The largest tank battle. Tank battle near Prokhorovka

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 the documentaries in the series relate to the Second World War. Overall, excellent material that needs to be double-checked before being believed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. Battle of Kursk. Part 1: Northern Front/ The Battle Of Kursk: Northern Front In 1943, numerous Soviet and German armies 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. This is the story of the biggest tank battle in military history, as elite SS troops face off against Soviet defenders determined to stop them at any cost.

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

Battle of Prokhorovka

On July 12, 1943, the largest tank battle of World War II took place.

Battle of Prokhorovka became the culmination of a grandiose strategic operation, which went down in history as one that was decisive in ensuring a radical turning point during the Great Patriotic War.

The events of those days unfolded as follows. Hitler's command planned to carry out a major offensive in the summer of 1943, seize the strategic initiative and turn the tide of the war in its favor. For this purpose, a military operation codenamed “Citadel” was developed and approved in April 1943.
Having information about the preparation of fascist German troops for an offensive, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command decided to temporarily go on the defensive on the Kursk ledge and, during the defensive battle, bleed the enemy’s strike forces. Thereby it was planned to create favorable conditions for the transition of Soviet troops to a counteroffensive, and then to a general strategic offensive.
July 12, 1943 near the railway station Prokhorovka(56 km north of Belgorod), the advancing German tank group (4th Tank Army, Task Force Kempf) was stopped by a counterattack by Soviet troops (5th Guards Army, 5th Guards). Initially, the main German attack on the southern front of the Kursk Bulge was directed to the west - along the Yakovlevo - Oboyan operational line. On July 5, in accordance with the offensive plan, German troops as part of the 4th Panzer Army (48th Panzer Corps and 2nd SS Panzer Corps) and Army Group Kempf went on the offensive against the troops of the Voronezh Front, in position 6- On the first day of the operation, the Germans sent five infantry, eight tank and one motorized divisions to the 1st and 7th Guards armies. On July 6, two counterattacks were launched against the advancing Germans from the Kursk-Belgorod railway by the 2nd Guards Tank Corps and from the Luchki (northern) - Kalinin area by the 5th Guards Tank Corps. Both counterattacks were repelled by the German 2nd SS Panzer Corps.
To provide assistance to Katukov’s 1st Tank Army, which was waging heavy fighting in the Oboyan direction, the Soviet command prepared a second counterattack. At 23:00 on July 7, front commander Nikolai Vatutin signed directive No. 0014/op on readiness to begin active operations from 10:30 on the 8th. However, the counterattack, delivered by the 2nd and 5th Guards Tank Corps, as well as the 2nd and 10th Tank Corps, although it eased the pressure on the 1st TA brigades, did not bring tangible results.
Having not achieved decisive success - by this time the depth of advance of the advancing troops in the well-prepared Soviet defense in the Oboyan direction was only about 35 kilometers - the German command, in accordance with its plans, shifted the spearhead of the main attack in the direction of Prokhorovka with the intention of reaching Kursk through the bend of the Psel River . The change in direction of the attack was due to the fact that, according to the plans of the German command, it was in the bend of the Psel River that it seemed most appropriate to meet the inevitable counterattack of the superior Soviet tank reserves. If the village of Prokhorovka was not occupied by German troops before the arrival of Soviet tank reserves, it was planned to suspend the offensive altogether and temporarily go on the defensive, in order to take advantage of the advantageous terrain, preventing the Soviet tank reserves from escaping from the narrow defile formed by the swampy floodplain. the Psel River and the railway embankment, and prevent them from realizing their numerical advantage by covering the flanks of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps.

