Winners always write history, exaggerating their own significance and sometimes belittling the dignity of the enemy. A lot has been written and said about the significance of the Battle of Kursk for all of humanity. This great epic battle was another bitter lesson that claimed the lives of many people. And it will be great blasphemy for future generations not to draw the right conclusions from those past events.
General situation on the eve of the General battle
By the spring of 1943, the Kursk ledge that had formed did not simply interfere with the normal railway communication between the German army groups Center and South. An ambitious plan for encircling 8 Soviet armies was associated with it. The Nazis have not yet carried out anything like this even in a period more favorable to them. According to some historians, a deliberately unrealistic plan was, rather, an act of despair. Allegedly, Hitler was most afraid of the landing of the allies in Italy, therefore, by such measures his army tried to protect itself in the East, having finished with the Soviets.
This view does not hold water. The significance of the Battle of Stalingrad and Kursk lies in the fact that it was precisely at these military theaters that devastating blows were delivered to the well-coordinated Wehrmacht military machine. The long-awaited initiative was in the hands of the Soviet troops. After these great historical events, the wounded fascist beast was dangerous and snapped, but even he himself understood that he was dying.
Preparing for the decisive moment
One of the key aspects in the significance of the battle on the Kursk Bulge is the determination with which the Soviet soldiers were ready to demonstrate to the enemy that two terrible years were not in vain for them. This does not mean that the Red Army at one point was reborn, having solved all its old problems. They were still missing. This was primarily due to the low qualification of military personnel. Personnel hunger was irreplaceable. To survive, I had to come up with new approaches to solving problems.
One such example is the organization of anti-tank strongholds (TVET). Previously, anti-tank guns lined up in one line, but experience has shown: it is more efficient to concentrate them in a kind of well-fortified islands. Each PTOPA gun had several positions for firing in all directions. Each of these strong points was located at a distance of 600-800 meters from each other. If enemy tanks tried to wedge and pass between such "islands", then they would inevitably fall under the cross artillery fire. And on the side, the tank armor is weaker.
How this military trick will work in a real combat situation was to be found out during the Battle of Kursk. The importance of artillery and aviation, to which the Soviet command paid close attention, can hardly be overestimated due to the emergence of a new factor, on which Hitler had great hopes. It is about the appearance of new tanks.
The lack of Soviet fire weapons
In the spring of 1943, the artillery marshal Voronov, reporting to Stalin on the state of affairs, noted that the Soviet troops did not have guns capable of effectively fighting new enemy tanks. It was urgent to take measures to eliminate the backlog in this area, and as soon as possible. By order of the State Defense Committee, the production of 57-mm anti-tank guns resumed. Feverish modernization of existing armor-piercing shells was also carried out.
However, all these measures were ineffective due to lack of time and the necessary materials. The aircraft received a new PTAB bomb. With a weight of just 1.5 kg, she was able to hit 100 mm upper armor. Such “gifts for the Fritz” were loaded into a container of 48 pieces. The IL-2 attack aircraft could take on board 4 such containers.
Finally, 85 mm anti-aircraft guns were installed in particularly important areas. They were carefully camouflaged, having the order in no case to fire on enemy aircraft.
From the measures described above it is clear what significance the Soviet soldiers attached to the Battle of Kursk. At the most difficult moment, the decision to win came with a natural ingenuity. But this was not enough, and the price, as always, was huge human losses.
Battle progress
A lot of conflicting information and various myths created with propaganda goals do not allow us to put an end to this issue. History has long brought to court descendants the results and significance of the Battle of Kursk. But all the new details that are opening up once again amaze the courage of the soldiers who won this hell.
The “defense genius” grouping of the Model launched an offensive in the north of the Kursk ledge. Natural conditions limited room for maneuver. The only possible place for the Germans to appear was a section of the front 90 km wide. The Red Army under the command of Konev competently disposed of this advantage. The Ponyri railway station became a "fire bag", which hit the advanced units of the fascist troops.
Soviet gunners used the tactics of "flashing guns." When the enemy tanks appeared, they began to hit with direct fire, thereby riveting the fire on themselves. The Germans at full speed rushed towards them to destroy, and fell under the fire of other masked Soviet anti-tank guns. The side armor of tanks is not as massive as the frontal one. At a distance of 200-300 meters, Soviet guns could completely destroy armored vehicles. At the end of 5 days, Model’s attack in the north of the ledge was choked.
The southern direction under the command of one of the best commanders of the twentieth century, Heinrich von Manstein, had a better chance of success. Here, the space for maneuver did not limit anything. To this we must add high skill and professionalism. 2 out of 3 lines of Soviet troops were broken through. From the operational report for July 10, 1943, it followed that the retreating Soviet units were closely pursued by German troops. For this reason, there was no way to block the road going from Teterevino to Ivanovsky settlement with anti-tank mines.
Battle of Prokhorovka
In order to cool down the ardor of presumptuous Manstein, the reserves of the Steppe Front were urgently used. But at this point, only a miracle did not allow the Germans to break through the 3rd line of defense near Prokhorovka. They were very disturbed by the threat from the flank. Being careful, they expected the SS Dead Head soldiers to cross to the other side of the Psel River and destroy the gunners.
At that moment, Rotmistrov’s tanks, which German aviation had warned in a timely manner, approaching Prokhorovka, estimated the future battlefield. They were to advance in a narrow corridor between the Psel River and the railway. The task was complicated by an impenetrable ravine, and in order to go around it, it was necessary to line up in the back of one another. Thus, they became a convenient target.
Going to certain death, at the cost of incredible efforts and tremendous sacrifices, they stopped the German breakthrough. Prokhorovka and its significance in the Battle of Kursk are evaluated as the culmination of this general battle, after which large-scale attacks of this magnitude were not undertaken by the Germans.
The ghost of Stalingrad
The result of the operation "Kutuzov", which began with the offensive behind the rear of the Model group, was the liberation of Belgorod and Orel. This good news was marked by the roar of guns in Moscow saluting in honor of the winners. And on August 22, 1943, Manstein, violating Hitler's hysterical order to keep Kharkov, left the city. Thus, he completed a series of battles for the rebellious Kursk ledge.
If we talk briefly about the significance of the Battle of Kursk, then we can recall the words of the German commander Guderian. In his memoirs, he spoke of the fact that with the failure of Operation Citadel on the Eastern Front, calm days disappeared. And one cannot disagree with this.