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2. Bona fide and documented tank attacks made during the hours of
darkness in World War II are few in number. Some examples are
presented here in brief form.
a. Full-scale attack:
[1]
b. Surprise raid.
c. Counterattack:
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which fired for thirty minutes and held off
further German attack until nearby armored
infantrymen arrived and re-established the
outpost. They found 7 destroyed Mark IV tanks
and counted 125 German dead. Some Germans
had escaped.
3. There was much night fighting by tanks of both sides during the
battle of the Bulge, not all of it documented. The following examples,
taken from Hugh M. Cole, The Ardennes: The Battle of the Bulge (page
numbers are cited after each example) have been divided into
successful and unsuccessful actions from the point of view of the
attacking armor. An
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example fitting neither category is added. A summary statement is
appended on the night-fighting experience of the 4th Armored Division
during its drive to Bastogne.
a. Successful actions.
b. Unsuccessful actions.
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Finally, in night combat, the stronger will and the better nerves are
decisive. These are generally the decisive factors in day operations.
Night Attack and Night Pursuit. The Russians constantly improved and
refined their night attack methods during the war. In 1941-42, local
successes were insufficiently exploited. In 1942-43, large-scale attacks
were pressed well after dark, though toward relatively shallow
objectives, often simply to take the forward line of the German
positions.
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