The Tank as a Weapon of Assault in Warfare

The tank was a British invention and made its appearance during the First World War (1914-18).The construction of a tank is basically a large long range gun mounted on the chassis of a caterpillar and encased with armor. Over the years the tank or the panzer as christened by the Germans has been refined to a great extant. Its durability, speed and efficacy are greatly increased. Thus by the start of the Second World War the Tank had become an important weapon in the arsenal of the armies of the world.

The Germans under Hitler laid great stress on the panzer regiments and their generals perfected the strategy of 'blitzkrieg' or lightening war. The tanks were the main stay of these assaults and the battles of France (1940) and the Russian war from 1941 brought out the potential of the tank as a major weapon of war. The fall of France and Western Europe as well the advance deep into Russia was spearheaded by the Panzer regiments. In fact the tanks took the place of the armored elephant of the ancient armies and served as platform to shock and awe the enemy.

The Second World War (1939-45) brought out versatility of the tank. In plains and deserts like in North Africa the tank played a decisive role. In fact Rommel's halt and subsequent defeat at El Alamein some 60 miles from Alexandria was in main to the paucity of his panzer reserves. In Russia perhaps the greatest of tank battles were fought. And in 1943 the famous battle at Kursk remains a water shed in the development of the tank as a weapon of offense.

But the tanks efficacy in jungle warfare and mountainous regions was suspect. Thus the offensives of Imperial Japanese Army did not rely solely on the tank. Also in the conquest of the islands and their subsequent capture by the US army in the Pacific the role of the tank was minimal. Even in the 1962 Sino- Indian conflict the tank was hardly used and only in Ladakh the Chinese brought in some light tanks for the assault on Chusal airfield when the Indian defenders put up a stiff fight. Even now when the US army is battling the Islamic extremists in Afghanistan where mountain chains abound the role of the tank is minimal.

The efficacy of the tank in desert warfare stands out .Thus in the two assaults on Iraq the US and allies made good use of the tanks and they had a major role to play in spearheading the assault by the ground troops after air superiority had been obtained by the Air forces of the allied powers led by the USA. Thus a limiting factor on the efficacy of the tank emerged in the form of air power. Another limiting factor is the morale and training of the crew plying the tanks. The low morale and poor training of the Pakistan tank crew during the 1965 war with India led to their biggest defeat at Khemkaran, despite having numerical superiority and the advantage of surprise. Kemkaran became a graveyard of the vaunted Patton tanks donated by the United States.

The success of any tank operations now is not possible without gaining tactical air control over the battle area. The tank to succeed in any campaign must have adequate support from the air. This is now days one of the cardinal principles of offensive operations. Not withstanding these limitations, the armored regiments of any army form the elite strike force and with adequate air support can wrest the initiative from the enemy.