![]() ![]() ![]() Moreover, tanks, originally conceived as offensive instruments, turned out to be at least equally useful on the defense, especially when dug into the ground in “hull-down” positions and deployed with other weapons and field fortifications such as antitank ditches, mines, and barbed wire. Occasionally, as at ʿAlam al-Halfaʾ in 1942 and again during the German counterattacks in Normandy in 1944, air power was able to halt armoured thrusts almost on its own. When the attacker did not enjoy air superiority, as often happened to the Allies before 1942 and to the Germans after that year, the logistic “tails” on which blitzkrieg tactics depended proved very vulnerable to attack by fighter-bombers. Such an operational reach sufficed to bring down medium-size countries such as Poland and France but not a continent-size country such as the Soviet Union, which was also distinguished by a terrible road system. These convoys themselves made extraordinary demands for fuel, maintenance, and spare parts, with the result that even the most carefully planned, brilliantly led armoured thrusts tended to lose momentum once their spearheads had reached 200 to 250 miles from base. Since railways were too inflexible for the purpose, armoured divisions depended on motor convoys for the bulk of their supplies. Later, though, it became increasingly clear that there were certain limits to the armoured offensive. Between 19, this method of making war led to brilliant victories equal to any in history. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!Īir forces assisted armoured formations during World War II by providing reconnaissance, interdiction, and close support, as well as putting down airborne troops in front of advancing spearheads when the occasion demanded.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! ![]() Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians. #MOST POWERFUL COUNTRIES BY TANK FORCE HOW TO#
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