The Battle of Stalingrad Six months of continuous bloodbath on the territory of a huge city. All of Stalingrad has been turned into ruins. The USSR fielded seven ground and one air armies against the Nazi invaders....
Battle of Stalingrad
Six months of continuous bloodbath on the territory of a huge city. All of Stalingrad has been turned into ruins. The USSR fielded seven ground and one air armies against the Nazi invaders. The Volga flotilla beat the enemy from the expanses of water.
The Nazis and their allies were defeated. Here Hitler felt sobered up. After this battle, the Nazis could no longer recover. Soviet troops exhausted the enemy at the cost of their own lives of many soldiers, officers and civilians.
1,130,000 people died defending Stalingrad. Germany and the countries involved in the conflict on the side of the Nazis lost 1,500,000. The battle, which lasted six months, completely ended with the defeat of the Nazi armies trying to reach the oil fields of the Caucasus.
Battle for Moscow
The defeat of fascist troops near Moscow was a real victory for the entire people. The country perceived these events as the threshold of an imminent general Victory. The troops of Nazi Germany were broken morally. The spirit of the offensive movement fell. Guderian praised the will to win Soviet people.
He later said that all the sacrifices were in vain. Moscow held out, destroying the victorious spirit of the Germans. A stubborn reluctance to understand the situation at the front led to huge losses on all sides. The crisis in the German troops undermined faith in Hitler and his unsurpassed military genius.
The USSR lost 926,200 soldiers near Moscow. Civilian losses were not estimated. Germany and allied countries 581,900 people. Military operations lasted more than six months, from September 30, 1941 to April 20, 1942.
Battle for Kyiv
The Soviet military leaders learned a hard lesson when they handed over Kyiv to the enemy to be torn to pieces. The Wehrmacht sensed the poor preparation of the USSR armed forces. The Nazi troops began an intensive movement towards the Azov region and Donbass. As soon as Kyiv was surrendered, the Red Army soldiers, completely demoralized, began to surrender en masse.
In the battles for Kyiv, the losses of the Red Army amounted to 627,800 people. The civilian population was not counted. How much Germany lost remained unknown, since at the beginning of the war the Germans did not keep records of losses, hoping for a blitzkrieg. The fighting lasted two and a half months.
Battle of the Dnieper
The liberation of Kyiv cost great losses. Almost four million people from both sides took part in the battles for the Dnieper. The front stretches for 1,400 kilometers. The survivors of the crossing of the Dnieper recalled that 25,000 people entered the water, 3-5 thousand climbed ashore.
Everyone else remained in the water, only to emerge in a few days. A terrible picture of war. During the crossing of the Dnieper, 417,000 Red Army soldiers died, Germany lost from 400,000 to a million (according to various sources). Scary numbers. The battle for the Dnieper lasted four months.
Battle of Kursk
Although the most terrible tank battles took place in the village of Prokhorovka, the battle is called Kursk. It’s scary to see the battle of iron monsters even on the cinema screen. What was it like for the participants in the battle?
An incredible battle of enemy tank armies. The “Center” and “South” groups were destroyed. The battle lasted almost two months in 1943. The USSR lost 254,000 people, Germany lost 500,000 of its soldiers. For what?
Operation Bagration
We can say that Operation Bagration was the bloodiest in the history of mankind. Result of the operation - complete liberation Belarus from the Nazi invaders. After the operation was completed, 50,000 prisoners of war were marched through the streets of Moscow.
In that battle the losses Soviet Union amounted to 178,500 people, Germany lost 255,400 Wehrmacht soldiers. The battle lasted two months without breaks.
Vistula-Oder operation
The bloody battles for Poland went down in history as the rapid advance of the troops of the Soviet Union. Every day the troops advanced twenty to thirty kilometers inland. The fighting lasted only twenty days.
In the battles for Poland, losses amounted to 43,200 people. Civilian losses were not taken into account. The Nazis lost 480,000 people.
Battle of Berlin
This battle was decisive for the Victory. Soviet troops approached the lair of fascism. The assault on Berlin lasted only 22 days. The Soviet Union and allied forces lost 81,000 people. Fallen Germany, defending its city, lost 400,000. The 1st Ukrainian, 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts fought for Victory. Divisions of the Polish Army, and Baltic sailors.
Battle of Monte Casino
Soviet troops did not take part in the liberation of Rome. The USA and England managed to break through the Gustav Line and completely liberate the Eternal City.
The attackers lost 100,000 people in that battle, Germany only 20,000. The battle lasted four months.
Battle of Iwo Jima
The brutal battle of the US military against Japan. The small island of Iwo Jima, where the Japanese put up stubborn resistance. It was here that the American command decided to atomic bomb the country.
The battle lasted 40 days. Japan lost 22,300 people, America was missing 6,800 fighters.
From the very beginning of World War II, the United States provided England with the maximum possible assistance. Hitler had every reason to declare war on the United States, but he held back for fear of the country entering the war. It is quite possible that the American government would not have been able to find sufficient grounds for entering the war in Europe if war had not broken out in Pacific Ocean. Conflict in the Pacific had been brewing since the outbreak of the war in Europe. Japan, taking advantage of the weakening of France, penetrated into Indochina. At the same time, she continued the war in China and developed plans to conquer Malaysia, hoping to establish control over the rubber plantations of that country.
The United States treated all these Japanese actions with restraint, not wanting to provoke a Japanese attack on Southeast Asia and Indonesia. The Japanese capture of Indochina in July 1941 changed US policy. The United States froze Japanese assets and cut off Japan from oil sources; the British and Dutch did the same. Japan could not continue the war without Indonesian oil and Malaysian rubber and tin.
While Japanese representatives were negotiating in Washington, events took an unexpected turn. On December 7, 1941, a squadron of Japanese aircraft made a surprise raid on a military naval base USA in Pearl Harbor (Hawaii Islands), where the US Pacific Fleet was concentrated. The results of the attack were horrifying: 4 out of 8 battleships were sunk, 18 warships were disabled, 188 aircraft were destroyed and 128 were damaged, and 3 thousand military personnel were killed. December 8 USA. declared war on Japan. In response, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, and on the same day the United States declared war on Germany and Italy. The United States became directly involved in the war.
America was not prepared for war. Although universal conscription was introduced in the United States in 1940, the army was small, untrained, and poorly equipped. American industry had not yet been transferred to a war footing, and the Japanese, taking advantage of the weakness of the American fleet, achieved rapid success.
At the first stage of the war, the main task of the Japanese was to cut off Southeast Asia from England, so the main blow was delivered to Singapore, which was the most powerful British naval base, which controlled all sea routes from Europe to the Pacific Ocean. On the same day as the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese aircraft raided Singapore and landed troops in Kota Bharu, 200 km from Singapore. Japanese troops within two months they reached Singapore.
Singapore capitulated on February 15, 1942, offering virtually no resistance. The English garrison, which had powerful fortifications and was well armed, threw out the white flag without a fight. 100 thousand British soldiers surrendered, the Japanese received 740 guns, 2,500 machine guns and 200 tanks.
The fall of Singapore led to the collapse of the entire defensive system in the Pacific. By May 1942, Japan occupied Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Burma, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Guam, and the Solomon Islands, i.e., a territory inhabited by 400 million people. real threat for India and Australia. However, the German offensive on the Soviet-German front in the summer of 1942 changed the strategic direction of the Japanese offensive. In anticipation of the fall of Stalingrad in November 1942, the best Japanese divisions were transferred to Manchuria. Half of all the artillery of the Japanese army and 2/3 of the tanks were concentrated here. This was a mistake by the Japanese leadership. The situation in the Pacific Ocean began to gradually change. The United States took advantage of the respite and concentrated its armed forces and re-equipped its air force and navy. Japan switched to defensive actions in the Pacific. The United States seized the initiative and maintained it until the end of the war.
Battle of Stalingrad
In the summer of 1942, the main events of World War II unfolded in Europe. The German army resumed its offensive in the Soviet Union on all fronts, but achieved success only on the Southern Front, where it reached the Caucasus Range, captured the oil-bearing regions of the North Caucasus and reached Stalingrad. Major General Sabir Rakhimov took an active part in the battles in the Caucasus.
