0 h 47 m, 5 jul 1943 año - Battle of Kursk

Descripción:

At the Battle of Kursk or Operation Citadel, 3 were a series of armed conflicts between Germany and the Soviet Union, which took place from July 5 to August 23, 1943 in the Kursk region, present-day Russia. It is considered one of the greatest battles in history, due to the huge deployment of soldiers, armored vehicles, artillery and fighters of the two armies, and is also named as the largest armored battle in history. It is estimated that between both sides, about 3,000,000 soldiers, 6,000 tanks, 36,000 guns and mortars and about 5,000 aircraft were deployed.

After the reconquest of Stalingrad, the Soviets began to move quickly towards the west in a series of offensives that the Germans finally managed to reject near Zaporiyia.

After another series of German counteroffensives and once the front stabilized, the Soviets had a ledge formed around the city of Kursk, which was 110 kilometers long and 200 kilometers wide on the German lines.

Hitler's plan was to attack the outgoing and regain the initiative in the war against the Soviet Union. Despite the great doubts in the German high command about the development of the operation and several weeks of delay due to the expectation of the new tanks Panzer V and Tiger I, Hitler, who confessed to feel "a deep headache" in this question, gave the green light to the plan. Stalin, who knew of Hitler's intentions thanks to the Soviet secret services, had time to prepare the defense.Around 4:30 in the morning of July 5, the Soviets begin the attack on the German lines with their artillery and the fearsome Kautiusha. In the following days, fierce battles will be recorded by land and by air, where the ruthless German Junkers Ju 87 will annihilate a multitude of Soviet T-34 armored vehicles. The contest will have its high point on July 12 in the town of Prokhorovka (see Battle of Prokhorovka), in which the best divisions of both sides will face each other, turning the battlefield into a real hell. It is said that the Soviet high command gave orders that the T-34 armor sent the German Tiger and Panther at all costs, to supply the disadvantage in firepower. The failure in Prokhorovka caused the Germans to retire to the starting line on July 15. The Soviets retake the offensive on August 3, finally releasing Kharkiv on August 23.

The result of the battle was a decisive victory for the Soviet Union, that although it had greater losses than Germany, it could recompose its army with more facility. After Kursk, the Third Reich would never regain the initiative on the eastern front and definitively mark its decline, begun in Stalingrad.

Añadido al timeline:

fecha:

Fotos: