Tank battles of the second world. Tank battle near Prokhorovka

Since the First World War, 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 opened new era- with tank wedges and lightning-fast blitzkriegs.

1 Battle of Cambrai (1917)

After failures with the use of small tank formations, the British command decided to launch an offensive using a large number tanks. Since the tanks had not lived up to expectations before, 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 plan of the British command, the upcoming offensive was supposed to begin without traditional artillery preparation. For the first time in history, tanks themselves had to break through the enemy defenses. The offensive at Cambrai was supposed to take the German command by surprise. The operation was prepared in strict secrecy. Tanks were brought to the front in the evening. The British were constantly firing machine guns and mortars to drown out the roar of tank engines.

In total, 476 tanks participated in the offensive. The German divisions were defeated and suffered heavy losses. The well-fortified "Hindenburg Line" was broken through to a great depth. However, during the German counter-offensive, the British troops were forced to retreat. Using the remaining 73 tanks, the British managed to prevent a more serious defeat.

2 Battle for Dubno-Lutsk-Brody (1941)

Already in the evening of June 22, the troops of this front received orders to encircle and destroy the advancing enemy grouping with powerful concentric strikes by mechanized corps, and by the end of June 24 to capture the Lublin region (Poland). It sounds fantastic, but this is if you do not know the strength of the parties: in a giant oncoming tank battle 3128 Soviet and 728 German tanks converged.

The battle lasted a week: from 23 to 30 June. The actions of the mechanized corps were reduced to isolated counterattacks in different directions. The German command, through competent leadership, managed to repel a counterattack and defeat the armies of the Southwestern Front. The rout was complete: the Soviet troops lost 2648 tanks (85%), the Germans - 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 most important strategic highway of the Allies - the Suez Canal, and rushed to the Middle Eastern oil, which the Axis needed. The pitched 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 forces 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 offset by the military genius of the commander of the Italo-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 superiority of the British in numbers was so impressive that the German shock group 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 proved to be excellent. Only under the pressure of the huge numerical superiority of the enemy, having lost almost all the equipment, the German army began an organized retreat.

The Germans had just over 30 tanks left after El Alamein. The total losses of the Italo-German troops in equipment amounted to 320 tanks. The losses of the British armored forces amounted to approximately 500 vehicles, many of which were repaired and returned to service, since the battlefield was eventually left to them.

4 Battle of Prokhorovka (1943)

The tank battle near Prokhorovka took place on July 12, 1943 as part of Battle of Kursk. According to official Soviet data, 800 Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns and 700 German ones participated in it from both sides.

The Germans lost 350 armored vehicles, ours - 300. But the trick is that the Soviet tanks that participated in the battle were counted, and the German ones - those that were generally in the entire German group on the southern flank Kursk Bulge.

According to new, updated data, 311 German tanks and self-propelled guns of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps against 597 Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army (Commander Rotmistrov) participated in the tank battle near Prokhorovka. The SS men lost about 70 (22%), and the guards - 343 (57%) units of armored vehicles.

None of the parties managed to achieve their goals: the Germans failed to break through the Soviet defenses and enter the operational space, and the Soviet troops failed to surround the enemy grouping.

A government commission was set up to investigate the causes of the heavy losses of Soviet tanks. In the commission's report fighting Soviet troops near Prokhorovka are called "a model of an unsuccessful operation." General Rotmistrov was going to be handed over to the tribunal, but by that time the general situation had developed favorably, and everything worked out.

5 Battle of the Golan Heights (1973)

Egypt and Syria sought to regain the territories lost after the crushing defeat in 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 to Syria, including tank crews.

On the Golan Heights, 180 Israeli tanks opposed approximately 1,300 Syrian ones. The heights were the most important strategic position for Israel: if the Israeli defenses in the Golan had been broken through, the Syrian troops would have been in the very center of the country in a few hours.

For several days, two Israeli tank brigades, suffering heavy losses, defended the Golan Heights from superior enemy forces. The most fierce fighting 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.

