During the Second World War, in 1943, the situation began to change sharply on the Eastern Front. It was during this period that the final turning point began, which began with the Battle of Stalingrad, when the Sixth Army of the Wehrmacht was surrounded and defeated by Soviet troops during the Uranus operation. Then, during the offensive battles in the winter of 1943, German troops were significantly driven back. The front stabilized in the spring, when German troops during the counterattack were able to stop the movement of the Red Army. Then a ledge was formed, on which already in the summer of that year one of the most bloody and major battles in history broke out - the Battle of Kursk. Operation Citadel - the plan of the German command to defeat the Soviet armies in the Kursk region - suffered a complete collapse.
The German command began to develop a plan for the deployment of military operations for the summer period of 1943. One of the main proposals was a full-scale strike in the area of the Kursk ledge, which was accepted. In April, a plan called Operation Citadel was approved, according to which the German forces had to split the Soviet defense in two from a two-pronged strike. The beginning was scheduled for mid-summer.
Thanks to reconnaissance, texts that fully covered Operation Citadel, its main tasks and directions, fell into the hands of the Soviet command. During the meeting of the Soviet Supreme High Command, it was decided to keep the defense, and after the enemy is exhausted and bloodless, start and develop their own counteroffensive.
By July 1943, significant forces were concentrated in the Kursk salient both from the Germans and from the USSR. Among the armored vehicles of the Wehrmacht there were also tanks of a new development, such as the Tiger and Panther, as well as self-propelled guns Ferdinand, but the Pz III and IV series tanks, which were already outdated by that time, made up the majority of them.
According to the German plan, Operation Citadel was supposed to begin on the night of July 5 with major artillery preparation, but since the command of the USSR became aware of the upcoming enemy operations, it was decided to carry out counter-preparation, thanks to which the German offensive was delayed by 3 hours and only started in the morning.
German shock tank units launched an attack on Soviet positions from two sides. The German Army Group Center was advanced from Orel, against which the Central Front was on the Soviet side. Military forces called "South" moved from Belgorod to the position of the Voronezh Front. In the course of the first day, bloody battles took place, and the original German plans required adjustment, since the tank formations did not reach the intended positions. However, the operation "Citadel" was developing at full speed, and although with great difficulty and loss, the Wehrmacht troops managed to break through the defenses.
July 12 was the largest tank clash in history. Under the railway station Prokhorovka, a battle broke out between opponents. During the most difficult battles and with huge losses, Soviet troops were able to turn the tide of the battle in their favor. They forced the German units to retreat.
By July 15, the Wehrmacht troops had exhausted offensive resources, and went on the defensive. The German offensive operation Citadel completely failed. The Second World War entered a new phase - from that moment the initiative completely passed to the anti-Hitler coalition.