Seventy years ago, the Battle of Kursk ended in the defeat of the Nazi forces.
Seventy years ago, the Battle of Kursk ended in the defeat of the Nazi forces.
The battle lasted from July 5 to August 23, 1943 and was one of the key battles of World War II for the Soviet Union. It was a breakthrough for the Red Army.
The Battle of Kursk was one of the biggest battles of World War II. Altogether, over 4 million people, 69,000 weapons and mine throwers, more than 13,000 tanks and 12,000 planes were involved in the fighting.
The defeat of the German forces influenced the international situation, paving the way for Italy, Germany’s ally, to surrender.
On July 12, the Battle of Prokhorovka, the largest tank battle of World War II, was fought near the village of Prokhorovka, 56 km north of Belgorod. The total number of tanks and self-propelled mounts involved on both sides was 1,200.
The Battle of Prokhorovka lasted all day. By the evening, the tank crews had joined the infantry divisions in hand-to-hand combat. During that one day, the Germans lost 10,000 men and over 360 tanks, and were forced onto the defensive.
On July 13, forces of the Western and Bryansk fronts broke through the enemy defenses and advanced from 8 to 25 km. On July 15 the forces of the Central Front attacked the city of Kromy from the south and southeast.
By August 23, 1943, Soviet troops had driven back their enemy 140-150 km west and liberated the cities of Oryol, Belgorod and Kharkov.
Gun commanders of the motorized rifle troops, July 5, 1943. From left: senior sergeants Ryabilov, Pushtovalov and Chusov. The Battle of Kursk. Copy.
After the Battle of Kursk, the Soviet troops took the strategic initiative.
Red Army soldiers with residents of a liberated village not far from Kursk in 1943.
Residents return to the liberated village of Pokrovka. The Kursk Bulge, Voronezh front.
According to Soviet sources, the Wehrmacht lost 30 divisions, including seven tank divisions, over 500,000 soldiers and officers, 1,500 tanks and assault guns and over 3,700 planes in the Battle of Kursk. Photo: tank operators beside a shot-up Nazi Tiger tank at the Kursk Bulge.
Soviet soldiers next to a crashed German plane at the Kursk Bulge.
