The Battle of Kursk, which lasted from July 5 to August 23, 1943, became one of the key battles of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Soviet and Russian historiography divides the battle into the Kursk defensive (July 5–23), Orel (July 12 – August 18) and Belgorod-Kharkov (August 3–23) offensive operations.

Front on the eve of the battle
During the winter offensive of the Red Army and the subsequent counter-offensive of the Wehrmacht in Eastern Ukraine, a protrusion up to 150 km deep and up to 200 km wide was formed in the center of the Soviet-German front, facing the west - the so-called Kursk Bulge (or protrusion). The German command decided to conduct a strategic operation on the Kursk salient.
For this, a military operation codenamed Zitadelle ("Citadel") was developed and approved in April 1943.
To carry it out, the most combat-ready formations were involved - a total of 50 divisions, including 16 tank and motorized ones, as well as a large number of separate units included in the 9th and 2nd field armies of Army Group Center, in 4- Panzer Army and Task Force Kempf of Army Group South.
The grouping of German troops numbered over 900 thousand people, about 10 thousand guns and mortars, 2 thousand 245 tanks and assault guns, 1 thousand 781 aircraft.
Since March 1943, the headquarters of the Supreme High Command (VGK) has been working on a strategic offensive plan, the task of which was to defeat the main forces of Army Group South and Center, crush the enemy defenses on the front from Smolensk to the Black Sea. It was assumed that Soviet troops will be the first to go on the offensive. However, in mid-April, based on information that the Wehrmacht command was planning an offensive near Kursk, it was decided to bleed german troops powerful defense, and then launch a counteroffensive. Possessing a strategic initiative, the Soviet side deliberately began hostilities not with an offensive, but with a defense. The development of events showed that this plan was correct.
By the beginning of the Battle of Kursk, the Soviet Central, Voronezh and Steppe fronts numbered more than 1.9 million people, more than 26 thousand guns and mortars, over 4.9 thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery installations, about 2.9 thousand aircraft.
Troops of the Central Front under the command of General of the Army Konstantin Rokossovsky defended the northern front (the sector facing the enemy) of the Kursk salient, and the troops of the Voronezh Front under the command of General of the Army Nikolai Vatutin- southern. The troops occupying the ledge relied on the Steppe Front as part of a rifle, three tank, three motorized and three cavalry corps. (commander - Colonel General Ivan Konev).
The actions of the fronts were coordinated by representatives of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command Marshals Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Vasilevsky.

Battle progress
On July 5, 1943, German shock groups launched an offensive against Kursk from the Orel and Belgorod regions. During the defensive phase of the Battle of Kursk On July 12, the largest tank battle in the history of the war took place on the Prokhorov field.
Up to 1,200 tanks and self-propelled guns participated in it on both sides at the same time.
The battle near Prokhorovka station in the Belgorod region became the largest battle of the Kursk defensive operation, which went down in history as the Kursk Bulge.
The staff documents contain evidence of the first battle, which took place on July 10 near Prokhorovka. This battle was fought not by tanks, but by rifle units of the 69th Army, which, having exhausted the enemy, suffered heavy losses themselves and were replaced by the Ninth Airborne Division. Thanks to the paratroopers, on July 11, the Nazis were stopped at the outskirts of the station.
On July 12, a huge number of German and Soviet tanks collided on a narrow section of the front, only 11-12 kilometers wide.
Tank units "Adolf Hitler", "Death's Head", division "Reich" and others were able to regroup their forces on the eve of the decisive battle. The Soviet command did not know about this.
The Soviet units of the 5th Guards Tank Army were in a deliberately difficult position: the strike group of tanks was located between the girders southwest of Prokhorovka and was unable to deploy the tank group to its full extent. Soviet tanks were forced to advance in a small area bounded on one side by the railroad and on the other by the floodplain of the Psel River.

The Soviet T-34 tank under the command of Pyotr Skripnik was knocked out. The crew, having pulled out their commander, took refuge in the crater. The tank was on fire. The Germans noticed him. One of the tanks moved towards the Soviet tankers to crush them with tracks. Then the mechanic, in order to save his comrades, rushed out of the saving trench. He ran to his burning car and pointed it at the German Tiger. Both tanks exploded.
For the first time, Ivan Markin wrote about a tank duel in the late 50s in his book. He called the battle at Prokhorovka the largest tank battle of the 20th century.
In fierce battles, the Wehrmacht troops lost up to 400 tanks and assault guns, went over to the defensive, and on July 16 began to withdraw their forces.
July, 12 the next stage of the Battle of Kursk began - the Soviet counteroffensive.
5th of August As a result of operations "Kutuzov" and "Rumyantsev", Oryol and Belgorod were liberated, in the evening of the same day in Moscow in honor of this event, for the first time during the war years, an artillery salute was fired.
August 23 Kharkov was liberated. Soviet troops advanced 140 km in the southern and southwestern directions and took an advantageous position to go over to a general offensive to liberate the Left-Bank Ukraine and reach the Dnieper. The Soviet Army finally consolidated its strategic initiative, the German command was forced to go over to the defensive on the entire front.
In one of the largest battles in the history of the Great Patriotic War, more than 4 million people took part on both sides, about 70 thousand guns and mortars, over 13 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, about 12 thousand combat aircraft were involved.

Results of the battle
After a powerful tank battle, the Soviet Army turned the events of the war back, took the initiative into its own hands and continued its advance to the West.
After the Nazis failed to carry out their operation "Citadel", at the world level it looked like a complete defeat of the German campaign against the Soviet Army;
the fascists were morally suppressed, their confidence in their superiority was lost.
The significance of the victory of Soviet troops at the Kursk Bulge goes far beyond the boundaries of the Soviet-German front. It had a tremendous impact on the further course of the Second World War. The Battle of Kursk forced the fascist German command to withdraw large formations of troops and aviation from the Mediterranean theater of military operations.
As a result of the defeat of significant forces of the Wehrmacht and the transfer of new formations to the Soviet-German front, favorable conditions for the landing of Anglo-American troops in Italy, their advance to its central regions, which ultimately predetermined the withdrawal of this country from the war. As a result of the victory at Kursk and the withdrawal of Soviet troops to the Dnieper, a radical change ended not only in the Great Patriotic War, but also in the entire Second World War in favor of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition.
For exploits in the Battle of Kursk, more than 180 soldiers and officers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, over 100 thousand people were awarded orders and medals.
About 130 formations and units received the rank of guards, more than 20 - honorary titles of Oryol, Belgorod, Kharkov.
For its contribution to the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Kursk region was awarded the Order of Lenin, and the city of Kursk was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, I degree.
On April 27, 2007, by the decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Kursk was awarded the honorary title Russian Federation- City of Military Glory.
In 1983, the feat of Soviet soldiers on the Kursk Bulge was immortalized in Kursk - On May 9, a memorial to those who died during the Great Patriotic War was opened.
On May 9, 2000, in honor of the 55th anniversary of victory in the battle, the Kursk Bulge memorial complex was opened.

The material was prepared according to the "TASS-Dossier"

Wounded memory

Dedicated to Alexander Nikolaev,
the driver of the T-34 tank, who committed the first tank ram in the battle of Prokhorovka.

The memory will not heal like a wound
Let's not forget the soldiers of all the simple ones,
Who entered this battle, dying,
And stayed alive forever.

No, not a step back, we look straight,
Only the blood drained from my face
Only clenched teeth stubbornly -
Here we will stand to the end!

Let any price be the life of a soldier
We will all become armor today!
Your mother, your city, a soldier's honor
Behind a boyish thin back.

Two steel avalanches - two forces
Among the fields of rye merged.
No you, no me - we are one
We steel wall agreed.

No maneuvers, no formation - there is strength,
The power of rage, the power of fire.
And the fierce battle mowed down
Both the armor and the soldier's names.

The tank is hit, the battalion commander is wounded,
But again - I'm in battle - let the metal burn!
A shout over the walkie-talkie to a feat is:
- Everything! Farewell! I'm going to ram!

Enemies are stunned, the choice is hard -
You will not believe so immediately your eyes.
A burning tank flies without a mistake -
He gave his life for his homeland.

Only the black square of the funeral
Explain to mothers and relatives ...
His heart is in the ground, like shards ...
He remained always young.

... There is not a blade of grass on the burnt ground,
Tank on tank, armor on armor ...
And wrinkles on the commanders' foreheads -
There is nothing to compare the battle with in the war ...
The earthly wound will not heal -
His feat is always with him.
Because he knew, dying,
How easy it is to die young ...

In the memorial temple, it is quiet and holy,
Your name is a scar on the wall ...
You stayed to live here - yes, that is how it should be,
So that the earth does not burn in fire.

On this land, once black,
The burning trail does not allow to forget.
Your torn soldier heart
In spring, it blooms with cornflowers ...

Elena Mukhamedshina

The Battle of Kursk in terms of its scale, military and political significance, is rightfully considered one of the key battles not only of the Great Patriotic War, but also of the Second World War. The Battle of the Kursk Bulge finally established the power of the Red Army and completely broke the morale of the Wehrmacht forces. After her, the German army completely lost its offensive potential.

The Battle of Kursk, or as it is also called in Russian historiography, the Battle of the Kursk Bulge, is one of the decisive battles during the Great Patriotic War, which took place in the summer of 1943 (July 5-August 23).

Historians call the Stalingrad and Kursk battles two of the most significant victories of the Red Army against the Wehrmacht forces, which completely turned the tide of hostilities.

In this article we will find out the date of the Battle of Kursk and its role and significance in the course of the war, as well as its reasons, course and results.

The historical significance of the Battle of Kursk can hardly be overestimated. If it were not for the exploits of Soviet soldiers during the battle, the Germans were able to seize the initiative on the Eastern Front and resume the offensive, again moving to Moscow and Leningrad. During the battle, the Red Army defeated most of the combat-ready units of the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front, and the latter lost the opportunity to use fresh reserves, since they were already depleted.

In honor of the victory, August 23 has forever become the Day of Russian Military Glory. In addition, during the battles, the largest and bloodiest tank battle in history took place, as well as a huge amount of aviation and other types of equipment.

The Battle of Kursk is also called the Battle of the Arc of Fire - all because of the critical importance of this operation and the bloody battles that took hundreds of thousands of lives.

The Battle of Stalingrad, which took place earlier than the battle on the Kursk Bulge, completely destroyed the plans of the Germans for the quick capture of the USSR. According to the "Barbarossa" plan and the "blitzkrieg" tactics, the Germans tried to take the USSR in one fell swoop even before winter. Now the Soviet Union rallied and was able to throw down a serious challenge to the Wehrmacht.

During the Battle of Kursk from July 5 to August 23, 1943, according to historians, at least 200 thousand soldiers died, more than half a million were wounded. At the same time, it is important to note that many historians consider these figures to be underestimated and the losses of the sides in the Battle of Kursk, possibly much more significant. Basically, foreign historians speak about the bias of these data.

Intelligence service

A huge role in the victory over Germany was played by Soviet intelligence, which was able to learn about the so-called Operation Citadel. Soviet intelligence officers began to receive messages about this operation at the beginning of 1943. On April 12, 1943, a document was placed on the table of the Soviet leader, which contained full information about the operation - the date of its implementation, the tactics and strategy of the German army. It was hard to imagine what would have happened if intelligence had failed to do its job. Probably, the Germans would still have managed to break through the Russian defenses, since the preparations for Operation Citadel were serious - they were preparing for it no worse than for Operation Barbarossa.

On this moment historians are not sure exactly who delivered this vital knowledge to Stalin. It is believed that this information was obtained by one of the British intelligence officers John Cancross, as well as a member of the so-called "Cambridge Five" (a group of British intelligence officers recruited by the USSR in the early 1930s and worked for two governments at once).

It is also believed that information about the plans of the German command was given by the scouts of the Dora group, namely the Hungarian scout Sandor Rado.

Some historians believe that all the information about Operation Citadel was conveyed to Moscow by one of the most famous scouts of the Second World War - Rudolf Ressler, who at that time was in Switzerland.

Substantial support to the USSR was provided by British agents who were not recruited by the Union. During the Ultra program, British intelligence managed to break into the German Lorenz encryption machine, which transmitted messages between members of the Third Reich's top leadership. The first step was to intercept plans for a summer offensive in the region of Kursk and Belgorod, after which this information was immediately sent to Moscow.

Before the Battle of Kursk, Zhukov claimed that as soon as he saw the future battlefield, he already knew how the strategic offensive would take place. German army... However, there is no confirmation of his words - it is believed that in his memoirs he simply exaggerates his strategic talent.

Thus, the Soviet Union knew about all the details of the offensive operation "Citadel" and was able to adequately prepare for it, so as not to leave the Germans a chance of victory.

Preparing for battle

At the beginning of 1943, the German and Soviet armies carried out offensive actions, which led to the formation of a bulge in the center of the Soviet-German front, reaching a depth of 150 kilometers. This ledge was named "Kursk Bulge". In April, it became clear to both sides that soon one of the key battles would begin for this ledge, capable of deciding the outcome of the war on the Eastern Front.

There was no consensus at the German headquarters. For a long time Hitler could not work out an exact strategy of action for the summer of 1943. Many generals, including Manstein, were against the offensive at the moment. He believed that the offensive would make sense if it began right now, and not in the summer, when the Red Army would be able to prepare for it. The rest either believed that it was time to go on the defensive, or to start an offensive in the summer.

Despite the fact that the most experienced military leader of the Reich (Manchetein) was against, Hitler nevertheless agreed to launch an offensive in early July 1943.

The Battle of Kursk in 1943 is a chance for the Union to consolidate the initiative after the victory at Stalingrad, and therefore the preparation of the operation was treated with a previously unprecedented seriousness.

The state of affairs at the headquarters of the USSR was much better. Stalin knew about the plans of the Germans, he had a numerical advantage in the infantry, tanks, guns and aviation. Knowing how and when the Germans would advance, Soviet soldiers prepared defensive fortifications for their meeting and set up minefields to repel the attack, and then launch a counteroffensive. A huge role in the successful defense was played by the experience of Soviet military leaders, who, after two years of hostilities, were still able to develop the tactics and strategy of waging war of the best military leaders of the Reich. The fate of Operation Citadel was sealed even before it began.

The plans and forces of the parties

The German command planned to conduct a large offensive operation on the Kursk Bulge under the name (code name) "Citadel"... To destroy the Soviet defenses, the Germans decided to inflict descending blows from the north (area of ​​the city of Orel) and from the south (area of ​​the city of Belgorod). Having broken the enemy defenses, the Germans had to unite in the area of ​​the city of Kursk, thus, completely encircling the troops of the Voronezh and Central fronts. In addition, the German tank units were to turn in an eastern direction - to the village of Prokhorovka, and destroy the armored reserves of the Red Army, so that they could not come to the aid of the main forces and did not help to get out of the encirclement. This tactic was not at all new for German generals. Their tank flank attacks worked for four. Using this tactic, they were able to conquer almost all of Europe and inflict many crushing defeats on the Red Army in 1941-1942.

To carry out Operation Citadel, the Germans concentrated in Eastern Ukraine, on the territory of Belarus and Russia, 50 divisions with a total strength of 900 thousand people. Of these, 18 divisions were tank and motorized. Such a large number of panzer divisions were commonplace for the Germans. The Wehrmacht forces have always used lightning attacks from tank units to prevent the enemy from even a chance to group up and fight back. In 1939, it was the tank divisions that played a key role in the capture of France, which surrendered before they could give battle.

The commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht was General Field Marshal von Kluge (Army Group Center) and General Field Marshal Manstein (Army Group South). Shock forces commanded by Field Marshal Model, the 4th Panzer Army and the Kempf task force were commanded by General Hermann Goth.

The German army received long-awaited tank reserves before the start of the battle. Hitler sent to the Eastern Front more than 100 heavy Tiger tanks, almost 200 Panther tanks (first used at the Battle of Kursk) and less than a hundred Ferdinand or Elephant (Elephant) tank destroyers.

"Tigers", "Panthers" and "Ferdinands" - were some of the most powerful tanks during the Second World War. Neither the Allies nor the USSR at that time had tanks that could boast such firepower and armor. If the "Tigers" Soviet soldiers had already seen and learned to fight against them, then the "Panthers" and "Ferdinands" brought many problems on the battlefield.

The Panthers were medium tanks that were slightly inferior in armor to the Tigers and were armed with a 7.5 cm KwK 42 cannon. These guns had an excellent rate of fire and fired at long distance with great precision.

"Ferdinand" is a heavy self-propelled anti-tank installation (PT-ACS), which was one of the most famous during the Second World War. Despite the fact that its number was small, it offered serious resistance to the tanks of the USSR, since at that time it possessed almost the best armor and firepower. During the Battle of Kursk, the Ferdinands showed their power, perfectly withstanding hits from anti-tank guns, and even coped with artillery hits. However, its main problem was the small number of anti-personnel machine guns, and therefore the tank destroyer was highly vulnerable to the infantry, which could get close to it and detonate them. It was simply impossible to destroy these tanks with head-on shots. Weak spots were on the sides, where after they learned to shoot sub-caliber shells. The most vulnerable point in the protection of a tank is a weak suspension, which was disabled, and then captured by a stationary tank.

In total, Manstein and Kluge received at their disposal less than 350 new tanks, which was catastrophically insufficient, given the number of Soviet armored forces. It is also worth noting that approximately 500 tanks used during the Battle of Kursk were outdated models. These are the Pz.II and Pz.III tanks, which were already irrelevant at that time.

During the Battle of Kursk, the 2nd Panzer Army included the elite Panzerwaffe tank units, including the 1st SS Panzer Division "Adolf Hitler", the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" and the famous 3rd Panzer Division "Totenkopf" (she the same "Dead Head").

The Germans had a modest number of aircraft to support infantry and tanks - about 2,500 thousand units. In terms of guns and mortars, the German army was more than twice inferior to the Soviet one, and some sources point to a threefold advantage of the USSR in guns and mortars.

The Soviet command realized its mistakes in conducting defensive operations in 1941-1942. This time they built a powerful defensive line capable of holding off the massive advance of the German armored forces. According to the plans of the command, the Red Army was to wear down the enemy with defensive battles, and then launch a counteroffensive at the most unfavorable moment for the enemy.

During the Battle of Kursk, the commander of the Central Front was one of the most talented and productive generals of the army - Konstantin Rokossovsky. His troops took on the task of defending the northern face of the Kursk salient. The commander of the Voronezh Front on the Kursk Bulge was a native of the Voronezh Region, General of the Army Nikolai Vatutin, on whose shoulders the task of defending the southern face of the ledge lay. Marshals of the USSR Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Vasilevsky were responsible for coordinating the actions of the Red Army.

The ratio of the number of troops was far from on the side of Germany. It is estimated that the Central and Voronezh Fronts had 1.9 million soldiers, including troops from the Steppe Front (Steppe Military District). The number of Wehrmacht soldiers did not exceed 900 thousand people. In terms of the number of tanks, Germany was less than two times inferior to 2.5 thousand versus less than 5 thousand. As a result, the ratio of forces before the Battle of Kursk looked as follows: 2: 1 in favor of the USSR. The historian of the Great Patriotic War Alexei Isaev says that the size of the Red Army during the battle is overestimated. His point of view is subject to great criticism, since it does not take into account the troops of the Steppe Front (the number of soldiers of the Steppe Front who participated in the operations numbered more than 500 thousand people).

Kursk defensive operation

Before you give Full description events on the Kursk Bulge, it is important to show the map of actions to make it easier to navigate the information. Battle of Kursk on the map:

This picture shows a diagram of the Battle of Kursk. The map of the Battle of Kursk can clearly show how the military units acted during the battle. On the map of the Battle of Kursk, you will also see symbols that will help you assimilate the information.

The Soviet generals received all the necessary orders - the defense was strong and the Germans soon faced resistance, which the Wehrmacht had not received in the entire history of its existence. On the day the Battle of Kursk began, the Soviet army pulled up a huge amount of artillery to the front in order to provide a response artillery barrage, which the Germans would not expect.

The beginning of the Battle of Kursk (defensive stage) was scheduled for the morning of July 5 - the offensive was to take place immediately from the northern and southern faces. Before the tank attack, the Germans carried out large-scale bombing, to which the Soviet army responded in kind. At this moment, the German command (namely Field Marshal Manstein) began to realize that the Russians had learned about Operation Citadel and were able to prepare a defense. Manstein told Hitler more than once that this offensive no longer made sense at the moment. He believed that it was necessary to carefully prepare the defense and try to first repulse the Red Army and only then think about counterattacks.

Start - Arc of Fire

On the northern face, the offensive began at six o'clock in the morning. The Germans attacked slightly west of the Cherkasy direction. The first tank attacks ended in failure for the Germans. The solid defense resulted in heavy losses in the German armored units. And yet the enemy managed to break through 10 kilometers deep. On the southern face, the offensive began at three o'clock in the morning. The main blows fell on the settlements of Oboyan and Korochi.

The Germans could not break through the defenses of the Soviet troops, since they were carefully prepared for battle. Even the Wehrmacht's elite armored divisions hardly advanced. As soon as it became clear that the German forces could not break through on the northern and southern faces, the command decided that it was necessary to strike in the Prokhorovka direction.

On July 11, fierce battles began near the village of Prokhorovka, which grew into the largest tank battle in history. Soviet tanks in the Battle of Kursk outnumbered the German ones, but despite this, the enemy resisted to the end. July 13-23 - Germans are still trying to carry out offensive attacks, which end in failure. On July 23, the enemy completely exhausted its offensive potential and decided to go over to the defensive.

Tank battle

It is difficult to answer how many tanks were involved on both sides, as the data from various sources differ. If we take the average data, then the number of tanks in the USSR reached about 1,000 vehicles. Whereas the Germans had about 700 tanks.

A tank battle (battle) during the defensive operation on the Kursk Bulge took place on July 12, 1943. Enemy attacks on Prokhorovka began immediately from the western and southern directions. Four panzer divisions advanced in the west, with about 300 more tanks moving in from the south.

The battle began early in the morning and the Soviet troops gained the advantage, since rising Sun shone the Germans directly into the observation devices of the tanks. The battle formations of the sides quickly mixed up and within a few hours after the start of the battle it was difficult to make out whose tanks were.

The Germans found themselves in a very difficult position, since the main strength of their tanks was in long-range guns, which were useless in close combat, and the tanks themselves were very slow, while in this situation maneuverability played a role. The 2nd and 3rd tank (anti-tank) armies of the Germans were defeated at Kursk. The Russian tanks, on the other hand, gained an advantage, since they had a chance to target vulnerable spots of heavily armored German tanks, and they themselves were very maneuverable (especially the famous T-34s).

However, the Germans nevertheless gave a serious rebuff with their anti-tank guns, which undermined the morale of the Russian tankers - the fire was so dense that the soldiers and tanks did not have time and could not form order.

While the bulk of the tank forces were tied up in battle, the Germans decided to use the Kempf tank group, which was advancing on the left flank of the Soviet army. To repel this attack, the tank reserves of the Red Army had to be used. In the southern direction, by 14.00, Soviet troops began to crowd out German tank units, which did not have fresh reserves. In the evening, the battlefield was already far behind the Soviet tank units and the battle was won.

The losses of tanks on both sides during the battle of Prokhorovka during the Kursk defensive operation were as follows:

• about 250 Soviet tanks;
• 70 German tanks.

The above figures are irrecoverable losses. The number of damaged tanks was significantly greater. For example, the Germans after the Battle of Prokhorovka had only 1/10 of fully combat-ready vehicles.

The Battle of Prokhorovka is called the largest tank battle in history, but this is not entirely true. In fact, this is the largest tank battle that lasted only one day. But the largest battle took place two years earlier also between the forces of the Germans and the USSR on the Eastern Front near Dubno. During this battle, which began on June 23, 1941, 4,500 tanks collided with each other. The Soviet Union had 3,700 pieces of equipment, while the Germans had only 800 pieces.

Despite such a numerical advantage of the Union's tank units, there was not a single chance of victory. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the quality of the Germans' tanks was much higher - they were armed with new models with good anti-tank armor and weapons. Secondly, in Soviet military thought at that time there was a principle that "tanks do not fight with tanks." Most of the tanks in the USSR at that time had only bulletproof armor and could not penetrate the thick German armor themselves. That is why the first largest tank battle was a catastrophic failure for the USSR.

