Tank battle of World War 2. The largest tank battles of the Second World War

The viewer experiences a complete picture of tank war: Bird's eye view, from the soldiers' point of view of face-to-face confrontation and thorough technical analysis military historians. From the mighty 88mm gun of the German Tigers of World War II, to the thermal guidance system of the Gulf War M-1 Abrams, each episode explores the significant technical details that defined an era of battle.

Self-PR of the American Army, some descriptions of battles are full of errors and absurdities, it all comes down to the great and all-powerful American technology.

Great Tank Battles brings the full intensity of mechanized warfare to the screens for the first time, analyzing weapons, defenses, tactics and using ultra-realistic CGI animations.
Most documentaries The cycle dates back to the Second World War. Overall, excellent material that needs to be double-checked before being believed.

1. Battle of Easting 73: The harsh, godforsaken desert of southern Iraq is home to the most merciless sandstorms, but today we will see another storm. During the 1991 Gulf War, the US 2nd Armored Regiment was caught in a sandstorm. This was the last major battle of the 20th century.

2. Yom Kippur War: Battle of the Golan Heights/ The October War: Battle For The Golan Heights: In 1973, Syria unexpectedly carried out an attack on Israel. How did several tanks manage to hold off superior enemy forces?

3. Battle of El Alamein/ The Battles Of El Alamein: Northern Africa, 1944: about 600 tanks of the united Italian-German army broke through the Sahara desert into Egypt. The British deployed almost 1,200 tanks to stop them. Two legendary commanders: Montgomery and Rommel fought for control of North Africa and the oil of the Middle East.

4. Ardennes operation: battle of PT-1 tanks - rush to Bastogne/ The Ardennes: On September 16, 1944, German tanks invaded the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. The Germans attacked American units in an attempt to change the course of the war. The Americans responded with one of the most massive counterattacks in the history of their military operations.

5. Ardennes operation: battle of PT-2 tanks - attack of the German Joachim Pipers/ The Ardennes: 12/16/1944 In December 1944, the most loyal and ruthless killers of the Third Reich, the Waffen-SS, carried out Hitler's last offensive in the west. This is the story of the incredible breakthrough of the Nazi Sixth Armored Army of the American line and its subsequent encirclement and defeat.

6. Operation Blockbuster - Battle of Hochwald(02/08/1945) On February 8, 1945, the Canadian Armed Forces launched an attack in the Hochwald Gorge area with the goal of giving Allied troops access to the very heart of Germany.

7. Battle of Normandy/ The Battle Of Normandy June 6, 1944 Canadian tanks and infantry land on the Normandy coast and come under deadly fire, coming face to face with the most powerful German machines: the armored SS tanks.

8. Battle of Kursk. Part 1: Northern Front/ The Battle Of Kursk: Northern Front In 1943, numerous Soviet and German armies clashed in the greatest and deadliest tank battle in history.

9. Battle of Kursk. Part 2: Southern Front/ The Battle Of Kursk: Southern Front The battle near Kursk culminates in the Russian village of Prokhorovka on July 12, 1943. This is the story of the biggest tank battle in military history, as elite SS troops face off against Soviet defenders determined to stop them at any cost.

10. Battle of Arrakurt/ The Battle Of Arrcourt September 1944. When Patton's Third Army threatened to cross the German border, Hitler, in desperation, sent hundreds of tanks into a head-on collision.

Since the 1920s, France has been at the forefront of world tank construction: it was the first to build tanks with projectile-proof armor, and the first to organize them into tank divisions. In May 1940, the time came to test the combat effectiveness of the French tank forces in practice. Such an opportunity already presented itself during the battles for Belgium.

Cavalry without horses

When planning the movement of troops to Belgium according to the Diehl plan, the Allied command decided that the most vulnerable area was the area between the cities of Wavre and Namur. Here, between the Dyle and Meuse rivers, lies the Gembloux plateau - flat, dry, convenient for tank operations. To cover this gap, the French command sent here the 1st Cavalry Corps of the 1st Army under the command of Lieutenant General Rene Priou. The general recently turned 61 years old, he studied at the Saint-Cyr Military Academy, and ended the First World War as commander of the 5th Dragoon Regiment. From February 1939, Priou served as Inspector General of the Cavalry.

