Tank battles online. Major battles of World War II

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 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 theirs.

Battle of Prokhorovka (1943)

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

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

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

Neither side managed to achieve its goals: the Germans failed to break through the Soviet defenses and enter the operational space, and the Soviet troops failed to encircle the enemy group.

A government commission was created to investigate the reasons for the large losses of Soviet tanks. In the commission's report fighting Soviet troops near Prokhorovka are called “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 viewer experiences a complete view of tank warfare: a bird's eye view, from the soldiers' point of view of face-to-face confrontation and the careful technical analysis of 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 of 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 commander: 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 collided 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 reaches its climax in the Russian village of Prokhorovka on July 12, 1943. This is the story of the largest 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.

Year of issue : 2009-2013
A country : Canada, USA
Genre : documentary, war
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

Description of the Series : Large-scale tank battles unfold before you in full view, in all their beauty, cruelty and lethality. In the documentary series “Great Tank Battles”, the most significant tank battles are reconstructed using advanced computer technologies and animation. 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 themselves. Each issue is accompanied a detailed story and analysis technical characteristics equipment that took part in the battle, as well as comments regarding the battle itself and the balance of enemy forces. You will see a variety of technical means combat, ranging from the Tigers used during the Second World War, which were in service with Nazi Germany, to the latest developments- thermal target guidance systems, which were successfully used during the battles in the Persian Gulf.

List of episodes
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. The Yom Kippur War: Battle for the Golan Heights / The October War: Battle For The Golan Heights: In 1973, Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel. How did several tanks manage to hold off superior enemy forces?
3. The Battle of El Alamein: Northern Africa, 1944: About 600 tanks of the combined 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 entered 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. 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: SS armored tanks.
8. Battle of Kursk. Part 1: Northern Front / The Battle Of Kursk: Northern Front In 1943, numerous Soviet and German armies collided 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. It 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. 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.
11. Battles of the First World War / Tank Battles of the Great War In 1916, Britain, hoping to break the long, bloody, hopeless situation in 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 of 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 rushing to the rescue South Korea and the bloody battles they wage on the Korean Peninsula.
13. The Battle of France At the beginning of World War II, the Germans were the first to introduce new uniform mobile armored tactics. This is the story of the Nazis' famous 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 In 1967, in response to the growing threat from its Arab neighbors, Israel began preemptive strike against Egypt in 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 had turned the tide of the war in the East and were driving the Nazi army back through the Baltic states. This is the story of German tank crews who continue to fight and win battles even though they cannot win the war.
16. The Battle of Stalingrad By the end of 1942, the German offensive on the Eastern Front begins to slow down, and the Soviets place their emphasis on 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 was changed forever.
17. Tank Ace: Ludwig Bauer / Tank Ace: Ludwig Bauer After the success of the Blitzkrieg, young men throughout Germany flocked to the tank corps in search of glory. This is the story of one German tankman who comes face to face with the harsh reality of tank forces. He fights in several important battles and survives World War II.
18 October War: Battle for the Sinai / The October War: Battle for the Sinai Seeking to recapture 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 - enduring peace.
19. The Battle of Tunisia By 1942, Rommel's Afrika Korps had been driven back to Tunisia and met the new American Panzer Corps in North Africa. This is the story of the final battles in North Africa by two of history's most famous tank commanders, Patton and Rommel.
20. Battle of 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 tank crews who fight their way across the Italian Peninsula and, in an offensive breakthrough, strive to liberate Rome from Nazi occupation.
21. Battle of Sinai. Wanting to regain lost territory, Egypt launched an attack on Israel in 1973. This is the story of how the war in the Sinai ended, bringing both defeats and victories to both sides.
22. Tank battles of the Vietnam War (part 1)
23. Tank battles of the Vietnam War (part 2)

Since its inception, the tank has been and remains main threat on the battlefield. Tanks became a tool of blitzkrieg and a weapon of victory in World War II, a decisive trump card in the Iran-Iraq war; even equipped with the most modern means The American army cannot do without the support of tanks to destroy enemy personnel. the site has selected the seven largest tank battles from the moment these armored vehicles first appeared on the battlefield until today.

