It was July 1943. For the fifth day, the battle continued on Kursk . The Oryol-Kursk sector of the Central Front successfully opposed Wehrmacht soldiers. On the Belgorod site, on the contrary, the initiative was in the hands of the Germans: their offensive continued in the southeast direction, which posed a threat to two fronts at once. The place of the main battle was to be a small field near the village of Prokhorovka.
The choice of the area for military operations was based on geographical features - the terrain made it possible to stop the German breakthrough and inflict a powerful counterattack by the forces of the Steppe Front. On July 9, by order of the command, the 5th combined arms and 5th tank guard armies moved to the Prokhorovka area. Here, changing the strike direction, the Germans advanced.
Tank battle near Prokhorovka. Central battle
Both armies concentrated large tank forces in the village area. It became clear that the oncoming battle is simply impossible to avoid. On the evening of July 11, the battle of Prokhorovka began. The German divisions made an attempt to hit the flanks, and our troops had to use considerable forces and even attract reserves to stop the breakthrough. On the morning of July 12, at 8:15, the Soviet Army launched a counterattack. This time was not chosen by chance - targeted shooting of the Germans was hindered as a result of blinding by the rising sun. An hour later, the Battle of Kursk near Prokhorovka acquired a colossal scale. At the center of the fierce battle were approximately 1000-1200 German and Soviet tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts.
For many kilometers, the rattle of colliding combat vehicles, the rumble of engines was heard. Airplanes flew in a swarm, resembling clouds. The field burned, new and new explosions shook the earth. The sun was covered with clouds of smoke, ash, sand. The air smelled of hot metal, burning, gunpowder. Asphyxiating smoke crawled across the field, pinching the eyes of the fighters, and preventing them from breathing. Tanks could be distinguished only by silhouettes.
Battle of Prokhorovka. Tank battles
On this day, battles were fought not only in the main direction. To the south of the village, a German tank group attempted to enter our left flank. The advance of the enemy was stopped. At the same time, the enemy threw about a hundred tanks in order to gain height near Prokhorovka. The soldiers of the 95th Guards Division opposed them. The battle lasted three hours, and as a result, the German attack failed.
What ended the battle of Prokhorovka
At about 13 o’clock the Germans again tried to turn the tide of the battle in the central direction and struck on the right flank with two divisions. However, this attack was neutralized. Our tanks began to push the enemy back and by the evening were able to push him 10-15 km away. The battle of Prokhorovka was won, the advance of the enemy was stopped. Hitler’s troops suffered heavy losses, their attacking potential on the Belgorod sector of the front was exhausted. After this battle, right up to the Victory, our army did not let go of its strategic initiative.