Results of the defensive phase of the battle

The defensive stage of the Battle of Kursk ended on July 23, 1943 with the complete victory of the Soviet troops and the crushing defeat of the Wehrmacht forces. As a result of bloody battles, the German army was exhausted and drained of blood, a significant number of tanks were either destroyed or partially lost their combat effectiveness. The German tanks that took part in the battle at Prokhorovka were almost completely disabled, destroyed, or fell into the hands of the enemy.

The ratio of losses during the defensive phase of the Battle of Kursk was as follows: 4.95: 1. The Soviet army lost five times as many soldiers, while the German losses were much smaller. However, a huge number of German soldiers were wounded, as well as tank forces were destroyed, which significantly undermined the military power of the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front.

As a result of the defensive operation, Soviet troops entered the line they had occupied before the German offensive, which began on July 5. The Germans, on the other hand, went into deep defense.

In the course of the Battle of Kursk, a radical change took place. After the Germans exhausted their offensive capabilities, the Red Army began a counteroffensive on the Kursk Bulge. From 17 to 23 July, Soviet troops carried out the Izyum-Barvenkovo ​​offensive operation.

The operation was carried out by the Southwestern Front of the Red Army. Its key goal was to pin down the enemy's Donbass grouping so that the enemy could not transfer fresh reserves to the Kursk Bulge. Despite the fact that the enemy threw in his almost best tank divisions into battle, the forces of the Southwestern Front still managed to capture bridgeheads and forge and encircle the Donbass group of Germans with powerful blows. Thus, the Southwestern Front greatly helped in the defense of the Kursk Bulge.

Miusskaya offensive operation

From July 17 to August 2, 1943, the Miuss offensive operation was also carried out. The main task Soviet troops in the course of the operation was the pulling back of fresh reserves of the Germans from the Kursk Bulge to the Donbass and the defeat of the 6th Army of the Wehrmacht. To repel the attack in Donbass, the Germans had to transfer significant air forces and tank units to defend the city. Despite the fact that the Soviet troops did not manage to break through the German defenses near the Donbass, they still managed to significantly weaken the offensive on the Kursk Bulge.

The offensive stage of the Battle of Kursk continued successfully for the Red Army. The following important battles on the Kursk Bulge took place near Orel and Kharkov - offensive operations were called "Kutuzov" and "Rumyantsev".

The offensive operation "Kutuzov" began on July 12, 1943, in the area of ​​the city of Oryol, where two German armies confronted the Soviet troops. As a result of bloody battles, the Germans could not hold the bridgeheads on July 26, they retreated. Already on August 5, the forces of the Red Army were liberated city Eagle. It was on August 5, 1943, for the first time in the entire period of hostilities with Germany, that a small parade with fireworks took place in the capital of the USSR. Thus, it can be judged that the liberation of Orel was an extremely important task for the Red Army, with which it successfully coped.

Offensive operation "Rumyantsev"

The next main event of the Battle of Kursk during its offensive stage began on August 3, 1943 on the southern face of the arc. As already mentioned, this strategic offensive was named "Rumyantsev". The operation was carried out by the forces of the Voronezh and Steppe fronts.

Already two days after the start of the operation, on August 5, the city of Belgorod was liberated from the Nazis. And two days later, the forces of the Red Army liberated the city of Bogodukhov. During the August 11 offensive, Soviet soldiers managed to cut the Kharkov-Poltava railway line of the Germans. Despite all the counterattacks of the German army, the forces of the Red Army continued to advance. As a result of fierce fighting on August 23, the city of Kharkov was recaptured.

The battle for the Kursk Bulge had already been won by the Soviet troops at that moment. The German command understood this as well, but Hitler gave a clear order "to stand up to the last."

The Mginsky offensive operation began on July 22 and lasted until August 22, 1943. The main goals of the USSR were as follows: to finally disrupt the plan of the German offensive against Leningrad, prevent the enemy from shifting forces to the west and completely destroy the 18th Army of the Wehrmacht.

The operation began with a powerful artillery strike in an enemy direction. The forces of the parties at the beginning of the operation on the Kursk Bulge looked like this: 260 thousand soldiers and about 600 tanks on the side of the USSR, and 100 thousand people and 150 tanks on the side of the Wehrmacht.

Despite the strong artillery barrage, the German army offered fierce resistance. Although the forces of the Red Army managed to immediately capture the first echelon of the enemy's defense, they could not advance further.

In early August 1943, having received fresh reserves, the Red Army again began to attack the German positions. Thanks to the numerical advantage and powerful mortar fire, the soldiers of the USSR managed to capture the enemy's defensive fortifications in the village of Porechye. However, the spacecraft could not advance further - the German defense was too dense.

A fierce battle between the opposing sides during the operation unfolded behind Sinyaevo and Sinyaevsky heights, which several times were captured by Soviet troops, and then they went back to the Germans. The fighting was fierce and both sides suffered heavy losses. The German defense was so strong that the command of the spacecraft decided to end the offensive operation on August 22, 1943 and go over to a defensive defense. Thus, the Mginsky offensive operation did not bring final success, although it played an important strategic role... To repulse this attack, the Germans had to use reserves that were supposed to go to Kursk.

Smolensk offensive operation

Until the Soviet counteroffensive in the Battle of Kursk in 1943 began, it was extremely important for the Headquarters to defeat as many enemy units as possible that the Wehrmacht could send under the Course to contain the Soviet troops. To weaken the enemy's defenses and deprive him of the aid of reserves, the Smolensk offensive operation was carried out. The Smolensk direction adjoined the western region of the Kursk salient. The operation was codenamed "Suvorov" and began on August 7, 1943. The offensive was launched by the forces of the left wing of the Kalinin Front, as well as the entire Western Front.

The operation ended in success, since in its course the liberation of Belarus was initiated. However, most importantly, the commanders of the Battle of Kursk managed to pin down as many as 55 enemy divisions, preventing them from going to Kursk - this significantly increased the chances of the Red Army forces during the counteroffensive near Kursk.

To weaken the enemy's positions near Kursk, the forces of the Red Army carried out another operation - the Donbass offensive. The parties' plans for the Donbass basin were very serious, because this place served as an important economic center - the Donetsk mines were extremely important for the USSR and Germany. In the Donbass there was a huge German group, which numbered more than 500 thousand people.

The operation began on August 13, 1943 and was carried out by the forces of the Southwestern Front. On August 16, the forces of the Red Army met serious resistance on the Mius River, where there was a strongly fortified defensive line. On August 16, the forces of the Southern Front entered the battle, which managed to break through the enemy defenses. Especially in battles he showed himself from all the regiments of the 67th. The successful offensive continued and already on August 30, the spacecraft liberated the city of Taganrog.

On August 23, 1943, the offensive phase of the Battle of Kursk and the Battle of Kursk itself ended, but the Donbass offensive operation continued - the spacecraft forces had to push the enemy back across the Dnieper River.

Now important strategic positions were lost for the Germans, and the threat of dismemberment and death loomed over Army Group South. To prevent this, the leader of the Third Reich still allowed her to retreat beyond the Dnieper.

On September 1, all German units in the area began to retreat from Donbass. On September 5, Gorlovka was liberated, and three days later, during the fighting, Stalino, or as the city is now called, Donetsk, was taken.

The retreat for the German army was very difficult. The Wehrmacht forces were running out of ammunition for artillery pieces. During the retreat, the German soldiers actively used the scorched earth tactics. The Germans killed civilians and burned villages and small towns on their way. During the Battle of Kursk in 1943, retreating in cities, the Germans plundered everything they could get their hands on.

On September 22, the Germans were able to be driven back across the Dnieper River in the area of ​​the cities of Zaporozhye and Dnepropetrovsk. After that, the Donbass offensive operation came to its end, ending with the complete success of the Red Army.

All of the above operations led to the fact that the forces of the Wehrmacht, as a result of the hostilities in the Battle of Kursk, were forced to withdraw beyond the Dnieper in order to build new defensive lines. The victory in the Battle of Kursk was the result of the increased courage and fighting spirit of Soviet soldiers, the skill of the commanders and the competent use of military equipment.

The Battle of Kursk in 1943, and then the Battle of the Dnieper, finally consolidated the initiative on the Eastern Front for the USSR. No one else doubted that the victory in the Great Patriotic War would be for the USSR. The allies of Germany also understood this, and they began to gradually abandon the Germans, leaving the Reich even less chance.