Battle of Cambrai

This was the first successful episode of the massive use of tanks: more than 476 tanks, united in 4 tank brigades, took part in the Battle of Cambrai. Great hopes were placed on armored vehicles: with their help, the British intended to break through the heavily fortified Siegfried Line. The tanks, mostly the latest at that time Mk IV with side armor reinforced to 12 mm, were equipped with the latest know-how of that time - fascines (75 bundles of brushwood, fastened with chains), thanks to which the tank could overcome wide trenches and ditches.
On the very first day of fighting, a resounding success was achieved: the British managed to wedge 13 km into the enemy’s defenses, capture 8,000 German soldiers and 160 officers, as well as a hundred guns. However, it was not possible to develop the success, and the subsequent counter-offensive of the German troops virtually nullified the efforts of the Allies.

The irretrievable losses in Allied tanks amounted to 179 vehicles, and even more tanks failed due to technical reasons.

Battle of Annu

Some historians consider the Battle of Annu to be the first tank battle of World War II. It began on May 13, 1940, when Hoepner's 16th Panzer Corps (623 tanks, of which 125 were the newest 73 Pz-III and 52 Pz-IV, capable of fighting French armored vehicles on equal terms), advancing in the first echelon of the 6th German army, started battles with the advanced French tank units of the corps of General R. Priou (415 tanks - 239 Hotchkiss and 176 SOMUA).

During the two-day battle, the 3rd French Light Mechanized Division lost 105 tanks, while German losses amounted to 164 vehicles. At the same time, German aviation had complete air supremacy.

Raseiniai tank battle

According to data from open sources, about 749 Soviet tanks and 245 German vehicles took part in the Battle of Raseiniai. The Germans had air superiority, good communications and organization on their side. The Soviet command threw its units into battle in parts, without artillery and air cover. The result turned out to be predictable - an operational and tactical victory for the Germans, despite the courage and heroism of the Soviet soldiers.

One of the episodes of this battle became legendary - the Soviet KV tank was able to hold off the advance of an entire tank group for 48 hours. For a long time, the Germans could not control a single tank; they tried to shoot it with an anti-aircraft gun, which was soon destroyed, and to blow up the tank, but all in vain. As a result, they had to use a tactical trick: the KV was surrounded by 50 German tanks and began to fire from three directions in order to divert his attention. At this time, an 88-mm anti-aircraft gun was secretly installed in the rear of the KV. She hit the tank 12 times, and three shells pierced the armor, destroying it.

Battle of Brody

The largest tank battle in initial stage World War II, in which 800 German tanks opposed by 2,500 Soviet vehicles (figures vary greatly from source to source). Soviet troops advanced in the most difficult conditions: tankers entered the battle after a long march (300-400 km), and in scattered units, without waiting for the arrival of combined arms support formations. The equipment broke down on the march, and there was no normal communication, and the Luftwaffe dominated the skies, the supply of fuel and ammunition was disgusting.

Therefore, in the battle for Dubno - Lutsk - Brody, Soviet troops were defeated, losing more than 800 tanks. The Germans were missing about 200 tanks.

Battle of the Valley of Tears

The Battle of the Valley of Tears, which took place during the Yom Kippur War, clearly showed that victory is achieved not by numbers, but by skill. In this battle, numerical and qualitative superiority was on the side of the Syrians, who prepared more than 1,260 tanks for the assault on the Golan Heights, including the newest at that time T-55 and T-62.

All that Israel had was a couple of hundred tanks and excellent training, as well as courage and high stamina in battle, the latter the Arabs never had. Illiterate soldiers could leave the tank even after a shell hit it without penetrating the armor, and it was very difficult for the Arabs to cope even with simple Soviet sights.

The most epic was the battle in the Valley of Tears, when, according to open sources, more than 500 Syrian tanks attacked 90 Israeli vehicles. In this battle, the Israelis were desperately short of ammunition, to the point that the reconnaissance unit's jeeps moved from tank to tank with 105-mm ammunition recovered from the downed Centurions. As a result, 500 Syrian tanks were destroyed and big number other equipment, the Israeli losses amounted to about 70-80 vehicles.

Battle of the Kharhi Valley

One of major battles The Iran-Iraq War occurred in the Kharkhi Valley, near the city of Susengerd in January 1981. Then the 16th Tank Division of Iran, armed with the latest British Chieftain tanks and American M60s, faced an Iraqi tank division - 300 Soviet T-62s - in a head-on battle.

The battle lasted about two days, from January 6 to 8, during which time the battlefield turned into a real quagmire, and the opponents became so close that it became risky to use aviation. The result of the battle was the victory of Iraq, whose troops destroyed or captured 214 Iranian tanks.

