Perhaps it is no exaggeration to say that the tank battles of World War II is one of the most important of its images.How are the trenches of the First World way or nuclear missiles postwar confrontation between the socialist and capitalist camps.Actually, it is not surprising, since the tank battles of World War II largely determined its character and course.
not last credit for this belongs to one of the main ideologues and theoreticians motorized war, the German General Heinz Guderian.He is largely owned by a single initiative a powerful blow with his fist forces, by which Nazi forces sought such a dizzying success in the European and African continents, more than two years.Tank battles of World War II in particular gave a brilliant result at its first stage, in record time, beating Polish morally outdated equipment.That division of Guderian's a breakthrough of the German armies at Sedan and successful occupation of French and Belgian territories.Only the so-called "dyunkerskoe miracle" saved the remnants of the armies of the French and English from total defeat, allowing them to reorganize in the future and to protect at first to England in the sky and not allow the Nazis to concentrate absolutely all its military power in the east.Let's look a bit more in the three largest tank battle of all this carnage.
Prokhorovka tank battle
In the mass consciousness of our compatriots ingrained notion that this battle was the largest tank battle of the war.Indeed, the number of forces here were involved in quite a few!About 1,500 tanks on both sides, about equal proportions.This won the battle in July 1943 was one of the greatest pages of our victory and an important part of the offensive of Kursk.However, in spite of the military glory and fame on Prokhorovka Field was not the biggest battle.More large-scale battles took place on the Eastern Front, two years earlier, in the most difficult period of the war, when the Red Army was retreating on all fronts.And unfortunately, these have been devastating battles lost, why, and underwent oblivion of our official history.Yes, and there was no need to mar the joy of victory of the people, and so experienced many difficult days.After the war, this fact has great importance only for historians specializing why Prokhorovka and has remained a place of a mammoth collision combat vehicles.However, we will cover and tragic moments of national history.
tank battle of World War II: Battle of Senno
This episode occurred at the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union and became part of the Vitebsk battle.After the capture of Minsk, German troops moved to the merging of the Dnieper and Dvina, there intending to launch an offensive on Moscow.On the part of the Soviet state in the battle consisted of two armored divisions, numbering more than 900 combat vehicles.At the disposal of the Wehrmacht had three divisions and about a thousand serviceable tanks, backed by aircraft.As a result of the battle on 6-10 July 1941, Soviet forces lost more than eight hundred of its combat units, paving the opponent the opportunity to continue their progress without a change of plans and to launch an offensive in the direction of Moscow.
largest tank battle in history
In reality, most large-scale battle took place even earlier!Already in the first days of the Nazi invasion (23-30 June 1941) between the towns of Brody - Lutsk - Dubno that the Western Ukraine was a collision with the participation of more than 3,200 tanks.In addition, the number of combat vehicles there were three times more than in Prokhorovka, and the duration of the battle proceeded more than a day and a week!As a result of the battle the Soviet corps were literally crushed, the Army of the Southwestern Front suffered a rapid and crushing defeat, paving the way for the enemy Kiev, Kharkov, and further occupation of Ukraine.
