75 years have passed since one of the largest tank battles in military history - the Battle of Kursk. The Germans called it Operation Citadel, which was launched by them on July 5, 433, and ended on August 23, 43, with a length of 49 days.
Defensive fortifications
Soviet troops managed to create a deep defensive line on the Kursk Bulge, which in some places totaled up to 8 defense lines.
With the help of the civilian population, who erected defenses along with the military, joint efforts were made to dig at least 4,500 kilometers of trenches, as well as many coils of barbed wire, some of which were electrically energized, and some under the sights of machine guns and automatic flamethrowers.
The heroes of the Battle of Kursk, whose photos are exhibited in the museum of the memorial complex, opened at the battle site in 1973, actively performed their military duty. These heroes were all without exception: the civilian population, helping to dig trenches, and the military, who gloriously repelled the attacks of the Germans.
In addition, about 2,000 anti-tank mines and about 2,300 anti-personnel mines were laid for every kilometer of defense. The defensive fortifications on the Kursk Bulge were 6 times as powerful as the fortifications built during the defense of Moscow in 1941.
The Soviet command, led by Marshal Zhukov, thanks to the actions of intelligence, knew in advance the direction of the summer strike of German troops and prepared to repel it. The main objective of the Soviet troops was to exhaust the enemy in the course of defensive operations and to launch a counterattack with a sudden blow.
Intelligence service
The first who took the battle near Kursk were scouts and partisans, who, very often risking their lives, obtained the most important information about the movement of troops, the beginning of military operations and transferred them to the General Staff.
After the Germans captured the city of Bobruisk, an underground cell was formed in it, the leader of which was Mikhail Baglay. As a result of the large-scale actions of this group in the war with the Germans, it became known about it in Moscow.
In order to coordinate the actions of the partisans, it was decided to send a group of paratroopers with a radio operator to Bobruisk. Landing was successful, the radio operator settled in Baglay's house. All the information received, which was delivered by the partisans, was forwarded to Moscow. Quite often, information was strategically important.
In the spring of 1943, underground workers noticed that haystacks were transported in the trains that arrive at the station. It seemed strange to them. After the check, which they arranged, secretly making their way to the station and going around the sentry posts, it turned out that the new German tanks Panther and Tiger were being transported in cars. The heroes of the Battle of Kursk briefly talked about the merits of these tanks, one of which was strong frontal armor.
The radiograms that followed, which were sent to Moscow, said that several echelons that were moving towards Orel were being transported by Tiger tanks. The partisans who participated in this operation were awarded medals.
Scouting Activities Abroad
Another interesting case occurred in England, where the Soviet intelligence officer Konstantin Kukin worked and led the residency. Having managed to get information with decryption information coming to England from the decryption of the German negotiations, Kukin successfully transmitted it to Moscow.
04/12/1943 the year in Moscow from Kukin received a plan of operation "Citadel" translated from German, which includes all its details. As documented, it was signed by Hitler only three days later, from which it follows that the plan was delivered to Moscow before it was signed by the Führer, and, perhaps, before he became acquainted with it.
Combat scouts
Nikolai Aleksandrovich Belozertsev, commander of intelligence, in June 1943, captured more than fifteen Germans with machine gunners who provided useful and important information about the movement and plans of their troops. As a result of these hostilities, it was decided to confer on him the title of Hero. The award was presented posthumously. He died, having been blown up by a mine, 08/30/1943.
Sergeant Volokh A.A., a scout, distinguished himself in a combat mission. With several fellow soldiers, he suddenly attacked a German column. He captured one officer who provided important information. He was awarded the title Hero of the Union. He died in October 1943.
Start of battle
Thanks to the good work of the scouts, the Soviet command knew up to the minute the beginning of the German offensive - 3 a.m. To forestall the Germans, a decision was made by the forces of the Voronezh and central fronts at 22-30 and at 2-20 to deliver two artillery attacks, and then go on to organized defense. Massive artillery preparation was a complete surprise for the German troops and allowed to delay their advance for more than 3 hours.
At 6-00 in the morning after massive artillery volleys and aerial bombardments, German troops launched an attack. The blows were delivered from two sides. From the north, the main blow fell in the direction of the village of Olkhovatka. From the south - to the village of Oboyan.
Containing enemy attacks
In fierce battles near Kursk, soldiers and officers, often repelling the onslaught of German troops, often became famous at the cost of their own lives. Below we describe the exploits (briefly) of the heroes of the Battle of Kursk.