The commander of the 1st Cavalry Corps is Lieutenant General René-Jacques-Adolphe Priou.
alamy.com

Priu's corps was called cavalry only by tradition and consisted of two light mechanized divisions. Initially, they were cavalry, but in the early 30s, on the initiative of the cavalry inspector General Flavigny, some of the cavalry divisions began to be reorganized into light mechanized ones - DLM (Division Legere Mecanisee). They were reinforced with tanks and armored vehicles, horses were replaced with Renault UE and Lorraine cars and armored personnel carriers.

The first such formation was the 4th Cavalry Division. Back in the early 30s, it became an experimental training ground for testing the interaction of cavalry with tanks, and in July 1935 it was renamed the 1st Light Mechanized Division. Such a division of the 1935 model should have included:

reconnaissance regiment of two motorcycle squadrons and two squadrons of armored vehicles (AMD - Automitrailleuse de Découverte);
a combat brigade consisting of two regiments, each with two squadrons of cavalry tanks - cannon AMC (Auto-mitrailleuse de Combat) or machine gun AMR (Automitrailleuse de Reconnaissance);
a motorized brigade, consisting of two motorized dragoon regiments of two battalions each (one regiment had to be transported on tracked transporters, the other on regular trucks);
motorized artillery regiment.

The re-equipment of the 4th Cavalry Division proceeded slowly: the cavalry wanted to equip its combat brigade only with the Somua S35 medium tanks, but due to their shortage it was necessary to use the light Hotchkiss H35 tanks. As a result, there were fewer tanks in the formation than planned, but the equipment of vehicles increased.

Medium tank "Somua" S35 from the exhibition of the museum in Aberdeen (USA).
sfw.so

The motorized brigade was reduced to one motorized dragoon regiment of three battalions, equipped with Lorraine and Laffley tracked tractors. Squadrons of AMR machine gun tanks were transferred to a motorized dragoon regiment, and combat regiments, in addition to the S35, were equipped with H35 light vehicles. Over time, they were replaced by medium tanks, but this replacement was not completed before the start of the war. The reconnaissance regiment was armed with powerful Panar-178 armored vehicles with a 25-mm anti-tank gun.

German soldiers inspect a Panhard-178 (AMD-35) cannon armored vehicle abandoned near Le Panne (Dunkirque area).
waralbum.ru

In 1936, General Flavigny took command of his creation, the 1st Light Mechanized Division. In 1937, the creation of a second similar division began under the command of General Altmaier on the basis of the 5th Cavalry Division. The 3rd Light Mechanized Division began to form during the Strange War in February 1940 - this unit was another step in the mechanization of the cavalry, as its AMR machine gun tanks were replaced by the latest Hotchkiss H39 vehicles.

Note that until the end of the 30s, “real” cavalry divisions (DC – Divisions de Cavalerie) remained in the French army. In the summer of 1939, on the initiative of the cavalry inspector, supported by General Gamelin, their reorganization began under a new staff. It was decided that in open ground cavalry was powerless against modern infantry weapons and too vulnerable to air attack. The new light cavalry divisions (DLC - Division Legere de Cavalerie) were to be used in mountainous or wooded areas, where horses provided them with the best cross-country ability. First of all, such areas were the Ardennes and the Swiss border, where new formations developed.

The light cavalry division consisted of two brigades - light motorized and cavalry; the first had a dragoon (tank) regiment and a regiment of armored cars, the second was partially motorized, but still had about 1,200 horses. Initially, the dragoon regiment was also planned to be equipped with the Somua S35 medium tanks, but due to their slow production, the light Hotchkiss H35 tanks began to enter service - well armored, but relatively slow-moving and with a weak 37-mm cannon 18 calibers long.

The Hotchkiss H35 light tank is the main vehicle of the Priu cavalry corps.
waralbum.ru

Composition of the Priu body

The Prieu Cavalry Corps was formed in September 1939 from the 1st and 2nd Light Mechanized Divisions. But in March 1940, the 1st Division was transferred as a motorized reinforcement to the left flank 7th Army, and in its place Priou received the newly formed 3rd DLM. The 4th DLM was never formed; at the end of May, part of it was transferred to the 4th Armored (Cirassier) Reserve Division, and the other part was sent to the 7th Army as the “Groupe de Langle”.

The light mechanized division turned out to be a very successful combat formation - more mobile than the heavy tank division (DCr - Division Cuirassée), and at the same time more balanced. It is believed that the first two divisions were the best prepared, although the actions of the 1st DLM in Holland as part of the 7th Army showed that this was not the case. At the same time, the 3rd DLM that replaced it began to form only during the war; the personnel of this unit were recruited mainly from reservists, and officers were allocated from other mechanized divisions.