Destroyed German tank

By July 11, the Germans took their starting positions to capture Prokhorovka. Probably having intelligence data about the presence of Soviet tank reserves, the German command took action to repel the inevitable counterattack of the Soviet troops. The 1st division of the Leibstandarte-SS "Adolf Hitler", better equipped than other divisions of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps, took a defile and on July 11 did not undertake attacks in the direction of Prokhorovka, pulling up anti-tank weapons and preparing defensive positions. On the contrary, the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" and the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" supporting its flanks conducted active offensive battles outside the defile on July 11, trying to improve their position (in particular, the 3rd Panzer Division covering the left flank The SS Totenkopf expanded the bridgehead on the northern bank of the Psel River, managing to transport a tank regiment to it on the night of July 12, providing flanking fire on the expected Soviet tank reserves in the event of an attack through the defile). By this time, the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army was concentrated in positions northeast of the station, which, being in reserve, on July 6 received an order to make a 300-kilometer march and take up defense at the Prokhorovka-Vesely line. The concentration area of the 5th Guards Tank and 5th Guards Combined Arms Armies was chosen by the command of the Voronezh Front, taking into account the threat of a breakthrough by the 2nd SS Tank Corps of the Soviet defense in the Prokhorovsk direction. On the other hand, the choice of the indicated area for the concentration of two guards armies in the Prokhorovka area, in the event of their participation in a counterattack, inevitably led to a head-on collision with the strongest enemy group (2nd SS Panzer Corps), and given the nature of the defile, it excluded the possibility of covering the flanks of the defender in this direction of the 1st Leibstandarte-SS Division "Adolf Hitler". The frontal counterattack on July 12 was planned to be carried out by the 5th Guards Tank Army, the 5th Guards Army, as well as the 1st Tank, 6th and 7th Guards armies. However, in reality, only the 5th Guards Tank and 5th Guards Combined Arms, as well as two separate tank corps (2nd and 2nd Guards), were able to go on the attack; the rest fought defensive battles against the advancing German units. Opposing the front of the Soviet offensive were the 1st Leibstandarte-SS Division "Adolf Hitler", the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" and the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf".

Destroyed German tank

The first clash in the Prokhorovka area occurred on the evening of July 11. According to the recollections of Pavel Rotmistrov, at 17 o’clock he, together with Marshal Vasilevsky, during reconnaissance, discovered a column of enemy tanks that were moving towards the station. The attack was stopped by two tank brigades.
At 8 am, the Soviet side carried out artillery preparation and at 8:15 went on the offensive. The first attacking echelon consisted of four tank corps: 18, 29, 2 and 2 Guards. The second echelon was the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps.

At the beginning of the battle, Soviet tankers gained some advantage: the rising sun blinded the Germans advancing from the west. The high density of the battle, during which tanks fought at short distances, deprived the Germans of the advantage of more powerful and long-range guns. Soviet tank crews were able to target the most vulnerable spots of heavily armored German vehicles.
To the south of the main battle, the German tank group “Kempf” was advancing, which tried to enter the advancing Soviet group on the left flank. The threat of envelopment forced the Soviet command to divert part of its reserves to this direction.
At about 1 p.m., the Germans withdrew the 11th Tank Division from reserve, which, together with the Death's Head division, struck the Soviet right flank, on which the forces of the 5th Guards Army were located. Two brigades of the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps were sent to their aid and the attack was repulsed.
By 2 p.m., Soviet tank armies began to push the enemy westward. By evening, Soviet tankers were able to advance 10-12 kilometers, thus leaving the battlefield in their rear. The battle was won.

This day was the coldest in the history of weather observations. July, 12 was in 1887 year, when the average daily temperature in Moscow was +4.7 degrees Celsius, and the warmest was in 1903 year. That day the temperature rose to +34.5 degrees.

June 1941: Battle of Dubno

Recently, it has become fashionable for historians and publicists to assign the title of the largest tank battle to the battle of Prokhorovka, while another, less well-known, but no less bloody battle - near Dubno on June 23-28, 1941 - played no less a role during the war.

There is a certain logic to this. Already there and then, the outcome of the fighting on the entire Soviet-German front could have been predetermined, but under one condition: if the Red Army tankers had gained the upper hand. Alas, this did not happen, although there were excellent opportunities for this.

