The latter half of the 20th century saw improvements in armour protection and firepower for tanks and the upgrading of antitank weapons' accuracy and effectiveness. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, holdover technology prevailed on the battlefield, although there were innovations such as the American Super Bazooka with its 89mm HEAT round.
The Cold War gave rise to a new generation of aircraft that served as ground-support weapons in their primary roles, and ground support most definitely included the ability to defeat enemy tanks. The American A-10 Thunderbolt entered service in 1977 and remains active today, famous for its survivability demonstrated during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and for its 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger auto-cannon that fires a depleted uranium armour-piercing round.
In 1981 the Soviet Union deployed the Sukhoi SU-25 Frogfoot as a ground-attack aircraft with a 30mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSjh-30-2 auto-cannon, rocket pods and an array of missiles. (The aircraft has recently appeared in the skies over Ukraine). More than 1,000 were manufactured during a 40-year production run.
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THE RUHR POCKET
The world's largest industrial complex, the Ruhr was where Nazi Germany's war machine was forged. If the Allies could capture it the conflict in Europe would effectively be over
HITLER'S 'ALPINE FORTRESS
With the Rhine crossed and the Ruhr taken, Allied Supreme Commander Dwight D Eisenhower had to decide what came next. His orders would help shape the fate of Europe for decades to come
BLUNTING THE SULTAN'S SPEAR
During his 1532 invasion, Suleiman the Magnificent faced a seemingly simple obstacle in the small fortress of Koszeg, Hungary. What ensued was a bloody struggle between Ottoman firepower and imperial grit
BATTLE OF THE NILE NELSON vs NAPOLEON
In 1798, Britain's most celebrated admiral pursued the French across the Mediterranean, attempting to thwart General Bonaparte's mission to Egypt. The pursuit culminated in what was arguably the most strategically important naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars
FREDERICKSBURG
The Confederate invasion of the north had been repulsed in Maryland by the Army of the Potomac. President Abraham Lincoln now urged his military to seize the initiative and crush the Confederates in the east and capture their capital Richmond. It would culminate in another catastrophic defeat
REMAGEN GATEWAY TO THE REICH
On 7 March 1945 the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine at Remagen was still standing - capturing it intact was vital to the Allied advance into Nazi Germany
A13 MK III CRUISER COVENANTER TANK
Plagued with mechanical issues, the Covenanter was envisioned as an improved cruiser design but never deployed for overseas service
INSIDE PICKETT'S CHARGE
On 3 July 1863 a Confederate regiment – the 19th Virginia Infantry – marched into the jaws of Hell in one of the most infamous events in American military history
Heroes of the Victoria Cross: MILTON FOWLER GREGG
On 28 September, 1918, this Royal Canadian Regiment officer led his men through uncut barbed wire into enemy trenches
MARCH 1945
To commemorate 80 years since the Second World War, History of War will be taking a look at some of the key events taking place during each month of the conflict