Light French tank AMR-35.
militaryimages.net

By May 1940, each light mechanized division consisted of three motorized infantry battalions, about 10,400 soldiers and 3,400 vehicles. The amount of equipment they contained varied greatly:

2ndDLM:

light tanks "Hotchkiss" H35 - 84;
light machine gun tanks AMR33 and AMR35 ZT1 – 67;
105 mm field guns – 12;

3rdDLM:

medium tanks "Somua" S35 - 88;
light tanks "Hotchkiss" H39 - 129 (60 of them with a 37-mm long-barreled gun of 38 calibers);
light tanks "Hotchkiss" H35 - 22;
cannon armored vehicles "Panar-178" - 40;
105 mm field guns – 12;
75-mm field guns (model 1897) – 24;
47-mm anti-tank guns SA37 L/53 – 8;
25-mm anti-tank guns SA34/37 L/72 – 12;
25-mm anti-aircraft guns "Hotchkiss" - 6.

In total, Priu's cavalry corps had 478 tanks (including 411 cannon tanks) and 80 cannon armored vehicles. Half of the tanks (236 units) had 47 mm or long-barreled 37 mm guns, capable of fighting almost any armored vehicle of that time.

The Hotchkiss H39 with a 38-caliber gun is the best French light tank. Photo of the exhibition of the tank museum in Saumur, France.

Enemy: 16th Motorized Corps of the Wehrmacht

While the Priu divisions were advancing to the intended line of defense, they were met by the vanguard of the 6th German Army - the 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions, united under the command of Lieutenant General Erich Hoepner into the 16th Motorized Corps. Moving to the left with a large lag was the 20th Motorized Division, whose task was to cover Hoepner's flank from possible counterattacks from Namur.

The general course of hostilities in northeastern Belgium from May 10 to May 17, 1940.
D. M. Projector. War in Europe. 1939–1941

On May 11, both tank divisions crossed the Albert Canal and overthrew units of the 2nd and 3rd Belgian Army Corps near Tirlemont. On the night of May 11-12, the Belgians retreated to the line of the Dyle River, where the allied forces were planned to exit - the 1st French Army of General Georges Blanchard and the British Expeditionary Force of General John Gort.

IN 3rd Panzer Division General Horst Stumpf included two tank regiments (5th and 6th), united in the 3rd tank brigade under the command of Colonel Kühn. In addition, the division included the 3rd motorized infantry brigade (3rd motorized infantry regiment and 3rd motorcycle battalion), 75th artillery regiment, 39th anti-tank fighter division, 3rd reconnaissance battalion, 39th engineer battalion, 39th Signal Battalion and 83rd Supply Detachment.

The German light tank Pz.I is the most popular vehicle in the 16th Motorized Corps.
tank2.ru

In total in the 3rd tank division had:

command tanks - 27;
light machine gun tanks Pz.I – 117;
light tanks Pz.II – 129;
medium tanks Pz.III – 42;
medium support tanks Pz.IV – 26;
armored vehicles - 56 (including 23 vehicles with a 20-mm cannon).

German light tank Pz.II is the main cannon tank of the 16th Motorized Corps.
Osprey Publishing

4th Panzer Division Major General Johann Shtever had two tank regiments (35th and 36th), united in the 5th tank brigade. In addition, the division included the 4th motorized infantry brigade (12th and 33rd motorized infantry regiments, as well as the 34th motorcycle battalion, 103rd artillery regiment, 49th anti-tank fighter division, 7th reconnaissance battalion , 79th Engineer Battalion, 79th Signal Battalion and 84th Supply Detachment The 4th Tank Division consisted of:

command tanks - 10;
light machine gun tanks Pz.I – 135;
light tanks Pz.II – 105;
medium tanks Pz.III – 40;
medium support tanks Pz.IV – 24.

Each German tank division had a serious artillery component:

150 mm howitzers – 12;
105 mm howitzers – 14;
75 mm infantry guns - 24;
88-mm anti-aircraft guns – 9;
37 mm anti-tank guns – 51;
20-mm anti-aircraft guns – 24.

In addition, the divisions were assigned two anti-tank fighter divisions (12 37-mm anti-tank guns in each).