Year of issue : 2009-2013
The country : Canada, USA
genre : documentary, military
Duration : 3 seasons, 24+ episodes
Translation : Professional (Single Voice)

Director : Paul Kilbeck, Hugh Hardy, Daniel Sekulich
Cast : Robin Ward, Ralph Raths, Robin Ward, Fritz Langanke, Heinz Altmann, Hans Baumann, Pavel Nikolaevich Eremin, Gerard Bazin, Avigor Kahelani, Kenneth Pollack

Series Description : Large-scale tank battles unfold in front of you in full view, in all its glory, cruelty and lethality. In the documentary series “Great Tank Battles”, using advanced computer technology and animations, the most significant tank battles have been reconstructed. Each battle will be presented from a variety of angles: you will see the battlefield from a bird's eye view, as well as in the thick of the battle, through the eyes of the participants in the battle. Each issue is accompanied by a detailed story and analysis. specifications equipment that participated in the battle, as well as comments on the battle itself and the balance of enemy forces. You will see a variety of technical means combat, starting from the Tigers used during the Second World War, which are in service Nazi Germany and before latest developments- thermal targeting systems that were successfully used during the battles in the Persian Gulf.

List of episodes
1. Battle of Easting 73: A harsh godforsaken desert in southern Iraq, the most merciless sandstorms blow here, 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 20th century.
2. The October War: Battle For The Golan Hights: In 1973, Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel. How did several tanks manage to hold back the superior enemy forces?
3. The Battle of El Alamein / The Battles Of El Alamein: North Africa, 1944: about 600 tanks of the combined Italo-German army broke through the Sahara desert into Egypt. The British put up almost 1200 tanks to stop them. Two legendary commander: Montgomery and Rommel fought for control of North Africa and the oil of the Middle East.
4. Ardennes operation: battle of tanks "PT-1" - throw to Bastogne / The Ardennes: On September 16, 1944, German tanks invaded the Ardennes forest in Belgium. The Germans attacked American formations in an attempt to change the course of the war. The Americans responded with one of the most massive counterattacks in their combat history.
5. Ardennes operation: the battle of tanks "PT-2" - the attack of the German "Joachim Peipers" / The Ardennes: 12/16/1944 In December 1944, the most loyal and ruthless assassins of the Third Reich, the Waffen-SS, carry out Hitler's last offensive in the west. This is the story of the incredible breakthrough of the American Line Nazi Sixth Armored Army and its subsequent encirclement and defeat.
6. Operation "Blockbuster" - the battle for Hochwald(02/08/1945) On February 08, 1945, the Canadian Forces launched an attack in the Hochwald Gorge area in order to open access to the Allied forces to the very heart of Germany.
7. The Battle Of Normandy June 06, 1944 Canadian tanks and infantry land on the coast of Normandy and come under deadly fire, coming face to face with the most powerful German vehicles: 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 all costs.
10 The Battle Of Arrcourt September 1944. When Patton's 3rd Army threatened to cross the German border, Hitler, in desperation, sent hundreds of tanks into a head-on collision.
11. Battles of the First World War / Tank Battles of the Great War In 1916 Britain, hoping to break a long, bloody, stalemate on Western front used a new mobile weapon. This is the story of the first tanks and how they changed the face of the modern battlefield forever.
12. Battle for Korea / Tank Battles of Korea In 1950 the world was taken by surprise because North Korea attacked South Korea. This is the story of American tanks racing to the aid of South Korea and the bloody battles they wage on the Korean Peninsula.
13. The Battle of France At the start of World War II, the Germans were the first to introduce new form mobile armored tactics. This is the story of the famous Nazi Blitzkrieg, where thousands of tanks broke through terrain that was considered impassable and conquered Western Europe within a few weeks.
14. The Six Day War: Battle for the Sinai / The Six Day War: Battle for the Sinai In 1967, in response to the growing threat from the Arab neighbors, Israel launches a preemptive strike against Egypt in the Sinai. This is the story of one of the fastest and most dramatic victories in modern warfare.
15. The Battle for the Baltics By 1944 the Soviets have turned the tide of the war in the East and are driving the Nazi army back through the Baltic states. This is the story of German tankers who keep fighting and winning battles even though they cannot win the war.
16. The Battle of Stalingrad / The Battle of Stalingrad Towards the end of 1942, the German offensive on the Eastern Front begins to slow down, and the Soviets place their stake on the defense in the city of Stalingrad. This is the story of one of the most dramatic battles in history, in which an entire German army was lost and the course of the war changed forever.
17. Tank Ace: Ludwig Bauer / Tank Ace: Ludwig Bauer After the success of the Blitzkrieg, youths all over Germany aspired to the tank corps in search of glory. This is the story of a German tanker who comes face to face with the harsh reality of tank forces. He participates in several important battles and survived the Second World War.
18 The October War: Battle for the Sinai Eager to regain lost territory six years earlier, Egypt launches a surprise attack against Israel in October 1973. This is the story of the final Arab-Israeli war in the Sinai, where both sides achieve success, suffer stunning defeats and - most importantly as a result - lasting peace.
19. Battle of Tunisia / The Battle of Tunisia By 1942, Rommel's Afrika Korps had been pushed back into Tunisia and met the new American Panzer Corps in North Africa. This is the story of the last battles in North Africa by two of history's most famous tank commanders, Patton and Rommel.
20. Battle for Italy / Tank Battles of Italy In 1943, the tanks of the Royal Canadian Armored Corps made their combat debut on the European mainland. This is the story of Canadian tankers who fight their way through the Italian peninsula and in an offensive breakthrough seek to liberate Rome from Nazi occupation.
21. Battle for Sinai. Wanting to regain the lost territories, Egypt launched an attack on Israel in 1973. This is the story of how the war in Sinai ended, which brought defeat and victory to both sides.
22. Tank battles of the Vietnam War (part 1)
23. Tank battles of the Vietnam War (part 2)

