battle of Dubno-Lutsk-Brody (1941)
In the first days of the war, a large-scale tank battle took place in Western Ukraine. The most powerful group of the Wehrmacht - "Center" - was advancing to the north, to Minsk and further to Moscow. The not so strong Army Group South was advancing on Kyiv. But in this direction there was the most powerful group of the Red Army - the Southwestern Front.
Already on the evening of June 22, the troops of this front received orders to encircle and destroy the advancing enemy group with powerful concentric attacks from mechanized corps, and by the end of June 24 to capture the Lublin region (Poland). It sounds fantastic, but this is if you don’t know the strength of the parties: 3,128 Soviet and 728 German tanks fought in a gigantic oncoming tank battle.
The battle lasted a week: from June 23 to 30. The actions of the mechanized corps were reduced to isolated counterattacks in different directions. The German command, through competent leadership, was able to repel a counterattack and defeat the armies of the Southwestern Front. The defeat was complete: Soviet troops lost 2,648 tanks (85%), the Germans lost about 260 vehicles.
3 Battle of El Alamein (1942)
The Battle of El Alamein is a key episode of the Anglo-German confrontation in North Africa. The Germans sought to cut the Allies' most important strategic highway, the Suez Canal, and were eager for Middle Eastern oil, which the Axis countries needed. The main battle of the entire campaign took place at El Alamein. As part of this battle, one of the largest tank battles in World War II took place.
The Italo-German force numbered about 500 tanks, half of which were rather weak Italian tanks. The British armored units had over 1000 tanks, among which were powerful American tanks - 170 Grants and 250 Shermans.
The qualitative and quantitative superiority of the British was partly compensated by the military genius of the commander of the Italian-German troops - the famous “desert fox” Rommel.
Despite the British numerical superiority in manpower, tanks and aircraft, the British were never able to break through Rommel's defenses. The Germans even managed to counterattack, but the British superiority in numbers was so impressive that the German strike force of 90 tanks was simply destroyed in the oncoming battle.
Rommel, inferior to the enemy in armored vehicles, made extensive use of anti-tank artillery, among which were captured Soviet 76-mm guns, which had proven themselves to be excellent. Only under the pressure of the enemy’s enormous numerical superiority, having lost almost all of its equipment, did the German army begin an organized retreat.
After El Alamein, the Germans had just over 30 tanks left. The total losses of the Italo-German troops in equipment amounted to 320 tanks. The losses of the British tank forces amounted to approximately 500 vehicles, many of which were repaired and returned to service, since the battlefield was ultimately theirs.
4 Battle of Prokhorovka (1943)
The tank battle near Prokhorovka took place on July 12, 1943 as part of the Battle of Kursk. According to official Soviet data, 800 Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns and 700 German ones took part in it on both sides.
The Germans lost 350 units of armored vehicles, ours - 300. But the trick is that the Soviet tanks that participated in the battle were counted, and the German ones were those that were generally in the entire German group on the southern flank of the Kursk Bulge.
According to new, updated data, 311 German tanks and self-propelled guns of the 2nd SS Tank Corps took part in the tank battle near Prokhorovka against 597 Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army (commander Rotmistrov). The SS lost about 70 (22%), and the guards lost 343 (57%) armored vehicles.
Neither side managed to achieve its goals: the Germans failed to break through the Soviet defenses and enter the operational space, and the Soviet troops failed to encircle the enemy group.
A government commission was created to investigate the reasons for the large losses of Soviet tanks. The commission's report called the military actions of Soviet troops near Prokhorovka "an example of an unsuccessful operation." General Rotmistrov was going to be put on trial, but by that time the general situation had developed favorably, and everything worked out.
5 Battle of the Golan Heights (1973)
The major tank battle after 1945 took place during the so-called Yom Kippur War. The war received this name because it began with a surprise attack by the Arabs during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur (Judgment Day).