So, both divisions of the 16th Tank Corps had 655 vehicles, including 50 “fours”, 82 “threes”, 234 “twos”, 252 machine-gun “ones” and 37 command tanks, which also had only machine-gun armament (some historians put the figure at 632 tanks). Of these vehicles, only 366 were cannon, and only medium-sized German vehicles could fight the bulk of enemy tanks, and even then not all of them - the S35 with its sloped 36-mm hull armor and 56-mm turret was too tough for the German 37-mm cannon only from short distances. At the same time, the 47-mm French cannon penetrated the armor of medium German tanks at a distance of over 2 km.

Some researchers, describing the battle on the Gembloux plateau, claim the superiority of Hoepner's 16th Panzer Corps over Priou's cavalry corps in terms of the number and quality of tanks. Outwardly, this was indeed the case (the Germans had 655 tanks against 478 French), but 40% of them were machine-gun Pz.I, capable of fighting only infantry. For 366 German cannon tanks, there were 411 French cannon vehicles, and the 20-mm cannons of the German “twos” could only cause damage to the French AMR machine-gun tanks.

The Germans had 132 units of equipment capable of effectively fighting enemy tanks (“troikas” and “fours”), while the French had almost twice as many - 236 vehicles, even not counting the Renault and Hotchkiss with short-barreled 37-mm guns.

Commander of the 16th Panzer Corps, Lieutenant General Erich Hoepner.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146–1971–068–10 / CC-BY-SA 3.0

True, the German tank division had noticeably more anti-tank weapons: up to one and a half hundred 37-mm guns, and most importantly, 18 heavy 88-mm mechanically-propelled anti-aircraft guns, capable of destroying any tank in its visibility zone. And this is against 40 anti-tank guns in the entire Priu body! However, due to the rapid advance of the Germans, most of their artillery fell behind and did not take part in the first stage of the battle. In fact, on May 12–13, 1940, a real battle of machines unfolded near the town of Annu, northeast of the city of Gembloux: tanks against tanks.

May 12: counter battle

The 3rd Light Mechanized Division was the first to come into contact with the enemy. Its section east of Gembloux was divided into two sectors: in the north there were 44 tanks and 40 armored vehicles; in the south - 196 medium and light tanks, as well as the bulk of the artillery. The first line of defense was in the area of Annu and the village of Kreen. The 2nd Division was supposed to take positions on the right flank of the 3rd from Crehan to the banks of the Meuse, but by this time it was only advancing to the intended line with its advanced detachments - three infantry battalions and 67 AMR light tanks. The natural dividing line between the divisions was the hilly watershed ridge that stretched from Anna through Crehen and Meerdorp. Thus, the direction of the German attack was completely obvious: along the water barriers through the “corridor” formed by the Meen and Grand Gette rivers and leading directly to Gemble.

Early in the morning of May 12, the “Eberbach Panzer Group” (the vanguard of the 4th German Panzer Division) reached the town of Annu in the very center of the line that Priou’s troops were supposed to occupy. Here the Germans encountered reconnaissance patrols of the 3rd Light Mechanized Division. A little north of Anna, French tanks, machine gunners and motorcyclists occupied Crehen.

From 9 a.m. to noon, tank and anti-tank artillery of both sides engaged in a fierce exchange of gunfire. The French tried to counterattack with the advance detachments of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, but the light German Pz.II tanks reached the very center of Annu. 21 light Hotchkiss H35s took part in the new counterattack, but they were unlucky - they came under fire from German Pz.III and Pz.IV. The thick armor did not help the French: in close street battles at a distance of a hundred meters, it was easily penetrated by 37-mm German cannons, while short-barreled French guns were powerless against medium German tanks. As a result, the French lost 11 Hotchkisses, the Germans lost 5 vehicles. The remaining French tanks left the city. After a short battle, the French retreated to the west - to the Wavre-Gembloux line (part of the pre-planned "Position of Dyle"). It was here that the main battle broke out on May 13–14.

Tanks of the 1st battalion of the 35th German tank regiment tried to pursue the enemy and reached the city of Tins, where they destroyed four Hotchkiss, but were forced to return because they were left without motorized infantry escort. By nightfall there was silence at the positions. As a result of the battle, each side considered that the enemy’s losses were significantly higher than its own.

