Until now, historians are arguing about where the largest tank battle of the Great Patriotic War took place. It is no secret that history in many countries of the world is subject to excessive political influence. Therefore, it is not uncommon that some events are praised, while others remain underestimated or completely forgotten. So, according to the history of the USSR, the largest tank battle of the Great Patriotic War took place near Prokhorovka. It was part of the decisive battle that took place on the Kursk. But some historians believe that the most ambitious confrontation between the armored vehicles of the two warring parties occurred two years earlier between the three cities - Brody, Lutsk and Dubno. In this area, two enemy tank armads came together, numbering a total of 4.5 thousand vehicles.
Counterattack of the second day
This is the largest tank battle of World War II occurred on June 23 - two days after the invasion of Nazi-German invaders on Soviet soil. It was then that the mechanized corps of the Red Army, which were part of the Kiev military district, were able to deliver the first powerful counterattack against a rapidly advancing enemy. By the way, G.K. insisted on carrying out this operation. Zhukov.
The plan of the Soviet command in the first place was to deliver a tangible blow from the flanks to the 1st tank group of the Germans, tearing towards Kiev, in order to first encircle and then destroy it. The hope that the enemy was defeated was given by the fact that in this sector the Red Army had a solid superiority in tanks. In addition, the Kiev military district before the war was considered one of the strongest, and therefore it was assigned the main role of a retaliatory strike in the event of an attack by fascist Germany. It was here that, in the first place, all military equipment went, and in large numbers, and the level of training of the personnel was the highest.
Before the war itself, there were 3695 tanks, while the German side was advancing with only eight hundred armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery installations. But in practice, the plan that seemed to be excellent failed miserably. An ill-considered, hasty and improperly prepared decision resulted in the largest tank battle of the Great Patriotic War, where the Red Army suffered its first and so serious defeat.
Confrontation of armored vehicles
When the mechanized Soviet units finally reached the front line, they immediately entered the battle. I must say that the theory of wars did not allow such battles until the middle of the last century, since armored vehicles were considered the main tool for breaking through enemy defenses.
“Tanks do not fight tanks” - such was the formulation of this principle, common to both the Soviet and all other armies in the world. Anti-tank artillery or well-entrenched infantrymen were called upon to fight armored vehicles. Therefore, the events in the Brody - Lutsk - Dubno region completely broke all theoretical ideas about military structures. It was here that the first major tank battle of the Great Patriotic War took place, during which Soviet and German mechanized units came together in a frontal attack.
First cause of failure
The Red Army lost this battle, and there were two reasons for this. The first of these is the lack of communication. The Germans very reasonably and actively used it. Through communication, they coordinated the efforts of all military branches. Unlike the enemy, the Soviet command controlled the actions of their tank units very badly. Therefore, those who entered the battle had to act at their own peril and risk, moreover, without any support.
The infantrymen were supposed to help them in the fight against anti-tank artillery, and instead, the rifle units, forced to flee for armored vehicles, simply could not keep up with the vehicles that had gone ahead. The lack of overall coordination led to the fact that one corps launched an offensive, and the other moved away from the already occupied positions or began to regroup at that time.
Second reason for failure
The next factor in the defeat of the Soviet mechanized corps near Dubno is the unpreparedness for the tank battle itself. This was a consequence of the same pre-war principle "tanks do not fight tanks." In addition, the mechanized corps were equipped for the most part with infantry escort armored vehicles, issued back in the early 1930s.
The largest tank battle of the Great Patriotic War was lost by the Soviet side due to the specifics of Soviet combat vehicles. The fact is that light tanks armed with the Red Army had either bulletproof or anti-shatter armor. They were perfect for deep raids behind enemy lines, but were completely unsuitable for breaking through the defense. Hitler's command took into account all the strengths and weaknesses of its technology, made the appropriate conclusions and was able to conduct the battle in such a way as to nullify all the advantages of Soviet tanks.
It is worth noting that the German field artillery worked perfectly in this battle. As a rule, it was not dangerous for medium T-34s and heavy HFs, but it posed a mortal threat to light tanks. To destroy Soviet technology, the Germans used 88-mm anti-aircraft guns in this battle, which sometimes pierced the armor even with new T-34s. As for light tanks, they didn’t just stop from shells getting into them, but they also “partially collapsed”.
Miscalculations of the Soviet command
The armored vehicles of the Red Army went into battle near Dubno completely undisguised from the air, so German planes on the march destroyed up to half of the mechanized columns. Most tanks had weak armor; even lines fired from heavy machine guns pierced it . In addition, there was no radio communication, and the Red Army tankers were forced to act according to the situation and at their own discretion. But, despite all the difficulties, they went into battle and sometimes even won.
In the first two days it was impossible to predict in advance who would win this largest tank battle of the Great Patriotic War. At first, the scales fluctuated all the time: success was on one or the other side. On the 4th day, the Soviet tankers nevertheless managed to achieve significant successes, and the enemy in some areas was thrown back 25 or even 35 km. But by the end of the day on June 27, a shortage of infantry units began to take effect, without which armored vehicles could not operate fully in the field, and, as a result, the advanced parts of Soviet mechanized corps were practically destroyed. In addition, many units were surrounded and forced to defend themselves. They lacked fuel, shells and spare parts. Often, tankers, retreating, left the equipment almost intact due to the fact that they did not have enough time or the opportunity to repair it and take it with them.