Egypt and Syria sought to regain territory lost after the devastating defeat in the Six-Day War (1967). Egypt and Syria were helped (financially and sometimes with impressive troops) by many Islamic countries - from Morocco to Pakistan. And not only Islamic ones: distant Cuba sent 3,000 soldiers, including tank crews, to Syria.
On the Golan Heights, 180 Israeli tanks faced approximately 1,300 Syrian tanks. The heights were a critical strategic position for Israel: if Israeli defenses in the Golan were breached, Syrian troops would be in the very center of the country within hours.
For several days, two Israeli tank brigades, suffering heavy losses, defended the Golan Heights from superior enemy forces. The most fierce battles took place in the “Valley of Tears”; the Israeli brigade lost from 73 to 98 tanks out of 105. The Syrians lost about 350 tanks and 200 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.
The situation began to change radically after the reservists began to arrive. Syrian troops were stopped and then driven back to their original positions. Israeli troops launched an offensive against Damascus.
Ever since the first armored vehicles began their march across the twisted battlefields of World War I, tanks have been an integral part of land warfare. Many tank battles took place over the years, and some of them were of great importance to history. Here are 10 battles you need to know about.
Battles in chronological order.
1. Battle of Cambrai (1917)
Occurring in late 1917, this battle on the Western Front was the first major tank battle in military history and it was there that combined arms forces were seriously engaged on a large scale for the first time, marking a true turning point in military history. As historian Hugh Strachan notes, "The biggest intellectual shift in the war between 1914 and 1918 was that combined arms battles were centered around the capabilities of guns rather than infantry forces." And by “combined arms,” Strachan means the coordinated use of various types of artillery, infantry, aviation, and, of course, tanks.
On November 20, 1917, the British attacked Cambrai with 476 tanks, 378 of which were battle tanks. The frightened Germans were taken by surprise, as the offensive instantly advanced several kilometers in depth along the entire front. This was an unprecedented breakthrough of the enemy's defense. The Germans eventually recovered with a counterattack, but this armored offensive demonstrated the incredible potential of mobile, armored warfare - a method that would only come into active use a year later during the final assault on Germany.
2. Battle of the Khalkhin Gol River (1939)
This was the first major tank battle of World War II, pitting the Soviet Red Army against the Imperial Japanese Army on its border. During the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945, Japan claimed Khalkhin Gol as the border between Mongolia and Manchukuo (the Japanese name for occupied Manchuria), while the USSR insisted on the border lying further east at Nomon Khan (namely Therefore, this conflict is sometimes called the Nomon Khan Incident). Hostilities began in May 1939, when Soviet troops occupied the disputed territory.
After the initial success of the Japanese, the USSR assembled an army of 58,000 thousand people, almost 500 tanks and about 250 aircraft. On the morning of August 20, General Georgy Zhukov launched a surprise attack after simulating preparations for a defensive position. During this harsh day, the heat became unbearable, reaching 40 degrees Celsius, causing machine guns and cannons to melt. Soviet T-26 tanks (predecessors of the T-34) were superior to the outdated Japanese tanks, whose guns lacked armor-piercing ability. But the Japanese fought hard, for example there was a very dramatic moment when Lieutenant Sadakai attacked a tank with his samurai sword until he was killed.
The subsequent Russian offensive completely destroyed General Komatsubara's forces. Japan suffered 61,000 casualties, in contrast to the Red Army's 7,974 killed and 15,251 wounded. This battle marked the beginning of Zhukov's glorious military career, and also demonstrated the importance of deception, technical and numerical superiority in tank warfare.
3. Battle of Arras (1940)
This battle should not be confused with the Battle of Arras in 1917, this battle was during the Second World War where the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) fought against the German Blitzkrieg, and gradually the fighting moved up the coast of France.
On 20 May 1940, Viscount Gort, commander of the BEF, launched a counter-attack against the Germans, codenamed Frankforce. It was attended by two infantry battalions numbering 2,000 people - and a total of 74 tanks. The BBC describes what happened next:
“The infantry battalions were divided into two columns for the attack, which took place on May 21. The right column initially advanced successfully, capturing a number of German soldiers, but they soon encountered German infantry and SS, supported by air forces, and suffered heavy casualties.