What happened in and around the western Ukrainian city of Dubno can be called the largest tank battle solely for arithmetic reasons. There were more heavy combat vehicles that took part in it than on the Prokhorovsky field. And indeed it is.

June 27, 1941, when the Soviet mechanized corps were closest to achieving triumph. If it had happened then, perhaps the enemy would never have reached Prokhorovka, but, unfortunately, everything did not turn out so well.

Victory, as is now clear, was very close then. It was only necessary to support the group under the command of brigade commissar N.K. Popel, which fought to the outskirts of Dubno, with neighboring units. It could well have cut off the communications of the 1st Nazi Panzer Group, effectively encircling it.

But the infantry units, instead of moving along with the tankers, for some reason covered them from the rear. As a result, they were unable to cover the tanks.

It was customary in Soviet historiography to portray Commissar N.N. Vashugin as almost a tyrant, who ordered an attack with only part of his forces and threatened to shoot him. But he acted correctly - it was not his fault that the command of the Southwestern Front showed outright indecisiveness. Not even all the tank units that had already been deployed took part in the offensive. It was out of despair that N.N. Vashugin most likely shot himself, from the realization of his own powerlessness to help the units he sent into an obviously losing battle.

It may not have happened without betrayal, otherwise how can one explain why the main striking force of the entire Red Army - the 4th mechanized corps under the command of that same A. A. Vlasov - did not participate in the decisive battle?

Purely formally, he acted within the framework of the instructions of the command of the Southwestern Front, which, instead of the attack on Lublin prescribed by Headquarters, decided only on a local operation near Dubno.

However, it could have brought success if, for example, the tankers of the later famous commander M.E. Katukov had made their way to meet Popel’s tankmen. But his 20th Tank Division and the remaining units of the 9th Mechanized Corps under the command of another legendary Soviet military leader K.K. Rokossovsky could not cope with the powerful and trained anti-tank defense of the Nazis. .

As a result, the Nazis quickly recovered from the unexpected breakthrough of the Popelevites to their rear and first stopped them almost on the streets of Dubno, and then took them in a pincer movement and defeated them, forcing all other Soviet tank forces to go on the defensive.

The latter suffered very heavy losses not only in battle, but also on the march due to breakdowns, lack of fuel and enemy air strikes. So, instead of a very real triumph, it turned out to be a terrible defeat.

July - November 1942: Battle of El Alamein

The British also had their greatest tank battle during World War II. It happened near the Egyptian town of El Alamein in 1942. Strictly speaking, it didn’t happen, but continued throughout the second half of this year.

About this battle, as well as about most others that happened on their fronts, in addition to the Soviet-German one, Russian and Western historiography have very different ideas. If in the West it is customary to attach exaggerated significance to them, in our country, on the contrary, it is in the order of things to emphasize the secondary nature of what happened in North Africa.

The truth, as usual, is in the middle: of course, the main battles took place on the fields near Moscow, in the trenches of Stalingrad and the Kursk Bulge. But if significant forces of the Nazis had not been distracted by the same battles near El Alamein, it would have been even more difficult to contain the enemy of the Red Army.

And strategically: if the Nazis had managed to cut the Suez Canal, this would have significantly strengthened their position. The capture of Alexandria and Cairo could push Turkey to participate in the war on their side.

In terms of its scale, the battle in the Egyptian desert was very impressive. In terms of the number of participants, it was inferior to the battles of Dubno, where over 3,000 tanks took part on both sides, but was superior to the battle of Prokhorovka - approximately 1,500 versus 1,200.

One way or another, tank duels at El Alamein were extremely important even thousands of kilometers away. And from a moral point of view, because the success of the English brothers in arms strengthened the already high spirit of the defenders of Stalingrad. In turn, their heroism most dramatically influenced the course and result of the battle in Egypt.