Many historians also believe that the Allied offensive on the island of Sicily, which at that time was occupied mainly by Italian troops, played an important role in the victory over the Germans during the Battle of Kursk.

On July 10, the Allies launched an offensive in Sicily and Italian troops surrendered to British and American forces with little or no resistance. This greatly spoiled Hitler's plans, since in order to hold Western Europe, he had to transfer part of the troops from the Eastern Front, which again weakened the position of the Germans near Kursk. Already on July 10, Manstein told Hitler that the offensive near Kursk must be stopped and go into deep defense across the Dnieper River, but Hitler still hoped that the enemy would not be able to defeat the Wehrmacht.

Everyone knows that the Battle of Kursk during the Great Patriotic War was bloody and the date of its beginning is associated with the death of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers. However, there were also funny (interesting) facts during the Battle of Kursk. One of these cases is associated with the KV-1 tank.

During a tank battle, one of the Soviet KV-1 tanks stalled and the crew ran out of ammunition. He was opposed by two German Pz.IV tanks, which could not penetrate the KV-1 armor. German tank crews tried to get to the Soviet crew by sawing through the armor, but nothing came of it. Then two Pz.IVs decided to drag the KV-1 to their base in order to deal with the tankers there. They hooked up a KV-1 and started towing it. About halfway, the KV-1 engine suddenly started up and a Soviet tank dragged two Pz.IVs with it to its base. The German tankers were shocked and simply abandoned their tanks.

Results of the Battle of Kursk

If the victory in Stalingrad battle completed the period of defense of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War, then the end of the Battle of Kursk marked a radical turning point in the course of hostilities.

After the report (message) on the victory in the Battle of Kursk came to Stalin's table, the general secretary said that this was only the beginning and very soon the troops of the Red Army would oust the Germans from the occupied territories of the USSR.

The events after the Battle of Kursk, of course, did not unfold simply for the Red Army. Victories were accompanied by huge losses, because the enemy stubbornly held the defense.

The liberation of cities after the Battle of Kursk continued, for example, in November 1943, the capital of the Ukrainian SSR, the city of Kiev, was liberated.

A very important result of the Battle of Kursk - change in the attitude of the allies towards the USSR... A report to the US president, written in August, said the USSR was now dominant in World War II. There is proof of this. If for the defense of Sicily from the combined troops of Great Britain and the United States Germany allocated only two divisions, then on the Eastern Front the USSR riveted the attention of two hundred German divisions.

The United States was deeply concerned about the success of the Russians on the Eastern Front. Roosevelt said that if the USSR continued to pursue such success, the opening of a "second front" would be unnecessary and the United States would then not be able to influence the fate of Europe without benefit for itself. Consequently, the opening of the "second front" should follow as soon as possible, while US assistance was generally required.

The failure of Operation Citadel led to the disruption of further strategic offensive operations of the Wehrmacht, which had already been prepared for execution. A victory at Kursk would have allowed to develop an offensive against Leningrad, and then the Germans went to occupy Sweden.

The result of the Battle of Kursk was the undermining of Germany's prestige among its allies. The successes of the USSR on the Eastern Front made it possible for the Americans and British to deploy in Western Europe... After such a crushing defeat for Germany, the leader of fascist Italy, Benito Mussolini, broke off agreements with Germany and withdrew from the war. Thus, Hitler lost his loyal ally.

Success, of course, came at a high price. The losses of the USSR in the Battle of Kursk were enormous, as, indeed, were the German ones. The balance of forces has already been shown above - now it is worth looking at the losses in the Battle of Kursk.

In fact, it is rather difficult to establish the exact number of deaths, since the data from different sources differ greatly. Many historians take average figures - this is 200 thousand deaths and three times more injuries. The least optimistic data indicate more than 800 thousand deaths from both sides and the same number of injured. The parties also lost a huge amount of tanks and equipment. Aviation in the Battle of Kursk played almost a key role and the loss of aircraft amounted to about 4 thousand units from both sides. At the same time, aviation losses are the only ones where the Red Army lost no more than the German one - each lost about 2 thousand aircraft. For example, the ratio of human losses looks like this 5: 1 or 4: 1 for different sources... Based on the characteristics of the Battle of Kursk, one can conclude that the effectiveness of Soviet aircraft at this stage of the war was in no way inferior to the German ones, while at the beginning of hostilities the situation was radically different.

Soviet soldiers at Kursk displayed extraordinary heroism. Their exploits were noted even abroad, especially by American and British publications. The heroism of the Red Army was also noted by German generals, including Manstein, who was considered the best military leader of the Reich. Several hundred thousand soldiers received awards “For participation in the Battle of Kursk”.

Another interesting fact is that the children also took part in the Battle of Kursk. Of course, they did not fight on the front lines, but provided serious support in the rear. They helped deliver supplies and shells. And before the start of the battle, with the help of children, hundreds of kilometers of railways were built, which were necessary for the rapid transportation of military and supplies.

Finally, it is important to consolidate all the data. Date of the end and beginning of the Battle of Kursk: July 5 and August 23, 1943.

Key dates of the Battle of Kursk:

• July 5 - 23, 1943 –Kursk strategic defensive operation;
• July 23 - August 23, 1943 –Kursk strategic offensive operation;
• July 12, 1943 - a bloody tank battle near Prokhorovka;
• July 17 - 27, 1943 - Izium-Barvenkovo ​​offensive operation;
• July 17 - August 2, 1943 - Miusskaya offensive operation;
• July 12 - August 18, 1943 - Oryol strategic offensive operation "Kutuzov";
• 3 - 23 August 1943 - Belgorod-Kharkov strategic offensive operation "Rumyantsev";
• July 22 - August 23, 1943 - Mginsky offensive operation;
• August 7 - October 2, 1943 - Smolensk offensive operation;
• August 13 - September 22, 1943 - Donbass offensive operation.

Results of the Battle of the Arc of Fire:

• a radical turn of events during the Great Patriotic War and World War II;
• complete fiasco of the German campaign to capture the USSR;
• the Nazis lost confidence in the invincibility of the German army, which reduced the morale of the soldiers and led to conflicts in the ranks of the command.

Battle of Kursk - military operations during the Great Patriotic War in the region of the Kursk salient in the summer of 1943. It was a key element of the summer 1943 campaign of the Red Army, during which a radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War, which began with the victory at Stalingrad, ended.

Chronological framework

In Russian historiography, the point of view has been established that the Battle of Kursk took place from July 5 to August 23, 1943. Two periods are distinguished in it: the defensive stage and the counteroffensive of the Red Army.

At the first stage, the Kursk strategic defensive operation was carried out by the forces of two fronts, Central (July 5-12, 1943) and Voronezh (July 5-23, 1943) with the involvement of strategic reserves of the Supreme Command Headquarters (Steppe Front), the purpose of which was to disrupt the Citadel ".

Preconditions and plans of the parties

After the defeat at Stalingrad, the German leadership faced two key problems: how to keep the eastern front under the increasing blows of the Red Army, which was gaining power, and how to keep in its orbit the allies, who had already begun to look for ways out of the war. Hitler believed that an offensive without such a deep breakthrough as in 1942 should have helped not only solve these problems, but also raise the morale of the troops.

In April, a plan was developed for Operation Citadel, according to which the two groups strike in converging directions and encircle the Central and Voronezh fronts in the Kursk salient. According to Berlin's calculations, their defeat made it possible, and inflict huge losses on the Soviet side, and reduce the front line to 245 km, and form reserves from the released forces. Two armies and one army group were allocated for the operation. South of Orel, Army Group (GA) "Center" deployed the 9th Army (A) of Colonel-General V.Model. After several revisions of the plan, she received the task: to break through the defenses of the Central Front and, having covered about 75 km, to connect in the Kursk region with the troops of GA "Yu" - 4th Tank Army (TA) of Colonel-General G. Gotha. The latter was concentrated north of Belgorod and was considered the main force of the offensive. After breaking through the line of the Voronezh front, she had to go more than 140 km to the meeting place. The outer front of the encirclement was to be created by 23 AK 9A and the army group (AG) "Kempf" from GA "South". It was planned to deploy active hostilities on a site of about 150 km.