Since the First World War, 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-fast blitzkriegs.

Battle of Cambrai (1917)

After failures with the use of small tank formations, the British command decided to launch an offensive using a large number of tanks. Since the tanks had not lived up to expectations before, 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 plan of the British command, the upcoming offensive was supposed to begin without traditional artillery preparation. For the first time in history, tanks themselves had to break through the enemy defenses. The offensive at Cambrai was supposed to take the German command by surprise. The operation was prepared in strict secrecy. Tanks were brought to the front in the evening. The British were constantly firing machine guns and mortars to drown out the roar of tank engines. In total, 476 tanks participated in the offensive. The German divisions were defeated and suffered heavy losses. The well-fortified "Hindenburg Line" was broken through to a great depth. However, during the German counter-offensive, the British troops were forced to retreat. Using the remaining 73 tanks, the British managed to prevent a more serious defeat.

Battle for Dubno-Lutsk-Brody (1941)

In the first days of the war, a large-scale tank battle took place in Western Ukraine. The most powerful grouping of the Wehrmacht - "Center" - advanced to the north, to Minsk and further to Moscow. Not so strong army group "South" was advancing on Kiev. But in this direction there was the most powerful grouping of the Red Army - the South-Western Front. Already in the evening of June 22, the troops of this front received orders to encircle and destroy the advancing enemy grouping with powerful concentric strikes by mechanized corps, and by the end of June 24 to capture the Lublin region (Poland). It sounds fantastic, but this is if you do not know the strength of the parties: in a giant oncoming tank battle, 3128 Soviet and 728 German tanks met. The battle lasted a week: from 23 to 30 June. The actions of the mechanized corps were reduced to isolated counterattacks in different directions. The German command, through competent leadership, managed to repel a counterattack and defeat the armies of the Southwestern Front. The rout was complete: the Soviet troops lost 2648 tanks (85%), the Germans - about 260 vehicles.

