The title, you must admit, is unexpected - but it has the right to life, because history knows a number of examples when ground combat vehicles attacked … enemy ships. Of course, the tanks were originally created to break through the field fortifications of the First World War and support their infantry. But later, having developed, they began to "choose" very unusual opponents for themselves.
Tales and assumptions
There is information on the Internet that during the Second World War, two tanks sank a submarine of the Kriegs Marine (fascist navy). Allegedly, the Germans surfaced next to the Allied transport transporting ammunition and military equipment to the USSR under Lend-Lease, and fired a torpedo at point-blank range. From a strong explosion, two tanks were thrown onto the deck of the submarine, and they immediately sank it with their weight. Judging by the fact that the names of either the transport ship or the unlucky submarine are not indicated, this story is unlikely. And why did the Germans have to carry out torpedoing on the surface, at close range, risking injury when an enemy transport was blown up?
There are mentions on the Web that when the Allies landed in Sicily, the German tanks counterattacking the landing force fired at the ships. Isolated facts of shots at landing craft by representatives of the Panzerwaffe (fascist tank forces), of course, could have taken place.
But it is difficult to imagine that Hitler's tankers tried to arrange an artillery duel with the destroyers and cruisers of the Americans and the British who covered the landing. And given the overwhelming superiority of the allies and in the air in general, it is doubtful that the "tigers" and "panthers" survived to the slightest opportunity to inflict at least some damage on the enemy fleet.
Sometimes I still had to …
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But the following fact, perhaps, can be taken on faith, since it is more realistic. He is quoted in his memoirs by the German general Heinz Guderian, talking about the storming of the port city of Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1940. The German commander mentions the difficulties with which the tankers managed to overcome the ancient fortress walls of the city. Only 88-mm anti-aircraft guns were able to break them, and tanks from the 2nd Panzer Division poured into the breaches. One of them, the first to break into the port, sank an English torpedo boat with cannon fire. Then, transferring fire to other ships, he inflicted damage on them and did not give the commands to take them out of port.
Another recorded case of confrontation between tanks and ships occurred in 1960 during a counter-revolutionary operation against Cuba in the Bay of Pigs. On April 19, on the third day of fighting, when it became clear that this venture had failed, two American destroyers, Ayton and Murray, headed towards the coast of Freedom Island to pick up the surviving rebels. Then Cuban T-34-85 tanks moved towards them and opened fire on the ships. In fact, the caliber of the destroyers' guns was larger than that of their opponents, but the US sailors decided not to risk valuable warships and preferred to retreat, leaving their allies to their fate.
Indian blitzkrieg
It happened on an ordinary winter day in 1971, when the greenery was blooming around and the sun was shining hot. This event took place during the Third Indo-Pakistani War, and the theater of operations was located in the subtropics. The reason for the next military clash was Pakistan's attack on India - in response to the support of the Indians of the people's liberation movement in East Bengal.
Learned from past failures, the Indians decided to be the first to seize the initiative. Not confining themselves to successful strikes against the enemy's naval and air forces, they also resorted to swift tank raids behind enemy lines. Considering that this rear was located in the Ganges Valley - an area rich in water barriers, rivers, rivulets, lakes and swamps - special tanks were required for the blitzkrieg. However, not that they are very special - but light enough, otherwise they simply would not have gone far on the local highly moistened soil. Motherland Bangladesh sharply limited the range of heavy weapons of the opposing sides.
The Indians, however, found vehicles suitable for their idea - they turned out to be Soviet-made PT-76 tanks. Not only were they light (14.4 tons) compared to the main battle tanks, the "seventy-sixths" also floated.
There is no prophet in his own country
Light weight, modest armor and armament, large dimensions of the PT-76 - all this caused in the Soviet Army, in its tankist environment, a condescending, if not worse, attitude towards this model of military equipment. As it was not called: and "boat with a cannon", and "float", and "floater". In general, this machine was not taken seriously when planning combat operations. PT-76 took its modest "niche" in reconnaissance units, sailed as needed to carry out combat training missions, "served" in the marines.
As for the combat use, it just so happened that the full-fledged combat debut of this vehicle was the war in Vietnam, where local tankers unsuccessfully tried to attack the main American tanks on it. And the real "finest hour" was the Yom Kippur War, where the captured PT-76s were actively and, importantly, used by the Israelis against their former owners, the Egyptians.
In 1971, the amphibious tanks supplied from the USSR for the Indian allies had to "rehabilitate" and prove in practice their own, albeit specific, but very good combat data. True, in the previous Second Indo-Pakistani War, the Soviet allies had already tried to use the PT-76, but in different climatic and geographic conditions - in Kashmir. Poorly chosen location and tactics of use led to the loss of several vehicles, some of which, moreover, fell to the enemy as trophies.
When Comrade Gandhi sends us into battle …
Together with the tanks, Indian tank crews were preparing to "rehabilitate" for past failures. The command concentrated on the theater of upcoming military operations almost all of its amphibious vehicles in two regiments: the 45th cavalry and 69th tank, as well as in two separate tank squadrons - the 1st and 5th.
On the appointed day, 240-strong tank engines roared menacingly and the PT-76 flew "through the forests, over the hills, over the water …"
By December 9, 1971, the 1st company of a separate squadron with an assault force from Gurkha riflemen broke through to the port of Chandpur. For the enemy, apparently, this was a surprise, since, completely without expecting an attack, the Pakistanis calmly transported an infantry battalion of 450 fighters along the Meghna River to the Dhaka region in three gunboats. It seems that if their command knew about the breakthrough, it would find other ships for the landing, and the gunboats would escort and guard them.
Surely this visit was unexpected for the Indian tank crews as well. Nevertheless, they prepared for it and did not miss the opportunity to take advantage of their unique chance - to sink ships with tanks. 76-mm cannons "petashek" should have been enough for an unusual enemy. In the end, river gunboats are not armored battleships, their artillery is quite comparable, and besides, loaded with airborne forces, they are not able to effectively conduct firefighting. All this gave the Indians great chances to win …
And the tanks, having got out on the bank of Meghne, opened fire. It is difficult to imagine the surprise and despair of the Pakistani captains. Being deep in their rear and performing an unusual task for them, their ships were absolutely not ready for fire resistance. Overloaded, moving at a low speed, they were an excellent target for the Indians, and they hardly smeared. Several volleys were enough for all three gunboats to be hit and began to sink. Teams and paratroopers began to swim away, and the Indians and Gurkhas began to shoot them with machine guns and small arms, killing 180 Pakistani soldiers. Complete rout! The effect of surprise, multiplied by the enemy's carelessness, supported by the combat potential of the PT-76 tanks, made it possible to win this unusual, but very convincing victory.
By the way, Indian tank crews liked to destroy ships. On December 11, they fired their cannons and sank another enemy ship, killing 83 Pakistani soldiers, while 33 were captured. It is possible that the results of these battles had a very significant continuation.
Frightened by the attack of enemy amphibious tanks, the Pakistanis limited the actions of their river fleet, which allowed the PT-76 of another Indian unit, the 69th regiment, to pass 55 kilometers along the enemy rear, unhindered forcing river barriers, and on December 12, 1971, to reach the city of Bogre. Here the amphibious tanks and their landing forces - the Gurkhas - attacked the enemy, destroyed the M-24 tank, two recoilless guns and, scattering the enemy infantry, occupied the settlement.
Thus, the PT-76's revenge for all their failures in the Second Indo-Pakistani War took place.
Oleg TARAN