Tanks!
Reportedly this British prime minister once termed the English Channel the world's best tank trap
Churchill
This Caribbean nation takes its name from a word meaning "bearded ones"
Barbados
"Mythical bird", whether you're in Arizona or not
Phoenix
Thunder's partner
(9)
Lightning
The one with the largest population
the USA
This large U.S. tank bearing the name of a Civil War general was the most widely produced tank of World War II
Sherman
Al-Jazeera means "the peninsula"; Algeria gets its name from this type of landmass, a cut-off peninsula
an island
"False name"; that's it, really. A false name
pseudonym
A retriever breed, or a peninsula
(8)
Labrador
It's first alphabetically & only joined in 2009
Albania
In 1942 British forces were pushed from Libya into Egypt by this general's Afrika Korps tank units
Rommel
Dark woods on the peaks give Montenegro its name, meaning this
black mountain
"A band of dancers & singers"; it's sung after some verses
Chorus
Feminine digit cakes
(11)
Ladyfingers
One of the smallest, this country is home to the main NATO headquarters
Belgium
This country's T-34 tank played a large part in fighting off German invasion in 1941
Soviet Union
Referring to its location 500 miles south of Samoa, this monarchy's name means "south"
Tonga
"Going out"; it's a book in the Bible
Exodus
It precedes Lazuli
(5)
Lapis
The 2 island countries that are members
Iceland and the UK
"War As I Knew It" was the memoir of this fierce tank commander who participated in the invasion of Sicily
Patton
The first Spanish explorers in the region noticed silver ornaments worn by natives & this country's name was born
Argentina
"relating to memory"; one is "every good boy does fine"
mnemonic
Elmore, who gave us "Get Shorty"
(7)
Leonard
The one that's 99% Muslim
Turkey