![]() In its last blitzkrieg offensive, Germany attacks the Red Army near Kursk, Russia, but due to delays and the cracking of the German Wehrmacht code, the Soviets are prepared and keep Hitler from conquering Russia. Military history's largest tank battle takes place on the Eastern Front involving an estimated 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and 2 million soldiers. The victory is touted by Winston Churchill as the "end of the beginning." Battle of Kursk, July 5 to August 23, 1943 Eisenhower leads attacks on Oran, Algiers and Casablanca before advancing on Tunis and causing the Vichy French to realign with the Allies. The Allies invade French North Africa in an attempt to draw the Axis away from Soviet attacks on the Eastern Front and gain control of the Mediterranean shipping lanes. One of the longest, biggest and deadliest battles of the war, it ends with close to 2 million casualties, including civilians, with brutal winter weather and a Russian blockade causing many Germans to starve to death. In a conflict that marks the war's outcome tipping in the favor of the Allies, the Red Army defends the Russian city of Stalingrad from German attack, bringing an end to the Axis's eastern Europe advances and handing it its first decisive defeat. Battle of Stalingrad, Augto February 2, 1943 The Allies lose 29 ships and 7,100 soldiers. But with reinforcements arriving, hand-to-hand jungle combat follows with Japan finally retreating six months later, with 31,000 casualties and the loss of 38 ships. forces launch a surprise attack, taking control of the airfield and forcing the Japanese into initial retreat. ![]() Weeks after Japan begins building a strategic airfield on Guadalcanal, part of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific Ocean, U.S. ![]() Battle of the Guadalcanal Campaign: Augto February 9, 1943 forces, including dive bombers, attack, sinking four of Japan's aircraft carriers and the victory serves as a turning point in the conflict. ![]() In one of America's most important World War II naval wins, American intelligence is able to break codes to thwart a Japanese attack on the US. Germany claims victory with remaining Allied troops surrendering, but the evacuation serves to boost British morale, still referred to as the "Dunkirk spirit." But with Adolf Hitler halting Germany's advance there, the Allies are able to perform a daring-and successful-evacuation, called Operation Dynamo. Battle of Dunkirk from May 26 to June 4, 1940Ī German invasion around the French coastal town of Dunkirk separates the French and British armies, marooning Allied forces. Over five years, thousands of ships engage in 100-plus battles in the Atlantic Ocean with approximately 100,000 lives lost. The Axis, with its U-boats, responds with a counter-blockade that is at first successful, but the Allies' use of convoys, aircraft and technology eventually turns the tide. World War II's longest continuous campaign takes place, with the Allies striking a naval blockade against Germany and igniting a struggle for control of Atlantic Ocean sea routes. There are no signs of this changing soon, with the development of tanks continuing to adapt to the modern battlefield.Battle of the Atlantic: Septemto May 8, 1945 The Modern Era: Are Tanks Still Relevant?: Despite numerous prophets heralding the demise of the tank, armor is still an important branch of all the World’s militaries. The USA and USSR, together with their own alliances, forged a new generation of armored vehicles learning from numerous proxy wars. The Cold War: East vs West: Two opposed superpowers led to the splitting of the world into East and West. From the jungles of Pacific Atolls to the arid desert of Libya, the icy and windy steppes of the Soviet Union and the rainy bocage of Normandy. WW2: Proving Ground For Armoured Warfare: For the first time, large numbers of Tanks and Armoured vehicles would combat one another. They were intended to breach no man’s land, but the tank quickly became a killing machine integrated in combined arms operations. WW1: Mud, Barbed Wire and Trenches The United Kingdom and France started development of tanks in order to break through enemy lines. And please, support us ! Comrades on Tracks If you spot something missing, please add it to our Public Suggestion list. Tank Encyclopedia continues to be a ‘Work-in-Progress’ and this is where you, the reader, can help.
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