The 15th Tank Corps of the Soviet Union's Red Army fought in the Soviet
invasion of Poland in 1939 during World War II, participating in the
capture of Grodno and the Augustów Forest. The tank corps was re-formed
in 1942 under Major General Vasily Koptsov as part of the 3rd Guards
Tank Army (Soviet Guards insignia pictured) and saw combat in the
Kozelsk Offensive, taking heavy losses in proportion to the territory
gained. The corps was transferred to the southern front in the
Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh Offensive during January 1943, where it helped
encircle thousands of Axis troops around the river Don. In February
1943, the unit fought in Operation Star, capturing the key city of
Kharkov in eastern Ukraine. After the Soviet advance outran its supply
lines, the corps was worn down and virtually destroyed by a German
counteroffensive in the Third Battle of Kharkov. It was later rebuilt as
part of the 3rd Guards Tank Army and fought in Operation Kutuzov.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15th_Tank_Corps>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1897:
Ranavalona III, the last sovereign ruler of the Kingdom of
Madagascar, was deposed by French military forces.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranavalona_III>
1904:
The most successful football club in Portugal, S.L. Benfica,
was founded in Lisbon as Sport Lisboa.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.L._Benfica>
1963:
Chicago alderman Benjamin F. Lewis was murdered in his office
by unknown assailants two days after having been reelected.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_F._Lewis>
1985:
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army launched a
mortar attack on a Royal Ulster Constabulary station in Newry, Northern
Ireland, killing nine people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Newry_mortar_attack>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
carbonado:
1. (dated) Meat or fish that has been scored and broiled. […]
2. A dark, non-transparent, impure form of polycrystalline diamond (also
containing graphite and amorphous carbon) used in drilling.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/carbonado>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Let us give Nature a chance; she knows her business better than
we do.
--Michel de Montaigne
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michel_de_Montaigne>