Battle of El Alamein (1942)

The Battle of El Alamein is a key episode in the Anglo-German confrontation in North Africa. The Germans sought to cut the most important strategic highway of the Allies - the Suez Canal, and rushed to the Middle Eastern oil, which the Axis needed. The pitched 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 forces 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 offset by the military genius of the commander of the Italo-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 superiority of the British in numbers was so impressive that the German shock group 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 proved to be excellent. Only under the pressure of the huge numerical superiority of the enemy, having lost almost all the equipment, the German army began an organized retreat. The Germans had just over 30 tanks left after El Alamein. The total losses of the Italo-German troops in equipment amounted to 320 tanks. The losses of the British armored forces amounted to approximately 500 vehicles, many of which were repaired and returned to service, since the battlefield was eventually 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 participated in it from both sides. The Germans lost 350 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 salient. According to new, updated data, 311 German tanks and self-propelled guns of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps against 597 Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army (Commander Rotmistrov) participated in the tank battle near Prokhorovka. The SS men lost about 70 (22%), and the guards - 343 (57%) units of armored vehicles. None of the parties managed to achieve their goals: the Germans failed to break through the Soviet defenses and enter the operational space, and the Soviet troops failed to surround the enemy grouping. A government commission was set up to investigate the causes of the heavy losses of Soviet tanks. In the report of the commission, the military operations of the Soviet troops near Prokhorovka are called "a model of an unsuccessfully conducted operation." General Rotmistrov was going to be handed over to the tribunal, 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 got its 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 territories lost after the crushing 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 to Syria, including tank crews. On the Golan Heights, 180 Israeli tanks opposed approximately 1,300 Syrian ones. The heights were the most important strategic position for Israel: if the Israeli defenses in the Golan had been broken through, the Syrian troops would have been in the very center of the country in a few hours. For several days, two Israeli tank brigades, suffering heavy losses, defended the Golan Heights from superior enemy forces. The most fierce fighting 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 Kiev. From left to right: 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine N. S. Khrushchev, Commander of the Kiev 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 June 28, 1941

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

Caponier with 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 inspects a captured Soviet KhT-26 flamethrower tank. Western Ukraine, June 1941

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

The Soviet tank T-34-76 of the early series knocked out by the Germans. This machine was produced in 1940 and was equipped with a 76.2 mm L-11 gun. Western Ukraine, June 1941

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

At field kitchen 9th Mechanized Corps of the Red Army under the command of foreman 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 work 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 the crew. Four-digit tactical number: "1013". Army Group South, May 1942

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

A convoy of trucks of the ZiS-5 model (registration number of the vehicle in the foreground "A-6-94-70") is carrying ammunition for leading edge. Southern Front, May 1942

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

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

An impromptu NP set up under cover of a wrecked German tank Рz.Kpfw.III Ausf.H/J. On the wing of the tank, the symbols of the tank battalion and communications platoon are visible. Southwestern Front, May 1942

The commander of the troops of the South-Western direction, Marshal of the Soviet Union S. K. Timoshenko, is 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 fighting near Kharkov), Field Marshal von Bock

Abandoned American-made tanks M3 medium (M3 "General Lee") from the 114th tank brigade of the Consolidated Tank Corps. Tactical numbers "136" and "147" are visible on the towers. Southern Front, May-June 1942

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

Stalingrad "thirty-four" knocked out by the enemy. A triangle and the letters "SUV" are visible on the tower. Southwestern Front, May 1942

Abandoned during the retreat, the 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". Southwest direction, end of May 1942

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

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

StuG III Ausf.F assault gun changes its firing position. The self-propelled guns are camouflaged in the form of yellow streaks over the base gray color scheme and have a white number "274". Army Group "Weichs", motorized division "Grossdeutschland", summer 1942

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

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

A group of Soviet commanders is observing the situation from the NP, located in one of the houses in Voronezh, July 1942

The crew of a heavy KV tank, on alarm, takes their places in their combat vehicle. Bryansk Front, June-July 1942

The new commander of the 40th Army, which defended Voronezh, Lieutenant General M. M. Popov on the command telegraph. On the right is the bodysuit 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

Tank T-34-76, produced at the beginning of the summer at the plant number 112 "Krasnoe Sormovo", is advanced to the line for an attack. Bryansk Front, presumably the 25th Panzer Corps, summer 1942

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

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

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (right), commander of Panzer Army Africa, 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: left - full General Alexander, right - Lieutenant General Montgomery. The picture was taken in the middle of 1942.

English tankers 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 medium tank M4A1 "Sherman" in anticipation of the start of a counterattack. North Africa, 8th Army, 30th Army Corps, 10th Panzer Division, 1942-1943

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

The calculation rolls out a 57-mm anti-tank gun into position. This is the British version of the six-pounder. North Africa, November 2, 1942

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

On November 4, 1942, Wehrmacht Panzer General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma (in the foreground) was captured by British troops. In the picture, he is being taken for interrogation at Montgomery's headquarters. North Africa, 8th Army, autumn 1942

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

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

The commander of the 8th Army, General Montgomery (right), inspects the battlefield from the turret of his command tank M3 Grant. 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 57mm cannon. North Africa, autumn 1942

Prokhorovka 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

Task Force of the 5th Guards Tank Army. Voronezh Front, Prokhorovka direction, July 1943

Scouts-motorcyclists at the starting position for the march. Voronezh Front, advanced 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 for studying the area of the upcoming offensive. The T-34-76 tank with the individual name "Komsomolets of Transbaikalia" is visible in the background. Voronezh Front, July 1943

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

Fighters of a tank destroyer motorized unit (on the "Willis" with anti-tank rifles and 45-mm guns) in anticipation of the start of the attack. Voronezh Front, July 1943

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

Half-tracked transporter Sd.Kfz.10 with tactical designations of the 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Division "Reich" moves past a wrecked Soviet tank of British production MK IV "Churchill IV". Most likely, this heavy vehicle belonged to the 36th Guards Tank Regiment of the breakthrough. Army Group South, July 1943

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

The SwS tractor tows the 88-mm Pak 43/41 heavy anti-tank gun, which received a German soldiers Nickname "Garn Gate". 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 12th TD "Hitler Youth" with Reich awards. November 1944

Tanks "Panther" Pz.Kpfw.V from the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitler Youth" advance to the front line. Hungary, March 1945

Infrared 600-mm searchlight "Filin" ("Uhu"), mounted on an armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz.251/21. 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" is loading ammunition into their combat vehicle. Hungary, 1945

Soviet experts inspect the broken German heavy tank Pz.Kpfw.VI "Royal Tiger". 3rd Ukrainian front, March 1945

German tank "Panther" Pz.Kpfw.V, lined with a sub-caliber projectile. The vehicle has tactical number "431" and given name- Inga. 3rd Ukrainian Front, March 1945

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

Enough rare photo. A fully combat-ready Pz.IV / 70 (V) tank fighter belonging to one of the German tank divisions, most likely an army one. A member of the combat vehicle crew is posing in the foreground. Army Group South, Hungary, Spring 1945

On July 12, 1943, a grandiose 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 participated in it from both sides.

Since the First World War, 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-fast blitzkriegs.

Battle of Cambrai (1917)

According to the plan of the British command, the upcoming offensive was supposed to begin without traditional artillery preparation. For the first time in history, tanks themselves had to break through the enemy defenses.
The offensive at Cambrai was supposed to take the German command by surprise. The operation was prepared in strict secrecy. Tanks were brought to the front in the evening. The British were constantly firing machine guns and mortars to drown out the roar of tank engines.

Battle for Dubno-Lutsk-Brody (1941)

Battle of El Alamein (1942)

The qualitative and quantitative superiority of the British was partly offset by the military genius of the commander of the Italo-German troops, the famous "desert fox" Rommel.

Battle of Prokhorovka (1943)

The Germans lost 350 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 salient.

A government commission was set up to investigate the causes of the heavy losses of Soviet tanks. In the report of the commission, the military operations of the Soviet troops near Prokhorovka are called "a model of an unsuccessfully conducted operation." General Rotmistrov was going to be handed over to the tribunal, but by that time the general situation had developed favorably, and everything worked out.

Battle of the Golan Heights (1973)

Egypt and Syria sought to regain territories lost after the crushing 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 to Syria, including tank crews.

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