The left column also advanced successfully until it clashed with the infantry unit of General Erwin Rommel's 7th Panzer Division.
French cover that night allowed the British troops to withdraw to their previous positions. Operation Frankforce was completed, and the next day the Germans regrouped and continued their advance.
During Frankforce, about 400 Germans were captured, both sides suffered approximately equal losses, and a number of tanks were also destroyed. The operation outdid itself - the attack was so brutal that the 7th Panzer Division believed it had been attacked by five infantry divisions."
Interestingly, some historians believe that this ferocious counterattack convinced the German generals to call a respite on 24 May - a short break from the Blitzkrieg that bought the BEF some extra time to evacuate its troops during the "Miracle of Dunkirk".
4. Battle of Brody (1941)
Until the Battle of Kursk in 1943, it was the largest tank battle of World War II and the greatest in history up to that point. It occurred in the early days of Operation Barbarossa, when German troops advanced rapidly (and with relative ease) along the Eastern Front. But in the triangle formed by the cities of Dubno, Lutsk and Brody, a clash arose in which 800 non-military tanks opposed 3,500 Russian tanks.
The battle lasted four grueling days, and ended on June 30, 1941 with a resounding German victory and a difficult retreat of the Red Army. It was during the Battle of Brody that the Germans first seriously clashed with Russian T-34 tanks, which were practically immune to German weapons. But thanks to a series of Luftwaffe air attacks (which knocked out 201 Soviet tanks) and tactical maneuvering, the Germans won. Moreover, it is estimated that 50% of Soviet armor losses (~2,600 tanks) were due to logistical deficiencies, ammunition shortages, and technical problems. In total, the Red Army lost 800 tanks in that battle, and this is a large number compared to 200 tanks from the Germans.
5. Second Battle of El Alamein (1942)
The battle marked a turning point in the North African campaign and was the only major tank battle to be won by British forces without direct American participation. But the American presence was certainly felt in the form of 300 Sherman tanks (the British had a total of 547 tanks) rushed to Egypt from the United States.
The battle, which began on October 23 and ended in November 1942, pitted the meticulous and patient General Bernard Montgomery against Erwin Rommel, the cunning Desert Fox. Unfortunately for the Germans, however, Rommel was very ill, and was forced to leave for a German hospital before the battle began to unfold. In addition, his temporary deputy, General Georg von Stumme, died of a heart attack during the battle. The Germans also suffered from supply problems, especially fuel shortages. Which ultimately led to disaster.
Montgomery's restructured Eighth Army launched a double attack. The first stage, Operation Lightfoot, consisted of a heavy artillery bombardment followed by an infantry attack. During the second stage, the infantry cleared the way for the armored divisions. Rommel, who returned to duty, was in despair, he realized that everything was lost, and telegraphed Hitler about this. Both the British and German armies lost around 500 tanks, but the Allied forces were unable to take the initiative after the victory, giving the Germans enough time to retreat.
But victory was obvious, prompting Winston Churchill to declare: “This is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, but it is perhaps the end of the beginning.”
6. Battle of Kursk (1943)
After the defeat at Stalingrad, and the emerging counter-offensive of the Red Army on all fronts, the Germans decided to make a bold, if not reckless, offensive at Kursk, in the hope of regaining their positions. As a result, the Battle of Kursk is today considered the largest and longest heavy armored battle of the war, and one of the largest single armored engagements.
Although no one can say exact numbers, Soviet tanks initially outnumbered German ones by two to one. According to some estimates, initially about 3,000 Soviet tanks and 2,000 German tanks clashed on the Kursk Bulge. In the event of negative developments, the Red Army was ready to throw another 5,000 tanks into battle. And although the Germans caught up with the Red Army in the number of tanks, this could not ensure their victory.
One German tank commander managed to destroy 22 Soviet tanks within an hour, but besides the tanks were Russian soldiers who approached enemy tanks with “suicidal courage,” getting close enough to throw a mine under the tracks. A German tankman later wrote:
"Soviet soldiers were around us, above us and between us. They pulled us out of the tanks, knocked us out. It was scary."