We begin our story with the infantry heroes:
- Yakov Studennikov, who at that time was in the rank of senior sergeant, after his comrades in arms were killed, alone restrained the onslaught of the Nazi troops, repelled 10 attacks and destroyed more than 300 Nazis. For outstanding courage and unparalleled courage in battle, Yakov Studennikov was awarded the title of Hero of the USSR.
- Aleshkin A.I. - commander of a platoon of a mortar regiment on July 17, 1943, with his calculation, repelled two massive attacks by German troops, after which he attacked the enemy. After these actions, he was awarded the title Hero of the Union. He died in this battle.
- Sergeant Bannov P.I. - anti-tank gun commander. He proved himself to be a good soldier and strategist, in the battle near the village of Molotychi he shot down 7 enemy tanks. He was wounded in battle, but even after that he did not leave his line, but continued to repulse the enemy’s fierce attack. He was awarded the high title of Hero of the Union at the end of August of the 43rd year. After being cured in the hospital, he returned to the front line to finish off the enemy.
- Ml Lieutenant Borisyuk Ivan Ivanovich - platoon commander of the artillery regiment. On July 5, 1943, he participated in repelling the German attack of 112 enemy tanks. His platoon in stubborn battles incapacitated and destroyed 13 tanks, of which 6 ml. the lieutenant destroyed personally. For military services to the Motherland in this and other battles, Borisyuk I. I. was awarded the title of Hero.
- Sergeant Vanahun Manzus in a battle near Kursk near the village of Soglasny accepted a battle with superior enemy forces. As a result of the fighting, he chose the most correct solution, took up a circular defense and held it until reinforcements arrived. According to the results of this battle, he was awarded the highest rank of the Soviet Union - Hero for valor and high services. The rank of sergeant was awarded posthumously, he died in this battle.
- Vlasov A.A. (foreman). In battles near the village of Yakovlevo on the 6th and 7th of July, 1943, he repelled violent enemy attacks. In the battles of July 6, he knocked out nine enemy tanks, of which four heavy Tigers and five medium ones. On July 7, he held back the attack of twenty-three German tanks. During the battle, in the first half hour, his calculation knocked out ten of them. Vlasov A.A. died in battle. For military services to his homeland, he was awarded the military title of Hero of the USSR posthumously.
- Ml Lieutenant Vidulin N.G., with a platoon entrusted to him, repelled the attacks of superior German forces; during the battle, he and his platoon managed to destroy more than 50 Nazi soldiers and force them to start a retreat. After the pursuit began, it was possible to capture 8 mortars and 4 machine guns, more than twenty machine guns and many enemy grenades. He was injured in this battle, after treatment in the hospital he continued the war. For outstanding services recognized as the motherland of the Hero.
Having run into serious resistance to the north in the Olkhovatka region, the Germans moved their attack to the region of the village of Ponyriy, but here organized resistance was also waiting for them. As a result of the weekly offensive, German troops were able to delve into the Soviet defense only 12 kilometers.
Volkov P.P. - a loader of artillery gun crew - near the railway junction Ponyri took an unequal battle with the German infantry, reinforced with tanks. According to the results of this battle, four cars were blown up. More than thirty German soldiers remained lying on the ground after his marksmanship. Private Volkov himself died in this battle. For courage and resourcefulness, he was awarded the title of Hero, which he was awarded posthumously.
Lieutenant Gagkaev A.A. - commander of the artillery battalion - 07/05/1943, the year took the battle with the German superior forces near the village of Bykovka. After his gun crew disabled and blew up six Tiger tanks, and his gun was defeated, Gagkaev did not back down and did not rush to save himself. He courageously, along with his calculation, went to the Germans in hand-to-hand combat. He died with the calculation in this battle. For unprecedented courage and bravery, he was deservedly awarded the Honorary Order of Lenin and presented to the title of Hero posthumously.Unable to break through the Soviet defense to the south in the Oboyan area, the German troops turned towards Prokhorovka, hoping to decisively blow through the Russian defense, as it seemed to them, in the most unfortunate place.
Battle of Prokhorovka
07/12/1943 the year began the battle of Prokhorovka, which went down in modern history as a great tank battle. On the morning of July 12, 1943, hundreds of Soviet tanks in groups of 40 to 50 rolled out from Prokhorovka and its environs towards German tank units. All our tankmen these days fought with enviable courage, and all polls were heroes, but there are those that deserve special mention.
- Bratsyuk Nikolai Zakharovich - the commander of the tank brigade, during the battles from July 20 to July 23, 1943 his brigade destroyed eight tanks, nine guns, twelve cannons, more than twenty units of machine guns and mortars, seven armored vehicles, and more than a battalion of soldiers. For valor and courage shown as a result of these battles, received the title of Hero.
