Greatest Tank Battles - Season 1

The 1991 Gulf War's 'Battle of 73 Easting' is the most studied tank battle of modern times. This is the story of how the American 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment used superior equipment and training to overcome a blinding sandstorm and hundreds of tanks manned by Iraq's elite Republican Guard.

In 1973, Syria launches a surprise attack against Israel in the Golan Heights. This is a story of survival, where a few out-numbered tankers manage to hold off an enemy of overwhelming size in one of the greatest tank battles ever waged.

In 1942, Rommel's Desert Afrika Corps faces off against Montgomery's Eighth Army. This is the story of the climax in the struggle for North Africa, which would change the course of the Second World War.

In December 1944, German forces launch a surprise attack through the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. This is the story of the American tankers who helped defend the American line against Hitler's final gamble on the western front.

In February 1945, Canadian forces launch an attack to cross the Rhine and enter the German heartland. This is the story of the struggle for the Hochwald Gap – the final obstacle blocking the Allies, which the Germans are determined to hold at any cost.

In December 1944, an infamous SS tank force leads Hitler's final offensive in the west. This is the story of the Sixth Panzer Army's incredible breakthrough of the American line and subsequent encirclement and defeat.

On June 6, 1944, the Allies land on the northern coast of France. This is the story of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade as they fight their way inland against a stubborn and ruthless German defence.

By September 1944, Patton's hard-charging Third Army threatens to breech the German border. This is the story of the largest tank-vs-tank clash of the Second World War, as Hitler masses hundreds of panzers in a desperate bid to halt Patton's advance.

In the summer of 1943, Hitler launches a massive armoured offensive in an effort to regain the upper hand on the Eastern Front. This is the story of the formidable Russian defense that stalls a massive panzer onslaught on the Northern shoulder of the Kursk salient.

The Battle of Kursk comes to a climax at the Russian village of Prokhorovka on July 12, 1943. This is the story of the largest tank battle in military history, as elite SS troops face off against Russian defenders determined to stop them whatever the cost.