The Battle of Tarawa (20-23 November 1943) was the first US large-scale amphibious assault on a heavily fortified Japanese island during WWII. This battle is the first time the US Marine Corps deployed the Sherman tank in combat and the Marines first tank-vs-tank engagement with a Japanese tank. On Tarawa, LVTs (amtracs) were used for … Continue reading Tarawa 1943
Tag: WWII
Soviet Invasion of Manchuria 1945
The Soviet invasion of Japanese-held Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation or simply the Manchurian Operation and sometimes, mainly in the West, as Operation August Storm was the last major land battle of WWII. The Soviets also made the last amphibious landings of the war when they liberated South Sakhalin Island and … Continue reading Soviet Invasion of Manchuria 1945
US T26E4 Super Pershing tank
The Super Pershing tank was a prototype of the standard M26 Pershing tank armed with a new high velocity 90mm gun that was capable of penetrating the thick armor of the German King Tiger. In March 1945, one prototype was sent to Europe and was assigned to the US 3rd Armored Division. It was used … Continue reading US T26E4 Super Pershing tank
WWI US Tanks
The US entered into World War I on 6 April 1917, more than two and a half years after the war began, without any tanks of its own. The Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was formed and the first US tank units began to see combat in September 1918. Artist: David Pentland … Continue reading WWI US Tanks
Malta 1940-43
From June 1940 to November 1942, the fight for the control of the strategically important island of Malta pitted the air and naval forces of Italy and Germany against the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Navy. Malta was one of the most intensively bombed areas during WWII. Artist: Antonis Karidis Malta was a … Continue reading Malta 1940-43
Falaise Pocket 1944
The Falaise Pocket (12 to 21 August 1944) was the last decisive battle in Normandy during WWII. The Allied Armies formed a pocket around Falaise, Calvados, in which German Army Group B, consisting remnants of the 7th Army and the 5th Panzer Army (the tattered remains of 11 panzer divisions, including the 1st, 2nd, 9th, … Continue reading Falaise Pocket 1944
US Super-Heavy Tank T28
There are a few prototype armored fighting vehicles that are as recognizable as the US Super-Heavy Tank T28. It was originally designed to assault the heavy fortified defenses expected to be encountered on the Siegfried Line along the western borders of Germany. Later it was planned to be used in the invasion of the Japanese … Continue reading US Super-Heavy Tank T28
Panzer VIII Maus
The Panzer VIII Maus was the German last and only super heavy tank built during WWII. It was the heaviest fully enclosed armored fighting vehicle ever built and was planned to be employed as a “break through” panzer. The Maus was the only German panzer program to been canceled due to the Allied strategic bombing … Continue reading Panzer VIII Maus
Operation Plunder 1945
Operation Plunder was the British and Canadian operation to cross the Rhine river on 23 March 1945, launched by the 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery. The crossing was made between Rees and Wesel by the British 2nd Army under General Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey, and south of Wesel between Wallach and … Continue reading Operation Plunder 1945
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