But one by one, the Israeli Centurions were knocked out.īut on the fourth day of the fighting, Israeli reinforcements arrived, and the Syrians were forced to withdraw. Some Syrian tanks broke through, causing the Israeli tanks to turn their turrets backwards to destroy them. Unable to call in effective air support, the Israeli defenders dug in and fought off wave after wave of Syrian tank attacks. The Israelis were manning British and American-made Centurion tanks, known for their good gunner sights. Just one Israeli armored brigade, roughly 100 or so tanks and armored vehicles stood in the way of the Syrian 7th Division, a force of 1,400 tanks, including 400 T-62s, at the time the most modern Soviet tank in the field. The war had started on the holiest day in Judaism, when Syrian soldiers supported by 1,400 tanks crossed the border and invaded the Jewish state. The Battle of the Valley of Tears was fought between Israel and Syria during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Israeli troops fight off Syrian soldiers in the Golan Heights, the area was later named the Valley of TearsJared Keller Battle of the Valley of Tears: October 6 – 9, 1973 India lost anywhere between 29 to 129 tanks, whereas Pakistan lost up to 44 tanks. The Indian military had planned to take the city of Sialkot, an important railway hub and central part of the Grand Trunk Road, so that they could use it as a beachhead for further operations into Pakistan.īut the Indian force of 80,000 to 150,000 soldiers and 230 tanks was met outside of their objective at Chawinda by a Pakistani force of 30,000 to 50,000 men and 132 tanks.Īfter more than a day of intense fighting, a UNSC resolution was signed and an unconditional ceasefire was implemented. It was part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, fought over control of Jammu and Kashmir.Īfter the Pakistani Army's attempt to foment an insurgency (Operation Gibraltar) was discovered and subsequently foiled, India retaliated with an outright attack along the Pakistani border. The Battle of Chawinda was one of the largest tank battles fought since World War II. Indian soldiers in front of a destroyed Pakistani Sherman tank during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.Wikimedia Commons Battle of Chawinda: September 17 – 22, 1965 But the British had only managed to penetrate roughly seven miles or so East of Caen.īut Goodwood did draw valuable German tanks away from the Western part of Caen, where the Americans were making their push to the city. Montgomery claimed that all the objectives were achieved and that the mission was a success. Operation Goodwood did cause some controversy. German losses were 75 tanks destroyed, mostly by airstrikes. Their casualties were 5,000 men and 250 to 300 tanks destroyed. The battle did not go the way the British intended. The Wehrmacht had only around 370 tanks at their disposal, but they included the fearsome Tiger and Tiger II tanks. The British had mustered as many as 1,100 tanks for the battle. The goal was to break through to Caen so that it could be liberated. Operation Goodwood was a British offensive that was part of the Battle for Caen, one of the main inland targets that was part of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy. Sherman tanks carrying infantry wait for the order to advance at the start of Operation 'Goodwood', 18 July 1944.Wikimedia Commons Thus, the momentum swung to the side of the Soviets, who eventually won the Battle of Kursk Operation Goodwood: July 18 – 20, 1944 The Germans were unable to take Prokhorovka, and although it was not destroyed (the original goal of the Soviets), the II SS-Panzer Corps was exhausted, and prevented from continuing their offensive. German tank losses were smaller by comparison, up to 80 tanks and assault guns destroyed. The Soviets lost around 400 tanks, more than half of their force.
The fighting was some of the most intense in the history of armored warfare. The battle saw over 600 Soviet tanks from the 5th Guards Tank Army smash head-on into around 300 German tanks from the II SS-Panzer Corps. But that is not to say it was small or insignificant.