The decisive influence on the shaping of the organization and tactics of the German infantry before the outbreak of World War II was, on the one hand, the experience of the previous World War, but also theoretical works created in the 1920s and 1930s, which often emphasized the need to perceive the German infantry as a tool waging an offensive war. This affected both the equipment and the organization of the German infantry division, which during the September campaign of 1939 consisted of 3 infantry regiments, each of which was divided into 3 infantry battalions, an artillery company and an anti-tank company. In addition, there were numerous support units, including: an artillery regiment with 4 artillery squadrons (including one heavy), an anti-tank battalion, a sapper battalion and a communications battalion. In total, the so-called infantry division In the first mobilization wave, there were approximately 17,700 people and had a significant artillery component, but also was abundantly equipped with machine guns. It also had modern and efficient - for those times - means of communication and command. In the course of the war, infantry divisions underwent transformation - in 1943 some of them were transformed into armored grenadier divisions. However, from 1943, the standard division of the "traditional" infantry consisted of approx. 12,500 men (and not approx. 17,700 as in 1939), and its artillery component - especially heavy artillery - was also reduced in it, while its anti-tank defense was significantly improved. It is assumed that during the entire Second World War, about 350 infantry divisions served in the Wehrmacht.
The British Eighth Army was formed in September 1941 in North Africa from forces stationed in Egypt. Until November of the same year, it was composed of two corps - XIII and XXX. It included, among others: the 2nd New Zealand Infantry Division, the 4th Indian Infantry Division, the 7th Panzer Division (the famous Desert Rats) and the 1st South African Infantry Division. At the end of 1942, there were about 220,000 people formed in 10 divisions and several independent brigades. The Eighth Army underwent its baptism of fire during the Battle of Tobruk in November 1941. Later, in 1941-1943, she fought in North Africa, winning a very important victory in the Battle of El Alamein, and later beating Axis forces in Libya and Tunisia. It is worth adding that its commander from August 1942 to December 1943 was Bernard Law Montgomery - one of the best British commanders of World War II. In the years 1943-1945, the Eighth Army fought in the area of Apennine by taking part in the landing in Sicily and in the landing in southern Italy. Its soldiers later broke through the Gothic Line and the Gustav Line, as well as fought at Monte Cassino in 1944. It was the 8th Army that included the 2nd Corps of the Polish Armed Forces under the command of General Anders. In 1945, the Eighth Army fought in the Po Valley, and later entered Austria, where it ended its combat route during World War II.
The Crusader was a British tank of the Second World War. The first prototypes were built in 1939, and serial production continued in 1940-1943. In total, about 4,900 copies of this tank were built. Crusader was powered by an engine Nuffield Liberty Mk II with 340 hp. The vehicle was armed with - depending on the version - a single 40mm QF 2-pounder cannon or a single 57mm QF 6-pounder cannon and two 7.92mm and 7.7mm machine guns.
Tank Crusader was constructed as a successor to the failed Convenanter A13 car. First of all, the new tank was more carefully designed, which meant it had a much lower failure rate than its predecessor. The armor has also been improved. Despite these changes The Crusader, when it entered service, still had too weak armor, and above all, too weak weapons to fight enemy tanks. Its strengths include the aforementioned low failure rate and good mobility. Nevertheless, after the end of the North African campaign (1940-1943) in which the Crusader tanks played a major role, they were systematically and quickly withdrawn from the frontline units. Several versions of this tank were created in the course of serial production. Chronologically, the first was the Crusader I, which was the first mass-produced version of this tank. In May 1942, the Crusader III version made its debut, with a new 57mm gun and 51mm reinforced armor. After 1943, numerous specialist vehicles based on the Crusader chassis were built, such as the Crusader II Gun Traktor or the Crusader III AA Mk. I and II. Crusader tanks found themselves in the Free French, Australian and New Zealand units. They also became part of the equipment of the Polish Armed Forces in the West (PES).