Battle of Annu May 12–14, 1940.
Ernest R. May. Strange Victory: Hitler's Conquest of France

May 13: difficult success for the Germans

The morning of this day was quiet, only towards 9 o’clock a German reconnaissance plane appeared in the sky. After this, as stated in the memoirs of Priu himself, "battle with new strength began along the entire front from Tirlemont to Guy". By this time, the main forces of the German 16th Panzer and French Cavalry Corps had arrived here; south of Anna, the lagging units of the 3rd German Panzer Division deployed. Both sides gathered all their tank forces for the battle. A large-scale tank battle broke out - it was a counter battle, as both sides tried to attack.

The actions of Hoepner's tank divisions were supported by nearly two hundred dive bombers of the 8th Air Corps of the 2nd Air Fleet. French air support was weaker and consisted mainly of fighter cover. But Priu had superiority in artillery: he managed to bring up his 75- and 105-mm guns, which opened effective fire on German positions and advancing tanks. As one of the German tank crews, Captain Ernst von Jungenfeld, wrote a year and a half later, the French artillery literally gave the Germans "volcano of fire", the density and efficiency of which was reminiscent of the worst times of the First World War. At the same time, the artillery of the German tank divisions lagged behind; the bulk of it had not yet managed to reach the battlefield.

The French were the first to launch an offensive that day - six S35s from the 2nd Light Mechanized Division, which had not previously participated in the battle, attacked the southern flank of the 4th Panzer Division. Alas, the Germans managed to deploy 88-mm guns here and met the enemy with fire. At 9 a.m., after an attack by dive bombers, German tanks attacked the village of Gendrenouille in the center of the French position (in the zone of the 3rd Light Mechanized Division), concentrating on a narrow five-kilometer front large number tanks.

The French tank crews suffered significant losses from the attack by dive bombers, but did not flinch. Moreover, they decided to counterattack the enemy - but not head-on, but from the flank. Deploying north of Gendrenouille, two squadrons of Somois tanks from the fresh 1st Cavalry Regiment of the 3rd Light Mechanized Division (42 combat vehicles) launched a flank attack on the unfolding battle formations of the 4th Panzer Division.

This blow thwarted German plans and turned the battle into a counter battle. According to French data, about 50 German tanks were destroyed. True, by evening only 16 combat-ready vehicles remained of the two French squadrons - the rest either died or required lengthy repairs. The tank of the commander of one of the platoons left the battle, having used up all the shells and having traces of 29 hits, but did not receive serious damage.

The squadron of S35 medium tanks of the 2nd Light Mechanized Division operated especially successfully on the right flank - in Crehen, through which the Germans tried to bypass French positions from the south. Here, Lieutenant Lociski's platoon was able to destroy 4 German tanks, a battery of anti-tank guns and several trucks. It turned out that German tanks were powerless against medium French tanks - their 37 mm cannons could penetrate the Somois armor only from a very short distance, while the French 47 mm cannons hit German vehicles at any distance.

Pz.III from the 4th Panzer Division overcomes a stone fence blown up by sappers. The photo was taken on May 13, 1940 in the Annu area.
Thomas L. Jentz. Panzertruppen

In the town of Tins, a couple of kilometers west of Annou, the French again managed to stop the German advance. The tank of the commander of the 35th Tank Regiment, Colonel Eberbach (who later became the commander of the 4th Tank Division), was also destroyed here. By the end of the day, the S35s had destroyed several more German tanks, but by the evening the French were forced to leave Tines and Crehan under pressure from approaching German infantry. French tanks and infantry retreated 5 km to the west, to the second line of defense (Meerdorp, Zhandrenouil and Zhandren), covered by the Or-Zhosh River.

Already at 8 o'clock in the evening the Germans tried to attack in the direction of Meerdorp, but their artillery preparation turned out to be very weak and only warned the enemy. A firefight between tanks at a long distance (about a kilometer) had no effect, although the Germans noted hits from the short-barreled 75-mm cannons of their Pz.IV. German tanks passed north of Meerdorp, the French first met them with fire from tank and anti-tank guns, and then counterattacked on the flank with the Somua squadron. The report of the 35th German Tank Regiment reported:

“...11 enemy tanks came out of Meerdorp and attacked the motorized infantry. The 1st Battalion immediately turned around and opened fire on the enemy tanks from a distance of 400 to 600 meters. Eight enemy tanks remained motionless, three more managed to escape.”

On the contrary, French sources write about the success of this attack and that French medium tanks turned out to be completely invulnerable to German vehicles: they left the battle with from two to four dozen direct hits from 20- and 37-mm shells, but without breaking through the armor.