For the "Citadel" GA "Center" allocated V.Model, whom Berlin appointed responsible for the operation, 3 tank (41, 46 and 47) and one army (23) corps, a total of 14 divisions, of which 6 were tank, and GA "South" - 4 TA and AG "Kempf" 5 corps - three tank (3, 48 and 2 SS TC) and two army (52 AK and AK "Raus"), consisting of 17 divisions, including 9 tank and motorized.

The headquarters of the Supreme High Command (VGK) received the first data on Berlin's planning of a major offensive operation near Kursk in mid-March 1943. And on April 12, 1943, at a meeting with J.V. Stalin, a preliminary decision was already made on the transition to strategic defense. The Central Front of General of the Army K.K. Rokossovsky received the task of defending the northern part of the Kursk Bulge, repelling a possible strike, and then, together with the Western and Bryansk fronts, launching a counteroffensive and crushing the German grouping in the Orel region.

The Voronezh front of General of the Army N.F. Vatutin was supposed to defend the southern part of the Kursk salient, bleed the enemy in the upcoming defensive battles, and then go over to the counteroffensive and, in cooperation with the Southwestern Front and the Steppe Fronts, complete its defeat in the Bel -city and Kharkov.

The Kursk defensive operation was viewed as essential element During the entire summer campaign of 1943, it was planned that after the expected enemy offensive in the zone of the Central and Voronezh fronts was stopped, conditions would arise for the completion of his defeat and the transition to a general offensive from Smolensk to Taganrog. The Bryansk and Western Fronts will immediately begin the Oryol offensive operation, which will help the Central Front finally disrupt the enemy's plans. In parallel with it, the Steppe Front should approach the south of the Kursk salient, and after its concentration it was planned to start the Belgorod-Kharkov offensive operation, which was to be carried out in parallel with the Donbass offensive operation Southern Fronts and Southwestern Front.

As of July 1, 1943, the Central Front had 711575 people, including the combat strength of 467179, 10725 guns and mortars, 1607 tanks and self-propelled guns, and the Voronezh front had 625590 servicemen, of which the combat strength of 417 451, 8583 guns and mortars, 1700 units armored vehicles.

Kursk defensive operation. Fighting in the north of the Kursk Bulge on July 5-12, 1943

During April - June the beginning of "Citadel" was postponed several times. The last date was dawn on July 5, 1943. On the Central Front, fierce battles unfolded over a 40 km sector. 9 A attacked at short intervals in three directions. Main blow was inflicted on 13A by Lieutenant General N.P. Pukhov by forces of 47 tk - on Olkhovatka, the second, auxiliary, 41 tk and 23 ak - to Malo-Arkhangelsk, along the right wing of 13A and left wing 48A by Lieutenant General P.L. Romanenko and the third - 46 mk - on Gnilets on the right flank of 70A, Lieutenant General I.V. Galanin. Heavy and bloody battles ensued.

In the Olkhovatsko-Ponyrovsky direction, Model threw more than 500 armored units into the attack at once, and groups of bombers marched in the air in waves, but the powerful defense system did not allow the enemy to break the lines of the Soviet troops on the move.

In the second half of July 5, N.P. Pukhov moved part of the mobile reserves to the main strip, and K.K. Rokossovsky sent a howitzer and mortar brigade to the Olkhovatka area. Counterattacks by tanks and infantry, supported by artillery, halted the enemy's offensive. By the end of the day, there was not a significant dent in the center of 13A, but the defense had not been broken anywhere. The troops of 48A and the left flank of 13A fully held their positions. At the cost of heavy losses, 47 and 46 tk managed to advance on the Olkhovatsky direction by 6-8 km, and the troops of 70A withdrew only 5 km.

To restore the lost position at the junction of 13 and 70A, K.K. Rokossovsky in the second half of July 5 decided to conduct a counterattack of the 2nd TA of Lieutenant General A.G. Rodin and 19 tk in cooperation with the second echelon of 13 A - 17 Guards on the morning of July 6 ... rifle corps (sk). He could not fully solve the assigned tasks. After two days of fruitless attempts to implement the Citadel plan, 9A got bogged down in the defense of the Central Front. From July 7 to 11, the epicenter of the battles in strip 13 and 70A was the Ponyri station and the area of ​​the villages of Olkhovatka - Samodurovka - Gnilets, where two powerful resistance nodes were created, blocking the path to Kursk. By the end of July 9, the offensive of the main forces of 9A was stopped, and on July 11, she made a last unsuccessful attempt to break through the defenses of the Central Front.

On July 12, 1943, a turning point occurred in the hostilities in this area. The Western and Bryansk fronts went over to the offensive in the Oryol direction. V.Model, appointed responsible for the defense of the entire Oryol arc, began hastily transferring troops aimed at Kursk under Orel. And on July 13, Hitler officially terminated the Citadel. The depth of the 9A advance was 12-15 km at the front up to 40 km. No operational, let alone strategic, results were achieved. Moreover, she did not hold on to the positions she had already taken. On July 15, the Central Front launched a counteroffensive and two days later, basically restored its position until July 5, 1943.

At dawn on July 5, 1943, the troops of GA Yug launched an offensive. The main blow was struck in the 6th Guards zone. And Lieutenant General I.M. Chistyakov in the direction of Oboyan by 4TA forces. More than 1168 armored units were involved here by the German side. On the auxiliary, Korochansky direction (east and north-east of Belgorod), the positions of the 7th Guards. And Lieutenant General M.S. Shumilov was attacked by 3 mk and "Raus" AG "Kempf", which had 419 tanks and assault guns. However, thanks to the resilience of the soldiers and commanders of the 6th Guards. And, already in the first two days, the schedule of the offensive of GA "South" was disrupted, and its divisions suffered great damage. And most importantly, the shock group of GA "South" was split. 4TA and AG "Kempf" failed to create a continuous breakthrough front, tk. AG "Kempf" was unable to cover the right wing of the 4TA and their troops began to move in diverging directions. Therefore, the 4TA was forced to weaken the shock wedge and send large forces to strengthen the right wing. However, the front of the offensive (up to 130 km) wider than in the north of the Kursk Bulge and more significant forces allowed the enemy to break through the line of the Voronezh Front in a zone of up to 100 km by the end of the fifth day and enter the defense in the main direction up to 28 km, while in its corps 66% of armored vehicles were out of order.

On July 10, the second stage of the Kursk defensive operation of the Voronezh Front began, the epicenter of the fighting shifted to the Prokhorovka station. The battle for this center of resistance lasted from 10 to 16 July 1943. On 12 July, a front-line counterattack was carried out. For 10-12 hours, about 1,100 armored units of the opposing sides operated at different times in the area of ​​the station on a site of 40 km. However, it did not bring the expected results. Although the troops of GA "Yug" were able to keep in the army defense system, all formations of the 4th TA and AG "Kempf" retain their combat effectiveness. In the next four days, the most intense battles were south of the station in the area between the Seversky and Lipovy Donets, which was convenient for striking both the deep right flank of the 4TA and the left flank of the AG Kempf. However, it was not possible to defend this area. On the night of July 15, 1943, 2 SS and 3 TCs surrounded four 69A divisions south of the station, but they managed to break out of the "ring", albeit with heavy losses

On the night of July 16-17, the troops of GA "Yug" began to withdraw in the direction of Belgorod, and by the end of July 23, 1943, the Voronezh Front pushed GA "Yug" back approximately to the position from which it began the offensive. The goal set for the Soviet troops during the Kursk defensive operation was fully achieved.

Oryol offensive operation

After two weeks of bloody battles, the last strategic offensive of the Wehrmacht was stopped, but this was only part of the plan of the Soviet command for the summer campaign of 1943. Now, it was important to finally take the initiative and turn the tide of the war.

The plan for the destruction of German troops in the Orel region, codenamed Operation Kutuzov, was developed even before the Battle of Kursk. The troops of the Western, Bryansk and Central fronts, bordering the Oryol arc, were to strike at general direction to Oryol, cut 2 TA and 9A GA "Center" into three separate groups, surround them in the areas of Bolkhov, Mtsensk, Orel and destroy them.