The Battle of Stalingrad lasted six months, from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943, and marked the beginning of a fundamental change in the course of World War II. As a result of this battle, five armies of Nazi Germany were completely surrounded, and the encircled group of German troops was destroyed. The total losses of the Wehrmacht during the Battle of Stalingrad amounted to about 1.5 million people. 91 thousand soldiers, 26 thousand officers, 24 generals led by the commander of the 6th Army, Field Marshal Paulus, were captured. It was a disaster that signaled the beginning of the end of Hitler's Germany. Three days of mourning were declared in Germany.
After the Battle of Stalingrad, the strategic initiative in the war passed to the Red Army. The front rolled non-stop to the west. In the fall of 1944, German troops were expelled from the territory of the Soviet Union. Soviet troops began offensive operations in the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe occupied by the Nazis.
Liberation of the territory of the USSR
From July 5 to August 23, 1943, the Battle of Kursk took place. The goal was to disrupt the advance of German troops in the Kursk ledge area. After a tank battle near the village of Prokhorovka
On July 12, in which 1,200 tanks took part on both sides, the enemy’s retreat began. In the Battle of Kursk, Wehrmacht losses amounted to about 500 thousand people, 1.5 thousand tanks, over 3.7 thousand aircraft, and more than 3 thousand guns were destroyed.
From August to December 1943, the battle for the Dnieper continued. The Soviet troops were opposed by Army Group Center and the main forces of Army Group South. These two groups formed the Eastern Wall defensive line, the main part of which ran along the banks of the Dnieper. During the Battle of the Dnieper, Soviet troops captured a strategic bridgehead on the Dnieper and liberated over 38 thousand settlements, including 160 cities.
From July 10, 1941 to August 9, 1944, the defense of Leningrad lasted. Army Group North (29 divisions) had the task of defeating Soviet troops in the Baltic states and, interacting with part of the forces of Army Group Center, capturing Leningrad and Kronstadt. On September 8, 1941, German troops cut off Leningrad from land. The blockade of the city began. Only on January 18, 1943 did Soviet troops break through the blockade, and in January 1944 they completely liquidated it. On August 10, 1944, the battle for Leningrad ended.
From June 23 to August 29, 1944, the Belarusian operation to liberate Belarus continued. During this operation, the main forces of Army Group Center were surrounded and destroyed, the liberation of Belarus, parts of Lithuania and Latvia was completed
Offensive in Western Europe
On July 20, 1944, during a meeting held by Hitler at the main headquarters, an explosion occurred, as a result of which four officers were killed. Hitler himself was not injured. The assassination attempt was organized by Wehrmacht officers, and the bomb was planted by Colonel Stauffenberg. A series of executions followed, during which more than 5 thousand people involved in the conspiracy were shot.
Time was working for the allies of the Soviet Union. By 1942, the United States transferred industrial production to wartime mode. During the entire war, the United States supplied 300 thousand aircraft, 86 thousand tanks and 2.1 million guns and machine guns to England and the USSR. Deliveries were carried out in accordance with Lend-Lease. The United States supplied England and the USSR with $50 billion worth of products during the war. US supplies and expansion own production military equipment allowed the Allies already in 1942 to achieve superiority in military equipment over Nazi Germany. In 1943, US industry was operating at full capacity. New technology and tactics made it possible to destroy almost the entire German submarine fleet in Atlantic Ocean. American technology moved to Europe in a huge stream.
In November 1942, the Anglo-American landing began on the coasts of Algeria and Morocco. About 450 warships and transport vessels ensured the transfer of people and equipment across the ocean from the USA and England to the ports of Casablanca, Algiers and Oran. French troops, under the command of the Vichy government, offered no resistance. Anglo-American troops under the command of General D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) began an attack on Tunisia.
A little earlier, near the small town of El Atmein. located 90 km from Alexandria, a battle took place in which British troops under the command of Field Marshal B. Montgomery (1887-1976) inflicted a decisive defeat on the Afrika Korps under the command of Field Marshal E. Rommel (1891 - 1944). After Stalingrad, it was one of the most crushing defeats for Germany and Italy in World War II. The Battle of El Alamein began on October 23 and ended on November 4, 1942. Of the 249 tanks, Rommel only had 36 left; he lost 400 guns and several thousand vehicles. 20 thousand surrendered to the British as prisoners. German soldiers. After this battle, the Germans retreated non-stop for 2.5 thousand km. In May 1943, British troops and the Anglo-American Expeditionary Force met in Tunisia and inflicted a new defeat on the Italo-German forces. North Africa was cleared of Nazi troops, and the Mediterranean Sea came completely under Allied control.