- Senior Lieutenant Antonov M.M., the commander of the tank brigade, in the battles near Orel in July 43, distinguished himself with a correct vision of the situation, courage and heroism shown in the battles. In battle, blew up 4 enemy tanks, six guns, more than fifty enemy soldiers and was deservedly awarded the title of Hero of the USSR.
- Lieutenant Butenko Ivan Efimovich - commander of a tank platoon - on July 6, 1943 skillfully and selflessly repulsed the enemy’s attacks. In the direction of the village of Smorodina near Belgorod, he destroyed 3 enemy tanks, 2 of which were rammed. Following the results of the battles, Lieutenant I. Butenko posthumously received the title of Hero. He died in October 1943.
The bold tactics of the tank forces of the Soviet Union led to a catastrophic defeat of the Germans, and the demoralized SS divisions had to retreat, leaving many destroyed tanks, including from 70 to 100 Tigers and Panthers. These losses undermined the combat power of the SS divisions, as a result of which the 4th Panzer Army had no chance of winning in the south.
Soviet pilots
This victory would not have been possible without the heroic actions of our aviation. All battles on all borders of the Kursk Bulge took place with the constant support of our aircraft. In these battles, thanks to the courage of our aces, the pilots - heroes of the Battle of Kursk exceeded German pilots in all respects. Many of them received the proud title of Hero of the USSR.
The pilots - heroes of the Battle of Kursk quite skillfully and boldly fought not only in this battle. With their unprecedented courage, they struck throughout the Second World War. The Russian pilots were afraid and respected by the honored aces of the German troops. An example is Gorovets A.
06. 07. 43, in an air battle near Kursk, he was not afraid to take off on his plane and rush into battle with much superior enemy forces. In this battle, he shot down nine enemy aircraft. Alexander Gorovets became the first and only pilot of the Soviet Union, who shot down so many German aircraft in one battle.
Alexander himself died in this battle. For this feat that he performed in the sky over Kursk, he was awarded the title of Hero, which he was awarded posthumously. At the place of his death, a monument was erected in the form of a bust.
Ivan Kozhedub - pilot (ace) - 3 times during the war years became the Hero of the Soviet Union, 07/06. The year 1943 marked its fortieth departure with a downed German bomber, a day later another German aircraft was shot down. 07/09/43 the year, taking off, shot down two German fighters, for the first time and received the highest award of the Hero.
Popkov V.I. went his combat path from a pilot to a squadron commander. During the fighting he was repeatedly wounded, but survived. He shot down 17 German planes near Kursk, completed more than 117 sorties, and was awarded the title of Hero for these skillful actions. V.I. Popkov was the prototype of several roles in the well-known and beloved film "Only Old Men Go to Battle".
Major Buyanov Victor Nikolaevich - Deputy. the squadron commander, during the Battle of Kursk until 07/15/43, he made over seventy sorties, he shot down 9 fascist planes and seven more planes as part of the group. On September 2, 1943, he was awarded the title of Hero.
The Soviet victory marked a turning point in the war, which began with the defeat of the 6th Army of Paulus in Stalingrad. For several years, the German army was a fairly strong opponent, and only after Kursk did the Soviet Army finally go on the offensive, freeing the territories of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe from Nazi occupation.
Opening of the monument
The memorial in honor of the heroes of the Battle of Kursk was erected on the site of the former height of 254.5, where the mass graves of the great Soviet soldiers who defended it were located.
The grand opening of the memorial took place on August 3, 1973, on the day of the thirtieth anniversary of the Battle of Kursk. The descendants and children of the heroes of the Battle of Kursk who defended these places also took part in it. The honorary right to light the Eternal Flame delivered from the Mamaev Kurgan was granted to N. N. Kononenko, a participant in the Battle of Kursk.
Winner of Lenin and State Prizes, People's Artist of the USSR, composer Georgy Sviridov wrote Requiem for the opening ceremony of the memorial, and here it still sounds.
The following facilities were equipped in 1973 in honor of the heroic deeds of artillerymen on the southern slope of an altitude of 254.5:
- dugouts were restored;
- firing position of one of the artillery calculations and the seventy-six millimeter gun ZIS-3.
In the south of the central part of the memorial there is a dugout, where 05.07.43 was the command of the 6th Guards Army. A separate monument to the gunners is the model of the 76-mm anti-tank gun ZIS-3 of Sergeant Azarov, holder of the Order of Glory of all degrees.