Part of the Western forces (commanded by Colonel-General V.D.Sokolovsky), the entire Bryansk (Colonel-General M.M.Popov) and the Central Fronts were involved in the operation. The breakthrough of the enemy's defense was envisaged in five sectors. The Western Front was to deliver the main blow with the troops of the left wing - 11th Guards, while Lieutenant General I.Kh. Baghramyan - on Khotynets and auxiliary - on Zhizdra, and the Bryansk front - on Oryol (main attack) and Bolkhov (auxiliary). The central front, after completely stopping the offensive of 9A, was to concentrate the main efforts of 70, 13, 48A and 2 TA in the Krom direction. The beginning of the offensive was tightly tied to the moment when it would become clear that the strike group 9A was exhausted and tied up by battles on the lines of the Central Front. In the opinion of the Headquarters, such a moment came on July 12, 1943.

The day before the offensive, Lieutenant General I.Kh. Baghramyan conducted reconnaissance in force on the left flank of the 2nd TA. As a result, not only was the outline of the enemy's forward edge and its fire system clarified, but in some areas the German infantry was driven out of the first trench. THEIR. Baghramyan ordered the immediate start of a general offensive. Introduced on July 13, 1 mk completed the breakthrough of the second band. After that, 5 mk began to develop an offensive bypassing Bolkhov, and 1 mk - to Khotynets.

The first day of the offensive on the Bryansk Front did not bring tangible results. Operating in the main, Oryol direction, 3A of Lieutenant General A.V. Gorbatov and 63A of Lieutenant General V.Ya. By the end of July 13, Kolpakchi broke through to 14 km, and 61A of Lieutenant General P.A. Belova in the Bolkhov direction wedged into the enemy's defenses only 7 km away. The offensive of the Central Front, which began on July 15, did not change the situation. By the end of July 17, his troops had thrown 9A back only to the positions that it had occupied by the beginning of the Battle of Kursk.

Nevertheless, on July 19, the threat of encirclement hung over the Bolkhov group. 11th Guards A in a southern direction broke through 70 km, stubbornly moved towards Bolkhov and 61A. This city was the "key" to the Eagle, so the opposing sides began to build up their forces here. On the direction of the main attack of the Bryansk Front on July 19, the 3rd Guards TA of Lieutenant-General P.S. Rybalko was advancing. After repelling the enemy's counterattacks, by the end of the day she broke through the second line of defense on the Oleshnya River. The grouping of the Western Front was hastily strengthened. A significant preponderance of forces, although not quickly, bore fruit. On August 5, 1943, one of the largest regional centers of the European part of the USSR, the city of Orel, was liberated by the troops of the Bryansk Front.

After the destruction of the grouping in the area of ​​Bolkhov and Orel, the most intense hostilities unfolded on the Khotynets - Kromy front, and at the final stage of the Kutuzov operation, the most difficult battles flared up for the city of Karachev, which covered the approaches to Bryansk, which was liberated on August 15, 1943.

On August 18, 1943, Soviet troops reached the German defensive line "Hagen", east of Bryansk. This operation "Kutuzov" ended. For 37 days, the Red Army advanced 150 km forward, a fortified bridgehead was eliminated and a large enemy grouping, in a strategically important direction, favorable conditions were created for an offensive to Bryansk and further to Belarus.

Belgorod - Kharkov offensive operation

It received the code name "Commander Rumyantsev", was held from 3 to 23 August 1943 by the Voronezh (Army General N.F. Vatutin) and Steppe (Colonel General I.S.Konev) fronts and was the final stage of the Battle of Kursk. The operation was supposed to be carried out in two stages: at the first stage, to defeat the troops of the left wing of GA "Yug" in the area of ​​Belgorod and Tomarovka, and then to liberate Kharkov. The steppe front was supposed to liberate Belgorod and Kharkov, and the Voronezh front was to bypass them from the north-west, to develop success to Poltava. The main attack was planned to be delivered by the armies of the adjacent flanks of the Voronezh and Steppe fronts from the area northwest of Belgorod in the direction of Bogodukhov and Valki, at the junction of the 4th TA and AG Kempf, crushing them and cutting off their way to retreat to the west and southwest. Attack an auxiliary blow to Akhtyrka, with forces of 27 and 40A, in order to block the pulling up of reserves to Kharkov. At the same time, the city was to be bypassed from the south by 57A of the Southwestern Front. The operation was planned for a front of 200 km and a depth of up to 120 km.

On August 3, 1943, after a powerful artillery barrage, the first echelon of the Voronezh Front - 6th Guards A Lieutenant General I.M. Chistyakov and 5th Guards A Lieutenant General A.S. Zhadov crossed the Vorskla river, made a 5 km gap on the front between Belgorod and Tomarovka, through which the main forces entered - 1TA Lieutenant General M.E. Katukov and 5th Guards TA of Lieutenant General P.A. Rotmistrov. Having passed the "corridor" of the breakthrough and deployed in order of battle, their troops dealt a strong blow to Zolochev. By the end of the day, the 5th Guards Tank Army, having deepened 26 km into the enemy's defenses, cut off the Belgorod grouping from Tomarov's, and reached the line with. Good Will, and in the morning of the next day broke through to Bessonovka and Orlovka. And 6th Guards And in the evening of August 3 they broke through to Tomarovka. The 4TA put up stubborn resistance. From 4 August, 5th Guards. The TA for two days was shackled by enemy counterattacks, although, according to the calculations of the Soviet side, already on August 5, its brigades were to leave west of Kharkov and capture the city of Lyubotin. This delay changed the plan of the entire operation to quickly split the enemy grouping.

After two days of heavy fighting on the outskirts of Belgorod, on August 5, 1943, 69th and 7th Guards A of the Steppe Front pushed the troops of the AG "Kempf" to the outskirts and began its assault, which in the evening ended in clearing its main part of the invaders. On the evening of August 5, 1943, in honor of the liberation of Orel and Belgorod, for the first time during the war years, a salute was given in Moscow.

On this day, a turning point came in the strip of the Voronezh Front, in the auxiliary direction, 40A of Lieutenant General K.S. Moskalenko, in the direction of Boroml and 27A of Lieutenant General S.G. Trofimenko, who by the end of August 7 had liberated Grayvoron and was advancing to Akhtyrka.

After the liberation of Belgorod, the onslaught and the Steppe Front intensified. On August 8, Lieutenant General N.A. 57A was transferred to him. Hagen. Trying to prevent the encirclement of his troops, E. von Manstein on August 11 launched counterattacks on 1TA and 6 Guards. Despite the stubborn resistance of AG Kempf, Konev's troops continued to push aggressively towards Kharkov. On 17 August they started fighting on its outskirts.

On August 18, GA Yug made a second attempt to stop the offensive of the two fronts with a counterattack, now on the extended right flank of 27A. To repel it, N.F. Vatutin brought in 4th Guards A, Lieutenant General G.I. Kulik. But it was not possible to quickly turn the tide. The destruction of the Akhtyr group was delayed until August 25.

On August 18, the offensive of 57A resumed, which, bypassing Kharkov from the southeast, moved to Merefa. In this situation, the capture of the resistance node in the forest in the northeast of Kharkov by units of Lieutenant General I.M. Managarov on August 20 was of great importance. Using this success, 69 A Lieutenant General V.D. Kryuchenkin began to bypass the city from the northwest and west. During August 21, the corps of the 5th Guards TA was concentrated in the 53A zone, which significantly strengthened the right wing of the Steppe Front. A day later was cut railways Kharkov - Zolochev, Kharkov - Lyubotin - Poltava and the Kharkov - Lyubotin highway, and on August 22, 57A went south of Kharkov to the area of ​​the villages of Bezlyudovka and Konstantinovka. Thus, most of the enemy's retreat routes were cut off, so the German command was forced to begin a hasty withdrawal of all troops from the city.

On August 23, 1943, Moscow saluted the liberators of Kharkov. This event marked the victorious end of the Battle of Kursk by the Red Army.

