In mid-1943, while still a student at the German military University in Munich, Reinhard Heckscher received the grade of Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for his participation in one of the bloodiest tank battles to be fought in Europe’s history. The battle was Operation Market Sword. It is generally agreed upon that the tanks’ success or failure in this battle is what contributed most significantly to the worsening of the conflict. As many as eighty-six hundred tanks rolled across France and the Rhineland in the battle. Only the American element, which had the most advanced tanks at the time, was able to stave off the German advance.
One of the many contributing factors to this incredible feat was the use of what are considered to be “top tanks” by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, who commanded the entire Allied force. According to Heckscher, Montgomery’s tank strategy was a complex one: to first encircle the German forces so that they could pull off some good shelling from their main armor, and then, after the German forces had withdrawn, to attack with the remaining tanks in what Heckscher described as “scorched earth.” Although it was a clever plan, it nearly backfired because the exhausted German forces were not prepared for the thick smoke and darkness that would follow. But, with luck, the British, Americans and Canadians were successful in retaking the important towns of Villers-Boulay and Caen and in securing the Rommel salient.
Top tanks of the world war two period can be found in the military forces of the United States, the Russian Federation, and Japan. One of the most amazing stories about one of these tank battles involved the use of a Chinese armored car. This was the same type of vehicle that General Douglas Macarthur used to capture the port of Leyte in the Philippines in the world war two theater. If you ever find yourself with an awesome story about one of the top tanks of the world war two eras, write it down!