However, the Germans learned quickly. Immediately after the battle, instructions appeared prohibiting light German Pz.IIs from engaging in battle with enemy medium tanks. The S35 was to be destroyed primarily by 88mm anti-aircraft guns and 105mm direct fire howitzers, as well as medium tanks and anti-tank guns.

Late in the evening the Germans went on the offensive again. On the southern flank of the 3rd Light Mechanized Division, the 2nd Cuirassier Regiment, already battered the day before, was forced to defend against units of the 3rd Panzer Division with its last forces - ten surviving Somuas and the same number of Hotchkisses. As a result, by midnight the 3rd Division had to retreat another 2-3 km, taking up defense at the Zhosh-Ramily line. The 2nd Light Mechanized Division retreated much further, on the night of 13/14 May, moving south from Perve beyond the Belgian anti-tank ditch prepared for the Dyle line. Only then did the Germans pause their advance, awaiting the arrival of the rear with ammunition and fuel. From here there was still 15 km to Gembloux.

To be continued

Literature:

D. M. Projector. War in Europe. 1939–1941 M.: Voenizdat, 1963
Ernest R. May. Strange Victory: Hitler's Conquest of France. New York, Hill & Wang, 2000
Thomas L. Jentz. Panzertruppen. The Complete Guide to the Creation & Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force. 1933–1942. Schiffer Military History, Atglen PA, 1996
Jonathan F. Keiler. The 1940 Battle of Gembloux (http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/the-1940-battle-of-gembloux/)

On July 12, 1943, a grand tank battle took place near Prokhorovka 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.

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.

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 left to them.

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 took part 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 gain 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 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.

The leadership of the Ukrainian SSR at the May Day parade in Kyiv. From left to right: 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine N. S. Khrushchev, Commander of the Kyiv Special Military District Hero Soviet Union Colonel General M. P. Kirponos, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR M. S. Grechukha. May 1, 1941

Member of the Military Council of the Southwestern Front, Corps Commissar N. N. Vashugin. Committed suicide on June 28, 1941

Commander of the 8th Mechanized Corps, Lieutenant General D.I. Ryabyshev. Photo from 1941

Caponier with a 76.2 mm gun. Similar engineering structures were installed on the Stalin Line. Even more advanced structures were built in Western Ukraine in the Molotov Line fortification system. USSR, summer 1941

A German specialist examines a captured Soviet flamethrower tank XT-26. Western Ukraine, June 1941

German tank Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.G (tactical number “721”), advancing through the territory of Western Ukraine. 1st Panzer Group Kleist, June 1941

Soviet tank T-34-76 of early series destroyed by the Germans. This vehicle was produced in 1940 and was equipped with a 76.2 mm L-11 cannon. Western Ukraine, June 1941

Vehicles of the 670th tank destroyer division during the march. Army Group South. June 1941

At the field kitchen of the 9th Mechanized Corps of the Red Army under the command of Sergeant Major V.M. Shuledimov. From left to right: foreman V. M. Shuledimov, cook V. M. Gritsenko, bread cutter D. P. Maslov, driver I. P. Levshin. Under enemy fire and bullets, the kitchen continued to operate and delivered food to the tankers in a timely manner. Southwestern Front, June 1941

Abandoned during the retreat of the T-35 from the 8th Mechanized Corps of the Red Army. Southwestern Front, June 1941

A German medium tank Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J, knocked out and abandoned by its crew. Four-digit tactical number: “1013.” Army Group South, May 1942

Before the attack. The commander of the 23rd Tank Corps, Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General E. Pushkin and regimental commissar I. Belogolovikov set tasks for the units of the formation. Southwestern Front, May 1942

A column of ZiS-5 model trucks (registration number of the vehicle in the foreground is “A-6-94-70”) is carrying ammunition to the front line. Southern Front, May 1942

Heavy tank KV from the 6th Guards Tank Brigade. The commander of the vehicle, political instructor Chernov, and his crew knocked out 9 German tanks. On the KV tower there is the inscription “For the Motherland.” Southwestern Front, May 1942

Medium tank Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J, knocked out by our troops. Spare track tracks, suspended in the front of the vehicle, also served to strengthen the frontal armor. Army Group South, May 1942

An improvised OP, set up under the cover of a damaged German Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.H/J tank. The symbols of the tank battalion and communications platoon are visible on the wing of the tank. Southwestern Front, May 1942