The memorial complex to the heroes of the Battle of Kursk includes a number of other objects:
- 44-meter stele;
- two 122-mm long-range artillery guns A-19;
- the legendary T-34 on the mass grave of tank soldiers;
- an obelisk with a list of fronts, armies and military units that fought in the southern part of the Kursk Bulge;
- Yak combat aircraft models;
- chapel of St. George the Victorious;
- the area of the heroes of the Battle of Kursk;
- Monuments to soldiers of the multinational Red Army.
The museum represents the memorial to the heroes of the Battle of Kursk; at the exhibition of the Hall of Military Glory, there are memorabilia telling about the events of the Patriotic War unleashed by the Germans in 1941, where the history of the greatest battle in the history of the war - the confrontation between German and Soviet troops near Kursk, occupies a significant place.
Here you can see documents and photographs of participants in the Battle of Kursk, military commanders - front commanders, army commanders and other important persons who directly influenced the outcome of this battle.
The memorial to the heroes of the Battle of Kursk is a branch of the historical museum of the city of Belgorod.
The heroic feat of the Soviet soldiers who fought in bloody battles near Kursk, Prokhorovka, was unmatched in its intensity! More than 100,000 soldiers received well-deserved military orders and medals, and more than 180 soldiers were awarded the highest title of Heroes of the Soviet Union for unparalleled courage and bravery in this battle. These are Heroes of the Soviet Union, participants in the Battle of Kursk, which will be discussed later.
Today, schools study the Heroes of the Battle of Kursk and their exploits, especially those where people sacrificed themselves for the sake of victory.
One example of self-sacrifice in the battles of Kursk was the feat of tankers A. Nikolaev and R. Chernov. Despite the fact that they were not awarded the highest military rank, for us they are the heroes of the Battle of Kursk. Their exploits are briefly described below.
After their tank brigade suddenly came across Nazi tanks in order not to be shot at point-blank range with their powerful guns, the brigade commander began the battle.
During this attack, Captain Skripkin was wounded, and the tank was pierced by several shells and caught fire. Alexander Nikolaev and Roman Chernov carried the commander and laid him in the funnel from the shell. One of the enemy Tiger tanks saw this maneuver and went straight to the crater where the battalion commander was.
Alexander Nikolaev, in order to protect the commander, jumped into his burning tank and rushed into the enemy car. "Tiger" shot, but missed, and Nikolaev on his tank crashed into a German, producing a tank ram.
As a result of this, a deafening explosion occurred. Thus, at the cost of their lives, the soldiers rescued their commander. A. Nikolaev and R. Chernov were awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the second degree posthumously. There were at least 20 tank rams during the fighting on the Kursk Bulge. Many of the ramming tankers were awarded the title Heroes of the Soviet Union, the Battle of Kursk.
Another tanker - Ivan Alekseevich Konorev - on July 12, 1943, destroyed two self-propelled German installations, the others turned around and tried to escape. As a result of their pursuit, Konorev got into a minefield, and his tank exploded in one of the mines, but he did not leave it, but continued to conduct the battle, even after being wounded. For unparalleled courage and courage Konorev Ivan Alekseevich was awarded the title of Hero posthumously.
There are many such examples. These names of the heroes of the Battle of Kursk will never be forgotten in our country.
Losses in the Battle of Kursk
The heroes of the battle on the Kursk Bulge defended its borders until the last breath, suffered substantial losses, so they were huge on both sides.
The Germans in Operation Citadel lost, according to their data:
- more than 130,429 people killed;
- 1,500 tanks and self-propelled guns;
- 1,400 aircraft.
According to Soviet data:
- about 420,000 people killed;
- 3000 tanks and self-propelled guns;
- 1,696 aircraft.
Losses that were disastrous for the German troops. After such losses, they could not regain their strength.
For Soviet troops, the losses amounted to much more. As a result of the selfless actions of all the soldiers, many received the title of Heroes of the Union. The Battle of Kursk has made more than 150 people awarded this title.
For the Russians, this battle was a major turning point in the war and in the history of the whole country. Finally, they broke the defenses of the German army and were able to begin the expulsion of Hitler’s soldiers from the territory of the Soviet Union.
All Soviet cities occupied by the Germans, which were under Nazi rule for two years, were liberated by the Red Army, including Oryol, Kharkov, Smolensk and Kiev.
Summarizing
Operation Citadel was a decisive battle on the Eastern Front, because after it, Soviet troops continued their victorious offensive, freeing their cities and the cities of European countries.
However, it would be more appropriate to say that Germany was defeated by the combined consequences of the battles near Moscow, in Stalingrad and Kursk.
The significance of Operation Citadel was that it destroyed the remaining offensive force of the German forces. The battle of Kursk depleted what was left of Germany's strategic reserves. After the Citadel, she was unable to carry out further major attacks against the Soviet Union.