Occurring as it did near the 73rd east longitudinal parallel, from which the name of this battle is derived, the Battle of the 73 Easting can thus be etched in the annals of great tank battles. Army’s 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment broke through the elite armor of Hussein’s Republican Guard, the war was all but over. S.-led United Nations forces over Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces in response to the despot’s invasion of Kuwait.

It may not be a surprise then that Military Channel has chosen to roll out its new original series Greatest Tank Battles (premiering January 5, 2011, 10–11 pm ET) with what one participant describes as probably “the last great tank battle of the 20th century.” The Battle of the 73 Easting took place during the Gulf War on February 26, 1991. Replacing cavalry as the “romantic” weapon of ground warfare in the 20th century, tanks quickly established a tradition of grand spectacle before mid-century and continued to be the tactical weapon of choice for ground combat whenever practical. The mere mention of the word brings images of mechanized beasts rolling over improvised battlefields in a headlong and extremely powerful jousting match. ‘Greatest Tank Battles’ on Military Channel – Review By Jay Wertz

Major us tank battles wwii