Pages of History (February): The Big Chief

In this month’s Pages of History, you’ll be at the center of events that took place in different theaters of war. The Philippines and Burma, the Strait of Dover and the Ruhr River: take part in battles with the vehicles corresponding to these historic battles and receive prizes. 

From February 1st until February 28th, you’ll be offered 8 tasks consecutively. Completing each will reward you with a trophy, and completing all of them will earn you a unique player icon!

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur is among the most renowned American military generals. During World War I, he achieved the rank of Brigadier General, and in 1925 at just 44 years old, he became the youngest major general in the U.S. Army before serving as Army Chief of Staff. In World War II, MacArthur commanded U.S. Army Forces in the Far East, leading successful counteroffensives in Papua, New Guinea, and the Philippines. He later accepted Japan’s surrender and was appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers.

You can immediately purchase this profile icon for Golden Eagles until March 3rd, 11:30 GMT without completing tasks. To find it, go to your Nickname → Achievements → Pages of History.

Trophy reward for each task
Completing each individual task will give you a trophy with one of the following rewards:

• 20-50% RP booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 20-50% SL booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 3-5 universal backups;
  
• Premium account for 1 day;
  
• A random camouflage for ground vehicles (out of the selection of camouflages currently obtainable in game for completing tasks, or purchasing with Golden Eagles).

Other terms

• Tasks are available from 11:00 GMT until 11:30 GMT on the final day of each task.
  
• Tasks can be completed in random battles except for “Assault” mode.

February 1st — February 4th Battle of Manila On February 3rd 1945, the largest urban battle of the Pacific theater began. U.S. troops led by General MacArthur began storming the capital of the Philippines. Within a month, the “Asian Stalingrad” was reduced to ruins, and the entire Japanese garrison in Manila was destroyed.

February 4th — February 7th Battle of the Admin Box In 1942, the Japanese army was able to occupy almost all of Burma, often bypassing British troops along routes that were considered impassable. The same thing happened to the 7th Division of the Indian Army on February 5th 1944. Surrounded by Japanese troops, they decided not to retreat but instead fortify their administrative area. For two and a half weeks, the defenders of the “Admin Box” managed to hold off the enemy advance, largely thanks to tanks that the Japanese had no means to counter. Both sides suffered heavy losses, but due to a shortage of food and ammunition, Japanese forces were forced to retreat.

February 8th — February 11th Lam Son 719 On February 8th 1971, South Vietnamese forces, backed by the United States, invaded Laos to cut off supplies and troops from North Vietnam along the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos. The operation was named after the village of Lam Son, the birthplace of Vietnamese national hero Le Loi. The South Vietnamese army was unprepared for the large-scale operation. After suffering heavy losses, it withdrew from Laos in late March and the Ho Chi Minh Trail was reopened shortly after.

February 11th — February 14th Operation Cerberus The operation to redeploy battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen from Brest in western France to German ports was successfully carried out from February 11th to February 13th 1942. The operation took place without preparation to ensure Great Britain could not learn of the plans and bomb the ships before they sailed. The German fleet made a daring dash across the Strait of Dover and successfully fought off attacks from the Royal Air Force, inflicting significant losses.

February 15th — February 18th Narva offensive Narva, an Estonian city on the border with Russia, was of great strategic importance. By taking it, Soviet troops could advance to Tallinn and drive the Wehrmacht out of Estonia, freeing the Baltic Fleet and opening the possibility of an attack on Finland from the sea. Stalin ordered that Narva be taken by February 17th 1944 at all costs, but the offensive faltered and Germany continued to hold the city for another six months.

February 19th — February 22nd Battle of Kasserine Pass On February 19th 1943, American troops first engaged Axis forces in Tunisia. Due to their relative inexperience, they suffered a crushing defeat. Despite their numerical superiority, they retreated 80 km and lost about 10,000 soldiers and a thousand vehicles. As a result, the Battle of Tunisia dragged on for several more months.

February 22nd — February 25th Operation Grenade The Allied crossing of the Ruhr began on February 23rd 1945. A week earlier, as the Allies approached, the Germans had opened the floodgates on the dams upstream to hinder their advance. After crossing the Ruhr, the Allies routed the inferior Wehrmacht forces, capturing some 30,000 prisoners.

February 25th — February 28th Battle of Norfolk During the Gulf War, U.S. forces named a major Iraqi supply depot in the south of the country “Norfolk”. Nearby on February 27th 1991, the largest tank battle of the war — and the second largest in American history after the Battle of the Bulge — took place. U.S. and British forces destroyed more than a thousand Iraqi vehicles while suffering minimal losses. A ceasefire was agreed upon the following day.