Commander of the troops of the South-Western direction, Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko - one of the main organizers of the Kharkov offensive operation Soviet troops in May 1942. Photo portrait 1940–1941

Commander of the German Army Group South (during the battles near Kharkov), Field Marshal von Bock

Abandoned American-made M3 medium tanks (M3 General Lee) from the 114th Tank Brigade of the Consolidated Tank Corps. The tactical numbers “136” and “147” are visible on the turrets. Southern Front, May-June 1942

Infantry support tank MK II "Matilda II", abandoned by the crew due to damage to the chassis. Tank registration number “W.D. No. T-17761", tactical - "8-R". Southwestern Front, 22nd Tank Corps, May 1942

Stalingrad "thirty-four" shot down by the enemy. A triangle and the letters “SUV” are visible on the tower. Southwestern Front, May 1942

Abandoned during the retreat was a BM-13 installation based on the STZ-5 NATI tracked high-speed tractor from the 5th Guards Rocket Artillery Regiment. The car number is “M-6-20-97”. South-Western direction, end of May 1942

Lieutenant General F.I. Golikov, who led the troops of the Bryansk Front from April to July 1942. Photo from 1942

Assembly of T-34–76 tanks at Uralvagonzavod. Judging by the technological features of the combat vehicles, the photograph was taken in April-May 1942. This modification of the "thirty-four" was first used en masse in battles as part of the tank corps of the Red Army on the Bryansk Front in the summer of 1942

The StuG III Ausf.F assault gun changes its firing position. The self-propelled gun has camouflage in the form of yellow streaks applied to the base gray paint, and a white number “274”. Army group "Weichs", motorized division "Grossdeutschland", summer 1942

The command of the 1st Grenadier Regiment of the motorized division "Gross Germany" at a field meeting. Army Group "Weichs", June-July 1942

The crew of the 152-mm ML-20 gun-howitzer, model 1937, fires at German positions. Bryansk Front, July 1942

A group of Soviet commanders monitors the situation from an OP located in one of the houses in Voronezh, July 1942

The crew of the KV heavy tank, on alert, takes their seats in their combat vehicle. Bryansk Front, June-July 1942

The new commander of the 40th Army defending Voronezh, Lieutenant General M. M. Popov at the command telegraph. On the right is the “bodist” of the guard, Corporal P. Mironova, summer 1942

The command of the 5th Tank Army before the start of hostilities. From left to right: Commander of the 11th Tank Corps, Major General A.F. Popov, Commander of the 5th Tank Army, Major General A.I. Lizyukov, Head of the Armored Directorate of the Red Army, Lieutenant General Ya. N. Fedorenko, and Regimental Commissar E . S. Usachev. Bryansk Front, July 1942

The T-34–76 tank, produced at the beginning of summer at the Krasnoye Sormovo plant No. 112, is moving to the line for attack. Bryansk Front, presumably the 25th Tank Corps, summer 1942

The Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.F2 medium tank and the StuG III Ausf.F assault gun attack Soviet positions. Voronezh region, July 1942

A BM-8–24 rocket launcher abandoned during the retreat of Soviet troops on the chassis of a T-60 tank. Similar systems were part of the guards mortar divisions of the Red Army tank corps. Voronezh Front, July 1942

The commander of Panzer Army Africa, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (right), awards the Knight's Cross to grenadier Günther Halm from the 104th Panzergrenadier Regiment of the 15th Panzer Division. North Africa, summer 1942

British military leadership in North Africa: on the left - Full General Alexander, on the right - Lieutenant General Montgomery. The photo was taken in mid-1942

British tank crews unpack armored vehicles that arrived from the United States. The picture shows a 105 mm M7 Priest self-propelled howitzer. North Africa, autumn 1942

American-made M4A1 Sherman medium tank awaiting the start of a counterattack. North Africa, 8th Army, 30th Army Corps, 10th Armored Division, 1942–1943

Field artillery of the 10th Tank Division is on the march. A Canadian-made Ford four-wheel drive tractor tows a 94 mm (25 pound) howitzer gun. North Africa, October 1942

The crew rolls a 57-mm anti-tank gun into position. This British version"six-pounders." North Africa, November 2, 1942

The Scorpion minesweeper tank, created on the basis of the obsolete Matilda II tank. North Africa, 8th Army, autumn 1942