Without giving the enemy the opportunity to recover from heavy defeats, Anglo-American troops in July-August 1943 carried out a landing in Sicily. The Italians did not offer serious resistance. In Italy there was a crisis of the fascist dictatorship. Mussolini was overthrown. The new government led by Marshal Badoglio signed an armistice on September 3, 1943, according to which the Italian troops stopped resistance and capitulated.
Saving Mussolini's regime, German troops moved to the center of Italy, captured Rome, disarmed Italian units and established a brutal occupation regime in Italy. Having fled to the protection of the Allied forces, the Badoglio government declared war on Germany on October 13, 1943.
On June 6, 1944, the landing of American-British troops began in northern France, in Normandy. This was a practical step in the long-promised opening of a second front by the Allies. By July 24, the number of Allied troops amounted to over 1.5 million people. Allied forces had an advantage over the enemy in personnel and in tanks by 3 times, in airplanes - by more than 60 times, they completely dominated the sea and air. On August 15, 1944, American and French troops landed in the south of France. On August 25, units of the French Resistance, by agreement with the American command, entered Paris, and the national banner soared over the capital of France.
The opening of the second front became important event during the Second World War. Now Germany had to fight a war on two fronts in Europe, which limited the possibilities for strategic maneuver. American and British aviation completely dominated the air of Western Europe. All roads and communications were controlled by Allied aviation.
The scale of strategic bombing of Germany expanded, in which large forces of Anglo-American aviation began to be involved. During the day, American aircraft carried out raids on industrial facilities, railways, bridges, submarine bases, factories for the production of synthetic gasoline and rubber. At night, British aircraft bombed mainly cities, trying to suppress the morale of the civilian population. As a result of the bombing, most of the defense enterprises located on German territory were destroyed, the air defense system was suppressed, and German aviation did not undertake active actions. Civilians suffered the most from air raids. By the spring of 1945, almost a quarter of Berlin was destroyed by bombing. The transport system and the work of the rear of the fascist troops were practically destroyed and disorganized.
At the beginning of 1943, a turning point came in the war in the Pacific. Japan's economic situation deteriorated sharply. The food supply to the population first decreased and then stopped completely. Strikes began in the country. Anti-war sentiments were openly expressed. Thus, the military defeat was combined with a deep internal crisis. The political crisis in the country was expressed in a change of government. In July 1944, the Tojo cabinet, which started the war in the Pacific, was dismissed in April
1945 there was a new change in the Japanese government.
- Summary
December 7, 1941 - Japanese bombing of the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. US declaration of war on Japan
December 11, 1941 - Italy and Germany declare war on the United States
February 15, 1942 - Japanese capture of the British naval base on the island of Singapore. Collapse of the defense system in the Pacific Ocean
1942 - Japanese occupation of Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea. Burma, Philippines, Hong Kong and other territories
July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943 - Battle of Stalingrad - a turning point in the Second World War
October 23 - November 4, 1942 - defeat of the Italo-German troops at El Apamein (Egypt), transfer of strategic initiative to the British army
May 1943 - liberation of North Africa from Italian-German troops
July 5 - August 23, 1943 - Battle of Kursk
August-December 1943 - Battle of the Dnieper
September 3, 1943 - the capitulation of Italy marked the beginning of the collapse of the Nazi bloc
June 6, 1944 - opening of the second front
July 20, 1944 - unsuccessful attempt on Hitler's life
August 10, 1944 - end of the Battle of Leningrad
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The main battles of the Second World War in 1941-1944. Updated: January 27, 2017 By: admin
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 integral part Vitebsk battle. 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.
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. There have been many tank battles over the years, and some of them were great value for 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 first seriously engaged on a large scale, 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 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 outdated ones 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)
This has become a battle turning point during the North African campaign, and it was the only major tank battle that was 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 and 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 was victorious, 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. Through careful coordination of tanks, artillery, infantry, and air force, German troops 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 war " doomsday", Israeli forces were fighting 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)
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