The rout that brought victory closer
Today there is an opinion that if the Soviet side went on the defensive, it could be able to delay the German offensive and even turn the enemy back. By and large, this is just a fantasy. It should be borne in mind that the Wehrmacht soldiers at that time fought much better, in addition, they actively interacted with other types of troops. But this largest tank battle during the Great Patriotic War nevertheless played a positive role. It thwarted the swift advance of the Nazi forces and forced the Wehrmacht command to introduce their reserve units intended for an attack on Moscow, which thwarted the grandiose Nazi plan “Barbarossa”. Despite the fact that there was still a lot of heavy and bloody battles ahead, the battle of Dubno nevertheless brought the country much closer to victory.
Battle of Smolensk
According to historical facts, the largest battles of the Great Patriotic War took place in the first months after the attack of the Nazi invaders. I must say that the Battle of Smolensk is not an isolated battle, but a truly large-scale defensive and offensive operation of the Red Army against fascist invaders, which lasted 2 months and took place from July 10 to September 10. Its main objectives were to suspend, at least for some time, the breakthrough of enemy troops in the direction of the capital, to enable the Headquarters to develop and more carefully organize the defense of Moscow, and thereby prevent the capture of the city.
Despite the fact that the Germans had both numerical and technical superiority, the Soviet soldiers still managed to detain them near Smolensk. At the cost of enormous losses, the Red Army suspended the rapid advance of the enemy inland.
Battle for Kiev
The largest battles of World War II, including the battles for the Ukrainian capital, were long-term. So, the siege and defense of Kiev took place from July to September 1941. Hitler, holding his position near Smolensk and believing in a favorable outcome of this operation, transferred some of his troops in the Kiev direction in order to capture Ukraine as soon as possible, and then Leningrad and Moscow .
The surrender of Kiev was a severe blow to the country, since not only the city was taken, but the whole republic, which had strategic reserves of coal and food. In addition, the Red Army suffered considerable losses. According to estimates, about 700 thousand people were killed or captured. As you can see, the largest battles of World War II, which took place in 1941, ended in a loud failure of the plans of the highest Soviet command and the loss of vast territories. The mistakes of leaders cost too much to a country that has lost hundreds of thousands of its citizens in such a short time.
Moscow defense
The largest battles of the Great Patriotic War, such as the Battle of Smolensk, were only a warm-up for the occupying forces, which sought to seize the capital of the Soviet Union and thereby force the capitulation of the Red Army. And, it should be noted that they were very close to their goal. Hitler's troops managed to come very close to the capital - they were already 20-30 km from the city.
I.V. Stalin was well aware of the severity of the situation, so he appointed G.K. Zhukov commander of the Western Front. In late November, the Nazis captured the city of Klin, and this was the end of their success. The advanced German tank brigades went far ahead, and their rear was significantly behind. For this reason, the front turned out to be very extended, which contributed to the loss of the enemy's penetrative ability. In addition, severe frosts occurred, which became a frequent reason for the failure of German armored vehicles.
The myth is dispelled
As you can see, the first major battles of the Great Patriotic War showed the extreme unpreparedness of the Red Army for military operations against such a powerful and experienced enemy. But, despite gross miscalculations, this time the Soviet command was able to organize a powerful counterattack, which began on the night of December 5-6, 1941. The German leadership did not expect such a rebuff. During this offensive, the Nazis were driven back from the capital to a distance of 150 km.
Before the battle for Moscow, all previous major battles of the Great Patriotic War did not provoke such significant losses in the enemy. During the fighting for the capital, the Germans immediately lost more than 120 thousand of their troops. It was near Moscow that the myth of the invincibility of fascist Germany was first refuted.
Opposing plans
The second largest tank battle of the Great Patriotic War is the operation, which was part of the defensive phase of the Battle of Kursk. It was clear to both the Soviet and fascist command that in the course of this confrontation a radical turning point would occur and, in fact, the outcome of the whole war would be decided. The Germans planned a major offensive for the summer of 1943, the purpose of which was to gain strategic initiative in order to turn the outcome of this company in their favor. Therefore, Hitler’s headquarters developed and approved the Citadel military operation in advance.
At Stalin’s Headquarters, they knew about the enemy’s offensive and drew up their counter-plan, which consisted of the temporary defense of the Kursk ledge and the maximum bleeding and exhaustion of enemy groups. After that, it was hoped that the Red Army would be able to go on a counterattack, and later on a strategic offensive.
The second largest tank battle
On July 12, not far from the Prokhorovka railway station, which was located 56 km from Belgorod, the advancing German tank group was suddenly stopped by a counterattack undertaken by Soviet troops. When the battle began, the Red Army tankers had some advantage in that the rising sun blinded the advancing German troops.
In addition, the extreme density of battle deprived fascist technology of its main advantage - long-range powerful guns that were practically useless at such short distances. And the Soviet troops, in turn, had the opportunity to aim fire and get into the most vulnerable points of German armored vehicles.
Effects
At least 1.5 thousand units of military equipment, not including aviation, participated in the battle near Prokhorovka on both sides. In just one day of battle, the enemy lost 350 tanks and 10 thousand of its troops. By the end of the next day, we managed to break through the enemy’s defenses and go deep 25 km. After this, the offensive of the Red Army only intensified, and the Germans had to retreat. For a long time, it was believed that this episode of the Battle of Kursk was the largest tank battle.
The years of World War II were saturated with battles, which turned out to be very difficult for the whole country. But, despite this, the army and people worthily overcame all the trials. The battles described in this article, whether successful or unsuccessful, nevertheless inexorably brought closer to the conquest of such a long-awaited and long-awaited Great Victory.