Results, meaning

In the battle of Kursk, which lasted 49 days, about 4,000,000 people, over 69,000 guns and mortars, more than 13,000 tanks and self-propelled (assault) guns, and up to 12,000 aircraft took part on both sides. It became one of the most ambitious events of the Great Patriotic War, its significance goes far beyond the boundaries of the Soviet-German front. “A major defeat at the Kursk Bulge was the beginning of a deadly crisis for the German army,” wrote the outstanding commander Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky. - Moscow, Stalingrad and Kursk became three important milestones in the fight against the enemy, three historical milestones on the way to victory over Nazi Germany. The initiative for action on the Soviet-German front - the main and decisive front of the entire Second World War - was firmly entrenched in the hands of the Red Army. "

The Battle of Kursk (the Battle of the Kursk Bulge), which lasted from July 5 to August 23, 1943, is one of the key battles of the Great Patriotic War. In Soviet and Russian historiography, it is customary to divide the battle into three parts: the Kursk defensive operation (July 5-23); Oryol (July 12 - August 18) and Belgorod-Kharkov (August 3-23) offensive.

During the winter offensive of the Red Army and the subsequent counter-offensive of the Wehrmacht in Eastern Ukraine, a ledge up to 150 kilometers deep and up to 200 kilometers wide was formed in the center of the Soviet-German front, facing the west (the so-called "Kursk Bulge"). The German command decided to conduct a strategic operation on the Kursk salient. For this, a military operation codenamed "Citadel" was developed and approved in April 1943. Having information about the preparation of the German-fascist troops for the offensive, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command decided to temporarily go over to the defensive on the Kursk Bulge and, during a defensive battle, bleed the enemy's shock groups and thereby create favorable conditions for the transition of Soviet troops to a counteroffensive, and then to a general strategic offensive. ...

To carry out Operation Citadel, the German command concentrated 50 divisions in the sector, including 18 tank and motorized divisions. The enemy grouping numbered, according to Soviet sources, about 900 thousand people, up to 10 thousand guns and mortars, about 2.7 thousand tanks and more than 2 thousand aircraft. Air support for the German forces was provided by the forces of the 4th and 6th air fleets.

By the beginning of the Battle of Kursk, the headquarters of the Supreme Command created a grouping (Central and Voronezh fronts), which had more than 1.3 million people, up to 20 thousand guns and mortars, more than 3300 tanks and self-propelled guns, 2650 aircraft. The troops of the Central Front (commanded by General of the Army Konstantin Rokossovsky) defended the northern face of the Kursk salient, and the troops of the Voronezh Front (commanded by General of the Army Nikolai Vatutin) defended the southern face. The troops that occupied the ledge relied on the Steppe Front as part of a rifle, 3 tank, 3 motorized and 3 cavalry corps (commanded by Colonel General Ivan Konev). The coordination of the actions of the fronts was carried out by representatives of the Headquarters Marshals of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Vasilevsky.

On July 5, 1943, according to the plan of Operation Citadel, German strike groups launched an offensive against Kursk from the regions of Orel and Belgorod. From the direction of Orel, a grouping under the command of Field Marshal Gunter Hans von Kluge (Army Group Center) was advancing, from the side of Belgorod - a grouping under the command of General Field Marshal Erich von Manstein (Task Force Kempf of Army Group South).

The task of repelling the offensive from the direction of Orel was assigned to the troops of the Central Front, from the side of Belgorod - the Voronezh Front.

July 12 in the area railway station Prokhorovka, 56 kilometers north of Belgorod, the largest oncoming tank battle of the Second World War took place - the battle between the advancing enemy tank group (Operational Group Kempf) and the Soviet forces counterstriking. Up to 1200 tanks and self-propelled guns took part in the battle on both sides. The fierce battle lasted all day, by evening the tank crews, along with the infantry, fought hand-to-hand. In one day, the enemy lost about 10 thousand people and 400 tanks and was forced to go over to the defensive.

On the same day, the troops of the Bryansk, Central and Left Wing of the Western Fronts launched Operation Kutuzov, which had the goal of crushing the enemy's Oryol grouping. On July 13, the troops of the Western and Bryansk fronts broke through the enemy's defenses on the Bolkhov, Khotynets and Oryol axes and advanced to a depth of 8 to 25 km. On July 16, the troops of the Bryansk Front reached the line of the Oleshnya River, after which the German command began to withdraw its main forces to their original positions. By July 18, the troops of the right wing of the Central Front had completely eliminated the enemy wedge in the Kursk direction. On the same day, the troops of the Steppe Front were brought into battle, which began to pursue the retreating enemy.

Developing the offensive, the Soviet ground forces, supported from the air by strikes from the forces of the 2nd and 17th air armies, as well as by long-range aviation, by August 23, 1943, threw the enemy back to the west by 140-150 km, liberated Oryol, Belgorod and Kharkov. According to Soviet sources, the Wehrmacht lost 30 elite divisions in the Battle of Kursk, including 7 tank divisions, over 500 thousand soldiers and officers, 1.5 thousand tanks, more than 3.7 thousand aircraft, 3 thousand guns. The losses of the Soviet troops surpassed the German ones; they amounted to 863 thousand people. At Kursk, the Red Army lost about 6 thousand tanks.

Kursk Bulge in brief about the battle

• The offensive of the German army
• The offensive of the Red Army
• General summary
• The battle of Kursk is even shorter
• Video about the Kursk battle

How did the Battle of Kursk begin?

• Hitler decided that it was at the location of the Kursk Bulge that a turning point in the seizure of territory should take place. The operation was called "Citadel" and was supposed to involve the fronts of Voronezh and Central.
• But, in one thing, Hitler was right, Zhukov and Vasilevsky agreed with him, the Kursk Bulge was to become one of the main battles and, undoubtedly, most importantly, of those to come.
• This is exactly how Zhukov and Vasilevsky reported to Stalin. Zhukov was able to roughly estimate the possible forces of the invaders.

• German armament has been updated and increased in volume. Thus, a tremendous mobilization was carried out. The Soviet army, namely those fronts on which the Germans were counting, were approximately on a par in terms of their equipment.
• In some respects, the Russians were winning.
• In addition to the Central and Voronezh fronts (under the command of Rokossovsky and Vatutin, respectively), there was also a secret front - Stepnoy, under the command of Konev, about which the enemy knew nothing.
• The Steppe Front became insurance for two main directions.
• The Germans have been preparing for this offensive since spring. But when they launched an attack in the summer, this did not come as an unexpected blow for the Red Army.
• The Soviet army also did not sit idle. Eight defensive lines were erected at the proposed site of the battle.

Combat tactics on the Kursk Bulge

• It was thanks to the developed qualities of a military leader, and the work of intelligence, that the command of the Soviet army was able to understand the plans of the enemy and the defense-offensive plan came up perfectly.
• The defensive lines were built with the help of the population living near the battlefield.
  The German side built the plan in such a way that the Kursk Bulge should help to make the front line more even.
• If this succeeded, then the next stage would be to develop an offensive into the center of the state.

The offensive of the German army

The offensive of the Red Army

General summary

Reconnaissance as an important part of the Battle of Kursk

The battle of Kursk is even shorter
One of the largest battlefields during the Great Patriotic War became the Kursk Bulge. Briefly about the battle is outlined below.

All the hostilities that took place during the Battle of Kursk took place from July 5 to August 23, 1943. During this battle, the German command hoped to destroy all Soviet troops representing the Central and Voronezh fronts. At that time, they were actively defending Kursk. If the Germans succeeded in this battle, the initiative in the war would return to the Germans. In order to implement their plans, the German command allocated more than 900 thousand soldiers, 10 thousand guns of various calibers, and 2.7 thousand tanks and 2,050 aircraft were allocated in support. New Tiger and Panther class tanks, as well as new Focke-Wulf 190 A fighters and Heinkel 129 assault aircraft, took part in this battle.

The command of the Soviet Union hoped to bleed the enemy during his offensive, and then conduct a large-scale counterattack. Thus, the Germans did exactly what the Soviet army expected. The scale of the battle was truly grandiose, the Germans sent almost the entire army and all available tanks into the attack. However, the Soviet troops stood to their death, and the defensive lines were not surrendered. On the Central Front, the enemy advanced 10-12 kilometers, on Voronezh, the enemy's penetration depth was 35 kilometers, but the Germans could not go further.

The outcome of the battle on the Kursk Bulge was determined by the battle of tanks near the village of Prokhorovka, which took place on July 12. It was the largest battle of tank forces in history; more than 1.2 thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery units were thrown into the battle. On this day, German troops lost more than 400 tanks, and the invaders were driven back. After that, the Soviet troops launched an active offensive, and on August 23 the Battle of the Kursk Bulge was ended with the liberation of Kharkov, and with this event the further defeat of Germany became inevitable.