On November 4, 1942, General of the Wehrmacht Panzer Forces Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma (in the foreground) was captured by British troops. The picture shows him being taken for questioning at Montgomery's headquarters. North Africa, 8th Army, autumn 1942

A 50-mm German Pak 38 cannon left in position. For camouflage, it is covered with a special net. North Africa, November 1942

An Italian 75-mm self-propelled gun, Semovente da 75/18, abandoned during the retreat of the Axis troops. In order to increase armor protection, the self-propelled gun cabin is lined with tracks and sandbags. North Africa, November 1942

The commander of the 8th Army, General Montgomery (right), surveys the battlefield from the turret of his M3 Grant command tank. North Africa, autumn 1942

Heavy tanks MK IV "Churchill III", received by the 8th Army for testing in desert conditions. They were armed with a 57 mm cannon. North Africa, autumn 1942

Prokhorovsky direction. In the photo: Lieutenant General P. A. Rotmistrov - commander of the 5th Guards Tank Army (left) and Lieutenant General A. S. Zhadov - commander of the 5th Guards Tank Army (right). Voronezh Front, July 1943

Operational group of the 5th Guards Tank Army. Voronezh Front, Prokhorov direction, July 1943

Scout motorcyclists at the starting position for the march. Voronezh Front, forward unit of the 170th Tank Brigade of the 18th Tank Corps of the 5th Guards Tank Army, July 1943

The Komsomol crew of the Guard Lieutenant I.P. Kalyuzhny studying the terrain of the upcoming offensive. In the background you can see the T-34-76 tank with the individual name “Komsomolets of Transbaikalia”. Voronezh Front, July 1943

On the march, the advanced unit of the 5th Guards Tank Army is scouts in BA-64 armored vehicles. Voronezh Front, July 1943

Self-propelled gun SU-122 in the area of the Prokhorovsky bridgehead. Most likely the artillery self-propelled gun belongs to the 1446th self-propelled artillery regiment. Voronezh Front, July 1943

Soldiers of a tank-destroying motorized unit (on Willys with anti-tank rifles and 45-mm cannons) awaiting the start of the attack. Voronezh Front, July 1943

SS "Tigers" before the attack on Prokhorovka. Army Group South, July 11, 1943

A half-track Sd.Kfz.10 with the tactical designations of the 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Division "Reich" moves past a damaged British-made Soviet tank MK IV "Churchill IV". Most likely this heavy vehicle belonged to the 36th Guards Breakthrough Tank Regiment. Army Group South, July 1943

A StuG III self-propelled gun from the 3rd SS Panzergrenadier Division "Totenkopf" knocked out by our troops. Army Group South, July 1943

German repairmen are trying to restore an overturned Pz.Kpfw.III tank from the 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Division "Reich". Army Group South, July 1943

150-mm (actually 149.7-mm) self-propelled Hummel guns from the 73rd artillery regiment of the 1st Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht at firing positions in one of the Hungarian villages. March 1945

The SwS tractor is towing an 88-mm heavy anti-tank gun Pak 43/41, which was nicknamed “Barn Gate” by German soldiers due to its clumsiness. Hungary, early 1945

Commander of the 6th SS Panzer Army Sepp Dietrich (in the center, hands in pockets) during the celebration of awarding the l/s 12 TD "Hitler Youth" with Reich awards. November 1944

Panther tanks Pz.Kpfw.V from the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" are advancing to the front line. Hungary, March 1945

Infrared 600-mm searchlight "Filin" ("Uhu"), mounted on an armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz.251/21. Such vehicles were used in the Panther and StuG III units during night battles, including in the area of Lake Balaton in March 1945

Armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz.251 with two night vision devices mounted on it: a night sight for firing from a 7.92 mm MG-42 machine gun, a device for night driving in front of the driver’s seat. 1945

The crew of the StuG III assault gun with the tactical number “111” loads ammunition into their combat vehicle. Hungary, 1945

Soviet specialists inspect the destroyed German heavy tank Pz.Kpfw.VI "Royal Tiger". 3rd Ukrainian Front, March 1945

German tank "Panther" Pz.Kpfw.V, hit by a sub-caliber shell. The vehicle has the tactical number "431" and its own name - "Inga". 3rd Ukrainian Front, March 1945

Tank T-34–85 on the march. Our troops are preparing to strike the enemy. 3rd Ukrainian Front, March 1945