All German superiority in terms of communications, maneuverability, and artillery was lost in the chaos, noise and smoke.
From the memories of tankers:
"The atmosphere was suffocating. I was gasping for breath and sweat was running down my face in streams."
"Every second we expected to be killed."
"Tanks rammed each other"
"The metal was burning."
The entire area of the battlefield was filled with burnt-out armored vehicles, emitting columns of black, oily smoke.
It is important to note that at this time there was not only a tank battle taking place there, but also an air battle. While the battle unfolded below, planes in the sky tried to shoot down the tanks.
Eight days later, the attack was stopped. Although the Red Army won, it lost five armored vehicles for every German tank. In terms of actual numbers, the Germans lost about 760 tanks and the USSR about 3,800 (for a total of 6,000 tanks and assault guns destroyed or seriously damaged). In terms of casualties, the Germans lost 54,182 people, ours - 177,847. Despite this gap, the Red Army is considered the winner of the battle, and, as historians note, “Hitler’s long-awaited dream of the oil fields of the Caucasus was destroyed forever.”
7. Battle of Arracourt (1944)
Occurring during the Lorraine Campaign led by General George Patton's Third Army from September to October 1944, the lesser known Battle of Arracourt was the largest tank battle for the US Army up to that point. Although the Battle of the Bulge would later prove to be larger, the battle took place over a much larger geographic area.
The battle is significant in that the entire German tank force was overwhelmed by American troops, mostly equipped with 75mm cannons. Sherman tank. Thanks to careful coordination of tanks, artillery, infantry, and air force, the German forces were defeated.
As a result, American troops successfully defeated two tank brigades and parts of two tank divisions. Of the 262 German tanks, more than 86 were destroyed and 114 were seriously damaged. The Americans, on the contrary, lost only 25 tanks.
The Battle of Arracourt prevented a German counterattack and the Wehrmacht was unable to recover. Moreover, this area became the launching pad from which Patton's army would begin its winter offensive.
8. Battle of Chawinda (1965)
The Battle of Chawinda was one of the largest tank battles after World War II. It took place during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, which pitted some 132 Pakistani tanks (as well as 150 reinforcements) against 225 Indian armored vehicles. The Indians had Centurion tanks while the Pakistanis had Pattons; both sides also used Sherman tanks.
The battle, which lasted from September 6 to 22, took place in the Ravi Chenab sector connecting Jammu and Kashmir with the Indian mainland. The Indian Army hoped to cut off Pakistan's supply line by cutting them off from Sialkot district of Lahore region. Events reached their peak on 8 September when Indian forces advanced towards Chawinda. The Pakistani air force joined the battle and then a brutal tank battle ensued. A major tank battle took place on September 11 in the Fillora region. After several bursts of activity and lulls, the battle finally ended on 21 September when the Indian forces finally withdrew. The Pakistanis lost 40 tanks, while the Indians lost over 120.
9. Battle of the Valley of Tears (1973)
During the Arab-Israeli Yom Kippur War, Israeli forces fought a coalition that included Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. The goal of the coalition was to dislodge the Israeli forces occupying the Sinai. At one key point in the Golan Heights, the Israeli brigade had 7 tanks left out of 150 - and the remaining tanks had on average no more than 4 shells left. But just as the Syrians were about to launch another attack, the brigade was rescued by randomly assembled reinforcements, consisting of 13 of the least damaged tanks, driven by wounded soldiers who had been released from the hospital.
As for the Yom Kippur War itself, the 19-day battle was the largest tank battle since World War II. In fact, it was one of the largest tank battles, involving 1,700 Israeli tanks (of which 63% were destroyed) and approximately 3,430 coalition tanks (of which approximately 2,250 to 2,300 were destroyed). In the end, Israel won; A United Nations-brokered ceasefire agreement came into force on 25 October.
10. Battle of Easting 73 (1991)