Tanks In The Cold War

After the destruction of World War II, all major powers accepted tanks as a main part of their arsenal notably the soviet union. The Cold War had started a few years after World War II. Tanks had been an importance form governments to restrain their own people. The iconic picture of eastern Germany, or the communist control over eastern Europe; Tanks struck fear into the minds of many citizens (Tucker 137). The structure of the tank began to undergo many changes during the Cold War. As the 1950s came, nations quit producing Heavy Tanks, to bulky and slow they were. Lighter, far more maneuverable and cheap, main battle tanks were being produced, the cause of technological advances. Mobility was a lesson nations learned from World War II. Armies
Almost immediately after World War II,The Indo-Pakistani series of wars began. Fighting over a region known as Kashmir, each between 1947- 1949, 1965, and 1971. The Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 saw the largest tank battle since World War II, now considered one of the largest since the battle of Kursk. American, British, and Russians provided both countries a major portion of their armor before the war, with older World War II models (Tucker 169). The Battle of Chawinda; the most impactful event; became a clash of armor never before seen in history. Destroyed by the conflict, the region looked like what is now called the ‘Graveyard of Tanks’(Waqas). Two major events Developed after the fall of the Japanese Empire; the split of Korea and the Chinese Civil War. Communists and Nationalists challenged each other for control over China with the use of Tanks. By 1949, all Nationalist actions came to a violent and bloody end. Communists China invested heavily in the production of Tanks, becoming a huge supporter of tank warfare.(Tucker 170). The Split of Korea lead to the 1950’s North Korean invasion of South Korea. The Korean War was the first occasion that United States and Soviet tanks Clashed. United Nations American General Douglas Macarthur soon defeated Soviet supported North Korea. Communist China's intervention threatened any United Nations attempted to unite Korea Under Democracy. Chinese invasion
Armor still became a important military unit. In the Post-Cold War age, Armored combat vehicles served many conflicts. The main battle Tank had now been equipt by all nations. The American M1 Abrams, British Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger, and the German Leopard 2 Tanks were used in large quantities in both the Gulf War and the Iraq war, also the Afghanistan War. The most modern example of Tank engagement, happened during the Gulf War, within Iraq (Tucker 189-190). “So it was that the desert of southern Iraq became the site of the last great tank battle of the 20th century - the Battle of 73 Easting” (Knighlon). Since then the tank has been used to protect Infantry placement, and as support (Tucker