First of all, thanks to them, at first the “desert fox” - German Field Marshal E. Rommel - did not receive the two missing divisions, since they were sent by Hitler to the Eastern Front. Then, because of the desire to take Stalingrad at any cost, the Fuhrer also took A. Kesselring’s 2nd Air Fleet from Italy.

Thus, in the midst of the battles for the “doorknob of Alexandria” (as Rommel defined it), he lost air protection and fuel supply routes. British aircraft sank several Italian transports - and Nazi tanks lost the ability to move.

Rommel had to abandon the tactics of mobile defense, taking up static positions. There they were slowly but surely crushed by the British 8th Army under the command of B. Montgomery.

The tactical miscalculation of the Nazis also played in favor of the British - they poisoned themselves on the campaign in the Middle East, leaving Malta in their rear, where the British air and naval bases were located. As a result, their communications and without the transfer of most of the aircraft to the Soviet-German front were under attack.

But all of Hitler's mistakes do not diminish the courage of the British. First they held back the onslaught of Rommel's corps, and then broke through his defenses, splitting the enemy front into two parts.

The collapse of the Nazis in this case could have been predetermined, but it did not happen due to the reluctance of the leadership of Western countries to rush into opening a second front. Otherwise, they would have lost the basis to refer to the employment of troops in the North African theater of operations.

1943: Confrontation near Prokhorovka

Paying a well-deserved tribute to those who fought the Nazis at Dubno and El Alamein, one cannot help but admit that Prokhorovka is still the main battle of the tank armies in the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War. Because it was there that the fate of both was finally decided - even the most stubborn Nazis there became clear that their song was over.

Prokhorovka was not just a major tank battle, but a decisive battle on a decisive sector of the front. The Soviet 5th Tank Army under the command of P.A. Rotmistrov, hastily transferred to this direction from the reserve Steppe Front, had no room for error and retreat.

For the Nazis from Paul Hausser's 2nd Panzer Corps, in principle, everything was at stake too. But they initially had little chance both in a specific battle and in the war in general against the USSR and its allies.

However, if they had managed to break through then, on July 12, 1943, and gain operational space to advance to Kursk, our troops could have had big problems. Therefore, Rotmistrov’s pupils fought desperately both for themselves and for those whom the Nazis could, if they had taken them, eventually surround them. Neither one nor the other took into account losses.

Formally, the Nazis lost fewer combat vehicles - 300 out of 400 available versus 500 out of 800 Soviet ones. But in percentage terms, these losses were much more sensitive for them. With a hundred tanks remaining in service, Hausser's warriors no longer posed a serious threat.

But Hitler’s Headquarters did not dare to abandon its last reserves. Moreover, far to the West, their attention was diverted by the Allied landings in Sicily.

But most importantly, the Nazis already realized that they were dealing with a completely different enemy. Soviet tank crews at Prokhorovka and their predecessors at Dubno were completely different tank crews. Not only in terms of combat training, but also the perception of war. They already knew what misfortune fascism brought to our land, what atrocities the Nazis committed in the occupied territory.

It is clear that the Soviet soldiers fought hard and decisively, knowing full well what a fierce enemy was opposing them in the person of the SS men. This helped them at least partially compensate for the superiority of the German Tiger tanks, which were capable of hitting our T-34s from a longer distance.

There was only one salvation - try to get close to the enemy as quickly as possible. In this case, our armored vehicles already had an advantage in the form of higher maneuverability.

Tanks in Hitler's lair

To be fair, it should be noted that another major and also decisive tank battle took place at the very end of the war. The role of tank armies during the storming of Berlin was also very large. It was they who “gnawed through” the system of defensive positions on the Seelow Heights, and it was they who surrounded the Nazi capital and on its streets helped the assault groups make their way to the center.

But still, the Berlin operation is the merit of all branches of the military, without exception, equally. As, indeed, in achieving the Great Victory in general.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 of the Soviet troops in May 1942. Photo portrait 1940–1941

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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