Also during the battle, the myth about the invulnerability of the Chieftain tanks, which had powerful frontal armor, was buried. It turned out that the 115-mm armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile of the T-62 cannon penetrates the powerful armor of the Chieftain's turret. Since then, Iranian tank crews were afraid to launch a frontal attack on Soviet tanks.

Battle of Prokhorovka

The most famous tank battle in a story in which about 800 Soviet tanks collided with 400 German tanks in a head-on battle. Most Soviet tanks were T-34s, armed with a 76mm cannon, which did not penetrate the newest German Tigers and Panthers head-on. Soviet tank crews had to use suicidal tactics: get closer to German vehicles on maximum speed and hit them on board.
In this battle, the Red Army's losses amounted to about 500 tanks, or 60%, while German losses amounted to 300 vehicles, or 75% of the original number. The most powerful strike force was drained of blood. The Inspector General of the Wehrmacht tank forces, General G. Guderian, stated the defeat: “The armored forces, replenished with such great difficulty, due to large losses in people and equipment on for a long time went out of order... and there were no more quiet days on the Eastern Front."

70 years ago: the largest tank battle of the Great Patriotic War July 2nd, 2011

Usually in the USSR the biggest tank battle of the war was called the oncoming one. battle near Prokhorovka during the Battle of Kursk (July 1943). But 826 Soviet vehicles fought there against 416 German ones (although a little less took part in the battle itself on both sides). But two years earlier, from June 24 to June 30, 1941, between the cities Lutsk, Dubno and Brody the battle took place much more grandiose: 5 Soviet mechanized corps (about 2500 tanks) stood in the way of the III German tank group (more than 800 tanks).

The Soviet corps received orders to attack the advancing enemy and tried to fight head-on. But our command did not have a unified plan, and tank formations struck at the advancing Germans one by one. The old light tanks were not scary for the enemy, but the new tanks of the Red Army (T-34, T-35 and KV) turned out to be stronger than the German ones, so the Nazis began to evade battle with them, withdraw their vehicles, put their infantry in the way of the Soviet mechanized corps and anti-tank artillery.

(Photos taken from site waralbum.ru - there are many pictures taken by all the warring parties
Stalin's generals with their divisions under the influence of "" (where it was ordered to "capture the Lublin region", that is, to invade Poland) rushed forward, lost supply lines, and then our tankers had to abandon completely intact tanks along the roads, left without fuel and ammunition. The Germans looked at them with surprise - especially powerful vehicles with strong armor and several turrets.

The terrible massacre ended on July 2, when the Soviet units surrounded near Dubno broke through to their front, retreating in the direction of Kyiv.

On June 25, the 9th and 19th mechanized corps of generals Rokossovsky (his memories of those days) and Feklenko dealt such a powerful blow to the invaders that they drove them back Smooth, to which the German tankers were already only a few kilometers away. On June 27, an equally powerful blow to the area Dubno was inflicted by the tank division of Commissar Popel (his memories).
Trying to surround the enemy who had broken through, Soviet formations kept running into anti-tank defenses put up by the enemy on the flanks. During the assault on these lines, up to half of the tanks perished in one day, as happened on June 24 under Lutsk and June 25 under Radekhov.
There were almost no Soviet fighters in the air: they died on the first day of the war (many at airfields). German pilots felt like “kings of the air.” General Ryabyshev's 8th mechanized corps, hurrying to the front, lost half of its tanks during a 500-kilometer march from enemy air strikes (Ryabyshev's emars).
The Soviet infantry could not keep up with their tanks, while the German infantry was much more mobile - it moved on trucks and motorcycles. There was a case when the tank units of the 15th mechanized corps of General Carpezo were outflanked and almost immobilized by enemy infantry.
On June 28, the Germans finally broke into Smooth. On June 29, Soviet troops were surrounded by Dubno(On July 2, they were still able to escape from the encirclement). On June 30, the Nazis occupied Brody. The general retreat of the Southwestern Front began, and Soviet troops left Lvov, to avoid being surrounded.
During the days of fighting, more than 2,000 tanks were lost on the Soviet side, and either “about 200” or “more than 300” on the German side. But the Germans took their tanks, took them to the rear and tried to repair them. The Red Army was losing its armored vehicles forever. Moreover, the Germans later repainted some tanks, painted crosses on them and put their armored units into service.